Most of your food preparation will involve chopping and peeling—Use a knife you are comfortable with. My main knife is a tomato knife. It works for me most of the time. When I need a larger knife I have a Japanese knife. A peeling knife is worth having.

Chopping boards are essential—get a few in different sizes and maybe have one for onions, garlic and ginger.

I mainly use stainless steel pans or something non-toxic. Anything made from aluminium is out for that reason. You don’t need many pots and pans. I have one large shallow casserole pot which I use the most and a few stainless steel pans of various sizes. Of which I use a couple the most and everything else very occasionally. Use what works for you.

A blender would be good to have. A stick blender is great if that’s all you have or want and they are fairly cheap.

A grater is useful and maybe a spiraliser—nothing fancy.

A set of measuring cups and spoons can be handy for making things like cakes and biscuits.