Cutting edge gizmos... for a Victorian!

THEY were the state of the art laboursaving devices in the days before spiralizers and milk frothers of today.

An extraordinary range of contraptions used by cooks in the mid 19th to early 20th centuries are going on sale at auction. The gadgets include a vegetable slicer, flour sifter, fruit press and raisin stoner.

Only wealthy homeowners – usually with a kitchen staff – could afford the devices, several of which have rarely been seen since they were first introduced.

Sellers hope the 25 devices could raise at least £10,000 when they go under the hammer tomorrow with auctioneers Golding, Young and Mawer of Grantham, Lincolnshire. They have been amassed over the past 40 years by Barry Harris, who made scale models of them for dolls houses.