tritensil

Originally featured in Fortnum’s 1914 Christmas catalogue for Army officers, the Tritensil – a hybrid knife, spoon, and fork – was a practical response to life on the move. A century later, we helped Fortnum & Mason reintroduce this ingenious tool as part of their evolving picnic and takeaway offering.

Our design process began with food. We studied the typical F&M picnic menu to understand what the Tritensil needed to do, from spearing salad leaves to spreading jam on a cream tea scone. This insight guided the shaping of each element for real-world use: a spoon suited to desserts, a fork optimised for salads, and a knife for spreading and light cutting.

To improve function without increasing material use, we designed left- and right-handed versions, a rare detail in single-use cutlery. This small but intentional asymmetry makes the Tritensil more intuitive to use and reflects Fortnum’s dedication to refinement. Thanks to modern manufacturing methods, both versions can be produced efficiently at scale.

The Tritensil is available in two finishes: a stainless steel version for long-lasting picnic use, and a single-use version in Fortnum’s signature Eau de Nil bio-based plastic. Compared to using three separate utensils, the Tritensil reduces weight by 46% and carbon emissions by 50%. Its resin also lowers the non-renewable plastic content by 9%.

A century after its debut, the Tritensil returns refreshed in form, function, and purpose.