About Us

The perfect kitchenware choice for your everyday cooking needs.

We were founded in Bristol in 1896 by family man William Joseph Horwood. William was dedicated to becoming a faithful supplier of quality homewares.

In Victorian England, we began selling a range of homeware to hardware stores in and around Bristol. Our products were made in Birmingham with our first catalogues featuring the likes of cake tins, graters and steaming pots. During the early days, Judge cookware was made from enamel coated metal to suit the demands of the utilitarian kitchen.

With our family founder dedicated to making more quality products for every need in the kitchen, we’d grown our range to 100 items by the 1930s. By this time, Judge was the leading cookware brand in the UK and fast becoming a trusted household name.

During WW2, despite the demand for metal to build machinery, we were still able to make and sell Judge kitchenware thanks to its popularity. Unfortunately, 3 out of 4 of our warehouses were destroyed in heavy bombing.

After the war we bounced back and from our modest beginnings, we grew into even larger warehouses with a bigger range of kitchenware than ever before. While our headquarters remained in Bristol, we began making some of our products in the UK & Europe to improve the speed and quality of our production, many of which are still made in the same factories today.

During the period of post-war optimism, a growing importance was placed on taking pride in cooking homemade food. The kitchen was fast becoming the heart of the home and with that came increased interest in kitchenware. As a trusted household name, Judge’s popularity continued to grow, and our large range could be found in many budding cookshops across the UK.

Three generations later, our traditional family values remained at the heart of Judge. Grandfather, father and son were committed to quality, service and innovation.

Our flagship range of stainless steel cookware was born! Vista is still our most popular cookware today, loved for its convenient features, glass draining lids and long-lasting quality.

Through loyalty to innovation and quality workmanship, by the 1990s we’d built a collection of more than 1000 kitchen accessories covering every need in the kitchen. Our products continued to be made in the UK and abroad.

We celebrated our 100-year anniversary! With a century of trading history, by this time we had built a proven legacy and won many awards.

Our quality kitchenware now equips thousands of families in the UK, Europe, USA and beyond. We strive to make everyday cooking easier and create new products every year.