The cheese slicer, the brainchild of Thor Bjørklund, a carpenter from Lillehammer, turns 85 this year. Bjørklund came upon the idea on a hot summer day back in 1925, when he found out the cheese in his packed lunch had all but melted. He took a sheet of steel, bent it and cut it, and bingo – the cheese slicer was invented. Soon friends and family, who could see a good use for this new kitchen utensil, were demanding their own too, and later that year Bjørklund got his invention patented. Mass production started in 1927, and the rest, as they say, is history. Well, at least in Scandinavia, where the cheese slicer can be found in every kitchen drawer. Norwegians eat a lot of cheese, particularly hard cheese, hence the popularity of Bjørklund’s invention, which over the years has become a bit of a national icon. The appeal of its sleek design has not been confined to Norway though – the ubiquitous cheese slicer has become a popular souvenir to take home with foreign tourists. It is also sold in 20 countries in Scandinavia and Europe. Thor Bjørklund & Sønner AS in Lillehammer was until last year Norway’s only producer of cheese slicers. It had manufactured 50 million of them. The company was taken over by GIAX in 2009. More info at www.bjorklund-1925.no