Nigella Lawson returned to our screens last night with her new cooking series Cook, Eat, Repeat.

While the first episode set out to showcase a number of new recipes from the TV chef – which The Independent tried and tester here – it was a single utensil that really captivated the attention of viewers.

Just three minutes into the show, Lawson started preparing her first dish, a Fish Finger Bhorta, by slicing a single red chilli using a sharp kitchen knife that featured a leopard print blade.

The eye-catching utensil quickly went viral on Twitter, with hundreds of people asking where they could buy one for themselves.

“I adore Nigella and need a leopard print knife immediately,” one person wrote.

Another added: “I need that leopard print knife even if it’s just to butter toast.”

A third person commented: “I NEED THAT LEOPARD PRINT KNIFE I AM SCREAMING.”

Elsewhere, others called for the chef to launch her own range of kitchenware.

“Nigella Lawson homeware range needed urgently,” one Twitter user wrote.

On Tuesday, Lawson responded to the mass of enquiries, revealing the company behind the coveted knife is Swiss brand Kuhn Rikon.

“A short thread to answer some queries after yesterday’s episode of #CookEatRepeat,” she wrote.

“So many of you asked about the leopard print knife! I bought it years ago (from the Cook Shop in Burford) but I think it’s made [by] KuhnRikonUK.”

However, the chef went on to dash her follower’s hopes of ever being able to get hold of one themselves, adding: “Sadly no longer available. Perhaps they’ll bring it back!”

Despite the overwhelming reaction to Lawson’s knife, this is not the first time it has featured on her cooking series.

In 2015, fans took to Twitter to discuss the chef’s kitchen utensils, from her miniature pans to stylish paprika pots. But, once again, it was her leopard print knife that really stole the show.

“A moment for @Nigella_Lawson's leopard print knife in last night's #SimplyNigella,” one person wrote on Twitter at the time.

Another person added: “All I want for Christmas is to know where, oh where @Nigella_Lawson got her leopard print knife on #SimplyNigella #leopardprintlove.”

Simply Nigella saw an increase in sales for a number of kitchen items that were used by the chef during the show, including a Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt cake tin and raspberry pink KitchenAid mixer.

The former experienced a fourfold rise in sales, while sales of the mixer soared by 55 per cent at John Lewis.

The animal print knife is currently unavailable to buy on the retailer’s website. The Independent has contacted Kuhn Rikon for comment.

You can read The Independent’s piece on testing Nigella’s latest recipes here.