Tree to Table

The way humanity consumes food has changed drastically over history. Starting as a necessity, through extravagance in the 18th Century, mass consumerism in the 1980’s and the artistic styles of modern day Michelin cuisine. Tableware has always been a part of this. But amongst the silver tureens, plastic trays, fine china dishes and pieces of slate there have always been wooden vessels or ‘treen’.

Bevel exists because of the ‘trencher’ plate. A design born out of functional necessity to hold food and seasoning on one vessel. One that is almost lost only to history books or collectors. We felt the need to retell it’s story and give it new life. This opened the window into hand crafted table and kitchenware. introducing to us pieces that are evocative of our recent and distant past. The breadboard design is straight from our (and many of our customer’s) Grandmother’s kitchen. Simple, effective but no longer produced on a mass scale. But rich with memories and deserving of being kept alive.

We could see that recreating these pieces would not always be simple. Many of the techniques were not recorded and the craftsmen who made them long gone. But we believe we have matched their methods as faithfully as possible. Each piece of wood is carefully selected, marked out by hand and processed as efficiently as possible. The majority of the work is done on a lathe, with our hands guiding sharpened steel to form the required shapes. Some light sanding, and then we apply the finish from a recipe 100’s of years old.

Each piece you hold has a direct link back through history to almost identical pieces your ancestors used. The tactile nature of the wood, the way the food looks and how much quieter it is to eat off are all good reasons to use a wooden plate or bowl. But the reminder of that link and the passing of that story as they are passed on to future generations is a pretty good one too.