Handmade wooden spoons

Wooden spoons are a delight to use - quieter and softer to the touch than their steel cousins, they can also build up a beautiful patina over years of use.

The spoons here are hand carved from the log while the wood is still green [fresh] using an axe, a straight bladed knife, and a bent knife for the bowl. They are not sanded, so you can see the tool marks in the surface on the spoon. They are then finished with oil [linseed or walnut] to make the grain stand out and afford a little protection.

Spoon care and maintenance.

Wood is a natural product and will change over time. It will stain when used to eat things which have colour - tea, coffee, curry, beetroot. This is part of the joy of wooden utensils and the older they get and the deeper the patina, the more lovely they can become.

With very little care, your wooden spoons should live a long and useful life.

• Wash by hand in warm soapy water.
• Don't leave them steeping in water
• Don't not lever open jars or scoop hard-frozen ice cream

Every now and then, you may like to add a little oil to the surface of your spoon, Personally i do not bother, but it can reduce staining and improve the look a little.

To do this, i would put a couple of ml of oil [linseed or walnut] into the bowl of the spoon and then rub in with your fingers. Wipe off any residue with kitchen roll, and put aside, ideally in the sun, for a few hours.

Note: You do not need to oil the spoons at all, but i you wish to you can use any food-safe oil, but it should also be a hardening oil - pre-oxidised linseed oil or walnut oil, from the supermarket, are perfect. [Make sure you take account of any allergies in the family]

If a spoon gets a little fuzzy feeling and if you feel you want to do anything about it, you can burnish it [give it a rub] with a smooth pebble and it should feel better.