Give your wooden wares some loving care

Avid watchers of period dramas like Downton Abbey will inevitably see a young scullery maid scrubbing a vast kitchen table on which all food is prepared. 

Likely, the surface would have been used throughout the day almost like a giant chopping board, and at night scrubbed at length with a bristle brush, hot water and carbolic soap to clean it of any developing bacteria so a dose of the trots didn’t break out among those upstairs.

Bear this in mind - to an extent - if you’re buying into the new trend for wooden tablewares.

While you won’t have to get out the carbolic soap to clean them, care of wooden plates and bowls which have contained food will have to be handled in a particular way from both a hygiene perspective and to keep them looking good.

A wooden bowl or platter, whether shop-bought or homemade, is an attractive piece that can be used for decoration and to hold fruit or vegetables.

Wooden plates have an advantage over porcelain and everyday crockery in being virtually indestructible. Most can be dropped, smacked against counters or flung through the air, landing without permanent damage.

Aesthetically, it’s probably best not to use wooden plates and bowls exclusively in your table setting but to mix a little with porcelain, especially plain white for an eye-catching and modern arrangement.

Wooden under-plate chargers are popular and won’t need more than a wipe, if that, after use. If your dinner plates are round, opt for a square charger and vice versa.

Oddly, wooden wares have never been a big feature on tables here in Ireland as they are on the Continent, according to Chaim Factor, a fourth generation wood worker from Wicklow who makes beautiful boards, bowls and even cheese knives with wooden blades that sell in places like New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s retail outlet.

“Wood is not just for presenting cheese or smorgasbord but something from which to eat your cheese and crackers too,” he says.

And for anyone concerned about the maintenance of wooden wares, he advises to use oil to help keep them in top condition.

“Use liquid paraffin or any light oil and the product will last,” he explains. “ I have a chopping board for the last thirty five years and it’s still going.”

If you’re concerned about bacteria and the unpleasant consequences that can ensue, contrary to popular home interiors folklore, wooden chopping boards shouldn’t necessarily be swopped for plastic ones which we’ve been led to believe are more hygienic.

Recent research from the University of California, Davis, found that wood contained less salmonella bacteria than plastic.

In tests, apparently, it was found that bacteria sank beneath the wooden surface of the board but didn’t multiply and eventually died off .

On plastic boards, however, bacteria settled into cuts on the surface made by knife action and proved to be impossible to clean out whether the board was cleaned by hand or in a dishwasher. So while brand new plastic boards might be easy to disinfect, any older, well used plastic versions will hold onto bacteria.

Day to day, wash your wooden pieces thoroughly with washing up liquid and warm water but without soaking them which can lead to warping and cracking. Work quickly to prevent absorption of water and dry with a soft tea towel.

“Don’t lie it flat,” says Chaim.

“Moisture will be trapped underneath. Stand it up to dry completely like a dish in a drainer.”

To maintain the wood in good condition for long-term use, follow these three steps from time to time:

1. When completely dry, give the plate, platter or bowl a dust and then rub it with oil and leave to dry for a day.

2. Apply a second coat of oil making sure it’s smooth and evenly distributed, and leave to dry again.

3. Buff the item with a soft cloth to give it a little gloss.

Don’t be tempted to put your wooden wares in the dishwasher. That deadly combination of intense head and water saturation will cause warping and can scuff the surface.

Treat them as you would granny’s china or your best glasses.

We wouldn't dream of putting them in a dishwasher and are happy to wash them gently in the sink with a sponge and wiping them dry with a soft, clean tea towel.

Just give your wooden wares the same tender loving care and they’ll thank you for it with years of use.

Next week: we explore ideas in a new interiors book.