Bea Crackle Stoneware Bowl 30.5cm - Cream

This is a generous serving bowl in cream stoneware, 30.5cm across and 11cm tall, and it holds 3500ml. Inside, a floral motif of slender stems, sprigs and seed heads fans out from the centre in loose sprays on opposite sides, leaving a clear cream pool in the middle, with a few more sprigs just inside the rim. A fine crackle runs through the glossy surface, a web of hairline lines that catches the light; it is part of the finish, not damage. The outside is plain cream, a smooth, rounded wall rising from a small foot.

At 3500ml this is a bowl for the middle of the table rather than for one portion: a family salad, a big dish of pasta, roast potatoes passed round at Sunday lunch, or a heap of fruit on the kitchen counter between meals. It is as much at home at an everyday supper as at the longer, slower meals when friends come round. When it is not in use, the motif inside makes it worth keeping out on an open shelf or a kitchen dresser, propped or placed where the inside of the bowl can be seen, rather than hidden away in a cupboard.

It is 100% stoneware and weighs 2KG, so it sits steadily on the table and is best carried with two hands when full. Stoneware is dense and hard-wearing, and this bowl goes in the dishwasher, which matters for a piece this size. It does not go in the microwave or the oven, so cook elsewhere and bring the food to the table in it; it is a bowl for serving, not for reheating. For styling, let the cream and the sprigs do the work: pile it high with salad leaves or whole fruit and stand it on a bare wooden table or a plain linen cloth, where the motif has room to show.

How big is the bowl and how much does it hold?

It is 30.5cm across and 11cm tall and holds 3500ml, which makes it a large serving bowl for salads, pasta or fruit rather than an individual bowl.

Can it go in the dishwasher?

Yes. The bowl goes in the dishwasher, so it can be cleaned with everything else after a meal.

Can I use it in the microwave or the oven?

No. It does not go in the microwave or the oven, so use it for serving food that has been cooked or warmed in something else.

What is the bowl made of?

It is made of 100% stoneware in cream, with a fine crackle through its glossy surface and a floral motif of stems and sprigs inside.

Is the crackle a crack in the bowl?

No. The fine web of hairline lines is part of the bowl's crackle finish, not damage to the stoneware.

How heavy is it?

It weighs 2KG empty, so it feels solid and steady on the table, and it is best lifted with two hands once it is full.