Bea Crackle Stoneware Platter 34.5x26cm - Cream

This oval serving platter is cream stoneware, 34.5cm long, 26cm wide and 2cm tall, under a crackle glaze that breaks into a fine web of lines across the surface. Running the length of it is a botanical motif: a tall fern frond, a cluster of flowering sprigs and a few fine, bare twigs, spaced out as though they had been laid down after a walk. The outline is a soft, slightly irregular oval rather than a crisp ellipse, and a low rim finishes the edge. At 1.19KG it feels solid and substantial in the hand.

With food safe stoneware and that much length, this is a platter for sharing. It suits a cheese board with crackers and grapes, sliced cold meats, a lemon drizzle cake or a spread of roasted vegetables. At 2cm tall it is a flat serving plate rather than a dish, so it is happiest with food that sits neatly rather than anything saucy. Use it on the dining table for Sunday lunch, on the kitchen island when friends come round, or on a garden table for summer meals. The botanical pattern makes it a natural fit for a country kitchen, a cottage dining room or a pared-back scheme of linen and pale wood.

The maker lists it as dishwasher safe, so it can go in with the rest of the washing up. It is not microwave safe or oven safe, so treat it as a platter to serve from rather than one to warm or cook on: plate food up from the oven onto it, not the other way round. Stoneware is a dense, hard-wearing ceramic, and the crackle glaze gives the surface its fine, aged look. To style it, lay a sprig of fresh herbs or a single stem beside the food to echo the motif, or stand it upright on a plate rack on the dresser between meals.

Can this platter go in the dishwasher?

Yes. The maker lists it as dishwasher safe, so it can be washed along with the rest of your plates and bowls after a meal.

Can I use it in the microwave or the oven?

No. The maker states it is neither microwave safe nor oven safe, so use it for serving food rather than heating or cooking it.

How big is the platter?

It is 34.5cm long, 26cm wide and 2cm tall, and it weighs 1.19KG, which makes it a generous size for sharing food at the table.

What is it made from?

It is made from 100% stoneware, finished in a crackle glaze with a botanical motif, and the maker lists it as food safe.

Is it suitable for saucy dishes?

At 2cm tall it is a flat platter, so it suits cheeses, cold meats, cakes and roasted vegetables better than anything with a lot of sauce or juice.

What comes with it?

You receive the oval stoneware platter on its own; the styling props shown are not included with it.