Eisha Mango Wood Cake Stand - Brown

The Eisha cake stand is turned from mango wood in two tones, a dark stained top on a lighter pedestal foot. The top is a shallow dish 30.5cm across rather than a flat plate, rising from the centre to a thin rim, with a band of fine radial grooves etched by hand around the inside of that rim. The pedestal is a short solid barrel that draws in at the waist and flares again at the foot, and it carries the dish 14cm above the table.

At 30.5cm across it takes a full sized cake, and because the top is dished rather than flat a loose bake or a pile of smaller things stays put instead of travelling to the edge. The 14cm lift puts it above whatever else is laid out, so it reads as the high point of a table rather than another plate in the line. It is foodsafe, so bread, cheese or a savoury plate go on it as readily as cake.

The wood is mango, stained a dark brown on the top and left lighter on the foot, with the grain showing through both. Mango is a by-product of the fruit industry: the trees are grown for fruit first and taken for timber only once they stop bearing. The grooved edging is etched by hand using traditional methods, so the spacing and the depth of the grooves differ from stand to stand. The Eisha range also runs to a bowl, a serving bowl and a set of six coasters.

How wide is the top?

30.5cm across, and the stand is 14cm tall.

Is the top flat?

No. It is a shallow dish that rises from the centre to the rim.

Is it foodsafe?

Yes.

Why are the two parts different colours?

The top is stained a dark brown and the foot is left lighter, so the stand reads in two tones. The grain of the mango wood shows through both.

How do I look after it?

Wash it in warm soapy water, then rinse and dry it straight away. Rub an edible oil such as olive or walnut into the wood with a dry cloth to nourish and protect it. The colour may change over time.