Nalbari Medium Mango Wood Chopping Board - Natural

A board 50cm long and 16cm wide, 2cm thick, with a shaped handle carried off one end. The face is a herringbone of wedge-shaped mango segments set point to point down the length, and the tones run from near-white through honey to a greenish brown, so the pattern is read by colour as much as by the joints. The long edge shows the ends of the same blocks in a row. A leather thong is knotted through a hole in the handle.

At 50cm long and only 16cm wide this is the narrow one of the three Nalbari boards, and the proportion suits things laid in a row rather than heaped in the middle: charcuterie, a line of cheeses, bread cut into fingers. It does the chopping as well as the carrying. The handle keeps the hand clear of the food when the board goes to the table.

Mango wood, built up from segments rather than sawn from a plank, which is where the colour change across the face comes from. The timber comes out of the fruit orchards: mango trees are grown for the crop and harvested over a number of years, and only when a tree stops bearing is it taken for wood, so the grower plants again and the same ground gives twice. The board is food safe and left natural, and its colour will move as it is used. This is the middle of the three Nalbari sizes.

Why does the colour vary across the board?

Because it is built from segments of mango wood laid in a herringbone rather than cut from one plank. Each segment carries its own tone.

How is it looked after?

Wash it in warm soapy water after every use so it does not stain, rinse it and dry it immediately, and do not let it soak.

Should it be oiled?

An edible oil such as olive or walnut rubbed into the surface with a dry cloth will nourish and protect the wood. It will darken the tone.

Is it food safe?

Yes.

How does it compare with the other Nalbari sizes?

It is the middle one: 50 x 16cm against 38 x 15cm and 60 x 20cm. All three are 2cm thick.