Valinha Earthenware Cereal Bowl - Grey

A cereal bowl in earthenware, 14cm across and 7cm deep, under a reactive glaze that runs from a pale grey at the rim to a deeper grey-green down in the well. A spiral is worked into the inside, turning out from the centre in low ridges that hold the glaze darker along every line. The rim is thin and a little uneven, and the glaze thins over it to a dry sandy tone where the clay comes through.

At 14cm across and 7cm deep it takes cereal, porridge, a soup or a helping of pasta. It is safe in the dishwasher and in the microwave and it is food safe, so it belongs in daily use. The same glaze runs across the whole Valinha range, which also holds dinner plates, side plates, jugs, a serving bowl and a footed fruit bowl, so the bowl can be laid with the rest of them or on its own.

The clay is Portuguese and dug locally, and every bowl is poured into a mould by hand and finished by hand afterwards. The reactive glaze goes on in layers and moves in the kiln, so the tone settles differently on each piece: some come out nearer green, some nearer stone. The spiral is pressed into the clay rather than painted on, so it is there under the glaze wherever the colour happens to fall.

How big is it?

14cm across and 7cm deep.

Is it dishwasher safe?

Yes, and it is safe in the microwave as well.

What is the glaze?

A reactive glaze, applied in layers. It moves in the kiln, so the tone varies from bowl to bowl and no two come out the same.

What else is in the Valinha range?

Dinner plates, side plates, jugs, a serving bowl and a footed fruit bowl, all under the same glaze.

How do I look after it?

Wash it after every use to stop it staining, use a mild detergent, and do not leave it to soak. Handle it with care, because earthenware chips.