Care
Looking after it
Most of these objects will outlast the room they are in. The exceptions are almost all caused by the same handful of mistakes, listed below.
The five that cause real damage
- An oak board in the dishwasher. This splits an end-grain board, frequently on the first cycle, and it is not repairable. Hand wash and dry on edge.
- Stoneware or porcelain in the oven. Nothing in this range is oven safe. Thermal shock cracks the body, usually the first time and usually straight through.
- Acid on marble. Vinegar, citrus, wine and most bathroom cleaners etch marble even when it is sealed. Etching is permanent. Wipe spills straight away and use a pH-neutral cleaner.
- Boiling liquid into a cold glass. The thick base of a hand-blown glass can crack under sudden heat. These are for cold drinks; warm a glass gradually if you must.
- Oak-handled tools left to soak. Prolonged soaking raises the grain and greys the oil finish on the serving pair and the mills. Wash by hand, dry, and re-oil when the wood looks dry.
By material
Stoneware
How it ages- Dishwasher safe on a normal cycle.
- Slide a cloth between plates when you stack them — the bare foot ring can scuff the glaze under it, or a polished shelf.
- Stack with a cloth or felt pad between bowls to protect the glaze.
- A cloth between nested bowls keeps the feet from marking the glaze.
- Stack with a cloth between the feet and the glaze below.
- Small enough to hide in a full rack — set it where the spray reaches it.
- Hang or stack it so the bare foot doesn't drag across another glazed piece.
- Soak baked-on edges rather than scraping with metal, which can dull the glaze over time.
- Soak stubborn browning off rather than working at it with a metal scourer.
- Let a hot dish cool on a board or cloth, not on a cold stone worktop.
- Grease or line before baking bread to save scrubbing the corners later.
- Stack a cloth between them in the cupboard so the bare rims don't scuff the glaze.
- Dishwasher safe on a normal cycle, body and lid.
- Soak a stuck-on braise rather than scraping it, to keep the glaze sound.
- Slip a cloth between the nested bowls so the feet don't scuff the glaze inside the one below.
- Rinse batter from the spout before it dries, where it's fiddliest to clean.
- Wash the stoneware body in the dishwasher; hand-wash the gasket lid and dry it fully.
- Let a washed canister dry completely before you refill it with anything dry.
- Wipe out crumbs and wash occasionally by hand; dry it fully before the bread goes back.
- Air it now and then to keep the inside sweet.
- Stoneware is dishwasher safe on a normal cycle; wash the tumblers on a gentle cycle or by hand.
- Stack the plates and bowls with a cloth between them to protect the glaze.
- All three are dishwasher safe on a normal cycle.
- Soak baked-on residue rather than scraping it off with metal.
Porcelain
How it ages- Dishwasher safe on a normal cycle.
- The painted line is under the glaze and won't wash off; stack with a cloth all the same to keep the surface unmarked.
- The rim line sits under the glaze; stack with care to keep the white ground clean.
Glass
How it ages- Dishwasher safe on a gentle cycle; hand-washing keeps the clarity longest.
- Let it come to room temperature before you pour in anything very hot or very cold.
- Dishwasher safe on a gentle cycle; hand-wash to hold the shine.
- Warm it to room temperature before a hot or icy pour.
- Dishwasher safe on a gentle cycle; hand-washing avoids cloudiness over time.
- Bring it to room temperature before pouring anything near-frozen.
- Dishwasher safe on a gentle cycle; a bottle brush reaches the base for hand-washing.
- Let it reach room temperature before you fill it from a just-boiled kettle.
- Dishwasher safe on a gentle cycle; hand-washing keeps the marks crisp.
- Let it warm to room temperature before you pour in anything hot.
- Wash and dry the glass fully before refilling — trapped damp cakes a ground spice.
- Hand-wash the gasket lids and let them air-dry.
- Hand-wash the glass and the spout; dry both fully before refilling.
- Wipe the spout after pouring so old oil doesn't gum it up.
Oak
How it ages- Hand-wash with warm water and a scrape; wipe dry and stand it on edge to air.
- Re-oil with a food-safe hardwax oil whenever the surface looks dry or pale.
- Hand-wash and wipe dry; stand it up to air rather than leaving it flat and damp.
- Give it a coat of food-safe oil when the grain starts to look thirsty.
- Wipe the oak with a dry cloth; keep water off the mechanism.
- Re-oil the oak body when it looks dry, and run a few peppercorns through to clear the burr.
Stainless steel
How it ages- Dishwasher safe, or rinse and towel-dry to keep it bright.
- Clear the perforations of stuck grains with a brush before they dry in.
- Dishwasher safe for life.
- Towel it dry if your water is very hard, to keep spots from drying on.
- Dry hard-water spots off with a cloth to keep the satin even.
- A quick towel-dry after a hard-water wash keeps it spot-free.
- Dry off hard-water marks to keep the finish clean.
- Hand-wash and dry both pieces; don't leave them soaking.
- Re-oil the oak handles with a food-safe oil when they start to look dry.
Linen
How it ages- Machine wash warm with like colours; tumble dry low or line dry.
- Press them while slightly damp if you want a crisp finish.
- Machine wash warm with like colours; line or tumble dry low.
- Press damp for a flatter mat, or leave them soft.
Marble
How it ages- Hand-wash with warm water; scrub the bowl with a little coarse salt to lift oils.
- Dry it fully before it goes away so the stone doesn't hold moisture.
- Wipe clean with a damp cloth; don't soak the stone.
- Dry it fully before refilling so the salt stays loose.
Something already gone wrong?
If a piece arrived damaged, email us within seven days with a photograph of the breakage and the outer box — we replace or refund in full and you keep the broken piece.
If a piece was damaged in use, tell us what happened anyway. We cannot always replace it, but the answer is sometimes simpler than it looks — a dry-looking board usually just needs re-oiling.