Serving Plates & Platters

Serving plates and platters in ceramic, porcelain and wood — footed, oval, pedestal and flat forms for the middle of a table.

Oval or round?

Oval for anything longer than it is wide: a fish, sliced meat, a row of pastry. It sits lengthways down the centre of a table without taking the width. Round suits things served in a heap — roast vegetables, fruit, bread — and reads more informal.

What does a footed platter actually do?

Height. A dish raised on a foot sits clear of everything else on the table, so it reads as the thing being served rather than one of several plates. It is the difference between a cake that looks presented and one that looks put down.

Ceramic or wood?

Ceramic takes anything wet and goes in a dishwasher. Wood is warmer to look at and better for cheese, bread and charcuterie, but it must be hand washed, dried immediately and never left to soak. For a platter used for several different things, ceramic is the safer single purchase.