Knobbly Trencher Board - Camphor Laurel

A medieval-inspired trencher crafted from a single piece of timber. Trenchers were a design used before the invention of ceramic plates, ideal for keeping food from sliding off an otherwise plain wooden board, often including a cavity for salt. Great for serving dips and snacks, with the reverse also serving for chopping. 
 
No glues or varnishes, just two coats of our own food-safe beeswax conditioner, each left overnight. 

Includes a treenware care slip.

About Camphora officinarum

Camphor laurel was introduced to Australia for its beauty and fast growth as a shade tree. Sadly, like all introduced species, it has displaced our native trees. The oils naturally produced inside the tree kill off competing species - namely eucalypts - creating a monoculture. The seeds tend to pass undamaged through birds' digestive tracks, leading to their spread throughout South East Queensland and Northern NSW waterways, and anywhere birds stop for a little business.

All timbers have their properties, and these same natural oils have excellent antibacterial properties in the kitchen. This does not taint the food, nor does it kill bacteria outside the wood, while making camphor wood roughly 11x more antibacterial than glass or plastic boards.

As our treen is made from single pieces, they can be sanded back in years to come, to reveal the wood figure - and unlock oils - many times more.