A spoon tray is a tray used to rest the spoons that are either hot, wet, or prepared for serving. The spoon tray, usually elongated, [1] can be found in the tea, dinner, or cabaret services. [2] The spoon tray is sometimes called a spoon boat or a spooner (although some sources reserve the latter term for vessels used for the vertical arrangement of spoons [1]).
The tray looks similar to the pickle or olive dish, but its edges are frequently flattened. [3] The spoon boat was a typical [4] part of a tea equipage in the first half of the 18th century, possibly due to the habit of drinking tea from the saucer that precluded using it to rest the spoon. [5] Britain was importing novel porcelain "boats for spoons" from China in 1722 that were replacing local silver versions available since 1690s. [6] The tea spoon boats went out of fashion by 1790s. [6] Some spoon trays have slotted areas at their rims, to rest spoons more securely.
A spoon tray is a tray used to rest the spoons that are either hot, wet, or prepared for serving. The spoon tray, usually elongated, [1] can be found in the tea, dinner, or cabaret services. [2] The spoon tray is sometimes called a spoon boat or a spooner (although some sources reserve the latter term for vessels used for the vertical arrangement of spoons [1]).
The tray looks similar to the pickle or olive dish, but its edges are frequently flattened. [3] The spoon boat was a typical [4] part of a tea equipage in the first half of the 18th century, possibly due to the habit of drinking tea from the saucer that precluded using it to rest the spoon. [5] Britain was importing novel porcelain "boats for spoons" from China in 1722 that were replacing local silver versions available since 1690s. [6] The tea spoon boats went out of fashion by 1790s. [6] Some spoon trays have slotted areas at their rims, to rest spoons more securely.