Cheese Cloche with Wooden Tray and Wire Mesh Lid

A cheese cloche from the collection at Chanteduc, Patricia and Walter Wells' farmhouse in Vaison-la-Romaine — a similar tray appears in Patricia's cookbooks, where the presentation of food is always as considered as its preparation.

The ensemble consists of a slatted wooden tray with cut-out handles at each end, light in both tone and weight, its parallel slats giving it a pleasingly crafted, almost architectural quality. Over the tray sits a domed wire frame, its arched ribs fanning out like the spokes of an umbrella - practical, airy and genuinely elegant.

The purpose is beautifully straightforward. Cheese must come out of the refrigerator several hours before serving to reach its full flavour, and this cloche keeps it covered, protected from insects and ready at the table — whether on the terrace at Chanteduc or in a Paris dining room. It carries the whole platter from kitchen to table in one graceful move. Today it would work just as well on a summer table, a kitchen counter or a picnic spread, keeping a selection of cheeses at their best until the moment arrives to serve them. A useful object with real charm, and one that makes the ritual of serving cheese feel considered rather than casual.