We first came across Burrwood Boards at a Christmas Market five years ago and were so impressed by the skilful harnessing of wood’s natural beauty that, when we were creating The Ultimate Cheese Board, we knew just who to go to for the perfect serving-ware.
Burrwood Boards got its accidental start in 2011 when Steph Kemp-Smith elected to make a rustic-looking cheese board in her garage, after not being able to find the right gift for a tricky-to-buy-for acquaintance. Steph soon found that other people were asking her to make boards for them and, what started off as a last resort to match a product to an image in her head, became a full-time career.
A few years later, she joined forces with Simon Cummins who coined the company name, which celebrates burrs and the beauty in a tree’s natural deformities. Burrs create wonderfully wild grains and colour variations that are what make Burrwood Boards’ goods so unique and special. The duo travel many miles to find the right pieces of timber to turn into boards, sourcing oak, elm, sycamore and many others solely from managed forestry to ensure sustainability practices are met.
The boards come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from tiddly little plan paddles to enormous and undulating, dining-table-sized pieces with deep varnish and live edges. Some have coloured resin polished into natural crevices in the wood, whilst others have embedded objects such as champagne cork cages, shell fragments and personal keepsakes.
Steph and Simon also offer bespoke design services so that, if like Steph in 2011, you can’t quite find what you’re looking for, they’ll make it for you.
Find out more about these lovely boards at www.burrwoodboards.com.
To find out how to enter our click here The Ultimate Cheese Board Competition.