Sycamore is the largest of the European maples and was introduced into Britain in the Middle Ages. It is a plain but attractive timber with a white to cream colour, which darkens to a gold colour over time.

 

Sycamore has excellent working properties, can be cut in any direction and produces an excellent finish.

The wood I use comes from mature local trees. It is winter-felled to preserve its whiteness and seasoned under cover for at least one year. It is not kiln-dried which makes the wood more stable in its use in the kitchen.

The breadboards are 12"(30cm) in diameter and 1"(2.5cm) thick.

It has clean, non-tainting properties and its white appearance and smooth finish means that sycamore is ideal for use in food preparation areas like kitchen table tops, work tops and butchers’ blocks, rolling pins and bread boards (traditionally it was used for turned bowls, platters and tableware). It should be rubbed with olive oil before use, repeat the treatment occasionally.