Thursday, July 21, 2011

Dairy Slabs and Where to Find Them


Since my last post on kitchen vignettes, I've received a few emails asking where I found my "pure butter" and "cheese" slabs.
Truth is, I've collected them over the years. Always on the hunt for one, they can be found in antique or home decor stores and sometimes on ebay.

I fell in love with these butter slabs years ago and started hunting for them. I would notice them in magazines when they started showing up in featured kitchens like this one, but never a mention about them. What were they called?

I typed in the words "butter slab" on ebay one time and found one! I ended up finding a couple more, like the cheese slab beside my stove, holding oils and vinegars, etc.

Originally, they were used to display dairy products in English grocers over a century ago. Original slabs are rare and expensive. All of mine are reproductions. My latest "pure lard" acquisition is from ABC Carpet and Home on my trip to NYC in March. It is a reproduction of an original made by Parnall and Sons.

I found this one at Sonoma Country Antiques. It is a reproduction of an original by Dairy Supply Co. from England.

There is an online source for these slabs: Joanne Hudson, Ltd.
I discovered this store from Joni's recommendation at Cote de Texas.

Founded in 1985, Joanne Hudson is the leading kitchen and bath design firm on the east coast.
They eventually launched Joanne Hudson Basics, an online store representing their collection of kitchen accessories.

Like this "pure butter" slab which retails for $139.99

I love these slabs not only for their beauty, but for their functionality too. The presentation of cheese and fruit above looks even more special on a "cheese" slab. It retails for $119.99.

My small cheese slab was perfect for the raspberry tart I served for Valentine's Day!

Joanne Hudson Basics also sells Emma Bridgewater's line of dinnerware called Toast & Marmalade, some of which is displayed in this fabulous pantry designed by none other than Joanne Hudson!

Toast & Marmalade is fun and whimsical porcelain dinnerware that I am crazy about, all made in England.
Uh oh, I feel a tablescape coming on....

Is it possible to have too much of this porcelain? I don't think so!

I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.
I'm also joining Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.
Pin It!

30 comments:

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

It's not possible to have too much porcelain!

Love your collection. Think I mentioned it before, I've got one of the cheese slabs... my husband hunted for it for a long time before he finally found one for me. Love it.

Thanks for the links, Delores.
xo~Tracie

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

Thanks for the links. I was going to ask the same question!!!! I love them but they may be out of my budget:( Hope you do a tablescape with those dishes!!!! XO, Pinky

Kathysue said...

The fact that they are black and what and have words printed on them is my cup of tea for sure. I would love to have a cheese slab since I serve cheese and fruit frequently. I will have to save my pennies and get one, one of these days. You have yours perfectly displayed in the perfect vignettes in the perfect room in the perfect house for my perfeect friend, Delores xo Kathysue

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Love all the different ones you have. I have the one round one that says Butter and I am crazy about it. I would love one of those square ones that say Margarine. Still on the hunt. Thanks for showing yours again Hugs, Marty

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

I love those, too. My sister has one and I told her to give it to me, but she won't. I guess I will have to break down and buy one.

Linda said...

Thank you SO much for the links and all the info on where you found yours. My idea of dying and going to heaven would be awakening in that pantry! I'm on the hunt now and will have to hold myself back from going overboard! :-0

savvycityfarmer said...

not only do I want hoards of them, I want everything in your kitchen!

naturally

sharon santoni at my french country home said...

Just love your dairy slabs. I knew the Bridgwater crockery but not these cheese and butter slabs, they are wonderful.
Also loved the shots of your kitchen in the last vignette post, you have some great stuff - everything looks wonderful
xx

Decor To Adore said...

Oh I love it! Alas it is a bit beyond my budget. Searching for knockoffs. :)

Sheila said...

Those cheese and butter slabs seem ridiculously expensive for something that is just a reproduction. THEY'RE NOT REAL. There is absolutely no reason for them to cost that much. They'll probably be at T.J.Maxx or Marshall's soon for $16.99. Those will be fake also, but $16.99 is not one hundred and something.

vignette design said...

Hi Sheila,
Normally, I don't leave comments, but felt I must. I would absolutely love it if these platters were at TJ Maxx or Marshall's. After collecting them for over ten years and visiting TJ and Marshall"s for even more years, I know that this is one thing that won't end up there. Too bad. The reason they are priced high is that they are made in England and are true replicas of the originals. If you are ever lucky enough to find an antique slab, it would be well over $1000. Or higher, depending on its condition. Thanks for your comment. I would have just sent an email but you don't have a link....~Delores

Anita@Theycallmejammi said...

Thanks so much for posting the info...I have been eyeing these dairy slabs for sometime on differant folks blogs, including yours...I did not know what they were called but now I know that I had Slab Envy!! I'll be on the lookout.

Tamra said...

I'll be honest, I've never been overly thrilled with these. Cute but I've never felt I needed one, unitl......."PURE LARD"!!

ok now that one has my attention! Love the size, love the detail in the center and for some reason I love that it says "PURE LARD". Go figure, I'm gonna have to have one of these for my barn.

Thanks for the link to find them.

Ames said...

These are really cool! I would love to have one. I think I'll go look at the site you have posted.~Ames

Sanghamitra Bhattacherjee(Mukherjee) said...

What a collection! Beautiful! Love those dairy slabs. Thanks for sharing:)
Hope to see you on my blog:)

Sarah said...

Delores, I've long admired these pieces. Don't have any here, but now that you've shared your resources I'll have to add a piece or two. They are wonderful used in the kitchen as you've done or as a food server. Love this look! I do hope a tablescape is in the works.
~ Sarah

Barbara@HausDesign said...

I love these! I have never seen anything like them but the possibilities are endless...very cool post!

http://bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com/

quintessence said...

I had bookmarked this source from Joni eons ago but never got around to ordering - thank you for the reminder!! How fabulous is that pantry!! That's what I miss most about my last house - my large butler's pantry - I still have one but it is about 1/4 the size!! Will hop over the Joanne's later. Have a great weekend.

Blooming Rose Musings said...

Oh my goodness, these slabs are beautiful. And you have a fabulous collection. I also love the image of that pantry you show. I have been hunting for slabs for a while but they are quite pricey...but oh so worth every penny!!! The porcelain is gorgeous! I wonder if I would ever be able to find one that says "Chocolate"! Now you know my weakness!
PS. I meant to tell you that I loved yesterday's post also with the kitchen vignettes. Beautiful.

christian counseling said...

Yummy dish, The presentation of cheese and fruit above looks even more special on a "cheese" slab. You have a fabulous collection.

Ivy and Elephants said...

Thank you so much for the information, I've wanted one of these for a very long time, now I can at least have a reproduction! Your blog is lovely and so fun! What great ideas you have. (I just spent the last thirty minutes drooling. Where does the time go!) I'll be back!
Hugs,
Patti

Mikey Fuller said...

Of all the things I have, I don't have one of these. I'll be on the look-out!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage
www.shabbyfrenchcottage.com

Beadboard UpCountry said...

Love those looks and you really did your homework on this!!!!!!Thanks!!!!Maryanne;)(I especially like the LARD one)HA!

The Tablescaper said...

Thanks so much for all of the info on these slabs. As you know fro my email, I love these! I've yet to make the aqusition, but I've got my eyes peeled. Those are amazing kitchens you shared!

- The Tablescaper

{hooked on hickory} said...

i'm totally obsessed with these. i'm not sure what makes me go so bonkers for them...it's truly unexplainable. thanks for sharing images of them in your lovely kitchen!

ashley

The enchanted home said...

Your ktichen makes me weak at the knees!!!! JUST BEAUTIFUL.....love love love all your vignettes, can you come over when I move and help me:) I am also sooo happy you posted this because I love those slabs, bought one a long time ago only to have it fall and break and I didn't realize how hard they were to find so thanks for the leads...defintiely want them for my new house. I think its partly the scale that gives them such a great presence in the kitchen they are big and oversized and of course they are also a bit nostalgic looking which I love. Thank you, fantastic post which I am adding to my favorite posts!

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

I've never seen these before and I just love them! Thanks for all the wonderful inspiration photos, too!

Faithful Crafter said...

I absolutely love the your kitchen pictures and slabs. Thanks for sharing.

La Dolfina said...

Very interesting... I've always wondered about these things!

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

So neat~ I love those too! Love all the inspiration photos for them as well~ thanks for sharing this at my party this week! :)

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