Diving into the Charm of Antique Cheese Keepers: A Victorian Treasure

I love antiques from the Victorian era, and I love cheese. So an antique cheese keeper was always going to catch my eye. I bought this one in Italy.

This one is Wedgwood Jasperware: a pale blue body with figures and leaf borders raised on it in white. It is valued at over €1,200, and one like it is rare to find.

A Victorian piece

The Jasperware cheese keeper belongs to the Victorian era, a time when dining etiquette was an art form. The pale blue against the classical motifs in white relief made it a centrepiece for the table and not only a container. Pieces like it were often inspired by the work of Josiah Wedgwood, whose pottery captured the imagination of England and beyond.

On the front of this one, white cupids stand between ornamental columns, under a knob shaped like an acorn.

It is practical too. Cheese was served at high tea or after dinner, and it had to be presented properly. The dome keeps the air off the cheese, which protects its flavour and texture. And lifting the lid at the table is a little piece of theatre.

Seen from above, the lid has leaves and stars in white relief around a small blue knob.

Serving Parmigiano

Picture a well-aged Parmigiano served from a Jasperware cheese keeper at a lunch outdoors. There is something funny about using a 19th-century piece to serve something as humble and as loved as cheese. I like that. I never use mine, though. For me it is an antique for the room, a piece of interior design.

Why am I so taken with a piece like this? It is simple. At a time when everything feels mass-produced, finding something truly unique gives me a thrill. It comes from a time when makers put real care into objects that were both beautiful and useful. Look at the relief, and at the way the dome sits on its base.

So if you ever come across a Victorian cheese keeper, don’t walk past it. How you present the cheese matters as much as the cheese.