BBC viewers were blown away by the ‘true’ purpose of an antique kitchen item that one guest had been using as a fruit bowl, as expert Duncan Campbell revealed its real use.
Tonight’s episode of Antiques Roadshow on BBC took viewers on a culinary journey through history. The show delved into various kitchen gadgets from the past, including intricate cork screws, mandolines and silver spoons.
During the Derbyshire roadshow, one guest was taken aback when she discovered the ‘true’ purpose of an antique kitchen item she’d been using as a fruit bowl. Expert Duncan Campbell, pointing to the gleaming silver object on the table, began: “I’m guessing by the immaculate shine on this that this is an object that in your house gets used virtually every day.”
The guest revealed that the item, which she had inherited from her grandparents via her mother, was being used as a fruit bowl because they got “tired of cleaning it”.
When she confessed she “didn’t know what it was for”, Campbell disclosed that the item was crafted around 130 years ago during a period when hosting a posh tea party was all the rage. “This would have been full of biscuits,” he declared, to which the guest responded: “Well… I would not have imagined it was for biscuits.”
Campbell further explained that the item was a “biscuit barrel”, potentially filled with macarons or other vibrant sweet treats intended to “enchant” tea party attendees, reports the Express.
“It would have caused whoops and shrieks of delight when the biscuits went on display,” he concluded.
“A biscuit barrel,” the guest repeated in disbelief, before being informed that her item could fetch between £250 to £300.
“That’s great,” she responded, before revealing her intention to continue using her biscuit barrel for a different purpose.
“I’ll keep using it as a fruit bowl,” she admitted, to which Campbell responded: “Good for you.”
A History of Food saw Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce reflect on various items that have been used in kitchens throughout history.
This special episode delves into a range of objects that reveal four centuries of cooking and eating, from rustic meals to Royal feasts.
The synopsis further reads: “From ancient recipe books and an early guide to Royal cookery to quirky kitchen gadgets and Georgian cookware, this episode looks at how Britain’s food culture has evolved over the centuries.
“Special guest Dame Mary Berry joins Fiona Bruce to reminisce about her life in cooking, with the help of three cherished old kitchen items a potato ricer, a pestle and mortar and a fearsome mandoline slicer.
“Food historian Ivan Day unveils some of the gems in his impressive collection, including a ravioli cutter dating back to the time of Michelangelo, while author and broadcaster Dr Annie Gray delves into the history of afternoon tea, recreating a selection of dishes from the recipe books of late 19th-century cook Avis Crocombe, who worked at Audley End House in Essex.
“Ronnie Archer Morgan calls into one of the longest running Indian restaurants in Britain, Veeraswamy, which opened in 1926, and visits the Museum of London to explore the links between sugar and slavery powerfully evoked in an early 19th-century sugar bowl with an anti-slavery message.
“Mark Smith looks at the huge dangers facing the Atlantic convoys that kept Britain supplied with food during the Second World War, while Fuchsia Voremberg celebrates one of the earliest celebrity chefs, Philip Harben, who rose to fame with his rationing recipes and TV appearances in Tudor costume.
“At the Ulster Folk Museum in Belfast, Lisa Lloyd learns about the history of soda bread and sees butter churned by hand using a turn of the century farmhouse gadget.”