Description
A pinch of rosemary. A scatter of thyme. A single sage leaf pressed into clay and held forever. These are the Herb Platters from Louise at Living Ginger in Galway—small porcelain canvases where cooking and craft meet.
The Small Herb Platter measures 12cm, just large enough to hold a pat of butter, a garlic clove, a wedge of lemon, or the day’s harvest of a single herb. Into its wet clay surface, Louise presses one fresh herb—perhaps a curled mint leaf, a needle of rosemary, or the velvet of sage. The impression is deep, clear, and deliberate. After firing, a translucent glaze settles into every vein and stem hollow, while the raised clay remains softly unglazed. The result is a platter that reads like a botanical print but feels like a talisman for the kitchen.
The Medium Herb Platter (18cm) offers more room and more story. Three different herbs are pressed into the same piece—basil and oregano and thyme, or chives, parsley, and chervil. Their impressions overlap or sit in quiet arrangement across the oval surface, creating a small meadow of culinary memory. This size holds a sliced baguette, a few olives, a small round of cheese, or a cook’s mise en place.
Every platter is unique to the plants growing near Galway on the day it was made. No two herb combinations are exactly alike. Use them beside the stove, at the table, or as small gifts for cooks who notice such things.
Louise makes each one slowly, by hand, in her studio at Living Ginger. They are not stamped, not mass-produced. They are grown from mud and leaves and patience. And every time you set food upon one, you are also setting it upon a garden.
