The Cheese Cradle

By Tom McGehee
Museum Home Director

On display in the Dining Porch of the Bellingrath Home is a wooden cheese cradle dating to between 1820 and 1830. These cradles or stands were made in England and have two sections. The larger section would hold half a wheel of Stilton cheese, a British creation with a bold flavor. The smaller section would have been filled with cut-up pieces of bread.

Another name for this is a cheese “coaster” as its smooth feet are designed to allow it to be coasted down the dining table atop a cloth. The distinctive curved interior would hold the cheese steady as diners cut out wedge-shaped pieces of the cheese.

England boasts over 700 varieties of cheese. Stilton was developed in the village by that name in the 1720s, and for many years, that was the sole source for what many came to believe was the finest cheese made. By the early 1800s, production of Stilton cheese had expanded, and its popularity led to the creation of special cradles of wood, silver, and ceramics.

Stilton cheese is still produced today using a legally binding recipe. The containers created for its service some 200 years ago remain highly collectible.