Vintage Hand Painted Beetroot Pot with Lid in Cream and Pink

A vintage hand painted ceramic beetroot storage pot with lid, glazed in cream and decorated with pink beetroot and slices, with BEETROOT lettered on the lid and a sculpted beetroot finial.

Kitchenalia does not come much more cheerful than this. It has been painted freehand: plump raspberry pink beetroot with feathery green tops, a fanned row of slices with their rings picked out in deeper red, and the word BEETROOT lettered in pink around the lid. On top sits a little modelled beetroot with green leaves, which makes the perfect handle. Every brushstroke shows, and that is half the pleasure.

Labelled pots for vegetables, pickles and preserves were a fixture of mid century kitchens, when a jar of pickled beetroot was never far from the Sunday tea table. Ours has a hand painted pattern number, A82.6, in red on the base above a blurred black stamp, typical of smaller potteries where decorators worked by hand.

It stands 13.5cm tall with a diameter of 11cm. The glaze has fine crazing throughout, and there is some wear and light staining to the unglazed foot rim, which is to be expected from a pot that has spent years in a busy kitchen. Because of the crazing, we would keep it for dry goods rather than anything wet.

On the worktop it is just right for tea bags, sugar cubes or wooden clothes pegs, and in a utility room it could hold dog treats. Group it with other vintage storage jars on an open shelf for a colourful farmhouse look, or pop a small herb plant inside on a sunny windowsill. It would also make a lovely gift for anyone who grows their own vegetables, makes their own pickles or simply loves a bit of retro kitchen charm.