Vintage Oval Wicker Serving Tray in Natural Cane with Scrolled Grey Wire Gallery

This is a big, handsome serving tray with a woven wicker base set inside a wire gallery that curls into little scrolls all the way round, like a row of loose ribbon. Two wicker wrapped handles sit at either end, so it is easy to lift even with a full load.

Wicker and wire trays like this have their roots in French country style, where pretty, practical pieces were made for carrying breakfast out to the garden or bread to the table. The wire is a soft dark grey and the wicker has mellowed to a warm honey brown, and together they have a relaxed, sunlit look that suits a conservatory perfectly.

It measures 60cm long, 40cm wide and 7cm high, and weighs 790g, so it is generous enough for a jug of Pimm's and six glasses yet light enough to carry across the lawn. The gallery keeps everything from sliding off on the way.

As you would expect from a vintage piece, the wicker has some uneven colouring where it has aged naturally over the years, and a little of the woven cane on one handle has come loose and frayed, which you can see in the photos. It is still sturdy and perfectly usable, and we think the wear only adds to its lived in character.

Use it for drinks in the garden on summer evenings, set it on a conservatory table with a stack of books and a potted fern, or lay it across an ottoman to hold magazines and a candle. In winter it looks lovely piled with pine cones and clementines. It would make a lovely Christmas present for anyone with a conservatory, a garden they love to entertain in, or a soft spot for French country style.