I am currently working on an order for replica woodware for an English Heritage project at Dover Great Tower. I have lots of designs for 12th century wooden bowls both for the kitchens and Kings quarters but spoons were a bit more difficult.
Here are the few pics I have managed to find and the first spoons I have been making.
These spoons don’t look as big as they are, they are just over 50cm long and hold a bit over 1/4 pint.
I rough them out with the axe then hollow with a small curved adze and refine the form with a straight woodcarving knife and home made long handled hook knife. I particularly liked the decoration on the handle, very quick and easy, a good design unashamedly stolen from a medieval spooncarver.
Time Team are filming a lot of the project so you may seem them sometime next series.
Very nice spoons. I take it that they are so long because they were used to stir/sample things cooking over an open fire? That way you would avoid finger-burning. Likewise, the capacity is large because of the communal cooking habits? Four spoonfuls, one pint, that’s your ration.
Too bad you don’t have a comparison item to show off its size. I’ve seen an only 1920’s video of some folks making spoons with axes. Pretty slick work.