A handmade hallmarked sterling silver vegetable tureen with matching ladle. The tureen has a fine bone china liner to protect the silver from corrosion. Both are part of the contemporary matching 'Appetite' collection by JA Campbell Silversmiths. The vegetable tureen lends itself to hot or cold vegetables, and why not try using it to serve your favourite pasta dish, the possibilities are endless.

For those interested in how we make this covered sauce tureen and ladle a brief description follows. The body and cover are 4 'spinning's' the ladle is a casting and the china liner a bought in item.

'Spinning' method. It is easier to see the process than to try and explain, however, it is sometimes likened to throwing clay on a potter's wheel but horizontally not vertically. It is an ancient method of producing round hollow objects from sheet material using a metal 'spinning' lathe. This looks similar to a heavy duty wood turning lathe. Its use is still practical today for small to medium production runs which are typical of the silversmith. Kitchen utensils and, before plastic, photographic accessories were often made this way. A solid male former/model known as a 'chuck' is made on the lathe. This can be removed and used again at a later date. A disc of metal in this case silver is clamped to the chuck with the back centre and while the assembly is spinning it is coaxed over the chuck using a spinning tool. This tool is often made by the craftsman himself during his apprenticeship. It is a lightly polished hardened steel burnisher with a rounded pointed side and a flat side. Using left and right strokes, a wooden stick known as a back stick and lubricant, it is forced over the chuck. Articles with a greater depth to diameter ratio will need several 'anneals' that is to make red hot in order to soften the metal before the article reached completion. The finished article is then trimmed, whilst rotating, with a sharp hand held turning tool.

Once all the 4 spinning's are complete the finial (in 2 parts) is lapped together and its lap soldered to make it water tight. It is then soldered onto the cover to make a complete unit.

Lost wax casting explained: The ladle is constructed this way. From a handmade brass master pattern a rubber mould is made and into this mould molten wax is injected. Once the wax has cooled and solidified the wax ladles are removed, they are placed together onto a central wax stem. It is covered with an open ended steel tube called a flask and filled with liquid plaster of Paris. Once the plaster has set the assembly is heated and the wax melted out. The temperature is then raised to around 1200 degrees C to burn out completely any remaining wax; silver is then poured into the recess aided by a centrifuge. Once cooled down to around 200 degrees C the flask is plunged into cold water making the plaster disintegrate and allowing the removal of the castings.  The cast 'tree', (as it often resembles a tree, its castings looking like branches and stem looking like a trunk,) is water blasted to remove any remaining plaster, pickled in sulphuric acid, rinsed and dried. The castings are then cut free from the stem which is re melted again for the next cast.

Silversmithing explained: When all the partly made components have been completed they are taken to the London Assay Office for testing of each and every component. Only if all the components prove to be better than 92.5% are the hallmarks punched into the surface while being supported on a steel stake.  The English hallmarking system is one of the oldest and best forms of consumer protection and dates back to the 1400s.

On return to the workshop the hallmarks are set to remove the slight denting caused by the hall marking process and the  ladle is fettled and linished. It is passed to the polishing shop where Colin and his team, using 4 different grades of compound polish each one to the brightness associated with silver. Ultrasonic cleaning takes place and the item is then rinsed and inspected. Finally the tureen, lid, liner and ladle are packed into fitted presentation boxes for stock or dispatch.

The main silver collections at JA Campbell are centred round fine dining and enjoying the pleasure that owning and using silver can give to yourself and your friends and family. To entertain at home is one of the finer things in life that should be enjoyed and celebrated. Everything JA Campbell produces can be guaranteed to give the 'wow' factor when seen on the table or when received as a gift whatever the occasion. 

 In addition the sterling silver tureen and ladle can be engraved to personalize the gift.

A sterling silver vegetable tureen and ladle is an ideal gift for a wedding, an anniversary, a birthday or simply for yourself. If the occasion is a golden wedding then both pieces can be gold plated.

To delight, not just please, is the aim of Master Silversmith John Campbell, whenever a piece of handmade sterling silver leaves his workshop.

The design features and quality in every item made by craftsmen at JA Campbell are unique.

In the unlikely event of damage JA Campbell provide a repair/replacement service.

You can be assured that all JA Campbell products are made up to a standard not down to a price. Nothing leaves the Brentwood workshop until Master Silversmith John Campbell is completely satisfied.

Choose silver for pleasure, as an investment or as a treasured heirloom to pass from generation to generation. Remember silver improves with use.