Aspen Serving Spoons

I'm becoming a bit of a fan of Aspen, which is great as I have enough to keep me going for years. It is straight grained and fairly easy to work and has very little taste so it's good for cooking spoons and bowls which come into contact with wet foods such as bread dough. Some pieces have a lovely ripple like fiddle back sycamore and I have been making some serving spoons from these.

They have been finished in walnut oil which works well but may be a problem with some people with nut allergies. Raw linseed oil is OK in that respect, but most that is available in the UK is pressed at a high temperature and isn't fresh so it has a strong smell and taste which many people find off-putting. I've just taken delivery of some UK grown linseed oil which is cold pressed on the farm and is only a few days old. This is culinary grade and more expensive than most virgin olive oils and has to be kept in the fridge. It does have a nice taste and virtually no smell and can be used in salad dressings etc. It's going on the next batch of spoons and bowls so I hope it works!