Caviar Spoons

Never serve caviar with a silver or stainless steel spoon. Metal reacts with the eggs and can leave a faint metallic taste, which spoils the delicate flavour you have paid for. Mother of pearl and horn are the traditional choices, and both leave the flavour untouched. Choosing between them is mostly a matter of looks, feel and how you plan to use the spoon. Our Mother of Pearl Caviar Spoon is made from natural mother of pearl from South East Asia, and each piece is unique. The small spoon, about 6cm, is the one we use for tasting and holds the right amount for a single mouthful. The large spoon, about 12cm, is for serving caviar onto blinis or plates. They cost £3.50 and £7 respectively, so it is easy to buy one for every guest. The Handmade Horn Caviar Spoon is hand carved, shaped and finished in England from buffalo horn, so every one is slightly different. Choose light or dark horn at £8.50. Horn will not oxidise or flavour the caviar, and the spoons are sturdy and pleasant to hold. They are also handsome for salt, mustard and other condiments, so they earn their place on the table all year. To use a caviar spoon well, slide it in vertically and lift the caviar out rather than scraping across the surface, so the eggs are not crushed. Wash mother of pearl and horn spoons by hand in lukewarm water with a little mild washing-up liquid, dry them straight away, and never put them in the dishwasher or leave them to soak.