Turning back time

Mealtimes at Sharif Adams’ cottage in Dartmoor National Park, Devon, are a uniquely peaceful event. Yes, the rural location, set among lushly wooded hills and sheep-flecked pastures certainly helps. But the real secret? Wooden tableware.

‘When you use wooden plates and bowls, you don’t get the metallic clanking and scraping that you do when you eat on hard porcelain,’ says Sharif, spooning tender chunks of slow-cooked lamb and just-picked garden vegetables onto our plates. ‘It makes meals much more relaxing. And