THE ANTIQUE
Nutmeg graters
With Stir-up Sunday on 20th November, that little jar of ground nutmeg tucked away in the kitchen cupboard is set to see some actionfeatures the nutmeg on its national flag. Silver nutmeg graters were made in novelty shapes and had a small grater within; the nut would be stored inside the case and rubbed against the rasps whenever nutmeg was needed, the flakes collected in the grater ready for sprinkling over drinks and dishes. Today you'll find graters in a variety of forms – boxes, cylinders, barrels, eggs and even those resembling the nutmeg seed itself when it's covered in its protective red layer of mace (nutmeg and mace are derived from the same tree fruit). Being small in size, they make an ideal thing to collect, but are not cheap. In the fine silver sales of regional auction houses, expect to pay anything from £300 for a starter piece to over £1,000 for something rare or sought after.
