The Truckle

After dinner in the Victorian era, a whole wheel of Stilton, weighing several pounds, and eight or more inches high, would be brought to the table. It might be mounted on a special cheese coaster called a truckle – a curved wooden board, sometimes with wheels so it could trundle between guests. Rather than slicing off a piece, guests scooped out a mound to enjoy with their port and crackers. It turned a simple task into a fun activity – everyone digging into the cheese together. 

The scoops had to be robust enough to withstand enthusiastic – and probably drunken – usage. Some have an in-built pusher to make it easier to deposit cheese politely on the plate, rather than shaking off a clumsy dollop. They’re mainly curiosities today – it’s quite a wasteful way of serving cheese.

But at around £100 to £200, a cheese scoop would make a fun finale to a dinner party. How could you resist entertaining guests with stories of your cheese scoop made in the same year as the Battle of Trafalgar?