I've always had a fondness for ironstone platters, ever since my catering days back in high school. I just think there's something so simple and beautiful about them, and I especially love the patina they acquire with age.
Around the holidays, I think they're perfect for serving everything from a stuffed pork loin to my favorite gingerbread cookies. But instead of getting into a holiday crunch, searching tag sales and flea markets for ironstone platters when they're probably at their most expensive, why not keep a lookout all year long?
To display my collection, I organize them by shape, then stack them in graduated sizes in the open sections of the old pharmaceutical cabinet my grandfather and I refinished years ago.
Another idea for decorative display is to group them on a wall in a dining room. That way, when you want to use them, they can come right off the wall and onto the table. Do you have a particular platter you love for the holidays? What are you planning to serve in it?
