Sarah Beeny shares a snap of antique homeware – and the internet is divided over what it is

A good old rummage around our attics, cellars and garages can often unearth some unusual finds. And without a trusty Antiques Roadshow expert on hand to tell us about the provenance of any given piece, we can spend a lifetime perplexed as to its origins.

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And this exactly what seems to have happened to seasoned property expert, Sarah Beeny. Taking to Twitter the host of show's including Sarah Beeny's Renovate Don't Relocate and Property Ladder, posted an image of a rather weathered looking homeware implement, before asking fans what they think it is.

Featuring a wooden handle and a mesh sieve, the item immediately sparked a fierce debate with the Twitterverse as to it's intended use.

The general consensus was that the pot-like device either had it's home in either the kitchen or the garden. Below are just a selection of the guesses thrown into mix by curious fans:

'Draining curds maybe!'

'Or it could be a parfait sieve. You pass through pate to turn it into a parfait.'

'A 19th Century sieve. No idea what for, but It's oak with what looks like a beech handle!'

'Colander'

'Is it for making cheese'

Even the National Trust joined in on the action, saying 'It looks quite similar to this', linking to a picture on it's site of a old riddle sieve from Branscombe Old Bakery in Devon.

And there were many that rushed to agree with the idea that it was a riddle – or large sieve – although not all concurred that it was a kitchen riddle.

'It’s a riddle.... no it really is'

'Looks like a small handheld riddle (for the jardin!)'

'Think it’s a garden sieve, potting seedlings etc?'

'To me it looks like a flour/sugar sifter'

Related: Sarah Beeny has sold her huge Grade II-listed stately home in Yorkshire — and it's a Northern Star

Have you ever discovered an item from the past in your home that you couldn't identify?