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.
Featuring a wooden handle and a mesh sieve, the item immediately sparked a fierce debate with the Twitterverse as to it's intended use.
Anyone know what this for?? Xx pic.twitter.com/TanBWMEe1kMay 21, 2019
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?