We often feature mid-twentieth century items in our blog posts, but we also have a real passion for old country furniture.

We picked up this wonderful piece of rustic kitchenalia – we think it’s an antique potato masher.

Perhaps Irish in origin, although we’re not sure at this stage… a bit more research is required.  It’s a very unusual piece.

BLOG UPDATE: 22nd June. We now think that the object in question is actually a cheese press. The wet cheese, contained within a cloth is pressed by the wooden block, the excess liquid draining through the holes. We’re still not sure about the country of origin. British/Irish is still likely, although continental Europe is a possibility – and we were also sent pictures of a very similarly designed piece which was in a U.S. auction of farm machinery. (Thanks to Erik Schepers).

If you like cottage interiors or country furniture, these books are well worth a look:

Irish Country Furniture (Amazon UK)
Irish Country Furniture (Amazon US)

English Cottage Interiors (Amazon UK) English Country Furniture (Amazon UK)
English Cottage Interiors (Amazon US) English Country Furniture (Amazon US)