Asami Ceramic Small Side Plate

The Asami Ceramic Small Side Plate is a 14cm handmade stoneware plate in white and tan, made by Japanese-born ceramicist Naoko Rodgers. It's built by hand using pinch, coil and slab techniques. Small enough for bread, sides or a single serving.

Fourteen centimetres is genuinely small, the size for a slice of bread, a few olives, or the little plate that goes beside a bowl. That makes it one of the most-used items in a kitchen and one of the least often bought thoughtfully.

Naoko Rodgers hand builds rather than throwing on a wheel, using pinch, coil and slab techniques, and the point of working that way is that the imperfections stay in. Each plate has a slightly different edge and profile. Stoneware fired at high temperature is durable enough for daily use rather than being precious, and the white and tan combination keeps it neutral against whatever else is on the table.