Iroko Charcuterie Board | African Teak Hardwood Kitchen Board | Handmade Chef Gift

Iroko Edge Grain Cutting Board — Handcrafted in Estonia

Iroko is sometimes called African teak, and the comparison is fair: it shares teak’s golden warmth and the same natural oil that makes both woods stubbornly resistant to water. I chose to work with it after years of building boards from maple, oak, and walnut — Iroko brought something the Baltic species couldn’t, a depth of colour and a grain pattern that looks alive under kitchen light.

This board is built edge grain, meaning the long fibres of the wood face up. You see those distinctive flowing stripes along the surface — no two boards alike, because the tree never repeats itself. Edge grain is the workhorse construction: dense enough for daily prep, kind enough to your knife edge that you won’t be sharpening every week.

I keep this one pure — single species, no inlays, no contrasting strips. Iroko deserves to be seen on its own.

The work behind it

Each board takes several days from rough timber to finished piece. I plane and joint the staves, glue them up under pressure, sand through a long progression of grits until the surface feels like skin, and chamfer the edges so the board is comfortable to lift. Then I treat it: food-grade mineral oil worked in across multiple sessions, finished with a carnauba and beeswax blend that seals the surface without leaving it slick. By the time it ships, it’s ready to use the moment you unwrap it.

Dimensions

Length 38 cm, width 28 cm, thickness 2.5 cm. Substantial enough for a whole loaf of bread or a full charcuterie spread, light enough to bring to the table.

Care

Iroko’s natural oil content does most of the work. Hand wash with warm water and mild soap, towel dry, and never let it soak. Re-oil whenever the surface starts to look thirsty — usually every few months in normal use. A small jar of my own board conditioner ships with every order, the same blend I use in the workshop.

Shipping from Estonia, with feet option

Made one at a time in my workshop in Estonia. Choose plain or with anti-slip aluminium feet at checkout — the feet lift the board a few millimetres off the counter so air circulates underneath, extending its lifespan in a busy kitchen.