Camphor Laurel Kitchen Boards The Best

Fully Grown Camphor Laurel Tree (Geographer, via Wikimedia Commons)

Many of us are aware that Camphor Laurel is considered an ecological pest but it has a good side too - it makes excellent boards for use in the kitchen or for any applications to do with food because of its unique combination of bacteria destroying oils.

Camphor Laurel was introduced to Australia in the early 1800's as an ornamental shade tree and many large old specimens can still be seen in parks and reserves throughout Australia but particularly in the Eastern states. Another species of Camphor Laurel was introduced in the mid 1800's and the hybrid cross that resulted is the rather straggly and thin, invasive tree that is rampant in Northern NSW and Queensland. Camphor Laurel invades habitats where land has been cleared, has a strong competitive advantage over native vegetation and is toxic to many native fauna. As a result it has been declared a noxious weed in many parts of NSW and Queensland by the departments of Primary Industry.

Well that's the bad news but the good news is that Camphor Laurel, because of its pungent chemical compounds is a very good timber to utilize for anything to do with food preparation because these compounds are anti-microbial and remain working in the timber for its lifetime. When tested against other surfaces such as glass or plastic and other woods, Camphor Laurel harbours minimal fungi and bacteria compared to plastic or glass and also scored better on these counts than other timbers.

The Camphor Laurel used in our boards has been sourced through active involvement in the various eradication programs where the Camphor Laurels are removed to make way for native regeneration. The timber used in our boards has been kiln dried to below 10% moisture content which ensures that they will never warp or crack and that is something we guarantee absolutely.

Lastly, our Camphor Laurel boards come in many sizes and shapes that will suit every kitchen job and because they are also beautiful they make superb serving boards for fruit, cheese, bread, antipasto or whatever you have in mind. Think Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals where he serves everything on big wooden boards and creates a casual, rustic, friendly dinner table because there is something homely and warm about wooden boards. They are an asset to any kitchen and in the case of Camphor Laurel boards, an asset to the environment.

Click here to view our range of Handmade Camphor Laurel products >>