What timber are food cupboards usually made from?

Oak and pine, near enough evenly. Oak appears in 58 titles and pine in 56, which is a rare balance in a furniture group. Other timbers show up in smaller numbers, with elm, walnut, chestnut and fruitwood named occasionally. Beyond what a title states, the timber isn't recorded.

Why do so many have pierced or latticed doors?

These were the pre-refrigeration store cupboards. Pierced, spindled or latticed panels let air circulate and kept flies off what was inside. The word "vented" turns up in several pine cupboard titles, and one sample is titled a Lattice Food Cupboard.

How many come up for sale each year?

Around twelve a year come to market on Sellingantiques. Sixty-four different dealers have listed one, so this is a category most dealers meet once rather than stock as a line.

What makes Welsh examples stand out?

Wales is the most-named region by a distance, in 28 titles, 15 of them Welsh oak. It brings its own names: deuddarn, tridarn, cwpwrdd and the bread and cheese cupboard. Welsh pieces, and those labelled from North Wales, sit repeatedly above the middle of the range.

Are there Continental food cupboards in this category?

Yes, and from a wide spread. France leads with ten titles, Eastern Europe follows with eight, and Spain, Normandy and Brittany appear too. Swedish, Scandinavian and Gustavian pieces come through as well, with hand-painted and ragwork-painted pine at the higher end.

Which are the most unusual forms recorded?

The oddities are all one-offs. A dug-out oak metamorphic cupboard, a Japanese mizuya kitchen tansu, a Chinese elm noodle cabinet. Also a slate food safe, a painted steel cupboard and a Somerset pine "huffer". Each appears once in the samples.