10 Best Serving Dishes UK 2024 | Naturally Med, Maison & White and More
When entertaining, a host should always present food to be neat, appetising and accessible. Also known as a serving plate, serving platter, sharing plate or party platter, a serving dish is essential for any household. Whether you're cooking up starters, snacks, salads, mains, sides or desserts, you need to find the right way to serve it to your guests and sometimes, keep it warm too.
From metal curry dishes to individual tapas and condiment bowls, there's something for everyone on this fantastic list. Soon, you'll have a brand new decorative serving dish for parties, dates and family get-togethers alike. You'll find unique serving pieces from John Lewis and Amazon, some with multiple segments and some with lids, and most importantly, all available to buy online to be sent to your door.
Quick List - Top Serving Dishes
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How to Choose a Serving Dish in the UK
- Pick A Serving Dish Based On Its Purpose
- Think About Materials Used And Aesthetic of the Dish
- Search For Serving Dishes Which Are Dishwasher Safe
Choose the Type of Serving Dish Based on Its Proper Uses
Go For a Small Variety of Bowls If You Often Serve Snacks
For Spanish-themed tapas nights or salty-sweet fuel for games night, a set of snack dishes are great for people who like to host foodie get-togethers. Serving dishes that are designed to carry snacks usually consist of various segments or individual bowls that you can fill with olives, nuts, cheese and even sweets.
Snack serving dishes are also great for serving up individual dishes to a group of people if there are multiple small bowls included. Carry into the room a tray of small delightful desserts for people to pick their own bowl and enjoy it to themselves. Versatile and crowd-friendly, a snack dish is a host's best friend.
A Wide, Deep Bowl Is Perfect for Salad Lovers and Family Dinners
Salads are packed full of delicious ingredients that are simply made for sharing; big leafy greens, crumbly feta, diced mangoes, pomegranate seeds – the options are endless. While salad prep is the easy part, it's finding a bowl that's big enough for everyone to share from that's the challenge.
For salads, the main goal is to find a deep, round, wide dish that will keep everything in its place while you serve it up. From pasta salad to potato salad to a big, kale protein salad, one of these serving bowls can be used both for entertaining and serving up delicious meals for the family.
Look For Lidded Dishes to Keep Food Warm and Fresh During Dinner
Serving up a plate, bowl, or tray of hot food is a delicious sight to see. Think sizzling shrimp, a big bowl of comfort pasta, or perhaps some steamed mussels. Meals should be cooked with love and care, so it makes perfect sense to ensure that the food arrives at the table hot and ready to eat.
To do this, look for bowls and platters that are made with heat-conducting materials. Additionally, consider dishes that come with a lid, as these will keep the steam encapsulated within the food to slow cook it while it sits on the table. Dishes like this are also great for casual dinners as you can place the food in the middle and let everyone help themselves.
For more products that will elevate your at-home dining experience, check out our guides on the best cheese boards, wine decanters and dinnerware sets!
Consider the Properties of Each Material as Well as How They Look
Wood Is Classy, Unique and Great for Salads
Wooden serving dishes are an elegant choice and surprisingly, extremely durable too. You get the best of both worlds with a wooden bowl or platter as they're super hard-wearing whilst also being a delightful table centrepiece that any guest will love.
With a wooden serving dish, bear in mind that they consist of a porous material and therefore shouldn't be used with any liquid that may stain. Equally, it's not a good idea to put them in the dishwasher, either. While it's probably the most high maintenance choice of material, the final result of serving up a summer salad or some salty crisps is more than worth the effort.
Pick Ceramic to Take Food From Oven to Table or Melamine for a Shatterproof Alternative
Ceramic bowls are the classic style of serving dishes, especially for hearty Sunday dinners or Christmas entertaining. You can even use some as a punch bowl for drinks! Ceramic is most often easy to clean, although their only fault is that they're highly breakable due to being made with such high heat.
There is, however, a solution for the people who fear a bowl breakage – melamine. This long-lasting, durable material is the middle ground between plastic and ceramic and it's practically unbreakable. It's an up-and-coming material in the world of outdoor serving so you can be sure to keep your crockery safe from shatters at the family barbecue.
Stock Up on Trendy Slate Boards if You Often Serve Canapes and Tapas
Slate is everywhere on Pinterest and Instagram right now. For serving cupcakes at birthday parties or even balancing champagne glasses on at weddings, it's one of the most versatile options on the list. This is because of its flat, strong-grip surface and its ability to make any food look fancy.
This style may come at the price of handwashing, although it rarely needs anything more than a wipe down with a damp cloth. Nonetheless, if you think that slate boards would look the part when you host, it's a great solution for either cheese or grazing platters or as a serving tray to hold smaller bowls of snacks.
Cast Iron and Metal Are Reliable for Hot Food
Cast iron and metal are best used with hot food such as curries, lasagne or pasta. This is because they retain heat and keep your food warmer for longer, not to mention the fact that they are more likely to endure higher temperatures.
Just be sure to wear oven gloves when you serve up hot food in a metal or cast iron serving dish as they conduct heat much quicker than any other material, so there's a risk of burning your hands.
Other than that, you can count on a dish with either one of these materials to last you for years to come, although it's likely that a cast iron product would outlive a generic metal bowl just because of its durability. Bear this in mind if you're shopping for a long term find.
Remember to Check Whether Bowls and Platters Are Dishwasher Safe if Needed
Between all the food prepping and serving that comes with hosting, it's a smart idea to minimise the washing up. Look to a dishwasher-friendly serving platter to take away the time and trouble of handwashing it.
Of course, it's not the end of the world if your favourite platter on the list is handwash-only, especially if you don't own a dishwasher. However, the most strategic way to find the best serving dish for you is to ensure that it fits in with every aspect of your lifestyle. By doing this, it is sure to become your new favourite party piece.
For a more in-depth look at the comprehensive top 10 selection, make sure to read on to learn more about the different types of serving dishes available and understand how our ranking was determined.
This article's chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
10 Best Serving Dishes in the UK
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | URBN-CHEF Wooden Appetiser Platter | | A Portable Snack Platter That's Made for Hosting | |
2 | KitchenCraft Fajita Serving Set With Sizzler Plate | | Bring Your Food Out When It's Still Sizzling Hot! | |
3 | Auntie Morags Epicurean Rio Medallion Serving Bowl | | A Summery Bowl for Picnics and Al Fresco Dining | |
4 | Maison & White Bamboo Rotating Dip Set | | All Your Favourite Snacks Paired With a Dip | |
5 | The Just Slate Company Slate Serving Board & Heart-Shaped Hammered Metal Bowls | | A Cute Pair of Dishes for Couple's Night In | |
6 | Nyxi Slate Cake Stand | | The Best Product for Events and Gatherings | |
7 | Yardwe Japanese Style Ceramic Platter | | A Stunning Platter That's Especially Great for Sushi | |
8 | Dawsons Living Round Casserole Dish | | A Homely Piece for Serving Up Comfort Food | |
9 | Naturally Med Olive Wood Snack | | A Perfect Choice for Cocktail Nights | |
10 | Maison & White Bamboo Serving Bowl | | A Simple and Minimalistic Bamboo Bowl You'll Get Plenty of Use Out Of |
A Portable Snack Platter That's Made for Hosting
Aesthetics isn't the only strong point of this sleek serving platter. With eight perfectly sized dishes for sharing snacks and handing out desserts or starters, you will always be able to find a use for this set when you have guests over.
Not to mention the fact that it also has a convenient handle for carrying around the room. When the night's over and it's time to clean up, stick the bowls straight into the dishwasher for minimal effort tidying. Then, wipe clean the wooden base to refresh it for next time!
KitchenCraftFajita Serving Set With Sizzler Plate
Bring Your Food Out When It's Still Sizzling Hot!
As seen in restaurants and grills, this is a super hot sizzler plate. It's ideal for serving dishes like spicy chicken wings or Piri Piri prawns and it's needless to say that it scores top marks for presentation.
Whether it's date night at home or food and drinks with friends, serving up a hot, sizzling plate of something delicious is bound to impress. In addition, you can use the wooden plate to protect your furniture from heat damage – double win!
Auntie MoragsEpicurean Rio Medallion Serving Bowl
A Summery Bowl for Picnics and Al Fresco Dining
Picnics, barbecues and kids' birthday parties are where melamine comes into its own. Being almost completely unbreakable, this is the best choice for you if you're packing food to travel or you're around little ones.
It's dishwasher-friendly and has a spacious 30 cm diameter, so you can fill it to the brim with all your favourite summery delights. We adore the eclectic pattern this bowl has, creating a ceramic effect but without the fragility. There are lots of other dishes in the same range if you want to buy a few matching pieces.
Maison & WhiteBamboo Rotating Dip Set
All Your Favourite Snacks Paired With a Dip
Perfect for tapas nights, this serving platter consists of five large bowls and a small centre bowl for the dip of your choice. With such a unique design, it's also the ideal option for nachos and guacamole, pita and hummus or anything else nibbly.
The wooden plate at the base is in fact what's known as a lazy Susan, meaning that it spins around to make it as easy as possible for you to reach your favourite snack. If you choose this serving platter, no guest will ever feel left out.
The Just Slate CompanySlate Serving Board & Heart-Shaped Hammered Metal Bowls
A Cute Pair of Dishes for Couple's Night In
Whether for curry nights with your S.O. or a special Valentine's Day dinner, these hot serving dishes are an adorable idea for couples. However, there's no reason they couldn't also be used with snacks or sweets to keep on the coffee table while you watch TV.
Delivered to the table on a heat-resistant slate platter, this set of smart dishes comes with everything you need to upgrade your dinner setting. In addition, the bowls are completely dishwasher-friendly, so you can kick back and relax once you're full of food.
NyxiSlate Cake Stand
The Best Product for Events and Gatherings
This two-tier slate platter is exactly what you need for serving small apéritifs and snacks such as canapes or sandwiches. With such a rustic yet stylish aesthetic, you can easily incorporate this piece into big events such as weddings, birthdays, or engagement parties.
That said, it's also great for saving space on a table with lots of other foods, so you can most definitely rely on this platter for busy tables with lots of guests. Just be sure to give the slate a wipe once you're done to keep it smelling and looking fresh.
YardweJapanese Style Ceramic Platter
A Stunning Platter That's Especially Great for Sushi
This Japanese-style serving platter is screaming out for some sushi. Maki rolls, sashimi, temaki, and nigiri – the possibilities are endless, but it doesn't stop there. You can use this bowl for serving up vegetables and salad at a barbecue to bring some beauty to your table setting.
It's unknown as to whether or not you can put this gorgeous plate on the dishwasher which leaves some uncertainty towards its practicality. That said, we're sure a simple wipe down would do the trick before you put it away for next time.
Dawsons LivingRound Casserole Dish
A Homely Piece for Serving Up Comfort Food
Hinting to a certain ombre design that most home cooks and chefs will know and love, this is a more affordable option for kitting out your kitchen with style. Fill it with meals such as stews, soups, and pasta in order to get the most out of its heat-storing abilities and serve up some piping hot food.
It's disappointing to see that this isn't dishwasher-friendly as heavy-duty hot platters like this one can often build up quite some residue over time. However, if you're used to washing up by hand, you're going to love how this casserole serving dish looks in the middle of the table.
Naturally Med Olive Wood Snack
A Perfect Choice for Cocktail Nights
Crisps, nuts and gummy sweets are the perfect nibbles to pick at whilst you sip on a tangy margarita or a bitter negroni. This snack serving dish is a fantastic decorative piece for your table being so robust in shape and delicate in the material.
While it would be idyllic to fill this olive wood dish with pickled green olives from the groves of Spain, you may find that the porous material can stain easily so it's best to stick to dry snacks with this one.
Maison & WhiteBamboo Serving Bowl
A Simple and Minimalistic Bamboo Bowl You'll Get Plenty of Use Out Of
First on our list is this 100% natural bamboo wooden salad bowl that's just right for adding to a table full of barbecue dishes. It's the classic design: deep with curved edges to make sure there aren't any spills!
It also makes for a fantastic popcorn centrepiece to bring out on movie nights. It's completely eco-friendly and while it's best used with salads, it's fairly heat-resistant too so you could even try filling it with parmesan fries or ranch wedges. Just be sure to stay away from any sauce-related foods as it can easily stain.
Top 5 Serving Dishes
No. 1: URBN-CHEF｜Wooden Appetiser Platter
No. 2: KitchenCraft｜Fajita Serving Set With Sizzler Plate
No. 3: Auntie Morags｜Epicurean Rio Medallion Serving Bowl
No. 4: Maison & White｜Bamboo Rotating Dip Set
No. 5: The Just Slate Company｜Slate Serving Board & Heart-Shaped Hammered Metal Bowls
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.