A ceramic pie funnel was a hollow ceramic tool that bakers and home cooks placed in the centre of pies to prevent the contents bubbling over. The hollow core allowed steam to escape during baking leaving the pie crust as light and flaky inside as on the surface. They came in a variety of shapes and sizes. This pie funnel was produced by Thomas M Nutbrown who started manufacturing kitchenware in 1927 from his factory on Walker Street, Blackpool. He registered the company in 1932 and over the following years his company was exporting goods all over the world. His company pioneered many unseen kitchen gadgets and utensils onto the market and had many products patented. The company closed in 1988.This item was typical of kitchenware used widely in the early twentieth century when a broader range of food items were home cooked.A ceramic pie funnel in the shape of an elephant. This is marked “NUTBROWN PIE FUNNEL Made in England” and was made by a company called Thomas M. Nutbrown Ltd of Blackpool. It also has a registered design number which is a little indistinct but is probably No 860928. It dates from the 1930’s and is in very good condition.On side of elephant in black ink "NUTBROWN/ PIE FUNNEL/ Made in England/ Reg. No 860928"domestic appliances, pie funnel, kitchenware early 20th century

A pie funnel is a hollow ceramic tool that bakers place in the center of pies to prevent bubbling over. They can also be called pie vents, because that hollow core allows steam to escape during baking. Thomas M Nutbrown started manufacturing kitchenware in 1927 from his factory on Walker Street, Blackpool. He registered the company in 1932 and over the following years his company was exporting goods all over the world. His company pioneered many unseen kitchen gadgets and utensils onto the market and had many products patented. Today Nutbrown continues original techniques and craftsmanship to produce kitchenware that give its products a distinctive character.A kitchen item that in the 1930s was a unique addition to any housewives kitchen from a UK company that is still producing these types of products today. Pie Funnel, ceramic white glaze, "Nutbrown" printed on side.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, pie funnel, porcelain pie funnel, baking utensil, cooking equipment, kitchenware, nutbrown pie funnel, nutbrown

This pie funnel is a hollow ceramic device and is shaped like a funnel or chimney. It is used for supporting or venting a pie. Beige/stippled.The improved popular pie funnel. Carries away the steam and leaves the pie crust as light and flakey inside as on the surface. Foy & Gibson Pty Ltd, Collingwood. (green printing). pie funnel, baking implements, foy & gibson pty ltd

Pies with top crusts need to be vented, to allow steam to escape. Funnel-style steam vents have been placed in the centre of fruit and meat pies during cooking since Victorian times. Pie funnels were used to prevent pie filling from boiling up and leaking through the crust by allowing steam to escape from inside the pie. They also supported the pastry crust in the centre of the pie, so that it did not sag in the middle, and are occasionally known as 'crust holders'. Older ovens had more problems with uniform heating, and the pie funnel prevented boil-over in pie cooking. The traditional inverted funnels, with arches on the bottom for steam to enter, were followed by ceramic birds; and from the 1940s they have been produced in a multitude of designs. Creigiau Pottery of South Wales produced a 'Welsh Pie Dragon' in copper lustreware. This trend has been particularly noticeable in recent times, due to their increasing popularity as gifts and collectors' items rather than simply utilitarian kitchen tools. Adapted from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_birdThis item shows how a simple object can provide a significant improvement of the final product.Pie Funnel, ceramic white glaze with scalloped edges.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, pie funnel, ceramics, cooking

Cream ceramic item used in making pies to keep pastry from becoming soggy. The chimney allows steam to escape during cooking.Nutbrowndomestic items, cooking