Wheatgrass Round Tray

Curated by Samuday Crafts Pvt Ltd

Rs. 1079

Enquire for bulk orders Gifting for an occasion, your team or your clients? Message us on WhatsApp.

Product Details

A wide, flat-bottomed tray coiled from wheat straw by the Samuday Crafts cluster in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh. The spiral runs tight and even across the whole base, then turns up into a low wall in the last few rounds. A pale blue crochet edging wraps the rim on both faces, scalloping in and out, and stiffens the edge where a tray takes most of its knocks. It carries tea, fruit, or nothing at all on a coffee table.

Art TypeWheat Grass

Packaging Dimension32X22X6

Materials & Care

Each piece may vary slightly due to handwork. Avoid moisture and perfumes. Clean gently with a soft, dry cloth.

Product Disclosure

SKU: SD-WGT-RO-B-01Style Code: SD-WGT-RO-BHSN Code: 10011900Region: HardoiState: Uttar pradesh

Curated by Samuday Crafts Pvt Ltd

Each piece is handcrafted, so slight variations in colour, texture and dimension are natural and celebrate its handmade origin.

This is a setting-down tray more than a carrying tray. The wall is low and there are no deep handle cut-outs, so it wants two hands and a level surface. Tea and a plate of biscuits, yes. A full jug of anything, no.

On a coffee table it does the job a round tray is usually bought for, pulling the remote, the coasters, a candle and a small plant into one deliberate circle instead of scattered clutter. On a dining table it holds the salt, the pickle jar and the water glasses between meals. Beside a bed or a reading chair it takes a book, spectacles and a cup.

Styling a round tray is mostly about height. Put one tall thing, one medium and one low on it, keep the group off-centre, and leave about a third of the surface empty. The straw is a warm gold, so it lifts dark wood, black metal and deep green. Against the pale blue rim, white ceramic and clear glass read cleanest.

Keep it dry, and keep food off the straw itself. Cups, a teapot, wrapped sweets and whole fruit are all fine. Anything wet, oily or cut should sit on a plate or a cloth first, because uncoated straw absorbs and cannot be washed out. A dry cloth and a spot away from the steam of a working kitchen is the whole routine.

A tray is harder than it looks. Coiled straw wants to curve, which is why a bowl is the easy shape. A wide flat disc has to be argued into staying flat, and that argument is most of the work here.

Straw selection: After the wheat comes off the fields around Hardoi, stalks are sorted by thickness before anything is coiled. A tray base needs long runs of even-calibre straw, because one fat stalk dropped into the middle of a spiral raises a bump that never flattens out.

Laying the base: The coil starts at the centre and is stitched round on round, held flat to the working surface. The maker keeps the stitch tension identical all the way out. Pull tighter on one side and the disc cups, ease off and the edge ripples.

On a piece this wide the error compounds with every round, so the base gets laid down and checked flat over and over before any wall is started. That patience is the difference between a tray and a warped disc.

Turning the wall: Only in the last few coils does the wall go up, and it goes up short and close to vertical rather than flaring out. That shallow lip is what makes this a tray rather than a basket, and it is kept low on purpose so a cup lifts straight out without being tipped.

The rim: Pale blue yarn is crocheted over the top coil and carried down the inside and outside faces in a scalloped run. That is not only decoration. The rim is where a tray gets gripped, knocked and set down, so wrapping it binds the last coil and takes the wear that would otherwise fray the straw first.

What is a round tray used for?

A round tray is used to gather small things into one place and to carry or serve them: tea and cups, fruit, condiments on a dining table, or a styled group of objects on a coffee table. The round shape suits a centre position because it has no corners pointing at anything. This one is handwoven from wheat straw, so it is better suited to dry serving and display than to wet or oily food.

How do you style a round tray?

Style a round tray by varying height rather than filling it evenly: one tall object, one medium, one low, grouped off-centre with roughly a third of the surface left bare. Odd numbers sit better than even ones. On this tray the warm gold straw and the pale blue rim work best with white ceramic, clear glass and greenery.

How is a wheat straw tray different from a wooden or MDF tray?

A wheat straw tray is coiled by hand from a plant stalk, while most wooden and MDF trays are cut, pressed and coated by machine. That means this one is lighter, warmer in tone, and slightly different from every other piece in the batch. It also means it will not take standing water the way a sealed wooden tray does.

Can this round tray be used on a dining table?

This round tray works well on a dining table as a centre station for salt, pickle jars, a small plant or water glasses between meals. It is not intended for hot dishes placed straight onto the straw, or for anything that drips. Use a coaster, plate or cloth under anything wet, hot or oily.

Can you put food directly on a wheat straw tray?

Food should not be placed directly on a wheat straw tray, because the straw is untreated and unsealed, so oils and moisture soak in and cannot be washed out. Whole fruit, wrapped sweets and closed cups are fine. Anything cut, wet or oily needs a plate, a bowl or a cloth liner between it and the weave.

How do you clean a wheat straw tray?

Clean a wheat straw tray with a dry cloth or a soft dry brush, sweeping along the direction of the coils rather than across them. Never wash it, soak it or wipe it with a damp cloth, because water swells the straw and slackens the binding. For dust trapped in the weave, a shake and a low blast of cool air works.

Will the tray warp or stop sitting flat?

A coiled tray can lose a little of its flatness if it is stored damp, loaded unevenly for long periods, or leaned against something. Keep it dry, store it flat rather than on its edge, and it holds shape. If it ever rocks slightly, pressing it flat under a light weight for a day usually settles it.

Why does this tray cost more than a wooden serving tray?

This tray costs more than a mass-produced wooden serving tray because it is coiled and stitched entirely by hand, round by round, and a wide flat base takes far longer to hold true than a moulded or cut one. Machine-pressed MDF trays start around 200 rupees because a machine makes hundreds an hour. The price here reflects the hours and the fact that the work supports an artisan cluster in Hardoi.

Is every wheat straw round tray identical?

No two wheat straw round trays come out identical, because every coil is laid and tensioned by hand and no two stalks behave the same. Expect small differences in the exact diameter, in the run of the blue rim, and in the colour of the straw. A perfectly uniform piece would mean a machine made it.

What is wheat grass craft?

Wheat grass craft is coiled basketry made from the wheat straw left standing after the grain harvest. The name refers to the raw material, not to the wheatgrass sold as juice or a health supplement. It belongs to the wider family of Indian grass and straw coiling, which is practised across the northern plains under several regional names.

Be the first to review this product.