Ramekin is thought to come from a Dutch word for "toast" or the German for "little cream."




Name

Ramekin

Variant

Ramequin, Ramekin dish.

Pronounced

(ramə kin)[RAM-ih-kihn]ræməkin

Function

English Noun

Plural

Ramekins

Hypernym

A type of dish

Purpose

Cooking

Etymology

French Ramequin from Low German ramken, diminutive of cream, circa 1706. middle Dutch rammeken (cheese dish) dialect variant of rom (cream), similar to old English ream and German rahm. Ancient French cookbooks refer to ramekins as being garnished fried bread.


Meaning

1. A food mixture, (casserole) specifically a preparation of cheese, especially with breadcrumbs and/or eggs or unsweetened pastry baked on a mould or shell.

2. With a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 oz), it is a small fireproof glass or earthenware individual dish similar in size and shape to a cup, or mould used for cooking or baking and serving sweet or savoury foods.

3. Formerly the name given to toasted cheese; now tarts filled with cream cheese.

4. A young child usually between the ages of 3 months and 11 years exhibiting a compulsion to force or "ram" their head into various objects and structures.

These days, a ramekin is generally regarded as a small single serve heatproof serving bowl used in the preparation or serving of various food dishes, designed to be put into hot ovens and to withstand high temperatures. They were originally made of ceramics but have also been made of glass or porcelain, commonly in a round shape with an angled exterior ridged surface. Ramekins have more lately been standardized to a size with a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 ounce) and are now used for serving a variety of sweet and savoury foods, both entrée and desert.

They are also an attractive addition to the table for serving nuts,dips and other snacks. Because they are designed to hold a serving for just one person, they are usually sold in sets of four, six, or eight. Ramekins now are solid white, round, with a fluted texture covering the outside, and a small lip. Please bear in mind that whatever you ask for them on Internet auction sites, someone is still getting the same thing in an op shop for peanuts.

However, there are hundreds of decorative ramekins that came in a variety of shapes and sizes. They came in countless colours and finishes and many were made by our leading artists and ceramicists. My collection has ramekins with One handle only, fixed to the body at one point only. If it has no handle, it is a bowl. If it has two, it is a casserole dish. But the glory day of the Australian Studio Art ramekin is well and truly over. See some here, ask questions or leave answers.

P.S. Remember, just as real men don't eat quiche, real ramekins don't have lids or two handles. Also remember, two handles makes it a casserole dish. Also, please note If it aint got a handle, it's just a bowl.

P.P.S. To all you cretins who advertise your ramekins by associating them with "Eames" or "Eames Era". Get your hand off it, you are not kidding anyone. The Eames people have told me that they never made ramekins.

P.P.P.s To all the illiterates out there in cyberspace, just as there is no "I" in team, there is no "G" in Ramekin. I am the Rameking, they are ramekins.

If you have a set of Grandma's ramekins at the back of a kitchen cupboard, have a look through the site, maybe you will identify them. Thank-you for looking.

There are many of you out there that have knowledge of Australian pottery. Please let me know if you have anything that I can add to the notes. It is important to get the information recorded. You probably know something that nobody else does.

Please note that while your comments are most welcome, any that contain a link to another site will no longer be published.

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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Aviemore Pottery




Designer        
James Gillon Crawford
Maker
Aviemore Pottery
Marks
Very faint logo impressed into base
Material
Glazed slip
Description
Small pinched bowl with pouring lip to one side, Curved blade handle from lower third of exterior of bowl, curving upwards.  Matte white glaze to interior and exterior with hand painted pattern in brown oxide to mid section of exterior.
Condition
Very Good
Number
No number
Production Date
Possibly early 1970s
Width at rim
67mm
Width at Base
32mm
Depth
50mm
Length (with handle)
110mm
Weight

Volume
125ml
Acquisition
Purchase
Re-Store Ballarat
21 June 2016
Rameking Reference Number
AVI 001

Sometimes something completely different crosses my path.  This is one of those somethings.  It is difficult to find much information on this company, other than pictures on EBay.  What I have found out is here.  If there are any corrections, please let me know.

Aviemore Potteries was a brand used by Castlewynd Studios Ltd Gifford Gates, Inverdruie Aviemore Scotland PH22 1QH.  Castle Wynd Studios began in 1950 at Castle Wynd Edinburgh.  As the business grew, they began to move to better premises, first to Gifford, East Lothian in 1954, then to Aviemore in 1964.  They moved to Kingussie in 1976 to produce fine bone china using the name “Highland China (Scotland) Ltd”.  It was incorporated in 1976, some ten years after Aviemore Potteries began.  James Gillon Crawford began the company and was their Ceramics Designer.  They then became  “Highland China (Scotland) Ltd but ceased trading in the 1980s due to the economic downturn at the time.  The company was finally dissolved in 2015, although James’ daughter has recently opened a galley back in Aviemore. 

Highland China (Scotland) Ltd Co No SC055232
Kingussie Pottery
Off Ruthven Rd Kingussie PH21 1HP
Incorporated 13th March 1974
Inverness Shire

They began producing a range of Cairngorm animals in 1950.  You may know their most famous design, the three-piece Lock Ness Monster “Nessie” in black.  The sales of the Nessie design almost single handedly kept the pottery going.  They divided this into two streams, this one, the Domestic Range consisted of highland cattle and sheep.  Tom Mackie remodelled them and also modelled a cow, calf, lamb, and a collie dog for the range.   The second range was their Wildlife range, comprising a bear, otter and stag, also modelled by Tom Mackie and using an oxide finish, giving a more natural look.     

This item has been variously described as a Butter Warmer, a Cream Pourer and a Porridge Bowl.  The makers described it as a “Luggie”, or Ear in Scots Gallic.  It was made in two sizes.  This one, the smaller was a cream container.  These items were made for the tourist market and this one was sold through the gift shop at Edinburgh Castle.  A Luggie was a common household item in Scotland and was traditionally made of wooden staves, then hooped. The lug was formed by one stave extending upwards to form the “lug”.  The Luggie was used in conjunction with the Coggie when supping porridge.  The luggie held the cold milk into which each spoonful of hot porridge was dipped.  This, according to the Scots is the correct way to eat porridge.  Traditionally, the spoon was made of horn.       



Aviemore is a Scottish Highlands tourist town in the Cairngorms in Scotland.  Aviemore Pottery began in the Scottish Highlands in 1964.  They produced a variety of modern versions of traditional Scottish pottery, such as Saut Buckets, Coggie or Quaich, Luggies, Bellarmine and Bicker.

A little explanation;
Saut Bucket                           Saut is Scots Gallic for Salt.  Known as a Salt Pig these days.
Coggie or Quaich                 Scots Gallic for a bowl or Drinking Vessel
Luggie                                    Scots Gallac for Ear or handle.  Any wooden container with a handle (or Lug)
Bellarmine                             Also known as a Witch Bottle, used to keep a counter to magic spells.  Made from stoneware.

Bicker                                     Possible a corruption of “beaker.”  Scottish for any vessel containing liquor for drinking, a porridge dish or bowl.