From Merrick’s shed in Kent • In 4 active carts right now • Only 143 left
Merrick's Christmas Chopping Board
Merrick's Christmas Chopping Board
Dispatched within 1–2 working days
90-day money-back guarantee
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Merrick's Christmas Chopping Board
A Christmas tree you can chop on, cut from wood the railway used to burn
Solid Kent false acacia, cut by hand into a tree, a star or a reindeer. Chop on the back, put the front in the middle of the table. Made by Merrick Tull, 70, a retired woodwork teacher, in the brick shed at the bottom of his garden.
“I wasn’t saving anything. The tree was already down. I just couldn’t watch good wood go up in smoke.”
Merrick Tull · Paddock Wood, KentThree boards, one wood
The 1988 shape. Three straight tiers, a pointed top and a hand hole in the trunk. About the size of a sheet of A4: cheese and crackers for two to four.
Soft, rounded tiers and a five-pointed star cut from the same piece. His granddaughter’s idea when she was four. The one most people give as a present.
A longer board with a set of antlers to hold it by. Made in 1994 for the Boxing Day ham, and big enough for a full cheese course.
What arrives at your door
Classic, Star or Reindeer, both faces sanded flat and finished.
Food-safe mineral oil, applied in the shed. Use it the day it arrives.
In brown paper, ready to go straight under the tree.
If it isn’t right, send it back and get every penny refunded.
Shop-bought board vs. Merrick’s
| Typical Christmas board | Merrick’s board | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Lacquer or sprayed “food-safe” coating | Bare wood, mineral oil only |
| After a season | Goes cloudy, lifts in flakes | Nothing to flake. Re-oil and it’s back |
| Drying | Kiln-rushed in days | Two years in the shed before the first cut |
| Hardness | Often soft bamboo or beech (~1,300) | False acacia, ~1,700 Janka |
| Checked by | Nobody you’ll ever meet | Merrick. One in five goes on the bonfire |
| Where it’s from | A warehouse overseas | A garden shed in Kent |
Made by hand in Paddock Wood
Merrick’s father was a lengthsman on the line between Tonbridge and Ashford. Every winter the gangs cut back the false acacia, or robinia, that grows wild along the embankments, and every bit of it went on a fire by the track. In 1986 Merrick carried one trunk home on the roof of his car and left it in the shed for two years to dry.
Christmas 1988 came with no money for presents, so he cut his wife Maureen a tree out of it. It has carried the mince pies every Christmas Eve since. He still cuts every board from false acacia cleared off Kent railway banks and verges. Embankment trees never grow wide, so each board is three to five strips of the same trunk, joined edge to edge with food-safe glue. That is where the bands of honey and dark brown come from.
His granddaughter Jodie, a midwife in Maidstone, set up the shop and looks after every order.
For Maureen. Something for the mince pies, since there’s nothing in the bank. Happy Christmas, love.
MerrickHow to dress your tree
- Bottom tier: the cheeseA wedge of Stilton, a few slices of Cheddar and Wensleydale along the widest part.
- Middle tier: the colourRed and green grapes, a few dried apricots, a handful of walnuts.
- At the top: the starA sprig of rosemary or a cranberry on the point. Crackers on the side, and it’s done.
Slice on it. Serve on it. Put it in front of the whole family on Christmas Day. If it isn’t right, the size, the grain or no reason at all, send it back within 90 days for a full refund. No restocking fee.
Product details
| Shapes & sizes | Classic: 20 × 30 cm · Star: 20 × 30 cm · Reindeer: 34.7 × 21 cm. Classic and Star are around 2 cm thick. |
| Wood | False acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), cleared off Kent railway banks and roadside verges. No tree is felled for a board. |
| Construction | Three to five strips of the same trunk, joined edge to edge with food-safe glue, then shaped and sanded by hand. No veneer, no laminate, no plastic. |
| Hardness | Around 1,700 on the Janka scale. European beech, common in UK boards, is around 1,300. |
| Drying | Air-dried for two years in the shed before the first cut |
| Finish | Food-safe mineral oil. No stain, no lacquer, no sealant. Arrives oiled. |
| Two sides | Both faces sanded and oiled: chop on the back, serve on the front |
| Grain | Every board comes out different. Bands of honey, gold and dark brown, decided by the tree |
| Care | Hand wash in warm soapy water, dry upright. Never in the dishwasher, never soaked. Rub in a little oil once a month. |
| Made by | Merrick Tull, Paddock Wood, Kent. Cutting tree boards since 1988 |
| Availability | 143 boards left across all three shapes this Christmas. One man, one shed, no second batch. |
| Delivery | Free UK delivery with tracking, dispatched within 1–2 working days from Kent |
From Bonfire to Table
From Bonfire to Table
A note from Merrick’s shed:
Merrick Tull’s father was a lengthsman on the railway between Tonbridge and Ashford. Every winter the gangs cut back the false acacia growing wild along the embankments and burned it by the track. In 1986 Merrick, then a woodwork teacher, carried one trunk home and let it dry in his garden shed for two years. At Christmas 1988, with no money left for presents, he cut his wife Maureen a Christmas tree out of it. It has carried the mince pies every Christmas Eve since.
He still cuts every board in the brick shed at the bottom of his garden in Paddock Wood: the Classic from 1988, the Star his granddaughter asked for when she was four, and the Reindeer he made in 1994 for the Boxing Day ham. Each board is three to five strips of the same trunk, shaped and sanded by hand and finished with food-safe mineral oil. No tree is ever felled for a board, and one in five never leaves the shed.
His granddaughter Jodie looks after every order.
Free Delivery
Free Delivery
Free delivery across the UK
- Dispatched within 1–2 working days
- Insured: every parcel is fully insured, with tracking
- Classic and Star: 20 × 30 cm, around 2 cm thick · Reindeer: 34.7 × 21 cm
- Arrives oiled and wrapped in brown paper, ready to go under the tree
- Care: hand wash, dry upright, oil once a month. No dishwasher.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Jodie personally replies to every single email – as fast as she possibly can. Whether you have a question about your order or just want to say hello to Merrick, we’re here.
You can reach us:
- Mon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (GMT)
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (GMT)
Email: info@countycraftco.com
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. We stand behind everything in our shop 100%. If the board doesn’t win you over, just send us an email within 90 days and we’ll make it right – no hassle, no headaches.