Bell Ready

The bell is one of those outlines that earns its keep right through the year — biscuit tins in December, wedding favours in summer, church fete tables in between. This cutter reduces it to the classic silhouette: flared skirt, shouldered waist, and the small crown at the top where a ribbon would sit. It is a simple shape to decorate, which is half the appeal. Left plain it reads as brass; outlined in icing with a dot for the clapper it reads as festive; handed to a child it reads as a bell, which is all anyone needs. Bakers who already own stars and trees usually find this rounds the set out. A single-file design, and an easy one to run off when a batch of dough is already chilling in the fridge.