Here in NZ we are now in Autumn/Fall and while the days are still warm, the nights are growing cooler and hot foods like soups and stews become more appealing.

For these hot foods eating with wooden soup spoons offers several advantages, especially over metal spoons.

The tactile sensation on your lips and tongue is different. Initially it can be disconcerting if you have never used wooden spoons before but wooden spoons are softer than metal, It can enhance the taste of the hot soup or stew.

Wood also does not transmit heat. This helps prevent your lips and mouth from being burnt by  hot spoon.

Wooden spoons also do not transmit a metallic taste like some metal spoons. The taste of the food can be enhanced by wooden spoons.

For those who enjoy the full aesthetic sense of meals, well made wooden spoons can add to the visual appeal, adding  a cosy rustic feel to the soup or stew.

Wooden soup spoons also produce a softer sound, if they scrape or move against the stainless steel or  ceramic bowl the soup is in.

Wooden soup spoons also tend to be longer than metal spoons, so they are able to reach deeper into bowls. This is certainly true of Asian dishes, where several dishes can hold food, and the longer handle enables the different dishes to be reached.