Catering urns have a diverse and rich heritage in many different cultures. Recent discoveries have confirmed that the use of urns were not restricted to ceremonial and funeral purposes, they were in fact used as ancient catering urns. They were used to transport essential liquids such as water, wine and vinegar across long distances. The first examples can be seen in the surviving artefacts from ancient Greece.

One of the most renowned periods for this was the Mycenaean Greek period which was renowned for the elaborate designs. This was seen as the last phase of the bronze age in Greece and dates back to the second millennium BC. There are many surviving artefacts which are referred to as vessels and these included jars, pitchers, craters and chalices some believed to be ancient catering urns.

The designs were often narrative with images of heroism, animals in flight and epic scenes from mythology. Many of the ancient catering urns were more luxurious and made from ivory and precious metals. Some were used in ceremonial practices such as making offering to various gods to appease them. Many of the more decorative and luxurious items were destined to be exported outside of the civilisation for trade purposes.

Another example of ancient catering urns was in ancient Egypt where two different types of pottery were used. There was pottery from soft clay and also from a compound of gritty white enamel and clay. The latter was mainly used for smaller objects and very rarely for the vases which acted as the ancient Egyptian answer to catering urns. Again these urns were used in the transportation of liquids and in ceremonial duties.

Ancient Chinese and Japanese urns are one of the best preserved of all civilisations and Ming vases are renowned for being priceless. In Japan small versions of the catering urns are still used to serve the traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage that is Saki. The catering urns should not be confused with the other uses such as funeral urns. These bore intrinsic designs and are still in use today in Japanese funeral practices.

The Japanese still use decorative catering urns for consuming meals from. One central urn is placed in the middle of the table and diners can help themselves to the dishes within using traditional chopsticks. This has been a ceremonial practice for centuries and still survives today. Modern catering urns are not as significant or decorative and generally only serve the purpose of heating or cooling refreshments.

There are many suppliers of catering urns throughout the UK and on the web. They come in a variety of designs and sizes however most common are stainless steel urns which boil water and maintain large quantities of water at a certain temperature. Some catering urns operate a cooling system to keep refreshments refrigerated however these are often made from plastic.