A sealed bread bin holds the loaf’s own moisture against its crust, which softens the crust and grows mould faster. A vented one lets that moisture leave slowly — the crust stays crisp and the crumb stays soft for two or three days rather than one.

Powder-coated steel with a beech lid that doubles as a small board, sized for two loaves or one plus rolls. Rear vents rather than holes in the base, so crumbs stay in and air still moves. Wipe it out weekly; do not line it with plastic, which is the commonest thing people do and it undoes the whole design.

What it is not: airtight in the laboratory sense. A domestic gasket keeps coffee fresh for weeks and biscuits crisp for days; it is not a vacuum, and anything that has to be genuinely sealed for months wants a jar and a fridge rather than a worktop container.