The Victorian passion for blue-veined Stilton cheese was matched by the array of dishes used to serve it. Also known as cheese stands, cheese bells and cheese domes, the dishes were produced in an astounding variety of styles. The Victorian dinner party often included the service of cheese in accompaniment of a salad course just prior to dessert. It was important to keep the cheese covered not only to reduce drying, but also to prevent the pungent smell from permeating the remainder of the house.

In the early nineteenth century, Wedgwood was the first to produce a tall cylindrical cover with matching stand intended to accommodate an entire round of Stilton cheese. Most majolica cheese keepers are of this type. Less commonly, majolica cheese keepers assume a smaller triangular shape so as to store a single wedge.

The domed covers of majolica cheese keepers are typically decorated in relief with basket weaving, foliage, flowers and occasionally birds. Atop the dome is a finial composed of a twig, rope, flower blossom or a finely modeled animal figure. The stand or under-plate complements the dome both in design and coloration and has a peripheral rim on its upper surface inside which the dome rests.