This object is unusual, particularly in view of the decoration because "kitchen" wares were undecorated to minimize cost and because they were not "table ware".
Transfer decoration typically doubled the manufacturing cost.

Cheese making came to mind because of the need to separate the curds from the whey. Conversely the object may have been used to cook and then present a cooked item at the dining room table, for example "black cap suet pudding.