The inverted tulip shape forming part of the leg is a common turnery motif in East Anglia. See Dr.B.Cotton, Cottage and Farmhouse Furntiure in East Anglia, an exhibition catalogue, 1987, figure 39/2B.
In the same exhibition catalogue the author quotes Loudon, writing in 1833, who comments that the "kneading trough" was divided and used for storage in one half and for kneading in the other. The bin can be used as a useful table as well as for bread making. Loudon said of such items of furniture that 'the cover when on the trough serves as a table or ironing board... the board forming the cover ought to be an inch and one half thick and always in one piece so that neither dirt nor dust may drop through the joints... no part ought to be painted because both trough and cover when used for making bread will require frequent scouring to keep them clean; and if the board is used for ironing the heat of the iron would blister the paint and cause it to stick to the cloth or blanket used to cover it' (page 301).