I began with the very cheapest white dinner service from Argos - less than £5 for 12 pieces.
Recently I saw a half price white bone china dinner service being sold by Argos - around £20 for 16 pieces. Unfortunately I was too late and missed it!
I have have now bought a white Royal Worcester Serendipity 16 piece set for £49. Its lovely but I need to buy more pieces to have some spares and would also like matching cups and saucers . Is it silly to spend this much on nice crockery?
Although I have had broken glasses I have only had one chipped plate in a year and a half
Dinner service -white bone china??
My criteria for crockery, in no particular order:
Is it of appropriate quality
Will it appeal to all tastes (so plain white is a good choice!)
Is it as guest proof as possible (eg Steelite) - dishwasher and microwave proof essential
We wouldn't think of charging for breakages, so is cost of breakage sufficiently insignificant to be absorbed, and not to cause guests embarrassment
Are replacements going to be readily available for the next five years plus
The simple way to fulfil all those criteria is to use one of the catering supply specialists such as Global FSE, Nisbets etc who have a wide range of stuff designed for a hard life. But - when a bargain turns up somewhere, it's got to be worth considering; just bear in mind that once you've used up the available spares, the rest of the set is redundant.
Is it of appropriate quality
Will it appeal to all tastes (so plain white is a good choice!)
Is it as guest proof as possible (eg Steelite) - dishwasher and microwave proof essential
We wouldn't think of charging for breakages, so is cost of breakage sufficiently insignificant to be absorbed, and not to cause guests embarrassment
Are replacements going to be readily available for the next five years plus
The simple way to fulfil all those criteria is to use one of the catering supply specialists such as Global FSE, Nisbets etc who have a wide range of stuff designed for a hard life. But - when a bargain turns up somewhere, it's got to be worth considering; just bear in mind that once you've used up the available spares, the rest of the set is redundant.
-
Hells Bells
- Posts: 13173
- Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:42 am
- Location: French Alps
- Contact:
You may be lucky rosebud and not have any breakages for a while, but it really is the luck of the draw. I inherited some cream crockery in one property which I am still using, but I will replace it with plain white when the time comes.
For the property I equipped from scratch I went down the Nisbet route plus some Ikea 365 cups and saucers, and have spares now as back up.
For the property I equipped from scratch I went down the Nisbet route plus some Ikea 365 cups and saucers, and have spares now as back up.
-
marsh frog
- Posts: 324
- Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 4:28 pm
- Location: England
IKEA 365 here too 
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/marshviewcottage
If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air....
If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air....
Maybe I'm a snob but I didn't buy anything from Ikea because they insist on printing IKEA on everything which I think folk associate with cheap tat! It's a shame as a lot of there stuff is lovely!i bought some white square sets from homebase which are serving well and between 2 cottages bought 3 sets in preperation for breakages! Like others I would never dream of charging for breakages I think it's really off putting. 
Dinny's retreat and Pip's Hideaway.....currently on with Sykes
-
salmoncottage
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:54 pm
When we first opened we went to a hotel and catering supply wholesaler and kitted out the kitchen cupboards with a 6 place setting with everything from plates & bowls to cups, mugs & glasses for everyday use including good cutlery. It was quite an expense at the time as we were also fitting out with all the soft furnishings at the same time. Then we bought a very good quality Denby 6 place dinner set along with linen tablecloth and napkins etc which we keep in a separate dresser. In over 4 years we have had to replace a few cups, mugs & saucers & lots of glasses but only the odd plate, which are all easily obtainable from the supplier as they kept a record of the range we chose. I'm not sure if anyone has ever used the posh place settings and linen as the set is still 100% complete.
It definitely pays in the long run to supply the best you can afford from a reputable supplier.
It definitely pays in the long run to supply the best you can afford from a reputable supplier.
'Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside'
In the right place, it would be lovely to go with good bone china and not worry too much about it being all matching. I've been to several restaurants recently where everything has been eclectic, with the plates all different, and chosen to match the dish, it's a lovely, homely effect.
You'd need to have a confident eye for style but it could be very charming in a cottage. Perhaps you could go for all white, but different types - some fluted, scalloped etc, but all really good white bone china.
You'd need to have a confident eye for style but it could be very charming in a cottage. Perhaps you could go for all white, but different types - some fluted, scalloped etc, but all really good white bone china.
Chalet la Foret, Chamonix
-
Mozzie
- Posts: 359
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:52 pm
- Location: New Zealand Beach and Colorado USA
- Contact:
In my beach house we have an "eclectic" collection of china and I have had several guests comment on how fun it was to see the china pattern from their childhood or other past experiences. It also makes it easy to replace anything that gets broken and guests feel they can relax a bit more too (so they tell me).