Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is weird!?

140 replies

twighlighting · 27/07/2021 22:44

Name changed for this...I don't know why.

I went round to a friend's for tea. A fairly new friend I might add. We met at a baby group. Anyway she invited us over for lunch (me and dd). As we are eating I saw the cutlery came from a wooden box on the sideboard. I was just making conversation and asked why is it in a box. She then said...it's a canteen...it's what the cutlery came in so I have just kept in there. It's easier than have it in the kitchen and it's silver so I don't want it scratched. Fair enough.(Maybe I'm common I have never heard of a canteen before) anyway
I looked at the name of the cutlery and it was called "Arthur price"

I know I'm being very nosy but I looked it up and the set costs over 2k!! Is it odd for someone to own such expensive cutlery when they live in a 3 bed terrace. I expected that out of mega rich ppl (excuse my ignorance) they have very average jobs etc

I'm don't want to come across as nosy etc but is that Normal? My cutlery cost about 20quid from tesco 🙈

OP posts:
sst1234 · 28/07/2021 09:50

OP’s thread has been de railed by the ‘why do you care?’ crowd who care enough to frequent these boards and read other people’s problems. An the permanently offended who find any opportunity to feel morally superior and call other sneery and snobby. Oh dear, just gets worse and worse with these closet nasties.

ImitationofBeing · 28/07/2021 09:52

@sst1234 Have you not read the posts on other people's canteens??? They are fascinating.

MySecretHistory · 28/07/2021 10:01

@twighlighting

Name changed for this...I don't know why.

I went round to a friend's for tea. A fairly new friend I might add. We met at a baby group. Anyway she invited us over for lunch (me and dd). As we are eating I saw the cutlery came from a wooden box on the sideboard. I was just making conversation and asked why is it in a box. She then said...it's a canteen...it's what the cutlery came in so I have just kept in there. It's easier than have it in the kitchen and it's silver so I don't want it scratched. Fair enough.(Maybe I'm common I have never heard of a canteen before) anyway
I looked at the name of the cutlery and it was called "Arthur price"

I know I'm being very nosy but I looked it up and the set costs over 2k!! Is it odd for someone to own such expensive cutlery when they live in a 3 bed terrace. I expected that out of mega rich ppl (excuse my ignorance) they have very average jobs etc

I'm don't want to come across as nosy etc but is that Normal? My cutlery cost about 20quid from tesco 🙈

Rubbish. I have an Arthur Price Canteen that was sub £100 about 15 years ago. They make all prices and ranges and their styles are the same from cheaper to more expensive may be silver or silver plated. You cant guess the price from the canteen unless you looked up hallmarks?
Myonlysunshine123 · 28/07/2021 10:20

Now I've googled Arthur price cutlery canteen, they're beautiful and I want one. My cutlery is just the set my partner had when we moved in together and then an old set of my mums (not fancy). I really wanted one of those iridescent sets but Arthur price looks alot classier. It would be worth getting married now Grin

suspiria777 · 28/07/2021 11:03

£2k is a bit of an exaggeration. You can get a boxed "canteen" set for a few hundred. www.arthurprice.com/category/cutlery/arthur-price-next-generation/arthur-price-warwick/arthur-price-signature-44-piece-6-person-canteen-set

AlfonsoTheMango · 28/07/2021 11:28

Unless you checked the hallmarks on the back, OP, you don't know if it was sterling or plate.

AlfonsoTheMango · 28/07/2021 11:31

Ninja'd by @MySecretHistory!

CCC1 · 28/07/2021 11:38

I’ve got a canteen of Arthur Price that we inherited. To be honest if you live in the vicinity or visit the area it can be picked up quite cheaply particularly second hand. It’s one of those things that was regularly given as retirement/wedding/you name it gifts around the area so it doesn’t seem to hold the value it has elsewhere in the country. It’s the same with ceramics, we’ve all got attics full of highly valued figurines and tableware hideousness - mostly inherited from people who’d been employed in the trades who’d been gifted them as staff incentives or been able to buy at a discount. We visited New Orleans and there was a dedicated shop with Arthur Price and Midlands pottery. The prices were eye-watering. I was very tempted to clear out the roof space and ship the shed load of “sentimental value” granny tat to the States!

mintich · 28/07/2021 11:41

I use my wedding cutlery every day, otherwise when will I use it?? Special occasions only happen every so often. I think it seems mad to have expensive items in your house and not use then

MrsClatterbuck · 28/07/2021 11:53

I have a Arthur Price canteen of silver cutlery but it's silver plated. Bought under pressure from my DM for my "bottom drawer " shows how old I am It has never been used and resides in the roof space along with the two place settings of a different make also silver plate gifted to me by my mum.

I have other silver cutlery which is kept in the sideboard which again never sees the light of day. Tbh couldn't be bothered with the extra cleaning.

MrsClatterbuck · 28/07/2021 11:59

I use an everyday ordinary set of cutlery from Newbridge silver (not silver) We also bought a lovely canteen of Newbridge cutlery which was a bit unusual for a wedding present but discovered they had already received 4 canteens already so kept it for ourselves. Keep it for entertaining and have added to it by visiting their factory shop over the years when travelling near it. Well worth a visit as they do more than just cutlery.

feb2022 · 28/07/2021 12:23

It was probably inherited!
I inherited a propper Lois rococo sideboard off a relative after they passed away, it's worth thousands... and I'm skint but I'd never part with it
I know it's not cutlery but it might have some sentimental value to her and that's why she keeps it in the original box not in the drawer with the other £20 cutlery set from Asda

SingingSands · 28/07/2021 13:18

We were gifted a canteen of cutlery when we got engaged, or married, can't remember which. I have no idea where it is now! It's probably in the loft. This thread has inspired me to go and look for it!

nokidshere · 28/07/2021 13:38

I have one that I used but kept in the box for years. Mine was a long service award from my workplace. So I was skint but had great cutlery 😁

luckylavender · 28/07/2021 13:48

I find your post very very weird and nosy, right down to the silver cloth. It's firstly absolutely none of your business. Secondly, a canteen of cutlery in a wooden box isn't that unusual (nor is it an unusual word). Finally, did you go for lunch or tea?

Maggiesfarm · 28/07/2021 13:50

You use a silver polishing cloth on silver plate. I have a set of silver plated cutlerly (which hasn't seen the light of day for ages), and polished it.

Maggiesfarm · 28/07/2021 13:51

cutlery, not 'cutlerly'.

CoralFish · 28/07/2021 14:03

We have a cutlery canteen my mum and dad bought us the first Christmas after we bought a house. I am sad and I asked for it -
we were hosting Christmas and didn't have enough for everyone to have matching, plus not enough room in the kitchen drawers to house a full 12-piece set!! However, I also requested stainless steel so it could go in the dishwasher, and I think it was closer to £500 than £2k. It still came with a fancy polishing cloth though. My friend has a canteen with very fancy silver and bone cutlery which she picked up for next to nothing on eBay. Both of us live in small terraces. I imagine lots of people think my friend and I are weird for various reasons though!!

AnneLovesGilbert · 28/07/2021 14:18

Mine was inherited from a great aunt a few years back.

picklemewalnuts · 28/07/2021 14:37

We use our silver every day, because my galumphing elephant menfolk bend the tines on cheaper cutlery.

Polkadots2021 · 28/07/2021 15:15

@neverknowinglyunreasonable

Quite a lot to fork out for cutlery. Maybe a wedding present or maybe she had to make some cut backs with other spending to afford it.

Ok, I'm done.

...fork out for cutlery. I see what you did there Grin
FogHornInTheAttic · 28/07/2021 15:22

Are you sure it wasn't Smart Price? Wink

Youdiditanyway · 28/07/2021 16:03

Probably a gift from a well meaning, wealthy relation or friend or perhaps they used to be more wealthy than they currently are. Who knows/cares.

WhatWouldTheNeighboursSay · 28/07/2021 16:05

I've always wanted a canteen of cutlery Blush

My mum still uses the stuff from her wedding canteen (1960s) but it's just in a drawer, think the box got ditched years ago.

I also subscribe to the USE THE NICE THINGS idea, so am currently sitting in the garden drinking my tea out of a cup from my hand-painted Victorian tea-set. (& dunking a smart-price cookie Grin ) I bought it cheap at a local auction house because it was pretty.

I don't use my antique silver tea service (bought as a gift) because I'm lazy - it's really ornate and a bugger to clean Grin

I spread my toast this morning with a pretty little antique pearl handled silver butter knife. That was kicking about in the cutlery drawer because DS dumped some of his uni flat stuff in their when he came home. He inherited it from older DD who in turn was gifted it from Fran's neighbour as a kind of joke when she was getting ready for starting uni... We had been giggling about her list of essentials she needed to take when moving in (clearly, I was ridiculous for not believing that EVERYONE needs a garlic crusher / loaf tins / 10 other random items in Freshers week and CANNOT move in without one Confused and nice neighbour piped up "ooohhh, I have just the thing" and next thing a little parcel appeared with the aforementioned utensil and a little note Smile The flatmates pulled her leg but quickly admitted that actually it was the most useful item in the kitchen as it was the only knife that didn't butcher their cheapo student budget bread GrinGrinGrin

So, yeah, her canteen may or may not be 'expensive'; it may be something she bought /was gifted/inherited; she may actually be really wealthy but run away from her aristocratic parents..... who cares? she was nice enough to invite you round and try to cultivate a new friendship - THAT'S what matters, not what she served tea with.

Also, I hope you DO become good friends and you can one day both have a good laugh when you confide that you were suitably intrigued by her mysterious cutlery canteen Wink

LadyPoison · 28/07/2021 16:28

Arthur Price is mostly stainless steel with some silver plated ranges. I don''t think they do any solid silver ranges.

I'd use a set like this every day. If she has a silver plated set then using it daily greatly reduces the tarnishing. It's the sets that only come out at Christmas that need polishing before use