If you aren't doing anything particularly thrilling atm, can we have a quick chat about crockery and those kinda things?

[FlouncingMintyy]

We have 8 usable dinner plates, a few more than that of bowls and side plates, and 6 pasta bowls which we use quite often. We have about 8 -10 wine glasses and maybe 10 other glasses of varying sizes.

I think that is probably way below average for a family of 4!

Am I right? We should probably be buying some more crockery and glasses but I find that sort of shopping horrendously dull.

How many of this sort of thing do you have? and do you have a "best" dinner service like my parents and inlaws?

[GrumpyKat]

THis may be a little excessive for three...
One every day set with 5 dinner plates (dh has done away with the rest), 9 sideplates and 7 bowls. We used to have 9 of each in honour of a long ago party for nine.
3 white square plates with 4 dip bowls.
5 noodle bowls, 1 large serving platter and 3 rice bowls acquired in Hong Kong, there were 6 of each but dh dropped a load on the way home (are you noticing a theme here?).
5 sundae bowls, 4 fruit salad bowls and a punch bowl from my nan's house.
Most of a new Denby dinner service acquired to replace the plates dh smashed on Saturday night. Bought it at TK Maxx and it's all seconds but 6 dinner plates, 4 side plates and 5 bowls was £54.50. Bargain!
So I now have nearly a best set. I'm going to buy spares, because dh really is the destructor when it comes to crockery!

[Winceywoo]

Oh dear I now realise why my cupboards are bursting. Five of us in the household; I have a set of white maxim dinner plates, bowls, side plates, silly tea plates, cups, saucers, and mugs. All times 10. So that's 70 items so far? Not forgetting the spare set which pre dates the maxim stuff but keep for all those bbqs we never really have. So that's another 30 items. Then, there's the best stuff - wedgewood India which I still love after 20 years. But it's a ten place setting with cups and saucers, coffee set etc so maybe another 90 pieces of china. Ridiculous eh.

[Dilidali]

For years I had my MIL's horrid 70s plates and bowls, do you remember those white ones with a brown rim? Vile!
So last year I suddenly grew up and went to John Lewis. Oh, a whole new world opened to me!
I bought 4 dinner plates, 4 pasta bowls,4 cereal bowls and 4 side plates in pink, blue, lime green and grey, I think the range was called summer brights. Then last week I completed the set to up to 6 with whatever was left after sale, which was white. It looks pretty, not to matchy-matchy and they are functional and sturdy, with the added bonus of looking happy.
Also last week I got my first ever cutlery set, a cheap one, but hey, no more plastic handled cutlery ( I loathe them, never sure they are properly clean).
I have 4 square tiny bowls, in white, that serve for nibbles, deserts, icecream, 'no idea what to put this in' so i am using these.
Too many cups that no one likes to drink from, DH would have an apoplectic fit if he knew I am systematically taking them to work and 'forgetting' them there.
One dish for serving that came with two matching smaller dishes.

What I would really really like is a coffee set. My life and that of my friends evolve around getting together for coffee. We use mugs, they all have their favourites, but I miss a cup and saucer type of affair and I wouldn't mind some pretty dessert plates for biscuits/ cake etc because we would use them 2-3 times a week and about twice a day at the weekend.

The other thing on my 'sod it, I'm old enough' list is a tagine dish. There is a reason for their existance, and if, like we do, whip a tagine quite often, I can actually justify it: done in a pan it splatters sauce everywhere and the splots dry immediatly and it is horrendous trying to clean that lot.

Oh, and I also could do with a water jug. A plastic one for the garden and a glass one for the table. My water glasses come from Nutella jars. Got so much growing up to do yet!!!

[TheRealFellatio]

Oh don't say that BeCool - they only come in sets of three so I'd have to end up with 12 and then I'd have to upgrade everything else!

I don't aim to have ten of everything, eight is sufficient, but I sometimes buy a couple of spares of some things (the crystal glasses in particular) to allow for breakages.

I get cross if I am having eight people and I am limited to what I can cook because I only have four or six of a particular dish/bowl/plate. Honestly - my life is soooo hard.

[GeorgianMumto5]

I am always happy to chat about crockery.

We do have a 'best' set, which is a silly idea wait uses up half the sideboard and rarely sees the light of day. I got it out on Sunday and did 'Posh tea' for the DC and I. They loved glugging sipping Ribena from dainty coffee cups.

Our 'everyday' set was handed-down from mil. She evidently has a worse china-habit than I do, as we had to charity-shop half of it, there was just so much. It is virtually indestructible stoneware, although two dinner plates are now chipped and it all looks scratched. Recently she offered to buy us a new set. I was about to thank her profusely and suggest we convene at the nearest crockery shop, when dh cut in with, 'Why would we need new?' I nearly wept!

A few years back, she tried to give us her zillions of Eternal Beau, but I politely declined.

My mum has developed a 'mismatching china' habit, so I go junk shopping with her, to fulfil my crockery urges.

[BeCool]

They will talk about it for years you know Fellatio

[Castlelough]

Seeker I love your system! I might even adopt it!
We have the remnants of a cheap set bought at Argos ten years ago. And a muddle of mugs, cups and glasses.
When we move into our new house next year I plan on updating these. We received lots of lovely crystal glassware as wedding/engagement presents - I gave away any I didn't like, and use the ones I kept.
If I had a best set of anything, they would be used - life is for living! My sister broke one of my good crystal wine glasses a few weeks ago, but I didn't make a fuss - they are there to serve a purpose, and glasses can be replaced , unlike sisters!

[mathanxiety]

I went out bargain shopping in my local charity shop yesterday and came home with a Polish pottery kitchen cannister for £1.99. I am celebrating but feeling a little remorseful at the same time.

[PigletJohn]

If you have a dishwasher, make sure you have enough plates and cups to fill it. No sense in having to wash up early because you've run out. If you want some "not best" then mugs and sandwich plates, not another dinner set.

YY to plain white as it is easy to match.

What happens with having lots of extras and best sets, is that they can fill up your kitchen cupboards, and the kids can throw them away when you die.

[DeafLeopard]

For four of us we have a 12 piece dinner set. I couldn't downsize it or I'd always be washing up.

[TheRealFellatio]

Right, I'm doing this inventory from memory alone but I think I have:

In the 'occasional' cupboard in the dining room I have:

A plain white (but with an embossed/raised pattern around the rim) 'best' bone china service of large dinner plate, medium dinner plate, side plate, pudding bowl, cup and saucer x 8, plus milk jug and sugar bowl

I have plain white huge deep pasta/salad bowls x 8, plus one odd one on its own that doesn't match the others

2 large Spanish earthenware coloured dishes and a tagine and a huge couscous dish we never eat couscous

9 x white amuse bouche dishes

6 x large white serving platters/dishes in various shapes and sizes

One of those glass, lidded cake stands.

8 x rectangular plain white plates, which I used for poncily arranging starters or puts in a restaurant stylee.

6 x plain white square dinner plates for arranging poncey dinners as above.

(I have probably another 10 or 12 serving dishes/bowls/oven to tableware in a variety of shapes and styles, mostly practical/un-posh and used regularly and live in the kitchen.)

I have 4 x ice cream sundae dishes and 8 x little glass dessert dishes

1 x plain glass deep trifle bowl

10 x beautiful Edinburgh crystal wine glasses with a very simple elegant modern cut pattern that weigh a ton and I LOVE them

10 x water glasses to match the above

8 x small champagne flutes with the Moet & Chandon logo on the side (we got them free from somewhere)

About 5 other mismatched champagne flutes

4 x martini glasses

4 x brandy balloons

6 x sherry schooners

about 10 shot glasses

I did have a large glass water jug but I broke it

10 x cutlery settings, in George Butler classic Dubarry design

Tablespoons, big knife, small knife, big fork, small fork, pastry fork, dessert spoon, tea spoon, coffee spoon, soup spoon, fish knife which I never use even though often serve fish

I'll do my everyday kitchen dwellers later. I'm too exhausted right now.

[HazeltheMcWitch]

That envy face looks really angry and aggressive today!
To clarify, I am very happy that you have amuse bouche dishes. And now I want some.

[HazeltheMcWitch]

adds to 'need' list, alongside massive vintage soup tureen

[TheRealFellatio]

Ooh they are little, like dollies' dishes, and they come in all sorts of cute shapes. Mine a like little oval platters, about three inches long although I have yet to cook an amuse bouche.

[HazeltheMcWitch]

Amuse Bouche dishes, hey?


Tell us about them. What are they like? Do they have a special shape, you know like those devilled egg plates?

[TheRealFellatio]

I have so much crockery and so many glasses that I am going to have to do a full inventory before I can even attempt to answer you.

when I moved abroad I spilt it all in roughly half and left loads in the UK, but I have since bought tons more that I didn't really need.

I have a problem.

I like to have every bowl/glass/cup/dish/plate/spoon for very possible eventuality. I recently acquired 8 amuse bouche dishes which probably makes me a twat of the highest order.

[echt]

We bought so-called catering standard china plates/bowls in white, and they STILL got black marks from cutlery on them!!

Now we use op shop plates, unmatching. For some reason, they thrill guests who seem to see it as edgy.:o

The added advantage is that older plates are smaller, so good for portion control, and actually recommended by cardiac rehab.

Duralex for tumblers, but any old wine glass, so long as the lip is thin.

[Fairypants]

We have about the same as you for everyday op but also have a 'best' set (8 of each to match our dining table) which I bought whilst regretting not doing a wedding list. I then inherited my grandmothers wedding present china which is a set of 8 full place settings and lovely but used for best family as its only really my dsis's who enjoy it to the full as they reminisce.
I enjoy getting nice stuff out to make a celebration of everything so get the best out for family birthday or dd getting a good report (all reports are deemed good but she doesn't know that:))
For us, it's worth having a set of best as it sets the mood for a celebration.

[HazeltheMcWitch]

Yes yes to tumblers, Gerrof. I like sturdiness in a glass.
Flutes are all bastards.
I generally have bulk stock of Ikea stemmed glasses; you know the ones with the fat stem.

[Gerrof]

I mean wine glasses.

I did have some champagne flutes but smashed those.

Have loads of tumbler type glasses and plastic beakers (useful for a pair of clumsy people as me and dd are).

[Gerrof]

That sounds like a great idea seeker.

That reminds me once when talking about Le Creuset saucepan colours, and someone made me feel very envious when she revealed that she had a dozen or so pans, all second hand or bargains and all in different colours, so had a variety of orange, yellow, turquoise, green, black, cream cast iron pans.

It made me scowl at my matchy matchy saucepans for a bit.

I generally have a load of white stuff. I am very clumsy and am always smashing plates so I don't have very expensive stuff, usually the nicer ranges from supermarkets. I do prefer eating out of a bowl though, and have 3 much loved black ones (I know, it sounds vile) which I have managed not to smash and have carted around with me for years.

Re glasses, I have about 6. I smash those as well. I remember having a wonderful gift of dartington crystal glasses and I bit the rims off, they were so delicate.

[impty]

I'm plain white, ikea mostly. It gets chipped it gets replaced. I don't have 'best' but have in the past.
I've just realised my glasses have seen better days though
My MIL has best of everything, she does use it quite alot but she also complains about lack of cupboard space.

[Showtime]

We started with Susie Cooper Wedgewood in sets of six,remains of which I recently gave to friend's daughter. No idea how many I have of anything now, but it's all in varied blue and whites, which I like and is almost as practical as plain white.

[attheendoftheday]

We have 6 of everything in plain white for our family of 4. There's also 4 plastic plates and bowls in varying patterns and probably half a dozen plastic beakers.

I chucked out a bunch of stuff when decluttering a few months back and I haven't missed it. I do have an extra 4 plates and bowls stashed in my 'trial separation' cupboard, which I will get rid of as soon as I'm brave enough.

[HazeltheMcWitch]

I am freakishly clumsy, so I don't have a set 'for best'. I also didn't have a wedding list, which is where lots of people seem to get their best china from.

Rather, I'm another who has all white. Well, mostly white, anyway. And none would cause an issue if I broke it. The majority of it from Ikea (10ish plates, side plates, bowls, pasta bowls). More plates that I have 'inherited', that I get out when I have a ton of guests. Mugs are a mish mash - none of them matchy-matchy however.

Serving dishes, ramekins, jugs, platters etc are mostly white and from Ikea or Sainsbury's... apart from the random things I have collected on my travels, or brightly coloured things that my magpie's eye has spotted.

My assortment works for me. I have people over a lot, so often do need lots of crockery. I'm clumsy, so I don't like £££-precious stuff. The majority of it is white, so food looks good on it (appeals to my inner ponce), and I don't have to be disciplined about hand-washing carefully, nor doing the dishwasher immediately after every meal.