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Original poster

Do you have good crockery and everyday crockery?

90 replies

AddingMustard · 29/01/2022 14:24

Or just crockery?
We use a mix of different eras of plain ikea plates every day, differing shapes and colours. Also kids crockery which is patterned albeit very faded now. DH thinks we should chuck the lot and use our good, wedding crockery as everyday. We rarely have guests, so it hardly ever gets used, maybe 6 times a year.

I was brought up with a set of posh crockery that only came out on special occasions so the idea seems slightly heretical to me. It would free up a cupboard though. Is good crockery a thing of the past?

OP posts:
fitflopqueen · 29/01/2022 14:29

I have a lovely full set of China for more special occasions and would not dream of every day use for it.
I do buy sets of white dinner plates, side plates and bowls for everyday use and mix with patterned pasta/soup bowls, serving dishes and jugs.

Cammel · 29/01/2022 14:42

We did bin our every day crockery and now just use the nice stuff. Our everyday stuff was knackered and seemed to have absorbed water. But our fancy stuff isn't very ornate - no pattern to fade or metallic edges. Part of our reason was to free up storage space.

This is completely contrary to my upbringing. We had 3 levels of crockery when I was a kid. Everyday, entertaining and stuff I wasn't allowed to touch and have never seen used, even as an adult.

I think each generation of my family is getting more rational as you go down. When my grandmother died, she turned out to have a full set of crockery (including every obscure piece) labelled up in her attic for each grandchild. I found that rather odd.

woodhill · 29/01/2022 14:45

I want to use my nice royal doulton for dinner but it's gold rimmed so it will sit in the cupboard as I can't face handwashing it tonight

I do have everyday stuff but it is looking shabby now

Original poster
AddingMustard · 29/01/2022 15:00

We have this
www.denbypottery.com/azure-azure-coast/plate/124010005
I'm not a fan of hand washing!

OP posts:
Sprig1 · 29/01/2022 15:03

It all gets used all of the time. Absolutely no point saving something you like for best and then you hardly ever get to use it.

freelions · 29/01/2022 15:08

Yes we do

Every day we use plain white stuff which is a random selection of Ikeas, Sainsburys & Morrisons

'Best' crockery is Portmerion and we somehow still have 8 of everything 20 years after our wedding . 2001 was still Debenhams wedding list territory!

I don't think I would enjoy the posh stuff as much as I do if we used it every day

Its the 'dusk & dawn' range and I still love it after over 20 years

Meceme · 29/01/2022 15:13

Several years ago we got rid of the mismatched every day crockery and started using our 'good' wedding crockery every day. It still brings me pleasure every day.

londonmummy1966 · 29/01/2022 15:15

Yes - a beautiful antique dinner service for best which requires hand washing. Everyday is a mishmash of different vintage floral patterned pieces deliberately odd so it didn't matter if one got broken. Its looking very faded from dishwashing so I am on the hunt for more which is part of the fun...

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 29/01/2022 15:15

We have both.

Inherited a posh set from both DH Mum and my Gran- they are pretty but def "fancy" Royal Doulton.
One is creamy with silver rim and the other a pale green and gold pattern. I love them for sentimental reasons but not my style for everyday.
They are in a cupboard in the dining room and we use for Christmas-really special treat to get them out and very nostalgic for both of us.
The table always looks so pretty with them laid out.

But I would not deliberately go out and get two sets if I were starting out!

Echobelly · 29/01/2022 15:18

Yeah, we asked for a nice set on our wedding list, which was bought by several people piecemeal. We're Jewish and do have extended family meals a few times a year, so wanted a nicer set for that.

ouch321 · 29/01/2022 15:20

No just have crockery that's used every day or for visitors. It's nice though.
I don't get the whole buy fancy stuff but only for visitors thing.

It's like Monica's 7 levels of guest towels In Friends.

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 29/01/2022 15:21

And and full and frank confession I also have Christmassy plates bought from TK Maxx which we use for everyday in December.
I love them.

When DC were little is was a really lovely pre-Christmas ritual and I still do it even though they are not little any more

Porridgeislife · 29/01/2022 15:24

We do. We’ve got a white John Lewis set for every day.

My mother in law insisted on giving us a Royal Doulton set for our wedding and as we were so busy I picked it in a rush and I’m not really a fan so it almost never gets used. She has a further two sets promised to us in her will…

Fallagain · 29/01/2022 15:26

I think it’s an age thing. No one I know in their 30s or younger keeps a ‘good’ set of crockery which they rarely use.

minipie · 29/01/2022 15:27

Nope. We just have the one set which is plain white but quite nice/rather than basic.

Don’t have the space for a second set and wouldn’t use anything that isn’t dishwashable!

Tidbinbilla · 29/01/2022 15:28

I’ve just looked at your link for your Denny stuff, OP. It’s nice but it’s tough enough for microwave and dishwasher - it says so on the back of the plate. Just use it!

Until about 20 years ago we had “best” (i.e. wedding present) china and a mismatch of everyday stuff and then after a house move I had an epiphany and gave away the everyday stuff and used the best stuff, topping it up from eBay as we break pieces.

Tidbinbilla · 29/01/2022 15:28

Denby obvs.

gingercat02 · 29/01/2022 15:30

@AddingMustard

We have this www.denbypottery.com/azure-azure-coast/plate/124010005 I'm not a fan of hand washing!
We have the brown version of that. Think it's Marrakesh. It gets used on Sundays, when we have friends for dinner and special occasions, we had a Debenhams gift registry too must be the thing in the early noughties (2002). We have a full set of 8 plus all the serving dishes. Ours goes in the dishwasher. Everyday is a spotty set from Sainsburys which is starting to show it's age.
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 29/01/2022 15:31

After years of mismatched stuff, my mum bought me matching plates and bowls for Christmas. Just Asda, nothing fancy. (Dinner plates lunch plates, bowls and side plates).

A month later... I'm down two plates. The wine glass I got for Christmas is gone too.

So no, we don't use the nice stuff we got as a wedding present everyday. I find excuses to use it though, not just entertaining. (A random Sunday dinner for example)

BigSkies22 · 29/01/2022 15:36

I'm with your DH - use the nice stuff, eating off faded plates sounds a bit miserable really. Maybe IKEA for breakfast/eating outside. I am keen on having stuff around me that I love and use everyday. I know my mother plans to leave me her (very beautiful, terrifyingly delicate) Swedish crystal. I already have all the glassware I need, and the prospect of becoming the person who hoards the family treasures because they can neither be used or discarded is not one I fancy.

Ietthemeatcake · 29/01/2022 15:40

We had Denby on our wedding list and used the save it for best, but when we needed the space cleared out the everyday stuff and have been using the Denby daily for at last 15 years. It's so hard wearing, dishwasher proof etc. We've chipped the odd thing, but then we chipped the teapot when wedonly had it a month. It's 25 years old and out of fashion now, so I'm not sorry we've been using it. I have picked up the odd extra piece in eBay to make the set back up.

If you said it was bone china maybe keep for best but Denby is sturdy enough for every day, why not use and enjoy it.

CorsicaDreaming · 29/01/2022 15:43

@AddingMustard

We have this www.denbypottery.com/azure-azure-coast/plate/124010005 I'm not a fan of hand washing!

We've got a similar Denby set as wedding presents over 20 years ago. Have used it ever since for every day and still looks good.
Odd bit occasionally gets broken - eBay is great for cheap replacement ones as people sell bits off.

Use it and enjoy it is my advice 😄

bluechameleon · 29/01/2022 15:48

Given that your good crockery is Denby, I'd promote/demote (not sure which it is) that to everyday use. We have Denby that has been used daily for 10 years and still looks good. We do have a separate set for best which hardly ever gets used, but it is gold rimmed and used to belong to my Grandparents so it isn't suitable to use everyday and has sentimental value. Luckily we have a decent number of cupboards so we can spare one for that.

SkiingIsHeaven · 29/01/2022 15:51

We have a nice day to day Denby set and a super fragile Spode china set that we got for our wedding. It is used for Christmas and New Year and is not touched for the rest of the year. It is gorgeous but hand wash only.

I am showing my age now because this was a thing when I married.

alorslanon · 29/01/2022 15:53

We used to keep our wedding plates for “best”, but during the first lockdown I just thought, fuck it, WHY?! So now we use it every day. And I’m really pleased we do. For some reason I still keep the silver cutlery for best though 🤷‍♀️