So many shops closing, so much online shopping

Happening in our town too. We have a few closed shops which are to be filled soon apparently restaurants nail bar and two hairdressers. I’d rather see that than stand empty though.

changed.

What we need is to turn the upper floors of the shopping districts into nice homes and have bars, restaurants and independent retailers on the ground floor. These then open e.g. afternoons and evenings (noon - 10pm?) when the people living above have time to patronise them.

This is happening in our town centre - two blocks of shops are being converted into flats.

Our everyday China is Jack’s Farm by Wood & Son. It is white background with farm animals in dark blue and light orange. We love it as it makes food look lovely.

It must be 25 years old now and is discontinued. Occasionally I pick up an odd piece in charity shops.A lot of it is very collectable now.

Oh yes! Denby lasts forever. My pink Gypsy set seems unbreakable.

M0nica, like you, I use a lovely set of china- Pink Denmark- every day. It was a wedding present, from Habitat no less, from 1971.
I divorced the chap years ago.

Back in 1975, we had friends coming to stay with their 2 children and I did not have enough everyday crockery to go round, except my best Wedgewood bone china.

It was Jnauary sale time so I went to Bentalls (in Bracknell) with the intention of buying anything I could get a full set of. With the visitors, we were 8, 4 adults and 4 children, that meant 8 of everything.

The only crockery they had a full set of was a Denby pattern called Cotswold. To this day that is what all my everyday crockery is. I have nothing else. Over the years I have picked up oddments at Charity shops, auctions and junk shops, but the stoneware is almost unbreakable and I sstill have 8 of everything in c upboard in every day use, and only one item is slightly chipped. I also have a box of spares in box in a cupboard.

At various times I have given oddments to a charity shop, a couple of very large oval meat platters, a large double vegetable dish, a set of soup bowls with lids that I never used. I was contemplating a small casserole the other day, I have hardly ever used since I acquired first, some le Creusetware and now a slow cooker.

But to my dying day, unless I am in care or hospital I will be eating my meals of the Denbyware, Cotswold pattern crockery

I've just put some old, not expensive, but pretty dinner plates on one side as there's no room in my new kitchen layout for them.
They might have to go in a box in the attic
It would be a declutter too far.

Allira

Norah

Allira

My mother gave us a whole dinner and tea service in pretty blue and white which she bought from the Johnson Brothers Potteries factory; it lasted years and I only got rid of the last bits recently.

My brother gave me pretty Johnson Brothers Blue Willow - in the square shape, for a holiday home. It has lasted well though many tiny hands.

I wish I'd kept the last few pieces I had but we can't keep everything!
She also gave us some oval Ironstone steak plates which we use sometimes. They're just a bit different.

I love different crockery, my most difficult declutter. My husband loves to purchase beautiful crockery gifts. It's a circle.

Norah

Allira

My mother gave us a whole dinner and tea service in pretty blue and white which she bought from the Johnson Brothers Potteries factory; it lasted years and I only got rid of the last bits recently.

My brother gave me pretty Johnson Brothers Blue Willow - in the square shape, for a holiday home. It has lasted well though many tiny hands.

I wish I'd kept the last few pieces I had but we can't keep everything!
She also gave us some oval Ironstone steak plates which we use sometimes. They're just a bit different.

Allira

My mother gave us a whole dinner and tea service in pretty blue and white which she bought from the Johnson Brothers Potteries factory; it lasted years and I only got rid of the last bits recently.

My brother gave me pretty Johnson Brothers Blue Willow - in the square shape, for a holiday home. It has lasted well though many tiny hands.

My mother gave us a whole dinner and tea service in pretty blue and white which she bought from the Johnson Brothers Potteries factory; it lasted years and I only got rid of the last bits recently.

I'm looking for some lovely blue mugs, this thread is giving me ideas, thank you.

Why am I keeping Spode Blue Italian plates for best?!

We lived in the Potteries for a few years in the 70s, and I worked for the Pottery industry. When I found I was pregnant and had to give notice, we got a huge modern Wedgewood dinner service. Midwinter was all the rage then- had a dozen plain, 6 with orange and 6 with blue design. Still got a few bits and pieces left, it was almost indestructible.

I do like Emma Bridgewater designs but I'm not impressed by the quality of the ceramic body. It's quite soft and chips so easily which is disappointing as it's pretty expensive.

Emma Bridgewater make lovely blue iris mugs. Valentine gift from my husband - he is quite clever purchasing blue.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202502/medium-129301-1000028824.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202502/medium-699820-1000028825.jpg

Yes, blue is lovely.
My son and daughter-in-law both love blue too.
This is what I chose for her birthday this year. She has herbal tea or coffee in the morning - mostly alone.

They are living abroad just now so have no pretty things to enjoy from "home".

It's a Burleigh design, made in England still, "Blue Calico". I think that was a late 60s or early 70s one too.

Aveline

I well remember Wedgewood Florentine and Runnymede. Nowadays all china is the same. So boring and just bought in boxes from supermarkets.
I made do with Spode Blue Italian.

We use Spode Blue Italian or Portmeirion Pomona daily apart from December - then Spode Christmas Tree every meal to Epiphany.

I love pretty dishes. Blue being my favourite.

When we married I had a dinner service in Wedgewood Belle Fleur, a pale blue floral pattern and a silver edge to the plates. I still have it and it comes out on high days and holidays, but especially at Christmas.

The Spode Blue Italian is so lovely too though... I have the (quite big) cheesedish and a few bits and pieces of mum's. This was her pattern of choice and she would pick pieces up now and then.

My father liked a quite plain white design which had largish grey ivy leaves in a garland around. He tried gradually (maybe in the 1980s) to infiltrate the cupboard with those! I don't remember what they were but possibly Wedgwood.
The blue and white eventually moved into the kitchen...

I remember going to the Wedgwood factory many years ago and watching the women decorating the china.
Florentine is a lovely pattern.

My everyday china is very boring, bought to go in the dishwasher! However, I do have some lovely teasets which I can admire. 🙂

I well remember Wedgewood Florentine and Runnymede. Nowadays all china is the same. So boring and just bought in boxes from supermarkets.
I made do with Spode Blue Italian.

NotSpaghetti

Just had a look at that Aveline and it is truly fabulous!
It really is at the other end of the design scale to the Studio Line I fell in love with but I don't think that matters as they are both beautiful for different reasons.

The china we chose to collect when we married was the Wedgwood Florentine in the turquoise. I know you will remember this one as I think it was quite popular for a time.

Florentine is lovely. Difficult choice, my husband bought me Wedgwood Runnymede square plates, instead of Florentine.

Just had a look at that Aveline and it is truly fabulous!
It really is at the other end of the design scale to the Studio Line I fell in love with but I don't think that matters as they are both beautiful for different reasons.

The china we chose to collect when we married was the Wedgwood Florentine in the turquoise. I know you will remember this one as I think it was quite popular for a time.

Spending so much time with beautiful china spoilt me for the sort of thing I could actually afford. The very nicest stuff I ever saw then or since was Royal Copenhagen 'Flora Danica'. I went to see it in their Copenhagen shop recently and found that it was just as fabulous as I remembered and just as expensive. I still couldn't afford it!

I did like to browse in the china (and glass) department - I loved the Rosenthal Studio line with its sleek modern lines and slightly edgy look - I think that must have been a 70s range...