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Help me to fall in love with my

(85 Posts)
vickymeldrew Wed 18-Nov-20 13:57:58

Denby dinner service.
When I got married 51 years ago, I was given a Denby pottery dinner service as a wedding present.
I find it heavy and clunky and the plates and bowls squeak on contact with cutlery.
Denby is still very popular : what am I missing?
I’m on the verge of donating it to a charity shop but am willing to give it another try and see if I can get on with it.
Advice please.

Lexisgranny Thu 19-Nov-20 11:20:20

Candelle what a shame, sorry I am still using mine, but I believe if you go on the Viners website it is still being made.

leeds22 Thu 19-Nov-20 11:39:01

My first Denby is Potters Wheel - from first wedding, I use bits of it as the serving dishes and large bowls are really useful for dinner parties (not in Covid times). Mostly use Denby Juice, we like the eclectic-ness of three different colours. We did buy an M&S white service but it quickly looked won, so we went back to Juice.

Dianehillbilly1957 Thu 19-Nov-20 11:46:07

Sell it, it's worth something. Can't say it floats my boat, heavy cluncky pottery! Think it's a name dropping thing!

Yearoff Thu 19-Nov-20 11:53:52

I love imperial blue. I could never justify it. I bought myself two of the beautiful mugs recently.

Vpap Thu 19-Nov-20 11:56:52

Oh my goodness, I still love my blue Denby set!!! Cannot see myself falling out of love with it after using on a daily basis for 25 years!

icanhandthemback Thu 19-Nov-20 12:02:17

Life is too short to keep using something you dislike and so easy to put right. Give it to charity so you can feel the glow of doing something which will help someone else and then choose something you like to use.

CarlyD7 Thu 19-Nov-20 12:30:30

Things you dislike in your house = clutter. Get rid. As others have said - life is too short. Find something lighter and that you love - that will lift your heart every time you use it.

narrowboatnan Thu 19-Nov-20 12:51:22

I’ve never had posh China. Have I missed out?

grandtanteJE65 Thu 19-Nov-20 12:57:17

Now, at the age of 68 I have stopped keeping things I don't like or find impractical and a good deal of the stuff that is just cluttering up cupboards and is never used any more.

Sell it, give it away or throw it out and find something you do like instead.

Summerlove Thu 19-Nov-20 13:02:00

If you don’t love it after this long, just get rid of it. Life is too short to keep lugging around things we don’t love.

KnittyNannie Thu 19-Nov-20 13:12:38

I have had Denby Regency Green for many years. At one time I got fed up with it and bought a plain white set. It wasn’t anything like as tough as the Denby, though, and there is very little of it left now - so we’re back using the Denby now, and I’m looking at it with new eyes!

Tempest Thu 19-Nov-20 13:18:25

I have been using my Denby Seville dinner & tea service every day for over 35 years. Everything is large and sturdy. My Wedgwood Wild Strawberry service is hardly ever used too delicate, small and fragile everyone is too scared to pick it up or wash it. The tea cups and dinner plates far too small for family dinners. What's not to love about Denby?

seadragon Thu 19-Nov-20 13:18:51

I was inspired to buy Denby 'Gipsy' range after having a lovely casual supper at friends' in the 70's. Instead of sitting at a table we have lovely big Denby plates like small trays on our laps and 'fork' food. It has lasted decades - one plate even survived being somersaulted onto the flag stone floor by a 6 year old grandson. The look of horror on his face was a picture, swiftly followed by relief when he realised it was entirely undamaged.https://www.thechinavillage.co.uk/collections/denby-gypsy/products/oval-platter-11?variant=4783223937

Froglady Thu 19-Nov-20 13:30:06

There are specialist sellers out there that sell things like Denby; I bought some Denby Arabesque coffee mugs from one several years ago. But if you can sell it on eBay why not try? If you don't get anywhere with ebsy, then maybe give it to a charity shop. It would have cost you a lot when you bought so you could try and get something back for you to spend on something that you really want.

Buffy Thu 19-Nov-20 13:42:34

If it’s dark blue DENBY BOKHARA I’ll happily buy it from
you !!
When we married we bought it piece by piece as and when we could afford it and my children love it and I’ll pass it to them. It was discontinued in the 1970’s but I look for it all the time in antique shop/charity shops.

Happysexagenarian Thu 19-Nov-20 13:50:20

Thank you for reminding me about Denby. I was given two Imperial mugs many years ago and would have loved to collect the dinner service but could never afford it. The mugs are long gone now and our plain white dinner service (from Dunelm) is diminishing bit by bit and I can't replace breakages because they've discontinued the design! So I might take another look at Denby. May have to buy two sets to accommodate eighteen people!

Sparkling Thu 19-Nov-20 13:54:36

I’m afraid, if I don’t love it I don’t keep it. I didn’t sell mine just donated it to a Charity Shop that I know values things so gets a good price for the charity. All my crystal has gone and silver cutlery too. I have decluttered

netflixfan Thu 19-Nov-20 14:05:00

Wheatear is the one that makes the cutlet squeak. We were given a box of that, and got rid of it for that reason. But I’m still using the blue border ones, I really like them.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Thu 19-Nov-20 14:08:37

If you really don't like it why not ditch it for something that you prefer? After all, it's something which you use every day and there it is in front of you, you see it each time you eat or drink and think 'yuck' when it could be replaced by something which that clear-out lady says, "gives you joy." Life's too short to use china you don't like. Of course I speak as a 'potaholic'.

Lizbethann55 Thu 19-Nov-20 14:23:23

There is a website where you can sell old , but collectable, dinner services. Sadly I cannot remember its name off the top of my head. I tried to sell my chunky Royal Doulton dinner service on it, but no one wanted it. Some wealthy friends bought us quite a lot when we got engaged. It was far too expensive and heavy to use for everyday so we asked for loads more as wedding presents so we could use it for "best". I never have liked it and it takes up so much space! However my everyday is really cracked and tatty so I am tempted to start using the RD, and hope it breaks!!

pinkpeony Thu 19-Nov-20 14:43:23

I have Denby Imperial Blue like Casdon and I love it. I got one plate from a charity shop and liked it so much that I bought some more on Ebay and then got rid of all my other crockery. I wanted use it all the time because I like it so much. It rarely breaks or chips and I can add to it from the Denby shop at Cheshire Oaks or from Ebay.

Joesoap Thu 19-Nov-20 15:04:58

I hate squeaky plates too, IKEA plates are renound for this.

Belleringer Thu 19-Nov-20 15:42:08

I have Denby ‘ Potters Wheel’. We used it a lot when we first had it but it is too heavy now. It comes out as spares when we have a big gathering but I would really like to get rid of it - I did try a site which specialised in buying Denby and even they didn’t want it! I do like some of the other patterns though - I bought a lovely green teapot on a bric-a-brac stall and would like more of that colour.

J52 Thu 19-Nov-20 16:14:21

This thread got me thinking and apart from my own sets, mentioned previously, I realised we were a Denby family.
In the 1960s we had Cottage Blue. It was still in use long after I left home. My Aunt had Manor Green. I think they were the original tableware designs.
Another Aunt in the 70s had Gypsy. I also remember having a Chevron coffee set, which I sold.

GoldenAge Thu 19-Nov-20 16:27:01

vicky meldrew - do not give it away. Sell it on ebay and make enough to buy yourself a new dinner service that's light enough for you to life (and that you like).