Any other China lovers here ? Table China that is !

I have my own china, which is Royal Doulton Diana. I was married in 1983, and didn't choose the pattern because of the association with the Princess, but because I loved the pattern. It tends to get used only on big family dinners.

I also have a tea set from my Mum which does not include a tea pot. It has 12 cups and saucers, small plates and two larger plates for serving. Maybe the manufacturers assume people had a silver teapot? not sure.

I don't feel the need to expand the collection, since I don't have room for display, or entertain enough to use it regularly.

And I hate to be the pedantic one, but I wouldn't have included Denby, etc. in this conversation since it is either stoneware or earthenware. I'm curious, do you all consider it china? Maybe it's a language thing...across the pond here.

I love china and have inherited a beautiful dinner service. I also think china is the best to drink tea out of.

Our table china is plain white Wedgwood and in daily use. We use bone china mugs, some Denby too.
When my MiL was alive I always kept a bone china cup, saucer and tea plate set especially for her as she resolutely refused to drink from a mug.

My weakness is a stylish jug - I have to be very disciplined!

I am another china lover. I have some Portmeirion Botanic Garden but our everyday set is M and S Harvest, which we had for our wedding and added to. Our best set is Royal Doulton Candice, which only seemed to have a short production run. It is very pretty. My mother and grandmother also liked china, particularly my grandmother and l have some of her tea sets. My favourite of these is Royal Worcester Royal Garden and I also have have her Colclough Harebells. I have a trio of each set in my cabinet and the rest is in cupboards. My grandmother also had a complete tea set in Wedgwood Jasperware but none of us really liked it but did not want to part with it, so we split it between all of us, a trio each, and my cousin had the teapot, jug and sugar bowl.

So do I Claretjan ☹️. It was a pleasure to work there. A lot of dusting in the china dept though!

Aveline

I love china. Ever since I worked in Jenner's china dept back in the 70s. Beautiful Coalport, Hammersley, Royal Worcester, Spode etc etc.
Unfortunately working with the best made me very fussy. My absolute favourite was a special order replacement piece for a Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica set. It was so gorgeous that all other china paled into insignificance after I saw that. It was extortionately expensive so completely unaffordable.
Recently I went to the Royal Copenhagen shop in Copenhagen and they had some Flora Danica pieces on display. Still fabulous. Even more extortionate price. Still worth it.
Still didn't buy any! Lovely to see though.

Oh I miss Jenners Aveline!

I think if I’d worked in Jenner’s china department I would have retired penniless ! My sister lived in Liverpool at one time and we’d visit a wonderful shop called Stoniers when we were up there. It was packed with Royal Doulton, Royal Worcester, Coalport and every decent name in china manufacturing you could imagine. We used to look forward to visiting it more than visiting my sister I have to confess !
I love the photograph of the platter posted. It’s so pretty. I’m sure the charity shop was delighted to receive it and it wouldn’t have stayed there long.
I expect in the future all of mine will be following it to a charity shop as my daughter has zero interest or appreciation of it. Although i noticed one or two pieces of Emma Bridgewater in the background of a photograph she sent me recently so maybe there’s hope yet !

BlueBelle

No it doesn’t appeal to me I love wood and really love primitive wooden carvings often from distant countries

Welsh love spoons?
😁

No it doesn’t appeal to me I love wood and really love primitive wooden carvings often from distant countries

Aveline

I ordered a few new Spode Blue Italian recently and was horrified at what was delivered. Thick chunky body under the familiar blue transfers. Turns out it's made in China now as is Portmerion. Best to look out for old original pieces now.

Yes, I bought three modern Spode blue and white plates/dishes and they were just not the same.
They went in a box for the charity shop but I got them out again at Christmas and used them as serving plates.

I really should get rid of a lot of stuff but the DD asked me not to!

I love china too and have inherited my mother's love of china as well as her best set which I use daily. My sister and I split her tea and coffee set of Floradora which I was excited to see Queen Elizabeth played by Claire Foy drinking from in series 2 of The Crown

I also love and use a lot Denby Imperial Blue. Such a deep colour and so sturdy. That set I have built up from new and from charity shop lucky finds.
Good china is a pleasure to use and should not be kept for best.

I ordered a few new Spode Blue Italian recently and was horrified at what was delivered. Thick chunky body under the familiar blue transfers. Turns out it's made in China now as is Portmerion. Best to look out for old original pieces now.

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I like this large platter. My stepfather who is 91y gave it to me. It was his grandmother’s. So circa 200 years old? Give or take. Recently I had a sort out. My girls didn’t want it so I took it downstairs to the charity shop. Sad because of the heritage but if no-one wanted it I didn’t see keeping it. I found it useful and attractive and always used it at our Sunday lunches.

I love Portmeirion Botanic Garden too AlasNo, it's so pretty. When I first started collecting the odd piece as a young mum I was too scared to use it seemed so extravagant to buy anything other than basic plates and dishes etc. I've built up quite a set now and enjoy using it every day without ever breaking a single piece! I jiggle them around on the plate rack to highlight whatever is out in the garden

I love china, I have a full tea set from when first married. Its called Rambling Rose, and it is so pretty. I never use it, sadly. I still have late mil Carltonware coffee set, its beautiful. I also collected the Portmerion Greek Key coffee collection, very expensive, but 10 a penny now. I too love Denby, its so sturdy and has lasted me years, a very good investment. But you really cannot beat a cup of tea in a china cup, I agree.

I love china, and I think a cup of tea tastes totally different drunk out of a china cup. My mum collected Royal Doulton Tumbling Leaves pattern from the early 1970’s on and I’ve inherited a full set which I cherish. It’s lovely creamy coloured translucent china with a delicate pale leaf design and I use it regularly.

My sister loves China, and I’ve been very happy to let her have the inherited sets from our family. It’s not that I don’t like it, but I don’t want to dust it and have it sitting in the cupboard. I’ve got imperial blue Denby, and I love the fact that I can still get it, everything matches, I can put it in the oven, the microwave and the dishwasher, and it’s still perfect after thirty plus years of heavy use.
I have to confess to a weakness for vases though, I’ve got a whole cupboard full - I like the vase to complement the flowers, which is odd I know.

Yes, I prefer china and vowed to use my Wedgewood and Royal Doulton all the time rather than saving them for best; most of it has survived fifty years. I did like Midwinter Spanish Garden but all that is left are two side plates. My mother's Coalport is in the loft; I can't get rid of it because she collected it painstakingly bit by bit and really cherished it, so I just have a couple of pieces on my dressing table.

I love china. Ever since I worked in Jenner's china dept back in the 70s. Beautiful Coalport, Hammersley, Royal Worcester, Spode etc etc.
Unfortunately working with the best made me very fussy. My absolute favourite was a special order replacement piece for a Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica set. It was so gorgeous that all other china paled into insignificance after I saw that. It was extortionately expensive so completely unaffordable.
Recently I went to the Royal Copenhagen shop in Copenhagen and they had some Flora Danica pieces on display. Still fabulous. Even more extortionate price. Still worth it.
Still didn't buy any! Lovely to see though.

The reason I sold my grandmother’s and great grandmother’s exquisite china tea services. Mum always got one of them out when she had special visitors, but unlike me willingly washed them up by hand.

I love fine china, it feels so different to eat and drink from but it is not dishwasher proof I tend to only use it on very special occasions unfortunately.

I’m sure it’s all lovely but I couldn’t have so much ‘stuff’, it would drive me crazy. Everything has to earn its place in my home. I still have the Royal Doulton dinner and tea service I collected bit by bit from the late 60s when I was first married, a very minimalist design and I still like it and use it for ‘best’. For everyday I have a Denby service which I purchased in the late 80s, also some large plain white dinner plates and matching pasta bowls. That’s it. Everything is used regularly and all is in kitchen cupboards, not on display collecting dust.

Me too all of the ones you have mentioned Spode, Denby, Portmerion and Wedgewood. All very much still in use I do love to see a beautifully set table. Definitely not boring!