Unexpected sadness

Don't want to sell your Arabasque, do you AndyF? I've decided to add to the few bits I had in the sixties. It's so unbelievably kitsch, but I've fallen in love with it after all these years. And Debby is practically indestructible! I've just bought the coffee set on EBay, complete with ridiculously tall coffee jug which may not get used now we are using coffee machines. But it looks great on the kitchen dresser.

I had to scour the charity shops and car boot sales for 130 bone china cups, saucer and tea plate sets for DD2's wedding reception 3 years ago. I found some beautiful pieces and only summoned up the heart to ship them off to the charity shop last month. I kept 12 sets to roll out for the pudding course when we have friends round. They're very pretty, but jingl's right, they're too small and the tea goes cold. My DC won't put up with them and always get the mugs down, ungrateful and uncouth lot that they are. I was disappointed when I offered them to our local cricket club and they said they were too much trouble - they have a traditional gala every year and used to serve afternoon teas on bone china. Now it's all paper plates and cups.

My 'best china' is a dinner service my parents bought in 1957 in Aden. It was made in China (everything was) and has a beautiful pale green leaf pattern against an ivory background. It survived the journey back to UK and goodness knows how many subsequent moves. Mum passed it on to me fifteen years ago when she stopped cooking for visitors.

It's totally unique and very special. I'm hoping to leave it to one of my DGDs because they love the story of how my Dad collected it from a backstreet shop which was out of bounds to RAF personnel and then had to take a few emergency detours to avoid roadblocks.

Our everyday stuff comes from Sainsbury's. I like their kitchenware.

It was a John Lewis I was so disappointed in! Maybe it looks like it stocks a lot compared to other shops but it was nothing compared to my old department. I agree about Denby btw. That's what we have for our everyday use. Problem is that its so heavy and the dinner plates so huge. Still like it though.
For my Mums 80th birthday tea party I got permission from her to use her good tea set -it was so good that it hadn't been used since my christening (almost 60 years before). My younger brother and sister obviously hadn't been important enough!

AndyF "China or mother in law"

I also want to start again when I'm in the Denby outlet shop Kitty. Can't justify it though. I still have a cupboard full of Arabasque which was collected 42 years ago (never used now) We now have Regency Green (which I wouldn't choose now).
We also have two boxes full of China dinner services up in the loft which came from MiL, never to see the light of day again ( China or mother in law).

We use Piortmeirion daily. DH is Welsh and we began collecting early days after a holiday visit. Can still buy the same range. Not to everyone's taste but it's colourful, tough and I love the variety. We keep a plain white set for 'best'. Never gets used.

Same as sunseeker with dinner service too. Wedding present one stays mostly in the sideboard. Used to come out at Xmas but don't use it then now because the plates are too small! Shame really.

Yes, I've got a bone china teaset given to us as a wedding present. Never use it. Far to small cups and plates, and tea goes cold quickly.

John Lewis always seems to me to have loads of lovely stuff. Perhaps you need to find a bigger one.

Do people have "best" china anymore? I have a lovely bone china tea set purchased when I first married - I have used it maybe 10 times in the last 40 years. I also have a "best" dinner service which is only brought out on high days and holidays. I think homes are getting so much smaller that people just don't have the space to store these items now.

Not beautiful delicate china Jane but go to a Denby shop. I daren't go or we'd have a new dinner service every time they bought out a new one!

We have a Denby outlet near to us and I love going to look around at all the lovely stuff there. Mind you, my thing is kitchen ware rather than 'good' stuff. We also all know that I have more money than sense!!

Our local John Lewis is full of lovely stuff too but, admittedly, not hundreds of makes. But, life moves on doesn't it?