Should we be using our 'best' china?

Downsizing made us realise how much 'stuff' we had and how much we didn't use. All the old scratchy towels were replaced by the ones kept for best, bliss. The china I didn't really like but used every day as it didn't matter if any was broken (it never was!) was given away. Now we use things we love, including crystal glasses. Yes, there are occasional accidents but the enjoyment of a meal from pretty Portmeirion plates or clean looking plain white, according to how I feel that day, makes it more than worth it. We also use the pretty embroidered tablecloths worked by my talented mother in law. It doesn't take that long to iron them and the linen is such good quality. we also use easy care cloths, depends on the mood, but nothing is not used now. Have recently taken the same approach with clothes, really enjoy choosing what to wear each day now. It's made a huge difference to use or wear things I like, rather than things I think I should use.

Use all your stuff and don't grieve if it gets broken. No pockets in a shroud.

I inherited some very good crystal a few years back, it had never been used and stored perfectly, for what? so that I could one day inherit and not use it?

So I used it, and yes a fair amount got broken (not because of the kids though! looking at you DH-Butterfingers!)

But it got incorporated into our lives, used and appreciated.

I don't keep anything that I dont enjoy and use or display.

I looked on eBay and there are over 300 items of my 50 year old Doulton dinner service on offer, and as it is dishwasher proof I think after reading this thread it is time to get it out more often!

I'm still using my brown Denby which I bought when I lived in the Uk 20 years ago. Its so useful and has 3 sizes of plate and bowls and mugs to match which the fine dinner services never had.

I have a best coffee/tea service whch I got out for Bridge afternoons. Unfortunately illness and death has put a stop to these regular bridge afternoons and I now only play in the Bridge Club. Still the cups and saucers come out for family occasions, its just that now I don't do roast dinners for 8-12 people and my DDs have pure white plates etc.

Use your best clothes perfume ,stuff etc every day as today might be your best day
Before I adopted this manyra I had clothes go out of fashion whilst saving them.
Ps by best clothes I dont mean ball gowns! Just that wearing my nice clothes everyday makes me feel good about myself ( see thread re children who emigrate!)

Good ideas Jacky
BBbevan those tea set patterns sound lovely, harebells and apple blossom.I want them!

I have two complete tea sets from my mother. They are very pretty. One has blue harebells the other apple blossom. I suppose I use them once a year for Boxing Day tea, but I would never get rid of them. They will go to DD eventually and she will cherish them also.

Someone was asking about decanters. Here,too, you could use them as vases for a single stem rose or lily or drop coloured baubles, those tiny cones from larch trees in as a Christmas decoration. If there's space, you could mix them (the baubles or other decorative scatter trinkets) with those cheap strings of battery powered LED lights for a Christmas decoration.

I would agree that it is a really good idea to use and enjoy all the good and lovely things that we have.
When we downsized and moved a couple of years ago we took all our 'good' things into use and now enjoy them daily.
We got rid of anything which had seen better days and took into use all the 'best' bedlinen, towels and cutlery. We took into regular use a set of Wedgwood and we still have another complete set of Wedgwood china left which is used quite often when we have need of a large number and it always goes in the dishwasher. We had so much of it that we have already given DD a full set out of it so whatever is left will be hers eventually since she enjoys it as much as we do. It is so nice when tastes coincide!

Well you are a posh lot LOL none of mine match I do have four plates and four tea plates in black square shape that my son left behind when he to NZ 20 years ago ....that ll do me I use mugs and they are all sorts I have some poppy dishes I bought from Wilco I like them otherwise my glasses are 'liquorice all sorts' too but plenty of them

For the lady up thread, Royal Doulton have been taken over by Wedgwood,their head office is in Barlaston Stoke on Trent.
We are china fanatics and have lots of dinner services.
We have a complete set of Spode Christmas Rose which we use at Christmas and New Year.
ebay is a good source for spares for lots of china, and glassware.

I have a friend who has an eight year old DGD, and one day she was looking through all the clothes in the wardrobe and said "Grandma, you have so many lovely things, why don't you ever wear them?"
I like pretty and patterned china ( seems to be more popular now, thanks to Bake Off?)
However, all our pretty and patterned sheets are ageing and we have to replace them with plain coloured ones because there don't seem to be any patterened ones about nowadays.Dorma used to do some lovely ones.

About ten years ago I realised that if I didn't use the 'best' china, cups, cutlery etc, they would ultimately be thrown out or given away without being used, so like many other posters, I now use everything and enjoy it.

The same applies to my clothes, although that has taken me longer to accept, having grown up with the concept of keeping new clothing for best and using the older stuff for everyday and the old everyday for housework/gardening. Mind you, thinking back my wardrobe was so sparse compared to nowadays, probably much easier to decide what to wear then instead of wasting half an hour dithering every morning.

Off thread but about ' best china'

We once had a little girl at school who fell off the gym apparatus. She hurt herself between her legs. Another member of staff and myself needed to see what she had done before phoning her mother. She would not let us look. She said ' My Mum said that nobody can see my best china'

I was given a Denby (the RAF blue matt one) handled casserole dish 50 years ago for my 21st and the service grew from there. We've always used it when anyone comes round and it goes in the dishwasher and emerges like a dream. Sadly pieces have got broken over the years, and I refuse to pay the asking price for a replacement plate these days, so I've bought additional plates etc from the second hand market in a similar colourway - also Denby - and do a mix-and-match when needed. I think of it as our "best" stuff but we've had lots of pleasure using it over the years. Not as expensive as eg Royal Doulton so I don't really mind what happens to it when I'm gone.
Ask yourself if your kids would want it. If not, then use it. I'm sure it was originally given to be used and it would be such a shame if all it ever did was to sit gathering dust on a shelf.

It suddenly struck me a few years ago that it was such a waste to have my wedding present china stuck in a cupboard, only seeing the light of day on high days and holidays. Since then it has been used every day.

I do not have 'best' crockery. I do have 4 cups saucers and plates that belonged to MiL. I have them on display on a shelf in the front room as DH wanted them.

My mum was a china addict.. I think my minimalist approach to crockery is a reaction to that!

I have my tea & coffee everyday out of Royal Albert Country Roses I just love it and it does keep the tea hot I think,at work we get donated lots and lots of china most are complete sets which families get rid of when they are emptying a house its such a shame to see them getting rid of such quality items but space seems to be the main factor with most people and of course the dishwasher problem.

Strike out "everything" and final s from dishwasher. We only have one of them!

We try to use everything all the bone china we have. We also have our own( wedding present) and inherited solid silver cutlery set. In the past, we only used this for special occasions and washed knives, forks, spoons by hand because we knew dishwashers harmed the silver. Now, we plonk everything in the dishwashers. Cannot imagine our three daughters every looking after solid silver. Our son couldn't care less, but his wife, our dear DiL would be more careful and appreciative, so perhaps will give it all to her!

I have beauiful table cloths and napkins, some inherited from my grandmother. None of our offspring would want any of these. Perhaps dear GCs when they grow up and embroidered linen becomes fashionable again!

I am enjoying reading about the China and crystal that everyone is using,- or not!

I have a lovely set of Aynsley bone china, that was a wedding present 42 years ago. It's a full dinner set, coffee set and tea set. I used it more when we were newly married than I do now. This thread has make me think that I will start sing it more now. I doubt if my DSs or DILs will want it.

Every day China is quite plain Denby, rather a lot that we've had for years, so I doubt if we'll see the end of that.

Crystal has broken over the years, so now I buy oddments of really good glasses, when I see them in charity shops. I've picked up some really beautiful ones, including Waterford for a few pounds.

I agree it's better to use stuff now and enjoy it.

My 70s Denby plates have been through the dishwasher for years now, usually on a fairly low temperature. The glaze is very worn away now so I think it's the harsh chemicals in the powder/tablets that gradually do the damage.

Having made a point about being so precious about my bone china dinner service, i was emptying the dishwasher this evening and removed five of six bone china tea plates that I bought at a car boot sale a few years ago, because they were pretty, and because we needed a few more 'every day' plates. They go into the dishwasher almost daily. I realised I have never given the fact that they are bone china, and therefore probably not suitable, a second thought, and they have never suffered for it. .

Not so sure about the glasses, eggy. I have a set of Stuart crystal champagne flutes which my DD has begged off me on a few occasions to grace her table on special occasions! I assume they won't be going in they skip when we shuffle off the mortal coil!