The best possible excuse
In our busy lives, how often do we get the time to prepare a dinner party and set a beautiful table? That's why the upcoming holidays and long winter nights are a perfect excuse to get the antique porcelain out. Anyone who will have followed me for a while will know that my greatest love is a beautiful dessert service, and this week I am drawing attention to this under-appreciated phenomenon.
Modern life is busy, and we often arrange our homes with more efficiency than beauty in mind. But sometimes you have to break out and do something stunning. And that's where a beautiful dessert service comes in. The great thing about dessert services is that they can be stored stacked up in a small space, or used to decorate your dresser or wall most of the year, and then come out and surprise everyone for a dinner party for the holidays or a special occasion.
Many people hesitate to use these beautiful and fragile items. But they were made to be used! And they often are surprisingly sturdy. So with some extra care, there is nothing against using them... although there are of course very special collectors items with decorations that you would rather not expose to food and cutlery.
If you decide to purchase an antique dessert service of are tempted to finally use your grandmother's heirloom, then the main issue is to prevent accidents by reducing risks. Make sure nothing can fall over (watch that tall pepper mill!), wash them by hand in warm but not hot water in a plastic tub rather than a metal or stone sink, make sure kitchen surfaces are clear when you wash your porcelain, and don't put strongly coloured food into crazed dishes as it could discolour them (glaze in perfect condition is fine with any kind of food). If you want this on paper, I include a list of helpful tips into every parcel I deliver to customers.
Of course now you'll need a wonderfully cooked feast of several courses!
Where to find things
You can find all my dessert services here, and all my available stock here. If you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story several times a week.
The Murray Pollinger Collection of Samuel Alcock Porcelain
I have now released a large part of this wonderful and very special collection of antique porcelain to my subscribers. Many pieces have already been snatched up, but there are still plenty to choose from, and I am now releasing small batches into the shop each week. If you want to get access to the whole collection, sign up below for the mailing list, and you will get the catalogue and the full story about the collection emailed to you.
Happy weekend! 🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽
Currently available dessert services:
