When its time to move on….to a new dinner set.
Every now and then you go through a time in your life when you realise it’s time to move on, start afresh or try something new. Whether it is food, clothes, lifestyle or ……a new dinner set. I have recently moved house and so am going through a major case of ‘time to move on’. My family has moved from the suburbs of Melbourne to the beautiful Mornington Peninsula. We have swapped views of our neighbours’ windows and their courtyard to a hillside home looking over Port Philip Bay and across the waters to the You Yangs and the ‘other Peninsula’. With this new move I was afforded the luxury (courtesy of my lovely step mother in law) a new dinner set. She is definitely one who believes there are many times in your life when you will move on, she married my father in law on his 80th birthday, both having outlived their previous partners.
The dinner set we have been using since my husband and I first moved in together 12 years ago, was the family dinner set he had grown up with. There was enough for our home in addition to its original home. So I accepted the gift (of both the old dinner set then and the opportunity for a new one now!) I believe a dinner set is yet another aspect of defining who you are – as a couple, family or as a single person. I remember when I was growing up and my older sisters got married they were given gifts of new dinner sets, to set them on the road to many happy family meals and to continue the tradition of starting their own ‘new traditions’. My mother has a wonderful Royal Doulton dinner set that sits pride of place in her home, ‘Old Country Rose” I believe. I was never given a dinner set as a wedding gift (and no, I am or never was, bitter about it). However I always felt although my husbands’ family dinner set was nice, it wasn’t really my style. Don’t get me wrong, it is a lovely Noritake bone china set (for 18!) white with blue floral around the edges – with tiny tea cups and saucers (we have never used), matching tea pot (see earlier bracket) and various plates and bowls. We recently realised that it is not really worth anything should we wish to trade up, as gauged by the purveyor of all things of value – ebay.
So, with the offer of a new dinner set I was off to the pre-Christmas sales at department and home specialist stores across Melbourne. I searched online for styles – yes Pinterest had some options, reviewed all my copies of Home Beautiful etc and looked at colours and styles I liked. At first I thought I wanted something loud and bright, so Maxwell Williams ‘Vivacious’ was what I set my mind on. I am usually not a fan of MW as a lot of people seem to have it and all in white. I thought to myself “no white for me, I want to stand out from the crowd at my dinner table”. I also wanted to make sure I got the best deal around, hence the traipsing around various stores and online sites. However, to my surprise I realised the more I looked at this selection of Moroccan inspired crockery the more I thought “hmmm I think I am sick of looking at this already. Am I too hungry to be different now and may regret it later?”So I sat back and pondered, oh and packed boxes, boxes and more boxes for our impending move.
I then went back to the basics, what style did I want? I didn’t want square or rectangular shaped, they never fit in a dishwasher and I feel they date more quickly than the colourful option I had considered. I realised I wanted a simple ‘classic style’ with curves at the edges and without a flat defining edge to the plate itself (thanks again Pinterest). So out I set and low and behold I found it! A lovely, simple bone china dinner set by Alex Liddy (no I hadn’t heard of him prior either, but maybe you can enlighten me). I decided on 12 dinner, entrée and side plates, 12 bowls and a few of the ‘extras’.
I love it. I use it every day and I feel I am ‘styling it’ with the best of them. I enjoy having my breakfast in the wonderful wide, but not too deep bowl whilst sitting on the deck, I relish placing my Almond encrusted fish on the large flat surface of the dinner plate with its defining upturned edge, or when serving my sons meals on the entrée size plates. I even think my toast looks great should I choose a side plate. I do feel I have made the right decision for me and it is a reflection of my family and our new life on the Peninsula. I also feel it’s style will be one that will stand the test of time due to its simplicity and it fits in the dishwasher well too. Oh and the colour……. Well yes, it is white.
Are you as attached to your dinner set as I have become? Or have I become a victim of the new trend in all things culinary?
Happy cooking
Vicki
