Do you need British crockery or cutlery, Wedgwood, Denbyware - or to visit their factory and shops?

 I went online looking for Nespresso cups, after breaking first a sucer, then a cup. I found several useful sites, and search words, listed alphabetically

Website Crockery Sellers & Brands

Amazon

Churchill's Willow Pattern

Other manufacturers copied this popular pattern. Does the bridge have the authentic  original Willow pattern design of two lovers pursued by the runaway bride to be's father's servant? Or are there only two.figures on the bridge?

The bittersweet story of this myth has the groom captured and the waiting bride drowning herself. The suposedly happy ending is that the lovers are reunited as a pair of love birds in the sky, as shown on the plate.

Ebay

chinasearch

chinamatchers

Denbyware

Johnson Brothers - Eternal Beau

Nespresso

Royal Albert design

Wedgwood

You can tell fakes / imitations because they spell the name with an e.

Other famous Uk names are Pool Pottery, Portmeirion, Royal Doulton

You can buy or sell, new condition or seconds or second hand. 

Seconds

Seconds might have cosmetic imprfections, especially if there is an embossed pattern. You might get extra drips or missing parts of a concentric line.

Denby has an astonishing number of outlets across the country, about 25, so there's no need to go all the way to the pottery if you just want to see the ranges and look for a bargain.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/myveryspecialthings

Factory Tours

On the other hand, if you want to book a tour, check for the opening times, hours, and booking. I went there once and the only tour still left that day was already fully booked and I had planned to drive back to London that day, not spend on a hotel, which would be more than the cost of buying a few items and postage.

Outlet Shops

You can also visit outlet shops for other brands.

If you already have trios, cup, saucer and tea plate, you might be tempted by chin handled cake/dessert forks, cake plates, tea pots, peper and salt sets, with and without a tray. 

Denby

We have a set of Denbyware bone china cutlery. They match the Denbyware plates which are thick and heavy and go in the dishwasher, unlike the Royal Albert flower deisgn bone chine. The Denby cutlery is very pretty.

However, they are a nusance because, unlike the plates, they are so fragile. They slide off the plate and break on tiled or wood floors, especially if you don't have traditional British woolen carpets which deaden sound and save crockery and bone china cutlery handles.

The popyular sayings are that everything has a silver lining and it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. I suppose the silver lining, is that the sellers of porcelain handled cutlery, and fragile crockery, always have customers needing to replace those broken items.

I was looking for replacement cutlery. Whilst writing this post, my husband bought a parcelain handled tespoon to replace a broken one. They are rare and you need to snap one up when you see it. 

Service Saucer r Tennis Plate?

I was intrigued to see service saucers, like an oval saucer large enough for a biscuit on one side. What is truly astonishing is that I thought they were a modern idea. Not a bit of it. They cropped up called tennis plates, in fine bone china, too fancy to my mind to risk carryign around outdoors. But that is what they were designed for. For tpoeple watching tennis at Wimbledon, to have a drink and snack in style, held with one hand. Presumably your other hand clutched your handbag or skirt, or shook hands with people you met. 

Useful Websites

https://www.denbypottery.com/denby-pottery-village-outlet-locations

https://www.visitstoke.co.uk/see-and-do/world-of-wedgwood-factory-tour-p849601

https://www.chinamatchers.co.uk/pages/sell-your-tableware-to-us

Please share links to your favourite blog posts such as this one.

Where to find real 100 per cent Maple Syrup, Maple Farm Visits, and Maple Gifts

Maple Syrup, 100% pure and Canadian, with maple leaf design label, on kitchen worktop, showing it is popular and nearly used up! Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problems To Solve
My maples syrup is nearly finished so I need to stock up with another. What's 'real' maple syrup? Where can I buy it? Can I see it being made or learn more from the source?

Answers
Maple syrup which is 100 per cent maple syrup is obviously, well, probably, best, but what's the difference?

Maple flavour syrup will have less maple syrup and more of other ingredients. Read the label.

The real test is to buy one of each and see if you like the difference. Do a blind test.

Story
We did a blind test in Singapore. Maple syrup and other imported food products are expensive in Singapore. So when the Canadian one hundred per cent maple syrup which we had brought with us from England ran out we tried the cheaper American maple flavour syrup from a local Singapore supermarket. The real maple syrup won the taste test in our family.

Sugars and Syrups
Flavour apart, is maple syrup good or bad? Is eating maple syrup adding sugar to your diet or removing it? That may depend on how much you are consuming.

Also consider whether you are using it as a substitute or addition to your diet. Other factors include: whether you are overweight, or dieting.

A separate issue, if you are a healthy weight, is whether you want to reduce your risk of cancer. Another question is who produces the tests, are they independent and who do you believe?

What Colour and Grade Is Your Syrup?
I was very interested to see that grading is even more detailed than a simple percentage of maple syrup used. Maple syrup comes in different grades. As far as I can tell, in the US a darker grade comes from syrup taken later in the season (a bit like late harvest grapes producing sweet wine). The darker, stronger flavour syrup is used in cooking.

Quality Needed For Cooking
I have often had ice cream supposedly flavoured with vanilla and foods supposedly flavoured with maple syrup and not detected much taste. Maybe the restaurant owner or cook or supplier has either used maple syrup as a selling point and not cared or not realised that you get a stronger flavour with a different kind of maple syrup.

So, if you are cooking, as well as eating, check what you are getting. In restaurants I frequently ask to see the bottle of the house wine and the bottles of any unusual ingredients used. I usually ask because I am impressed with the good quality and want to compliment the sommelier or chef and am curious as to what produces better results.

However, a discussion on whether a cheaper or different ingredient produces equally good results or 'good enough' results is also worthwhile. In my experience cooks and chefs are keen to show off their knowledge and expertise.

I used to be shy about discussing production. But if you are friendly most people are friendly back. If staff are young and inexperienced and know less than you do they may well be grateful to be given new knowledge and choices.

Maple Syrup Photo
I was sitting thinking: "Where do I find a picture of maple syrup? I don't want to take one from a website without permission, even though they will probably allow it, writing will waste time. Wikipedia is a source of free pictures but people can go straight to Wikipedia and read (admittedly no longer short articles in popular style, increasingly authoritative, detailed and too long for a quick read)."

I raised my eyes from my screen and saw my breakfast maple syrup sitting on the shelf in front of me!

I took a picture of the front from close up and it was distorted. I called to a friendly professional photographer, "My photo's distorted! What do I do?"

He answered, "You're too close."

So I took a picture from further away which meant I had to spend time cropping it.

The picture did not show much information.

I turned the bottle around and took a photo of the label on the back. Then I read it.

I had probably read it the first time I bought the product, a year or so ago. I would have been looking for the ingredients.

This time I read every word. Firstly an interesting story about the origins of maple syrup production. usefully If found  and the reason behind the company name - which I had not remembered. Now I have a memory aid for the company name. When looking in a supermarket, even when not buying, I can check what they stock and whether it is the brand I bought before or another one. The brand I bought was Buckwud. W U D  for wood. I shall create my own memory aid, "This buck would buy Buckwud.'

Maple syrup bottle on kitchen workshop showing Bukwud label. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Refrigerate or Not?

I noted something else. The label says keep the syrup refrigerated (only after opening?). That's interesting because we have a constant dispute in my family. I want to refrigerate everything. Others in my family says that honey goes solid. Websites tell me not to refrigerate eggs - then another website or consumer says you can or should. I would always go by advice from the producers. In this case the producers say refrigerate.

Maple Syrup Visits and On-Site Shops, Vermont
Canada produces the majority of the world's maple syrup.
You can visit producers for rmont/maple_sugarhouses_open_year-round.aspx

Where to buy maple syrup? Everywhere worldwide. Look for real maple syrup. I've tried the almost maple syrup and it doesn't taste the same. In addition to maple syrup, the factories have websites selling all kinds of products, maple butter, BBQ sauce, and candies.

Tips

General article on Maple syrup:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup

For a discussion on maple syrup and sugar see:
https://authoritynutrition.com/maple-syrup/

Visits
CANADA
https://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/best-maple-syrup-farms/
USA
http://www.visitvt.com/about_ve
Vermont is in the USA.

For Products To Buy
Canadian producer has products including maple leaf shape bottle and recipe pages.
https://www.maplesyrupworld.com/pages/maple-syrup-recipe.html

http://www.dakinfarm.com/Pure-Maple-Products.html
(Ten minute video, changing exhibition of photos, display of evaporator. Large shop with farm produce.)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=maple+leaf+tshirt

Action To Take
1 RESEARCH LOCAL SUPERMARKETS Check out brands and label of maple syrup in my nearest supermarket.
2 HOLIDAY TRIP PACKING NOTES Remember to buy Maple Syrup when going overseas to live or stay. Add shopping note to top of packing list.
3 WISHLISTS Note names and websites of farms offering maple syrup visits for next family visit or business trip to Canada or northern USA. Make a travel wishlist, add notes in my diary, email myself, or bookmark websites so I can find the information on my next trip. If leaving laptop behind, make note in mobile phone.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See also previous post on Canada. Please share links to your favourite posts.