Royal Doulton has been producing tableware since starting in London in 1815. So it’s easy to associate the name with more traditional products, and assume they’re probably expensive. But it actually has some great ranges of contemporary designs, often in association with external partners. And for a limited time there are big savings on Royal Doulton’s HemingwayDesign range.
And there are some cool pieces in the collection. Wayne Hemingway is a pretty well known designer. You might have seen him on various television shows, along wife his wife and children, who also work as part of the design company. I started really appreciating what they did when they led the reworking of the Dreamland theme park in Margate, which I’d visited as a child. The retro 1920s-1950s style they created worked brilliant to reinvigorate something that felt run down and unloved even when I was young.
But that’s getting away from the kitchen a little bit.
Not only is the Royal Doulton HemingwayDesign range worth checking out. But at the moment, there’s a sale with up to 50% off, which means a good time to invest in some quality tableware for a lower price.
My Picks from the Royal Doulton HemingwayDesign Range:
So there are three things which stood out in particular for me from the collection. And they all come with significant savings at the moment, which is handy.
First up is the HemingwayDesign White Serving Bowl, which is currently £28, rather than the normal £40. Honestly, I think the full dinner sets in white or grey are a little austere for me. Although if you like the minimalist approach, they’re certainly fashionable right now. But I’ve wanted one or two decent serving bowls for ages, particularly with summer weather encouraging salads, pasta and snacks in front of the TV.
It’s porcelain, and sage for the dishwasher and microwave, which is handy. And at 28cm around, with a height of 8.5cm it will carry a fair bit of food without any problems. And a plain white serving bowl with the subtle knotted design on the outside will make the messy salads I construct look a little bit more elegant (hopefully).
I might find plain white too much for an entire dinner service. But rather than going for one of the sets with mixed colours on the outside, I really like these Royal Doulton HemingwayDesign Mixed Colours Dip Bowls in a set of 4.
Having the stylish pink, yellow, dark grey and lighter colours inside liven things up without being too gaudy or over-the-top. And having white on the outside means the four different patterns still work together as a set. Also safe for dishwashers and microwaves, I can imagine family members starting to have favourites – or picking the colour of the bowl to contrast with what they’re eating. Plus they’re currently down from £35 to £24.50, which isn’t bad for a set of four.
Finally, we have to always consider that someone in my house has a serious mug addiction. We’ve got stylish mugs, novelty mugs, personalised mugs, and film-referencing mugs. Considering only one adult in the house actually consumes hot drinks, it’s slightly odd to have more vessels for coffee and tea than forks or knives. But the numbers must be pretty close.
So I couldn’t ignore the Royal Doulton HemmingwayDesign Mixed Colours Mug Set. Same colours, patterns and porcelain to match the mixed colour bowls. And just as cool. One lovely touch is that the handles are also colour-coded to match the insides which is nice. And it lifts them above more basic products. And they’re currently down from £40 to £28.
Although I might have to insist on a one-in, one-out policy for all future mug purchases. Or relegate some of the older, unloved ones to the garden shed if I can get away with it…
Looking at the HemingwayDesign range has definitely made me think I need to consider both companies more when it comes to tableware. It turns out Royal Doulton has quite the broad selection of partners for contemporary designs. And it’s not that expensive, particularly when there’s a lot of quality items in their Sale section. Plus I can spend some of the cash I’ve saved on more exciting salad ingredients, so that’s a bonus!