Fine China Dessert?

[mmmomof2]

After 10+ years of marriage we finally have a suitable dining room set to host Thanksgiving. We broke out our wedding china and have a pretty good set. I'm wondering what people do about dessert plates? Each 5 piece plate setting has a dinner plate, salad plate, bread/butter plate, and a cup with saucer. If we want to have a salad course on the salad plate we won't have enough plates for dessert. Do people wash the salad plates really fast, or just save them for dessert? The bread/butter plate seems too small for pie. 

Is there any place beside Ebay and Replacements to buy pieces? Some how we ended up with the gravy boat stand and no gravy boat. Grrr!

[bonnie]

I wouldn't want to worry about having to wash the plates. I'd either buy some paper or plastic plates or you could invest in dessert plates. Lots of places sell them - BBB, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Ikea, etc.

Regarding replacements for your gravy boat, what company made the stand?

[circa1978]

Our bread and butter plates work well for dessert!

[youbetcha]

BBB has sets of glass or white dessert plates. I have a couple sets I use for times like that. Don't worry about matching, especially if you'll have some decent time between dinner and dessert. We always do because we're too stuffed to even think about it for a while!

[mmmomof2]

Nov 23, 2014 9:34:39 GMT -5 bonnie said:

I wouldn't want to worry about having to wash the plates. I'd either buy some paper or plastic plates or you could invest in dessert plates. Lots of places sell them - BBB, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Ikea, etc.

Regarding replacements for your gravy boat, what company made the stand?

It's Waterford China - the pattern is discontinued. There are items on ebay and replacements, but no gravy boats right now. Not that I'd get it by Thanksgiving, but just wondering if there's other places to look. 

[bonnie]

Nov 23, 2014 9:40:03 GMT -5 mmmomof2 said:

Nov 23, 2014 9:34:39 GMT -5 bonnie said:

It's Waterford China - the pattern is discontinued. There are items on ebay and replacements, but no gravy boats right now. Not that I'd get it by Thanksgiving, but just wondering if there's other places to look. 

What is the pattern name?

[pagas]

I want to get the "accent plates" from replacements.com for my china. You actually just gave me a great idea to suggest to my mom, she has been pestering for gift ideas!

[Deleted]

My mom bought a set of salad plates in a complimentary pattern to use for deserts.

[auntie]

I use clear glass plates for salad and then use my salad plates for dessert- or the other way around. I've also used my soup plates for salad when it's been a smaller group; I don't have enough soup plates for each of my sets to do this.

I'd do a silver or silver-plate gravy boat which will go with any china you buy or inherit. I have 3 sets of china- having one gravy boat is simpler.

[mmmomof2]

Nov 23, 2014 9:48:16 GMT -5 bonnie said:

Nov 23, 2014 9:40:03 GMT -5 mmmomof2 said:

It's Waterford China - the pattern is discontinued. There are items on ebay and replacements, but no gravy boats right now. Not that I'd get it by Thanksgiving, but just wondering if there's other places to look. 

What is the pattern name?

Alana. I googled and nothing. I'll keep watching Ebay.

[ringstrue]

They might not have a dessert plate for your set. I was going to suggest a clear glass plate as well.

[moolarkey]

Use a gravy boat that doesn't match your set - pick up something at your dollar store, World Market, etc. Get something that compliments your set or just basic white. If you have a Goodwill store or similar, try it.

For desert plates, why not use/get clear glass plates and the same stores as above would probably have them. If you have an antiques mall, see what you can find there.

This won't help you this year but watch the places I listed above, garage sales, ebay and other online sources. I don't garage sale often but I've got pieces of my crystal for a buck or two because people don't know what they have. My grandmother and mom chose the same pattern, I inherited all of it. I have a huge collection but there are still some pieces I'd like to pick up.

[kayakjenn]

When we were still using our good china (inherited from my Great Aunt but the dinner plates are tiny!) I used a separate set for dessert plates, they were a complimentary color. We've now moved on to paper because it's easier and the plates are bigger. Bigger= more TG/Christmas goodness!

[snorky]

My china pattern was discontinued right before my wedding, so I've used my crystal pattern (Lismore) for items that I never registered for. Can you get nice clear glass plates that correspond to your crystal or just plain ones?

[auntie]

Nov 23, 2014 10:53:56 GMT -5 kayakjenn said:

When we were still using our good china (inherited from my Great Aunt but the dinner plates are tiny!) I used a separate set for dessert plates, they were a complimentary color. We've now moved on to paper because it's easier and the plates are bigger. Bigger= more TG/Christmas goodness!

I wonder if yours is a luncheon set? They're less common, with a plate that's larger than a salad plate but smaller than the traditional dinner-sized one. My mom has an old set from her mom. 

[kayakjenn]

Nov 23, 2014 11:12:33 GMT -5 auntie said:

Nov 23, 2014 10:53:56 GMT -5 kayakjenn said:

When we were still using our good china (inherited from my Great Aunt but the dinner plates are tiny!) I used a separate set for dessert plates, they were a complimentary color. We've now moved on to paper because it's easier and the plates are bigger. Bigger= more TG/Christmas goodness!

I wonder if yours is a luncheon set? They're less common, with a plate that's larger than a salad plate but smaller than the traditional dinner-sized one. My mom has an old set from her mom. 

I've never heard of a luncheon set, maybe it is. I just always assumed it was because people knew how to eat more reasonably and didn't need huge plates. I have full place settings for 16, each complete with salad, bread and soup bowls. It's Limoges from the 1920s.

[auntie]

Nov 23, 2014 11:19:32 GMT -5 kayakjenn said:

Nov 23, 2014 11:12:33 GMT -5 auntie said:

I've never heard of a luncheon set, maybe it is. I just always assumed it was because people knew how to eat more reasonably and didn't need huge plates. I have full place settings for 16, each complete with salad, bread and soup bowls. It's Limoges from the 1920s.

My mother's is that vintage as well. But not Limoges, you lucky devil. These seemed to stop being made after the Great Depression and WW II. 

[dragonfly08]

Apparently at the time I got married, the store happened to be running a deal where you got a free accent plate with every setting purchased so 10 of my 12 settings came with one.

If I didn't have those, I'd probably either use different plates or wash the salad plates, depending on my mood.

[nomad100]

I got a gravy boat that matches the big (turkey) platter since I wasn't going to spend big bucks on something that gets used so little. I think I got them both at BB&B. We use them both year round for various things but rarely at the same time except for TG.

And I use glass plates for dessert. They actually coordinate with my ED dishes (C&B White Pearl) and not my china (EF Ballet Ribbon) but since all the plates are cleared away by that point, I don't really care that they don't match. And the forks from our ED silverware matches those dishes anyway. So I guess it is a win/win.

[bronxgirl]

I just wash the salad plates and forks and use them for dessert.

[alexis]

I was missing the tea pot for my great grandmother's set despite having the rest of the tea service. I searched high and low for the teapot with no success. However, I did discover the manufacturer had made other patterns similar to mine. Using replacements.com gallery of patterns from my manufacturer, I found a similar set with a teapot and purchased it. Someone would need to be pretty observant to notice it isn't from the same set.

Maybe you could find a similar pattern from the same manufacturer for your gravy boat.

[Captain Serious]

Nov 23, 2014 9:40:03 GMT -5 mmmomof2 said:

Nov 23, 2014 9:34:39 GMT -5 bonnie said:

I wouldn't want to worry about having to wash the plates. I'd either buy some paper or plastic plates or you could invest in dessert plates. Lots of places sell them - BBB, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Ikea, etc.

Regarding replacements for your gravy boat, what company made the stand?

It's Waterford China - the pattern is discontinued. There are items on ebay and replacements, but no gravy boats right now. Not that I'd get it by Thanksgiving, but just wondering if there's other places to look. 

You should try replacements.com. You can even have them e-mail you alerts when prices you are looking for come in.