Eat on this

By Gavin Emmanuel

An appetising dinner served with proper presentation and appearance increases the bliss of a tasty feast. Even exceptional meals are improved when served on elegant and sophisticated dinnerware, because today table presentation for dinner or lunch with perfect dinnerware has become equally important. Even in restaurants, dinnerware also plays a pivotal role as good food presentation delights everyone – it adds a perfect finishing touch of elegance to any table.

Julie Gallagher, of In Good Company, advises that a sophisticated dinnerware set is something that you want to be able to use frequently, not just for a Christmas dinner.

“Take a look at your eating style and select something that you would want to use at least once a month, possibly a traditional ornate style if you enjoy Sunday lunch roasts, or something cool and contemporary for monthly sushi night,” explains Julie.

She points out that the current colour themes for elegant dinnerware that can add sophistication to a home owner’s kitchen are all white. Many may consider this boring but it is best to start off one’s comprehensive dinnerware service in a plain white or ivory tone, and with little or no embellishment.

“Some would say that it is possible to mix styles, but to be honest it is only on occasion that you will or would want to pull off such a look, and it would be more appealing and more useful to buy products that have the same look and feel about them. However, that is not to say you can’t mix and match across product lines and also price ranges. Often I will complement my ‘fancy China plates’ with run of the mill extras,” she adds.

When it comes to dining, presentation is everything and the right dinnerware is more than just ravishing, it also gracefully synergises with the different food that you enjoy and lends added importance to a home owner’s dining experience.

“There is a huge variety of dinnerware, and most meals will inherently be made up of the typical starter plate, side plate, dinner plate, dessert bowl and numerous other pretty pieces especially when a special dish has to be served,” explains Julie.

Agreeing with this, Nicole Newman from @home adds: “There are different types of dinner ranges, and different materials are used for different purposes. Stoneware is normally used as everyday crockery but porcelain is more commonly known and can be used for an elegant dinner setting or everyday dining; whereas fine-bone China crockery is traditionally used for a more formal dinner setting.”

The great thing about sophisticated dinnerware is that it can last you a lifetime if maintained properly.

“Platinum or gold-finished dinnerware is not dishwasher safe owing to the metallic finishes; always wash your crockery in lukewarm water with dishwashing liquid. Stainless steel cutlery is normally dishwasher safe, and always wash and dry your cutlery immediately to prevent water spots,” adds Julie.