You will be forgiven for not knowing Duchess China, despite making fine bone china in Stoke-on-Trent since 1888. However, we are about to introduce you to them and you will be double glad we did!!!
What we are looking for from a British made product is a great design, that is well made, at a reasonable price. All too often, when trying to support British manufactures, one of these essentials is missing. When we do find a something that does combine this ‘holy trinity’ of design, quality and price it makes us really happy. I am pleased to say that we have found all of this in Duchess China.
We have very kindly been sent a teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl and 8 cups by Dutchess for us to review. The set is part of their wonderfully vivid, almost Clarice Cliff-esque , Dapple Ridge range. If this design is a little ‘out-there’ for you there other ranges tend to be a lot more subdued but for us the the brightly coloured country scenes suit us fine.
Here is a link to the Dapple Ridge range: http://www.duchess-china.co.uk/shop-on-line/dapple-ridge/
Our full video review is here:
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Lovely, but I couldn’t find anything like this on the Duchess China website.
Hi Julie, here is the link http://www.duchess-china.co.uk/shop-on-line/dapple-ridge/
Thank you. It is a shame their website doesn’t show a picture instead of just a name. I’m sure they would sell more if there was a picture on the home or second page you click on.
Try
http://www.duchess-china.co.uk/shop-on-line/dapple-ridge/ for pictures.
As a quick note this factory is just along the road to Walkers Toffee. They started making sweets for the potters. Remember those trays of toffee with a hammer. They still make them and a lot of other up to date versions. Sainsbury’s sell them. We have to buy limited quantity’s they are just so nice!! British through and through!
Great to see your review of Duchess China, but I am a little biased. I work for one of the other companies in the same group that owns them.
Their products are really good quality and price wise are pretty competitive.
All the products are made entirely in their factory in Longton.
Having worked in the local ceramics industry almost all my working life I’ve seen the boom times in the 60s and 70s and experienced the dismay of seeing factorys closed and the work moved overseas to cheap labour country’s.
So, anything that helps to promote UK manufacturing has to be good for the country and this area. Please keep up the good work.
Locally, those pottery companys that stuck with Stoke-on-Trent are reaping the benefit of a quiet resurgence in trade. I don’t know if its a little bit of patriotism returning. It may be to do with the fact that most of the low wage countrys are not quite as low paid as they were and when transport etc is factored into the cost then those products are not quite as cheap as they used to be. And poor quality is often an issue. There are few parts of the world that make ‘pots’ as good as Stoke.
As for the Walkers toffee factory. If the winds in the right direction and the toffees on the boil early in the morning just as I’m getting out of my car to go in to work, you just have to linger and take in the smell. Heaven.
When was the Duchess China Tranquillity with Blue Forget-Me-Not Pattern products first introduced please? – Was it in the 1960/1970’s ? Laurence
I’ve known the Duchess product through my grandmothers teacups/ trio sets, since I was a young child. I have sets of my own now, and they are still good quality. Keep the quality – keep it British. I bought a dinner set from another company that was made in England. It was good, but when I wanted to add to it, I found the new pieces (made in China) were truly inferior in quality.