Query for Real British Denizens of the Dragon

Hi, all! Last weekend on a trip to New York, I visited the lovely little tea shop and restaurant, Tea and Sympathy. It's run by a British ex-pat and has been written up in the New York Times frequently as a reliable source for British goods, sweets and tea sandwiches. While in the shop, I saw a lovely "morning cup" (Staffordshire, Burleigh Blue Calico) which I immediately bought. My concern (buyer's remorse perhaps) is that I paid about $45.00 in USD; checking on the web at the site for Burleigh I see that the same cup there costs 18.95 BPS. A few questions:

(1) This manufacturer *appears* to be a recognizable name and indeed perhaps even an up-scale brand in the UK. Is what I bought therefore a potential family heirloom or is it just a very expensive (albeit lovely) humongous cup for which I paid a huge sum?

(2) Can one put this huge mug in a microwave? No instructions on the web that I could see.

Please offer cultural wisdom, advice, even gratuitous insult with regard to my purchase. My book group was shocked that I would pay such a sum for a cup and saucer -- even the loveliest cup and saucer.

Well the exchange rate at the moment is around $1.60 to the pound (£1 = $1.60). £18.95 would be right around $30 so it's a pretty decent markup. Of course just a few months ago it was more like $2 to the pound so that markup would have been more reasonable.
It is a well known name but I can't say if that means it will become a family heirloom. If you bought it to be ornamental put it up and look at it and hope it increases in value but I think if you bought it to use then you should use it. You might have paid too much for it but what else can you do other than enjoy it?
On the one website I found a new Burleigh Blue calico breakfast cup and saucer and it says it is microwave and dishwasher safe.

From a british person, I can say that

a) yes it is microwave safe

b) that is a pretty big mark up! Staffordshire would be considered an up-market brand, of the kind that aunts and grandparents would collect and love. Its not something that is now produced with the aim of actually using it, just for the knowledge of ownership.

In terms of whether it is going to be a future heirloom........well, if you keep in it pristine condition, and it goes down a couple of generations then it may hold its value and even gain a little but SO many people collect this type of thing now that it is highly unlikely to ever be that rare and massively valuable item that some people are lucky enough to inherit!!

OK, I'm no Brit so I can't advice on the brand name.

I'd say imported stuff are expensive, anywhere. So just checking exchange rates won't paint the whole picture... (I just paid 119 SEK/US$15,17 for an imported paperback /Kafka on the shore/... about twice as much as a swedish language paperback. Sometimes... etcetera.)

I would be amazed if the mug wasn't microwave safe - only items with a high level of metal in them should stay out.

BPS is normally, GBP.

Anything can be a heirloom, but I wouldn't expect it to gain much more value over what you paid for it.

I certainly wouldn't put it empty into a microwave, but providinfg there is no gold decoration it probably (no guarentees) will be OK in the microwave when full of liquid.

Everyone else has given good answers so all I am going to say is if you loved it when you saw it and you were happy to pay the price to use something beautiful every day you still got a bargain.

I was looking into buying a piece of artwork recently and the advice I found everywhere was don't buy for investment, buy because you fall for the artwork and then you will always have something beautiful that you love. Any investment value then is a bonus. Good advice, I think.

Also, one way to justify an expensive purchase is to work out cost per use. Use your cup once and it cost you $45.00 per use, twice and it cost $22.50 per use, and ten times is $4.50 and you got your bargain.

And even if it doesn't gain value it still may be a treasured heirloom one day. Some of my most precious and priceless things are valuable but only to me because they belonged to my grandparents.

Enjoy your beautiful cup.

Just to confirm what everyone has said above.

Yes it should be microwave safe. We have a few pieces in this pattern, including a cow milk jug (but I'm not sure if it's real Burleigh but it's very cute) and we abuse it thoroughly, dishwasher, microwave, the lot.

I think that you probably paid too much for it, but the cost of running a tea shop in New York is considerably more than running an online shop in Staffordshire (allegedly one of the cheapest places in England to live). So just think that have you have supported an important tea shop in NY as well as a factory in the UK.

According to the website all of their stuff is still made in the UK and with the exception of a few small and highly specialised producers this is almost unknown today. I work for another manufacturer that still makes all of its tableware in Europe and it's a challenge to compete I can assure you. So even though it's not my company thank you very much for supporting my industry!

Will it be an heirloom is a harder question to answer. I don't think that it will be turning up at Sotheby's in the next few years and the type of material that they use is such that it may chip and/or scratch with extensive use (and I trust that you will use it extensively). Having said that I have a few pieces at home of almost no value but that I know were of great significance to the relations that had them before me and I love them dearly for that. So my advice is use it a lot, cherish it regularly and tell everyone that you care about how special it is and voila! instant heirloom. And the even better news is that even if they don't recognise it as an heirloom, they will at least know how much you love it and you can be assured many more lovely 'blue calico' Christmases to come...

It strikes me, who knows nothing on this topic but who buys expensive stuff I fall for frequently, that Barry's advice is wonderful. Really cherish that cup and it will be worth it.

Many thanks to all of you. I don't regret the purchase but did want to be sure I knew the proper context of the cup itself. My statement about "heirloom" was perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek as I suspected I had purchased an up-scale or up-market item. Still, it was an indulgence I wouldn't normally have allowed myself. It's a huge cup, holding 3/4 of a pint and I expect it will do nicely for the winter cups of tea I'll be drinking.

I think all of the advice all of you have offered is entirely sound and I am truly grateful for the input.
Thank you!

Oh, well, I was going to put on my best stiff upper lip and fake accent, but then I saw this thread was only for real British citizens, so I'll just move along now.

I'm glad you found a beautiful cup, and hope it brings you much pleasure. Do we get to see a picture?

I'm not "really" British, but I have seen items at the Tea and Sympathy shop that I purchased on previous trips to London, and yeah, it's costlier here, but they're not a massive importer so they probably don't get any discounts for getting their stuff over here. I would just figure I'm paying for shipping & handling. I think they mention the owner going over to the UK for shopping trips for the tearoom in the book Tea and Sympathy.

Love that place, by the way. I will ALWAYS break my diet there, with pleasure.

I would say it shouldn't be about the cost it should be about the value for money... are you going to use it more than 45 times? Probably? 90 times? Perhaps. 180 times? Could be... then it's definitely earned its keep in your household :-D

As for the heirloom side? Why not, who can say what will be collectible / valuable in the future?

I've just realised that I should probably retract all my advice. Having checked my dictionary, a denizen is

1: inhabitant 2: a person admitted to residence in a foreign country ; especially : an alien admitted to rights of citizenship3: one that frequents a place .

I was born in Britain but am now a 'denizen' of another country. Although maybe you meant 'denizens' of the Green Dragon who happen to be British. I haven't lived there for almost 6 years now but I guess I still count as British.

Oops. *Climbs in the boat with Barry and sails away.

Well I knew that but didn't allow it to interfere with my craving to give away unsolicited advice ;-)

*tugging on the tow line for the boat that has Barry and Sodapop* Come BAACKK!

I need you guys here! In the Dragon! Offering sage advice and gratuitous insult (which by the way, no one has actually offered as yet. And that is also fine.).

(1) I expect to use this cup every day of every weekend over the course of this fall and winter and spring. I drink hot tea to stay warm during the cold and transitional seasons so figure 38 weekends right there.

(2) I expect to use this cup when I have tea with the hot buttered crumpets that I ordered over the Web just yesterday.

(3) I expect to study the Burleigh Blue Calico line in depth so that I can tell my friends about it (thereby establishing myself as a bit of a dull but an enthusiastic Anglophile.)

So all of you Britishers who dwell in the Dragon and all of those non-Britishers who dwell in the Dragon, get right back here and maintain a steady flow of sage advice.

What are your thoughts, for example, on crumpets?

Well, everyone likes nice legs, don't they? ;-) Oh, you meant as in "tea cake"!
Sorry ;P

You can't go wrong with crumpets. Especially when they are covered in copious amounts of butter and honey! Mmmm....crumpets. I wonder if I have any in the cupboard.

I know I've mentioned this in the Tea! group, but nothing beats crumpets with lemon curd. Oh my goodness.

OOOO pretty!

#17 - Well, now you've set my mind off in a very odd direction for reading all the recommendations of toppings for crumpets!

Ohhh!! The Burleigh Blue Calico pattern is lovely! I hope you enjoy your cup for a long time, Jill. :)

When I lived in NY I used to buy crumpets at Hannafords if you have one of those anywhere near you. They carry them at Publix too for those of you in the South.

Crumpets are good but Muffins are better, We can get them in the supermarkets in Luxembourg. Sunday evening specials!!! Homemade cheese scones are even better but that's another story.

And Jillmwo if you want abuse, keep buying Burleigh Blue Calico and don't buy anything from a certain large German manufacturer whose head office is in Mettlach (no gratuitous advertising in the Green Dragon) and you'll soon start to get plenty of abuse.

Hmm I know who that is. I may have to send you a picture of my cutlery so you can tell me if I can still buy it.

Well, I'm totally mystified and unwilling to purchase anything pertaining to cutlery until Barry has clarified. I haven't the room in the house to keep purchasing any additional Burleigh crockery.

As for the crumpets, I bought Wolfermans. Our local grocery store doesn't sell crumpets of *any* variety.

It's Villeroy and Boch -- they're better known for their china.

Painfully imagining a world in which crumpets are some kind of rare delicacy.

Too painful. Now imagining crumpets for breakfast tomorrow - smothered in *real* butter, and *real* honey. Leatherwood honey, if I have any.

Right. That's it. I'm heading off to Woolies right now to stock up on crumpets. And honey. And more butter. Ooh, and chocolate (not for the crumpets, just for me). And maybe some celery, just so my basket doesn't make me look like some sort of unhealthy freak of the kind that Jamie Oliver would put on his show.

Are crumpets not the same as English muffins?

ETA: I looked at pictures, and they look like what we call English muffins.

Sodapop is right, but like I said, no advertisements!

I wouldn't be too worried Jillmwo for the abuse though. As I said above I was at least born in England and like to consider myself at least partially a gentleman still so my online abuse is of the distinctly gentle version. (Although if you are thinking of cutlery we have a really nice simple modern range called Udine, which actually works. Little grip of mine that too much modern "designed" stuff, furniture, cutlery, everything, doesn't actually work).

Ooops that was an advert, better go looking for the birch!

No, they're completely different things. Crumpets are spongy, and the top is covered in holes. English muffins have a much more uniform texture, and are more bready. Also, they are not crumpets ;)

Crumpets have a solid base, but it's still very porous. When you combine this with the top full of holes, it means that the generously spread butter and honey quickly soaks through the crumpet and oozes out the bottom, pooling on your plate. As it happens a crumpet (which looks like an edible sponge when you bite into it) is the perfect tool for soaking up this delicious buttery honey mixture.

You would never stick two crumpets together with bacon, egg and cheese in the middle, as you might with muffins. At least I hope you wouldn't, because that would be messy and strange.

I can understand the confusion, however.

I mean, the pictures on the internet are often mislabelled - such as this picture of a crumpet:

I think you'll find that those are actually baps

I think I will have to try my crumpets with butter and honey this weekend, since so many of you seem to think that is a good combo. (Is Leatherwood honey - #28 above - a type or a brand?)

I wish I could have them today since it is just a cold and dreary rainy day in Philly. Hot tea and crumpets would be my choice with a lap blanket covering the knees and a good book in hand.

*wanders off to check status of her shipment of crumpets from Wolfermans*

jillmwo, here I am to belatedly congratulate you on your wonderful acquistion of a beautiful Burleigh calico morning cup. Oooo I must admit a twinge of envy. Victoria has a couple of lovely English china shops (one of Victoria's tourist slogan's is that's it's the city that is more English than England!) and I've gloated over Burleigh items in the shops there many a time.

I love crumpets slathered in butter and honey...yum! I really must get some today. My English born father-in-law insisted that the only way to eat them was toasted in front of the wood fire. Unfortunately I have no wood fire, so a toaster will just have to do.

I'm getting hungry for English Muffins and cream cheese.

I went and looked at Burleigh's web site. I want some, I want some, I want some ....... but I really am trying to realize I NEED NO MORE STUFF and I am trying to simplify and cut back on spending. So, I'll just enjoy looking.

#33 - LOL, I missed that one!

Well, I suppose I will just have to find out a way to make these scrumptious crumpets, because I've never seen them here. I'm not as brave as jillwo about ordering food through the mail. On English muffins I like butter and any of my mother's homemade jams or jellies. I do not much care for bacon, egg and cheese in them, though I have been known to eat sausage in them. :)

jillwo, I almost typed your name killmo, which would maybe be the parody of Kill Bill?

MrsLee: I have ordered from Wolfermans multiple times without any difficulty. They are primarily known for having giant english muffins, but I like their crumpets. The URL is http://www.wolfermans.com/. The food is fine, but the shipping charges tend to be on the high side.

I love crumpets!

mmmm mmmm

what we have here is not as good as what I had in Wales, but they are still pretty darn good.

Thanks jillmwo, but I like to make this sort of thing. It must be possible to make them at home.

In fact, here's a recipe, they look rather simple.

http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/crumpetrecipe.html

Ohhh I also thought crumpets = English muffins. Incidentally, I don't like the latter. BUT I have yet to try the former, then.

Those English muffins sold at McDonald's stuffed with those yucky sausage patties? Yeah, major yuck. Ditto for the muffins and the sausage patties sold frozen at the supermarket. Ewww. My uncle in Miami buys those things. I always go for Cuban bread with butter instead. Hold the sausage.

Now, if I could only find crumpets for sale, I might try them and compare. Or I could make them myself... Thanks, MrsLee, for the recipe. :)

I'm also addicted to bagels. But that's another story (and another culture.)

Thanks, MrsLee for the link to the recipe; however, I don't have a lot of luck with bread making involving yeast. Quick breads are good. I make a dynamite Irish Soda Bread. I just can't do yeast.

By the way, MY CRUMPETS ARRIVED TODAY! I'm so looking forward to the weekend. Tea and crumpets.

jillmwo, you truly are an inspiration! I made the crumpets today, and though I have nothing to compare them with, they held the butter and manzanita honey very nicely. I also drank tea out of the Royal Albert teacup I inherited from my husband's grandmother. The pattern is Blossom Time series: Hawthorn. A lovely, lovely afternoon, and all because of you and your teacup. :)

How nice! Particularly the teacup that you got from your husband's grandmother! That is truly special.

It's too late for me to have tea at this hour but most likely tomorrow afternoon I will. I will be thinking of you, Mrs. Lee.

(Of course, I may also be reading Victorian sensation literature by Mary Elizabeth Braddon as I sip my tea. Lady Audley's Secret is so deliciously -- gothic! I mean, the madhouse, the fire, the locked door and the portrait...

That's been sitting in my TBR pile for over a year now! I may to to dust it off and open it up over tea and scones (or maybe crumpets) tomorrow. I've never read any Mary Elizabeth Braddon but it looks like fun! In a very Victorian sort of way...

Just a follow up to my post at #7 above and to thank Jill again for supporting the industry I saw this sad news yesterday

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7713579.stm

So I take it that "going into administration" is rather like the U.S. "Chapter 11"? The doors aren't entirely locked and barred but the corporate cafeteria is only serving up a thin gruel?

But that's a sad story.

*Watches the price of Spode begin to climb on Ebay*

It's like a very very nasty version of chapter 11. The company isn't yet bust officially but it soon will be. A court appoints an administrator to run the company, basically to the benefit of the creditors. The best solution of all is probably that he sells the company to someone else who invests some money and keeps the whole thing going. Most often what happens is that almost immediately the factory will be closed and almost all of the employees made redundant. The they'll try to sell all the assets and brands as quickly as possible to pay off the creditors and if there's any money left after that (and always assuming that the pension fund is sufficiently funded) then people may see some redundancy money above the legal minimum and/or a stub of a company may continue to trade. Having been through it and lost almost all of the money I had put into my pension I assure you it isn't pretty - unless you're a huge investment bank and need to pay foolish bonuses to your top executives.

re: (2) Can one put this huge mug in a microwave? No instructions on the web that I could see.

Why would you put a tea cup in a microwave? I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that tea is only brewed in a pot *shakes head at American*.

ETA: This is MsDonna posting not MrA *shakes head at MsD*

With a really big mug my tea occasionally gets cold before I finish drinking it so I have been known to reheat it. It's not great but better than drinking it lukewarm

A really lovely big cup does not always hold tea. I know many do not approve of re-heating coffee or tea in the microwave; or a cup of almond milk, or some beef broth but I for one do it all the time. I appreciate good china for its utility.

Remember the days when one had to reheat coffee or tea on the stovetop in a pan (no, we didn't just throw it out)? The microwave beats that all to pieces! I heat it in microwave to really hot, then give it a fast shot of water from the tap. Freshens it just fine, but of course not like fresh brewed. :)

I'm beginning to use smaller mugs so I can drink my beverage before it gets cold. Not a quality issue, I just hate getting out of my chair to go heat my mug. Now that's lazy.

I like to use *very* large mugs for hot chocolate in the depths of winter. The house is rather drafty in spots so wrapping my hands around the hot chocolate as I drink warms both my innards and my extremities.

And with regard to the microwave, it is true that zapping a cup that's gone cold is better than pouring it down the drain.