Melamine? Enamel? the best china?

jamieBG

jamieBG

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I'm just looking at kitting out the kitchen with some plates and bowls etc, and wondered what peoples opinions were of the various options?

I have fond memories of camping in my parents' trailer tent as a kid, of those white enamel plates with the blue rims, with matching mugs and bowls (which seem still available from amazon).

What do you use?
 
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I have been allowed two new plates. We have previously only used melamine (though china cups mugs always!) the two plates I bought are made by Arcopal, called Luminarc, and are plain white glass. Only twice the weight each of a melamine one. They have proved resilient. I will buy some more soon! Roughly a £1 per item (or even a euro abroad) and available in places like Cherry Lane here and loads of supermarkets in France and Spain.
Jane :Smile:

You do not have to have white.... http://www.latabledarc.com/en/categories/tableware/dinner-plates.html?p=1

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bobandjane said:
I have been allowed two new plates. We have previously only used melamine (though china cups mugs always!) the two plates I bought are made by Arcopal and are plain white glass. Only twice the weight each of a melamine one. They have proved resilient. I will buy some more soon! Roughly a £1 per item (or even a euro abroad) and available in places like Cherry Lane here and loads of supermarkets in France and Spain.
Jane :Smile:
Click to expand...

second vote for white glass Acropal ..

have a set of four dinner plates , side plates and cereal bowls plus a set of coffee cups..
bought ours in a French supermarket .. they lasted 3 years full time in the RV.. now used at home .. brilliant .. :thumb:
 
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oooo interesting call on the Arcopal stuff - looks nice, some cool designs.
 
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You don't seem to see much of the thin 'Pyrex' Arcopal with the 'fluted' borders here these days, Jacksons of Old Arley used to have a huge selection that you could buy one bit at a time which I bought when we had a caravan on a site (a touring van but it only went from home to site in April and moved back home in October) and which we are still using most of in the MH. They do have a far better selection in French supermarkets though as has been said. Much more modern patterns than mine is now, mine's little blue flowers, dead pretty, but ....

I don't think we could have had mugs, I know I had cups and saucers but no idea what happened to them - so we have quite nice bone china mugs. I have had to make anti-rattle devices - who but a MH manufacturers would make SQUARE mug holders? - so I got some thinnish cardboard - in fact it was from the sides of one of the Gaslow cartons! and just bent it round inside the 2 mug racks. And I keep all the clean teatowels in the china cupboard and tuck then into the plate rack fore and aft the plates. I never run out - OK hand washing a teatowel is never as sucessful as a good old bashing in the machine when we get back, but they are sufficiently clean to tuck round clean crockery. Good soak in Vanish and let those enzymes do the work ROFL.

We also have what seems like far too much cutlery. I mean, do we actually need 6 of everything when there are only 2 of us? - but I can't abide only having enough cutlery, crockery or glassware for just the 2 of us, otherwise you don't have a fork to test the spuds with or something messier, without having to wash it up before you can eat. And its so antisocial - would you like a cuppa? I'll put the kettle on but could you bring me your cups? Scream! LOL :shout:
 
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We have a set of arcopol plates and bowls in the van that must be over 20 tears old. pretty much indestructible despite the wife's best efforts to drop them or not pack the cupboard properly. In fact ours are as good as new still after all these years

So definitely recomended.:thumb:

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Ours are plain white, thin with fluted edges, there were also squarish types, still thin. Cherry Lane (where we got ours) are, I believe, part of the QD group. Very cheap, about 99p to £1.29 a piece. As said before go in Carrefour or the like in France or Spain and there is a huge selection. If I needed crockery at home I know what I would buy now, they are a pleasure to use. Squares of that non slip matting (also used as table mats) between the plates etc when travelling keeps them quiet and safe :-) Jane
 
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Am not too bothered about plates, but am a glass snob and will only drink from the correct glass for what am drinking. My coffee only from a glass mug and tea from china.
 
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Only ever use china, can't do with the stains you get in melamine, had the ones we use now 7 years and no chips (touch wood)

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we use both sorts

We use to use all China in the A class, but in the smaller B class we have a mix to keep down the weight.

Got some nice bits from J C Motorhomes .. big soup type bowls with shaped plates.

Bob
 
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It has to be china for plates, bowls, but the finer stuff for drinking tea and coffee out of........can't drink from any of the glass mugs, like the Pyrex ones that are around, aarrrgghhh, awful! Tea and coffee just doesn't taste right from glass mugs or cups:Blush:
We have cheap and cheerful wine glasses, but hubby has his crystal glass for his malt:thumb:
 
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china

yep its china every time :thumb:i like me home comforts me:Laughing:
brian jo and josh
 
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Anything that bounces when it's dropped:thumb:
 
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Gosh - you're a posh lot with your china aren't you? :Wink:

well, I can't make a decision (thanks for all the ideas!) ; so for the time being at least, it's going to be purple plastic picnic set for me :Cool:

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Don't on any account take a set that has 'bendy' plates!

I have a postive hatred of melamine - although having thought about this for 24 hrs - motorbike camping with a bivvy (a Rod Hutchinson - a really proper bivvy!) - we took melamine, sometimes it is unavoidable. And on those occasions, we did have to say sorry can you bring your own cups, but that was unavoidable too! Inexcusable in a 6.5m palace on wheels!
 
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China, china, china, more china and even more china. :Rofl1:
 
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I might add. It is not obvious that the Arcopal, Luminarc range is glass, it looks at a glance like china, not earthenware pottery, bone china. So it must not be confused with Pyrex, which is great, but heavier and not as pretty. Jane :Smile:
 
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Many years ago we used china in the caravan, that was untill I pulled into a layby at a reasonable speed. The pot holes in the layby shook the china out of the top cuboard and I found it in a heap on the floor.:cry: After that it was Melamine.

When I purchased the MH it was supplied with china so I use that, but carry a couple of Melamine plates and mugs just in case.:thumb:
 
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gozomike said:
Many years ago we used china in the caravan, that was untill I pulled into a layby at a reasonable speed. The pot holes in the layby shook the china out of the top cuboard and I found it in a heap on the floor.:cry: After that it was Melamine.

When I purchased the MH it was supplied with china so I use that, but carry a couple of Melamine plates and mugs just in case.:thumb:
Click to expand...

Yep, still got the melamine plates in ours... just in case :Rofl1: Jane

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Would prefer china but weight issues mean......needs must.
Where I work we have a weighbridge first weighing was scary...........16 bottles of wine,full dinner service and a set of Boule had to go.
Im guessing a huge proportion of motorhomers are overweight.........and their vans are probably too heavy as well !!!!!
Martin
 
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bye bye plastic purple picnic plates!

Grazie mille for all the great suggestions.

i finally made a decision - you'll be pleased to thear that the bendy purple picnic set is no longer required :BigGrin:

i hovered for a long time over a proper 70's vintage Arcopal sets on eBay in the excellent scania design, but decided for the money I may as well get new, and i don't really need proper genuine vintage in the van really.

So I decided on Corelle stuff, and got theBroken Link Removed

I like leaves, and I like the retro style feel of this design. :Cool:
 
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Is it heavy

compared to the melamine... I am also thinking about this stuff because I like to be able to put plates in the oven...
 
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We use china. When we were looking for some plates and bowls Pat (Mrs. JayDee for those who haven't met us) found an offer on line - a full set of dinner plates, side plates. bowls and mugs - for a ridiculously cheap price, but the killer deal was it was on a BOGOF offer, so we have plenty of spares if anything gets broken.:thumb:

John
 
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For anyone looking for a melamine set they have them in ALDI at present - we got some from there three years ago and they are great. Cannot do melamine mugs though and we have pottery (after eight easter ones!) mugs.

Kath & Howie
 
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