I invite you to next five-o-clock in "Old London"!
At the last tea drinkings, we enjoyed gourmet dishes by Royal Albert and Royal Crown Derby, and today we will admire the graceful and unique Wedgwood.
Now you know what five-o-clock is, let's talk about how it is held. After all, it is a tradition, and hence serving of afternoon tea should be special!

Serving

Table... Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, a tea table! ...for Five o'clock Tea it must be covered with a festive tablecloth, which the hostess keeps for just such an occasion. The tablecloth is often white, but small liberties are allowed — elegant, not harsh bouquets of flowers, a la "Derby Bouquets". Napkins are necessary, they must be of a shade and style matching the tablecloth. A bright vase with flowers from the sacred garden, which is nurtured tirelessly by English ladies and gentlemen, will look appropriate. The dishes must be only of porcelain produced on native English manufactories. However, we need more than just containers for tea! Besides a teapot and cups and saucers, there must be a sugar bowl, a milk jug, and plates for snacks. You also need bowls for jam or preserves, teaspoons, forks and knives, tongs for sugar cubes and tea strainer. All utensils must be from one set or dinnerware!

However, theory is good but practice is better! I invite you to five-o-clock in the "Old London"! Today, ladies and gentlemen, we serve our tea table with the legendary Wedgwood china.

Wedgwood

One day the Great Empress of Rus Catherine II demanded: "I want all England on my table!". Nobody can reject the demands of the Great Empress and nobles made an effort, today we would say that they showed creativity. So the luxury "Green Frog Service" made on an English factory of Josiah Wedgwood appeared in a Royal court. Why is this name so strange, seemingly not appropriate for a palace, and certainly not an English? Why is there a frog? The dishes were made for the country Kekerekeksinen Palace (from Finnish — "A frog swamp"), so each of the 952 pieces of service was marked with an emblem of a green frog. In addition, Wedgwood craftsmen decorated the dishware with gorgeous brown and olive paintings, images — "Britain in Pictures" (the fashion for English Gothic was at the peak of popularity at the time, and the Russian Empress killed two birds with one stone — got the dishes of famous English manufactures, and even with the respective drawings). Just imagine — 1244 images of England, Scotland and Wales delighted the eye and broadened the mind of the court nobility! The slogan "Bread and circuses", formulated by Juvenal before our era, is truly eternal :)

Let's get acquainted, WEDGWOOD! The history of the famous factory dates back to 1759, when a young talented Englishman Josiah Wedgwood inherited from his father a small pottery factory. Since his childhood Josiah worked in the family business and when he became the sole owner of the manufactory, he got closely engaged in the research and experiments with ceramics. His initiatives quickly became a success and led to the creation of three brand new materials: Jasper porcelain, cream-coloured earthenware, and "black basalt". Wedgwood's products pleased Queen Charlotte so much that Wedgwood dishware was awarded the title "Royal", and the Josiah Wedgwood — the title of the "Potter of Her Majesty".

BLACK BASALT

Experiments with "Egyptian black clay" were carried out by Josiah in the next 5 years. He tried to create a new quality of ceramic clay, the main difference of which would be unprecedented strength. By 1764 the experiments brought the first fruits — the "black basalt" was born, it was smooth, of various shades and very durable. Wedgwood factory started to produce wall plates, busts, medallions and cameos, vases and tableware of it. Wedgwood used to say the following about this type of ceramics: "Black basalt is impeccable, it is eternal."

CREAM-COLORED EARTHENWARE

Another Wedgwood's discovery — earthenware of a warm creamy shade or the so-called "cream-colored ware" — CREAM EARTHENWARE. In 1762, the first products of this material appeared, and they quickly gained popularity. And when Wedgwood produced a CREAM EARTHENWARE tea service for Queen Charlotte, the wife of George V, this material was dubbed the "Royal earthenware". This sonorous name is forever stuck to this material, especially after the service for Catherine II was produced of it. A refined shape, the finest paintings... The sovereigns know a lot about luxury!

JASPER

Jasper is not only a type of porcelain, but it is the most famous invention of Wedgwood. Unglazed, matte, with a slightly rough texture, these porcelain works look like they are made of real stone, just as the ancients made! And it is not surprising, because Wedgwood was a very educated gentleman, with a huge interest in the history of ancient art. He seriously studied classical culture and neoclassicism, which led to the creation of a series of products in antique style. The dishes had a quite simple, but elegant and refined shape, they were decorated with relief images of ancient and modern stories.

Pastel and delicate blue color even got its own name — Wedgwood Blue, and for over two centuries it has retained the status of royalty: Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Cambridge Catherine can often be seen in outfits that are very reminiscent of classic porcelain by Wedgwood. Look — this is the real Jasper Wedgwood!

By the way, it will be very elegant and very English, if in the room where you have a real English tea, you will be surrounded by cute things made in Wedgwood, for example, exquisite statues, depicting images of a real English lady! Wedgwood artists are unsurpassed artisans of elegance, they create real porcelain masterpieces.