Restaurant crockery, from a dish reflecting culinary heritage to a handcrafted ceramic coffee mug, can be a key element in making the eating-out experience an indulgent treat. Happily, the pieces used at some of our favourite London cafés and eateries are available to buy online. Here’s a curated selection to help bring a sense of dining-out luxury to your home tabletop.
Café and restaurant crockery to enjoy at home
Akub
Nestled on the corner of a quiet backstreet in Notting Hill, Palestinian restaurant Akub stays true to its heritage, not just with its menu based on authentic recipes, created by chef and founder Fadi Kattan, but also in its ceramics, carefully crafted by Jaffa local and third-generation Palestinian ceramicist Nur Minawi. The restaurant crockery features nine pieces of contemporary stoneware, including deep terracotta bowls and asymmetrical plates, that are a testament to the resilience and survival of Nur’s ancestral craft.
Nur Minawi’s pieces are available from £11 to £32, at akub-restaurant.com
Pophams Home
A gentle waft of maple and bacon drifts down Islington’s Prebend Street, emanating from one of the signature pastry options at Pophams Bakery. The artistic pastries are the focus at the company’s various bakeries across London, while stripped-back, Scandinavian-style interiors provide a perfect moment for catching up or relaxing over tea or coffee, with something sweet on the side. The elegant simplicity extends to Pophams’ crockery selection, which supports a variety of independent ceramicists. Among them are Lora Huws, with her sturdy and functional mugs with organic finishes; Andrea Roman, who creates textured clay pieces; and Naemi Miyazu, founder of Naekobo, whose designs are inspired by the beauty in irregularity, which intertwines her Swedish upbringing and Japanese-Indian heritage.
Tableware available at pophamshome.com
Origin Coffee
Founded in Porthleven, Cornwall, Origin Coffee has three locations in London, as well as outlets in Edinburgh and Bristol. Cornish potter Sam Marks works closely with the company to craft a collection of cups and mugs, inspired by Korean and Japanese pottery and the British coastline. Their simple, evocative aesthetic allows for a moment of escape, to pause and caress a warming brew, even on the busiest day in a city.
Also featured by Origin Coffee are designs by Sharron Page, founder of Dor & Tan, who handcrafts tactile mugs and beakers in her St Ives family home. At-home baristas can shop the collection online
Cups mugs and beakers are available from £19.95 to £29.95 at origincoffee.co.uk
Dishoom
Inspired by the old cafés of India’s Irani community (descended from Zoroastrians who emigrated from Iran), Dishoom offers a welcoming environment to a diverse clientele. Uniting Irani and Indian cuisine, the menu’s authentic nature is further emphasised through the pottery on which it is served. With a signature floral print inspired by Indian textiles, it spans from side plates to deep bowls and, most notably, an elegant yet comforting tea set with matching porcelain tea cups. Another pattern features motifs nodding to the original Irani cafés, such as bentwood chairs and teapots.
Tableware, from £14 for a cup and saucer, available at store.dishoom.com
