hotelware

As an illustration of the Hotel’s exclusivity the only indication of its presence in the prestigious Royal Crescent was a solitary doorman. On our first visit Steven Course and I were shown the Hotel’s current stock of porcelain by head chef, Steven Blake, which according to him did not reflect the atmosphere they wanted to create in their new oriental-inspired restaurant ‘The Pimpernel’. Something more unusual and individual was needed. Traditionally, hotelware has some very particular specifications, often very different from normal tableware, but the requirements for a ‘Royal Crescent Range’ were to be even more specific due to the ‘haute cuisine’ nature of the food.

The next step was a visit to pottery by the hotel manager and head chef. Prior to the meeting a few sketched ideas of shape proposals had been sent to them.The oriental influence of the food was the remaining core inspiration for the ware and Dartington’s collection of books on Japanese and Chinese pottery was scrutinised for reference material. We had to be careful not to be too literate in the interpretation, like the food, the ware had to be an independent creation for what was quintessentially a European setting. It was important to find the right ‘feel’ of the pots, one that would reflect the authenticity and integrity of the restaurant and Hotel.

The range of pots required encompassed a total of seventeen different shapes, including the ‘bar nibbles’, two small dishes on a base plate to serve with the pre-dinner drink. The actual meal would begin with an ‘amusette dish’ (pre-starter) in the shape of a small lidded pot on a base plate. The requirements for the starter, main course and dessert vessel were roughly the same, with two plate shapes needed, one with a broad rim and one without. Both plates would be low and very wide, up to thirteen and a half inches. These proportions would enable the chef to use the plate as a ‘canvas’ to create maximum visual impact with the food.
A small plate was needed for a pre-dessert, this would have a thumb print impressed in the clay during the making, resulting in a tactile feature encouraging the user to touch and lift the dish. Specials bread rolls would be served on a simple slab built trays with impressed texture. A conscious decision was made to hand-make these dishes, giving them a very individual character. Distortion and movement in the kiln would add to this. The restaurant would be serving Chinese green tea and for this, a small tea set consisting of tea bowl, infuser and ceramic tray would be made. Again, it was an obvious decision to hand throw the tea bowls and, like the bread dish, let the natural variation remain as a feature.

Coffee would also be served, but with coffee’s European cultural heritage, a more formal approach to the shape of the cup and saucer was aimed for. As a direct self reference, the creamer would be a mini version of the standard Dartington ‘Toucan Jug’. The meal would end with petits-fours served on a simple square dish which, although small, would be solid and heavy thus marking the end of the meal.
To fuel the inspiration further we were invited to sample the food in the newly opened restaurant — a visit that proved quite a revelation. Until this point, it had been hard for us to see where Dartington could connect with the classical decor of this Georgian setting. The restaurant, situated in the basement, had a much more contemporary interior. The food was out of this world. Dishes arrived which made us gasp with admiration. Everything was so incredibly well prepared. Aroma, taste, colours and texture all combined to make a sensational experience. The food was served on some of the Hotel’s existing collection of ceramics which really did not do justice to the culinary creations. The meal made us realise that we connected on surprisingly many points: the oriental influence, the high level of craftsmanship, the individuality and the mix of tradition with the contemporary.

The time scale was tight. We had first been approached in May; the proposal of the shapes was not finished until June and the agreed delivery date was Christmas. At industrial potteries a time scale of several years between a new shape design and a finished piece is normal. By designing, prototyping and manufacturing on-site for a limited production run, we were able to speed up development. Still, it was quite a tall order producing seventeen new shapes within six months, especially as the issue of glaze and colour was totally unresolved. Undeterred, shapes, models and plaster prototypes were gradually completed and sent to the Royal Crescent for inspection and proofing.

Although the Hotel was vague about the design of the ware, some very specific requirements were expressed about the glazes. A very ‘flat’ white glaze had to be used for the insides of the plates. We did have a suitable white glaze used in the general production but without decoration it would be very bland. Instead we tried to persuade the Hotel to use a celadon or a more inspiring white, glazes we thought more exciting — but they were not having any of it. From a potter’s point of view, a flat white glaze can be one of the most boring and unattractive finishes, however to a serious chef it is essential to have a plain surface to show off the food. We had to conceive the food as an integral part of the pot. With Dartington’s history of very brightly coloured glazes we had, prior to this project, been used to making pots very much in their own right. Now suddenly we had to view the pots as playing a minor supporting role to the culinary creativity. After finally giving up resistance to the white glaze, we started to look for something that would give the plates some ‘ceramic integrity’. The Hotel would accept some colour coming over the rim as long as the main surface was left plain. So to give the pots an individual character we decided to use a different glaze on the backs. The randomness of the coloured glaze coming over the rim would combine ‘the accidental’ with ‘the formal’ without looking too preconceived.

Glaze research has always been one of Dartington’s strong points so we had an extensive library of glazes to choose from to satisfy the rest of the range. Initially, we tried all our most likely existing glazes but, as with most projects, we ended up experimenting with masses of new ones. Nevertheless it was an existing glaze, a copper green, which was chosen as the ‘core glaze’ for the range, used for the pre-starter, the back of the plates and the coffee set. Celadons developed during the project were used for the tea set, in keeping with the oriental source material. Throughout the project we were surprised to find the Hotel responding positively to unusual ideas. We were quite baffled by their particular interest in the dry glazes used for the ‘bar nibbles’ set, the bread dishes and the tea set tray.

Almost all the pots were delivered on time in December with only a few of the large plates following later. The successful outcome of the project owed a lot to the Royal Crescent Hotel’s willingness to experiment and their genuine interest in the pots.
Dartington Pottery’s unusual set-up, combined with The Royal Crescent’s exclusivity, clearly made this project unique. Despite this, I would hope that a project like this could serve as an inspiration for restaurants and potteries of any scale and character. A different approach to this area of ceramics is long overdue as the ‘nerve’ and sensitivity of most hotelware today has been lost in the industrial potteries’ quest for manufacturing perfection. This is not to say that hand thrown pots necessarily could, or should, replace industrially manufactured ones. The majority of shapes for the Royal Crescent range were made by ram pressing, slip casting or jollying (i.e. industrial production techniques), for the simple reason these were the best methods of making them. Designing pots for Hotels and restaurants presents new and exciting opportunities when exploring the huge potential in combining the aesthetic sensitivity of studio/craft pottery with the efficiency of industrial manufacturing methods.