Dessert & Appetizer Plates

Dessert and appetiser plates, mostly 6 to 7 in, in porcelain and ceramic — including gold-edged and mosaic patterns.

Why a separate dessert plate?

Because a dessert on a dinner plate looks like a small portion of a main. A 6 to 7 in plate makes the same slice of cake look like a course, which is the entire visual argument for the size — and it is why patisseries serve on small plates.

This is where a pattern pays off

On a dinner plate, food covers most of the surface and a pattern disappears. On a 6 in plate the portion is small, so the plate is most of what is being looked at. If you are buying one decorated plate, buy the dessert plate.

Can I use them for appetisers too?

That is the other half of their job. The same plate takes a canapé, a few olives, a slice of cheese or a starter — which is why it is worth owning more of these than of anything else. Gold-edged plates should be hand washed; plain glazed ones take a machine.