Robert Welch Cutlery

For my 40th birthday last year I asked for cutlery: not the most glamorous of presents but I was fed up of mis-matched knives and forks.

I had fallen in love with the 1960’s Alveston range made by Old Hall and designed by Robert Welch (but at nearly £500 I clearly wasnt going to receive it).

The Alveston range made from stainless steel was what the design focused young things desired back then. The teapot looks like an alladin’s lamp and this alone fetches over £100 on ebay. The Minister for Technology even took it to Russia to show case British craftmanship.

Set available from H is for Home

The baby boomers, setting up home rejected the matching china sets that their parents chose, preferring the clean sleek lines of Old Hall and Viners.

Back to the present, I struggled to find something that would sit well with our Royal Doulton 1960s china, with that retro feel but with a great modern quality. Looking at the John Lewis website I was very excited to see that Robert Welch had reintroduced the Alveston range for the 21st century (dishwasher safe for one!) Now called RWII it comes in a 42 piece set as well as separates.

Available from John Lewis 

It is absolutely gorgeous. Who thought someone could get excited by a sauce ladle but I sure did! They are celebrating 50 years of Great British design and the originals are even in the V&A musuem, London and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

The packaging is bright blue and black with stylised images of the cutlery on. It has a cleaning cloth inside to ensure its finish is perfect for years to come.

The Robert Welch signature is everywhere.

 

The satin brushed finish is elegant. The shapes are just like back in the 1960s. They have a great weight to them, they feel special.

They will sit in the cutlery compartment in our Ercol sideboard in our new kitchen. I cannot wait to use it!