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.