These cups were sitting on the work surface after I’d washed and dried them from last night and just begging to have their photo taken. They’re some of the few items of crockery I own that don’t go in the dishwasher – too precious to me and I’m sure the gold banding would get washed away in the dishwasher so they always get washed by hand.

I don’t normally buy or use stuff that won’t go in the dishwasher – I’ve not got time for hand washing dishes so everything goes in and when glasses get that horrible dishwasher cloudy bloom they go in the recycling bin and I buy some more. Give me stuff that makes my life easier any day.

These cups were used to serve the chocolate mousse ice cream partly because they are Pyrex so can go from freezer to table without mishap and partly just because the mousses look like cappuccinos when served in cups and saucers with chocolate grated across the tops so they always surprise guests.

I’ve owned them for about twenty years and they were ‘handed down’ to me by my Mum by default because she was clearing out cupboards and was going to throw them away and I asked if I could have them instead. She agreed so I’ve had them ever since. My sister has never forgiven me for being in the right place at the right time to get them – she covets them now!!!

Mum had owned them since 1970 when we lived in Bahrain and she was given a set of them by an Asian trader in the Souk for being such a good customer. I’m sure they’re not worth anything – they’re just Pyrex after all. Some might say they’re a bit kitsch too but I love them. I have done since I was ten years old and we were given them. There are six cups and saucers, all in pastel colours, each cup has a matching saucer and no two are the same. When I was a little girl I used to spend ages trying to pair up the cups and saucers correctly but these days I use them ‘mix and match’.

David is always nagging me to get rid of this sort of stuff from the cupboards – he feels that if something isn’t used regularly then it shouldn’t get shelf space. I disagree. I have a whole load of these things that only get used occasionally but are ‘just right’ for certain things. So the cups go back into the cupboard and wait for the next occasion when we are serving chocolate mousse ice cream or espresso coffee.