Royal Albert Old Country Roses

Royal Albert is a brand of Royal Doulton, a company that has a history dating back 200 years. Royal Albert creates the most popular bone china in all the world, and the Old Country Roses pattern is its flagship. More than 150 million pieces of Old Country Roses china has been sold around the globe.

Royal Albert china patterns all tend to feature floral designs that were inspired by roses in English country gardens. The rose, incidentally, is England's national flower.

The name "Royal Albert" comes from Prince Albert, who was crowned King George VI in 1936.

Bone china is widely considered the very finest kind of porcelain you can buy. It's very strong and has a translucent quality. The reason it's called bone china is because it truly is made from bones-- calcined bone ash, to be specific.

Bone china was developed by an Englishman named Josiah Spode in the 18th century. Although Thomas Frye is credited as being the first to make ceramics from bone ash in 1748, Josiah Spode refined the process and made it popular.

How do you know if something really is made of bone china? The quickest way to find out is to hold the china piece up to a light and put your hand behind it. If you can see the shadowy form of your hand through the china piece, you can be pretty confident that you're holding genuine bone china. Bone china also has a certain ring to it when you tap it with your finger, but it takes practice to identify that sound.

Although bone china is stronger than its fragile appearance suggests, you would be wise to handle it gently.

It's best to wash all your bone china by hand, even if the manufacturer says it's dishwasher safe. You don't want to risk damaging anything so fine! If, however, you decide to put it in the dishwasher, use the gentle cycle.

To protect the china pieces when you wash them by hand, cover the bottom of the sink with a rubbery or foamy mat. This will help cushion the china in case you accidentally drop it in the sink. Use only a mild cleanser-- avoid anything that's abrasive.

Please don't put any gold or silver embellished bone china in the microwave. It's not safe.

But above all, don't be afraid to use your fine bone china. Don't just bring it out on special occasions; the china will make any dinner special!

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If you find yourself dealing with a particularly stubborn tea stain, don't whip out the steel wool! There's a very effective way to get rid of stains that won't damage your china:

Use baking soda and warm water. Just rub it inside the cup, and the stains will lift away like magic. If you're dealing with a particularly stubborn stain, soak your china in a mixture of baking soda and warm water for an hour.