A Nice-Looking Serving Set Will Really Tie Your Table Together
If you’re the type of person who likes to host, there’s a certain getting-it-together trajectory that occurs in life. When you’re young, you may not care so much about the details: People eating off of different-size plates and drinking wine out of mugs or Mason jars is par for the course. But there comes a point when it’s nice to have a more intentional setup. I’m not saying that everything has to match, or that there are no occasions for disposable goods, or that a formal dining room is required to throw a successful dinner party. But I am saying there are a handful of niceties that help the vibe.
For me, those items have come over time. During the pandemic when I couldn’t travel home, I hosted my first Thanksgiving and traded in my cheap Ikea plates for nicer ones — and since then, for ones I like even more. Last year, I hosted a pretty big holiday dinner and bought a batch of matching linen napkins since the others I owned were all groups of four or six, and I was going for a more formal look. Over the years, I’ve thrifted cheap-but-cute dessert plates (bistro style, but mini) and saved up to buy some high-quality platters and serving bowls.
Serveware was perhaps the last to catch up. It was for some reason a category I didn’t give much thought to until I would put food out for a bunch of people. I always made the situation work with regular cooking utensils and flatware — but honestly, neither of those look great or function great, either too big or too small for most dishes. It’s been relieving to finally feel like I have what I need, whether I’m serving salad, soup, pasta, a braise, roasted vegetables, or a whole chicken — or really, truly anything at all.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Robert Welch Kingham Serving Sets
While I now own quite a number of serving utensils, there’s one set that I highly recommend as a starting point if you find yourself in the same place I once was. Robert Welch’s Kingham’s stainless-steel pieces are beautifully made in a classic and elegant style that will look good with quite a variety of other tableware. Yes, it’s good to have fun and mix in some other more out-there styles, but these will fit right in, no matter what.
They come in a set of two, three, four, or eight. I own the four-piece, which includes a serving fork, a serving spoon, a slotted serving spoon, and a pastry server. (The largest has an additional bigger spoon, big ladle, small ladle, and butter knife.) It might sound a bit funny to say they work well, but they do: The spoons have nicely shaped bowls with good depth, the tines on the fork easily pierce chunks of meat, the pastry server has a serrated side to cut and is slim enough to easily slide under any slice of dessert. The handles are all comfortable to hold. You can throw them in the dishwasher to clean. And they’re well priced at less than $20 a piece — a very worthwhile investment to help your table feel more considered.
More tableware I love
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
A tiny bowl for chileflakes, chopped herbs — or whatever else you might want to set out.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Buy as a set of eight matching white plates.
New! You can now save this product for later.
More From The Strategist
- Hark, the Advent Calendars Arrived (Very) Early This Year
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- 63 Things You Should Never Buy Full Price
- The Strategist Fall 100
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
