I went mad and spent a fortune buying some new Joseph Hoffmann cutlery, from the David Mellor shop in Chelsea, to make up for the pieces that have gone missing over the years.
Where do they go to these missing knives and forks? Do they get swept up and scraped into the rubbish bin with the chicken bones and lost forever. Do they become souvenirs for our visitors that have dined with us over the last 25 years. Have they escaped from the dishwasher and are hiding somewhere behind the sink (a place that I wouldn't dream of examining) . . . . . . . ?
Also, our stock of Portuguese recycled wine glasses came to an all time low. After a couple of hours interwebbing I found a manufacturer, La Mediterránea in Spain, and as luck would have it not far away, in a little village called L'Olleria.
So we took ourselves for a day out; on the way a light lunch at a friend's restaurant in Rugat and then a tour of the factory shop and outlet store. We came away with some bowls and new glasses for a mere 2,50€ each :-)
PS
I found in the David Mellor box, by mistake, that an extra knife has been sent, now I've gained a piece of cutlery! - If you're American you might say "Go figure".
I don't know whether to send it back, the cost of postage would be quite a bit and then there would be the hassle of being recompensed. Plus, it might get the packer into trouble. So for the moment I've got a knife which I don't really want - perhaps I'll have to buy another fork to keep it company.
