But crockery is coming back - first we had Man Tea, then Prohibition reintroduced us to the joy of substituting tea for gin and surreptitiously slurping 1920s style behind plant pots. The Hoxton Pony served shots in kitsch white tea sets, and Madame at Maison Bertaux is selling 'Madame A Trois' sets of cups, saucers and side plates collected from antiques markets and vintage sales, and lends them out to Milk Bar so you can choose how you'd like to enjoy your Earl Grey. Even hardened jailbird Martha Stewart's getting in on the act, hosting afternoon tea at Harrods later this month.

Finally, genius website Chinasearch has come to the rescue of imperfect tea sets, supplying thousands of missing pieces to complete your crockery collection.