You may think having a vegan kitchen means having no food ingredients that contain animal products. And if you read this issue of our newsletter, you’ll know about cruelty-free cleaning products. But for a truly vegan kitchen, you also need to consider what you are serving your food on, and your tea out of.
Fine bone china is a form of porcelain that not too long ago was a staple in many kitchens. It contains, as the name suggests, bone. More specifically it contains bone ash – up to 50% – and it’s typically derived from pigs or cows.
Originally incorporated into crockery back in the 1700s because it brought a unique strength and whiteness, fine bone china is still widely produced today (think: Maxwell & Williams, Villeroy & Boch, Noritake, Spode, Wedgwood, Meissen), and is still found in many kitchens, cafés, and restaurants.
The good news is, there are alternatives. New fine china, sometimes confusingly called ‘new bone china’, is an alternative that seeks to replicate the fine, delicate characters of bone china with jade or other phosphates. Tableware options that are (usually) vegan include stoneware, clay, and earthenware. Ceramic is another popular one, but if it’s glazed, it may contain shellac, which is not vegan. Worth checking.
In many cases, just having a look at the stamp on the crockery will tell you if it is bone, and you can also do the light test. But to be sure, we recommend the following brands: Robert Gordon Australia, Mud Australia, Cristina Re Designswho have confirmed that they do not use bone.
