"Brown Betty" teapot in UK? (Partly rant)
 

Can anyone tell me where I can actually buy one of these damn things
in the UK? I thought it would be pretty easy. However, I've visited
various likely shops in central London to no avail. If I search the
web, all I get is overseas "heritage shoppes" selling the things to
tourists at vastly inflated prices, along with china replicas of the
Queen Mother and tube-map fridge magnets.

I can get espresso machines and capucinno makers by the dozen, but
does anyone in this city actually use proper teapots any more (bah,
humbug).

Martin

Try a supermarket like Sainsbury or Tesco, both stock "brown bettys"
in various colours - white is the in thing at the moment, also
different sizes. Probably need a sizeable supermarket not the little
ones.

(Martin Pentreath) wrote in message . com>...
> Can anyone tell me where I can actually buy one of these damn things
> in the UK? I thought it would be pretty easy. However, I've visited
> various likely shops in central London to no avail. If I search the
> web, all I get is overseas "heritage shoppes" selling the things to
> tourists at vastly inflated prices, along with china replicas of the
> Queen Mother and tube-map fridge magnets.
>
> I can get espresso machines and capucinno makers by the dozen, but
> does anyone in this city actually use proper teapots any more (bah,
> humbug).
>
> Martin

On 3 Oct 2004 07:55:59 -0700, (Martin
Pentreath) wrote:

>Can anyone tell me where I can actually buy one of these damn things
>in the UK? I thought it would be pretty easy. However, I've visited
>various likely shops in central London to no avail.

Almost anywhere urban outside Central London. Central London is a
tourist hell-hole, no real people live there or even shop there any
more. Anyone you see is really an employee of the tourist board, paid
to add mockney charm to their surroundings. Apart from anyone
supposedly working in tourism, who will be an animatronic robot.
Actually most people you see are also tourists, equally lost and
confused.

Real "Brown Bettys" are hard to find - dark brown glaze, couple of
cream rings painted around the lid hole. For one in the "proper"
plumage, you'll probably need to go North.

In any other colour, you should find them all over the place. Cookshop
(Bristol, Bath & Cardiff) is my local favourite for such things, but a
commonplace tea and coffee chain like Wittards (most medium-town high
streets) ought to have something. Even the big department stores (John
Lewis, Debenhams) will have one. Mine is dark blue, creamy yellow
inside, pours straight without dripping and is made by Denby. You
should find Denby stuff quite easily.

Do you interpret 'brown betty' as a style of pot, bowed and squatty
walls, or a pedigree Stoke-on-Trent,Rockingham glaze,terracotta clay?

Jim

(Helga Warzecha) wrote in message . com>...
> Try a supermarket like Sainsbury or Tesco, both stock "brown bettys"
> in various colours - white is the in thing at the moment, also
> different sizes. Probably need a sizeable supermarket not the little
> ones.

Martin Pentreath wrote:
> Can anyone tell me where I can actually buy one of these damn things
> in the UK? I thought it would be pretty easy. However, I've visited
> various likely shops in central London to no avail. If I search the
> web, all I get is overseas "heritage shoppes" selling the things to
> tourists at vastly inflated prices, along with china replicas of the
> Queen Mother and tube-map fridge magnets.
>
> I can get espresso machines and capucinno makers by the dozen, but
> does anyone in this city actually use proper teapots any more (bah,
> humbug).
>
> Martin


This help any?;

<http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&client=firefox-a&q=brown+betty+teapot++UK&btnG=Search>



TBerk

On Sun, 03 Oct 2004 07:55:59 -0700, Martin Pentreath wrote:

> Can anyone tell me where I can actually buy one of these damn things in
> the UK? I thought it would be pretty easy. However, I've visited various
> likely shops in central London to no avail. If I search the web, all I get
> is overseas "heritage shoppes" selling the things to tourists at vastly
> inflated prices, along with china replicas of the Queen Mother and
> tube-map fridge magnets.
>
> I can get espresso machines and capucinno makers by the dozen, but does
> anyone in this city actually use proper teapots any more (bah, humbug).
>
> Martin

Looks like they have them in Woodstock, just north of Oxford, in a small
corner shop. There are some sizes, thy cost around £20. Couldn't swear
whether they are actually Brown Betties, they look like them though.

JB