A breakfast service is a matching set of tableware intended for the morning meal. In ceramics it typically combines cups and saucers, breakfast plates, a teapot or coffee pot, a milk jug, sugar basin, slop bowl, egg cups and sometimes a muffin dish or covered butter dish, with larger cups than those of an afternoon tea service. In silver and electroplate the term can also describe matching pieces such as egg cruets, toast racks, butter dishes and bacon dishes.
Breakfast became a more elaborate and sociable meal among the prosperous classes during the Georgian and Victorian periods, and the major English potteries and porcelain factories, including Spode, Minton, Coalport, Wedgwood and Royal Worcester, produced services to suit every pocket. Smaller sets designed for one or two people, known as cabarets or tête-à-têtes, were often supplied on a matching tray. Completeness matters greatly: a service with all its original pieces, consistent pattern numbers and little wear to the gilding or enamels is worth considerably more than a later assembled set. Many survive incomplete, and odd pieces are frequently bought to build up a working breakfast table in a period kitchen or breakfast room.
