21 melamine plates to brighten up your al fresco dining and minimise breakages

Melamine plates might not be top of your summer wishlist but, when your ceramic dinner plates are as nice as Anthropologie’s bistro range, you simply can’t risk smashing them on your patio floors. Fret not, because outdoor dining doesn’t have to mean flimsy plastic plates from IKEA (you know, the primary-coloured ones…). Indeed, these days you can actually buy quite the chic smash-proof garden accessories, not to mention the bamboo-melamine mixes that are more eco-friendly.

But what exactly is melamine, you ask? Despite the tongue twister of a name, it’s actually pretty simple. Melamine is a heat-resistant, organic-based hard plastic that is, to quote Q Home, “virtually unbreakable.” Unlike those clear colourful cups we all drank out of at children’s parties circa 1990, melamine is more solid and won’t bend. Some varieties are dishwasher proof, while others are microwave safe, so consider how you’re going to use yours before you head to the checkout. And remember, not all melamine plates – even the patterned ones – are scratch proof, so you’ll definitely want to check that out, too. 

See ProCook’s leaf design plates; they’re both chip and scratch resistant, dishwasher safe and come with a one year guarantee if either of those claims prove to be untrue. Elsewhere, if you’re more concerned about aesthetics and the dream dinner party crockery, Wolf & Badger’s Amalfi Coast collection will most likely be the pick for you. Still dishwasher safe and with a host of five-star reviews, the plates will bring the heat of warmer shores to your Blighty back garden, and they’ll do it at a fairly mid-range price. Not bad, if you ask us.