Slop bowl facts for kids
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A slop bowl (also called a slop basin or waste bowl) is a special part of a traditional tea set. People used it to pour out cold, leftover tea and the small bits of tea leaves (called dregs) from their tea cups. This made sure their cup was clean and ready for fresh, hot tea.
What is a Slop Bowl?
Most slop bowls were made from pottery, just like other parts of a tea set. However, some fancy ones were made from silver. In the 1700s, these bowls usually held about half a pint of liquid. This was enough space for the used tea.
Sometimes, handleless bowls of the same size were also used for drinking tea at breakfast. These were known as "breakfast basins." It can be hard to tell if a bowl was made for slop or for drinking. Many might have been made to be used for both purposes.
The History of Slop Bowls
Slop bowls became less common after about 1860. This was because tea habits changed. However, some tea sets in the 1902 Sears Roebuck catalogue still included them. This shows they were still used by some people at that time.
Collectible Slop Bowls
Even today, old slop bowls can be quite valuable. For example, in 2015, a slop bowl from the famous Swan Service was sold at an auction in London. This service was made of Meissen porcelain between 1737 and 1742. The slop bowl sold for £18,125. For comparison, a teacup and saucer from the same set sold for £31,250. This shows how much history and art can be found in these old tea items.
Images for kids
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An Arita ware bowl from the 1650s, a type of Japanese export porcelain.
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A silver slop bowl from Philadelphia, around 1770.
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A slop bowl made by Mintons in English bone china, around 1814.
