If you’ve visited Brod in the last few weeks, you’ll have noticed we’re serving our delicious baked goods on blue plates. Have you taken time to study them? Next time, take a closer look…

Danish Christmas plates are collectables and issued annually by Danish porcelain manufacturers. Bing & Grøndahl produced the first annual Christmas plate in 1895 and Royal Copenhagen in 1908.

The blue and white plates always feature their issue date and are collectable and desirable because the mould is discontinued after Christmas Eve.

Design

The very first design of the Christmas plate was the result of a competition and different artists were invited to provide designs for the plates, often focusing on current events.

Well-known symbols of Denmark have appeared on the plates including The Little Mermaid and Tivoli's Pantomime Theatre. Hans Christian Andersen's childhood home appeared in 2005 on the author's 200th anniversary.

Betina’s plate story

“The blue plates used to hang on my farmor (grandmothers) wall in the living room. She would collect them every year for Christmas. As a child I used to love looking at them and their beautiful, magic Christmas designs. These plates are just another small reminder of my childhood in Denmark and the magic of Christmas through a child’s eyes”.

Original information.