Burleigh's Regal Peacock, a pattern originally created in 1913, has been honoured as Tabletop Innovation of the Year by industry leader Housewares Magazine.

Laurie Marrington, Publication & Event Manager of Housewares Magazine said: "There had been a high number of entries this year and competition had been stiff but ultimately 'Regal Peacock' was chosen from a final shortlist of four other designs in the category."

The first examples of this pattern were presented to HM Queen Mary, who much admired the design and, in keeping with tradition, a large jug decorated in Regal Peacock was also presented to HRH the Prince of Wales when he visited Middleport Pottery, the home of Burleigh, in 2013, one hundred years later.

"This was the moment of inspiration behind the re-birth of Regal Peacock." said Sebastian Lazell, MD of Burleigh. He continued, "it was a moment of symbolism, an antique design with a royal connection being presented to the future King. It seemed a good time to revive the design and share it with future generations."

"Bringing back such an old design presented Burleigh with a number of issues" Lazell said. "The simple answer would be to scan the design on a computer and recreate it by modern methods. We felt strongly that this wasn't the Burleigh way and the original artistry of the pattern and its subtle tones would be lost. We knew this was a major investment financially and in time, but just like the Slow Food movement, people are waking up to the fact that traditional, hand made British pottery which is heavily reliant on craft skills is a product worth waiting for. I am delighted to see that the award judges felt we were right!" 

Denby CEO Sebastian Lazell and Burleigh brand ambassador Steven Moore with Burleigh's award-winning Regal Peacock pattern