Chef & Sommelier Primary

The range revolves around four sizes. The 27 cl is the classic water glass beside the plate, small enough not to crowd the table. The 36 cl is the most popular size and does everything: water, soft drinks, juice at breakfast. The 44 cl leaves room for ice cubes without the glass looking half empty straight away. Alongside those there is the 40 cl highball glass, narrower and taller, which holds on to the carbonation for longer. The 36 cl also comes in grey, black and white. Feel free to compare with the wider tumblers and the water glasses.

For water at the table, pour to about two thirds so the glass stays steady. If ice goes in, fill with ice first and only then with liquid; the other way round the ice melts faster and waters down the drink. The 40 cl highball glass is the right shape for anything topped up with tonic or cola, from a cuba libre to a gin and tonic. Build those straight in the glass, with the ice first and the spirit after.

Kwarx is the factory's toughened type of glass, developed to stay clear. Where ordinary catering glass picks up a dull haze over time, Kwarx keeps its transparency even after hundreds of cycles. The rim is reinforced, which prevents cracks where most knocks land. Wash on a short glassware programme and rinse well; a limescale film comes from hard water more often than from the glass itself.

If you want the same table glass but taller, have a look at the highball glasses. To see which other ranges the house makes, from wine bowls to tasting glasses, go to Chef & Sommelier. And if residue still lingers in a tall glass, that can almost always be solved with one of the glass brushes, which reach further than a cloth ever can.