Builders run short of roof slates because of craze for trendy plates
THE for fashionable restaurants to serve food on anything but ordinary crockery infuriates diners and critics alike.
But the trend for using slate to showcase dishes is now causing a shortage of the material among builders, who say the supply of roofing tiles is running dry, as quarries increasingly use slate to make more lucrative tableware.
Roofing expert Philip Brooke imports much of his slate from China, but says it is getting harder to obtain as builders cannot pay as much as restaurateurs. ‘Price is the main driver for builders in this country, and the construction industry probably put the suppliers under much more pressure than tableware manufacturers,’ he said.
‘Demand for tableware is not the only reason, but it is a significant one. There are also environmental reasons with the Chinese government closing quarries, so the supply is reduced even further.
‘It’s significant enough to cause two or three other importers to come out of Chinese slates altogether because they can’t obtain them.’
His firm, Lancashire-based EBP, has been importing slate for more than 20 years, but has been struggling to get his normal supplies from quarries in the Qinling Mountains in central China.
Slate imported from there has made a significant impact on the UK market in recent years as it is much cheaper than Welsh slate, or even imports from Spain, the world’s largest producer.
Mr Brooke has recently forged links with Brazilian suppliers to try to plug the gap from China.
But the trend for slate plates seems to continue despite the wishes of diners, according to a recent survey.
A YouGov poll found that a resounding 99 per cent of people prefer circular ceramic plates, versus 69 per cent for slate and 64 per cent for wooden boards.
A Twitter account, @wewantplates, catalogues the bizarre ways food is served, and has amassed 160,000 followers. It was set up by photographer Ross McGinnes, who recently posted a photo of a beef Wellington served in a wooden bowl topped with barbed wire, a slice of toast in a tin bucket and tempura in a shoe.