This stainless steel tea set caught our eye at a local flea market last week. What a fabulous modernist shape!

The lady selling it thought it dated from the 1960’s. We could go along with that assumption in terms of design – you could just see it in the departure lounge of 2001: A Space Oddysey!

However, this date was far from certain and would require some checking. It was clearly marked to the base, so detective work was quite straightforward.

As it turned out, it dates from the noughties – and is the limited edition ‘Asia’ tea set produced by Blomus of Germany.

The design and quality is superb – and we love little details like the integral strainer. The set comprises teapot, lidded milk and sugar bowls – and under tray. Form meets function perfectly.

It’s quite quickly become sought after and collectable. It’s just gone into a mid century modern corner of a new retail space that we’ve just acquired… more details to follow on that! It’s priced at £125 the set.