Desserts

The sizes are meant for different portions. The 25 cl coupe suits two scoops of ice cream with a topping and is the safest choice when you serve after a main course. The 29 cl coupe has room for three scoops plus fruit and whipped cream, making it the size for a dessert that is the centrepiece of the table. If you mainly serve layered desserts such as tiramisu or panna cotta, the smaller coupe works better, because the layers sink away in a wide dish. Buying for a venue? Stick to one size so reordering stays simple. Otherwise take a look at the broader dessert glasses category.

Put the coupes in the fridge half an hour before you serve. A cold glass stops the bottom layer of ice cream melting straight away and saves you a puddle at the bottom. Build up from firm to soft: first the ice cream, then the fruit, then the sauce and finally the whipped cream. For a dessert you pour rather than scoop, a sgroppino is a good candidate, as is a hot Irish coffee alongside.

Royal Leerdam makes these coupes from tempered soda-lime glass, which copes well with the jump from the fridge to hot washing-up water. Place them in the dishwasher opening down, so no water sits on the foot and no limescale ring is left behind. Rinse off sugar and sauce residue straight away, because dried syrup sticks fast and then takes a good scrub with a brush.

The rest of the glassware by Royal Leerdam is on the brand page, from everyday water glasses to complete table ranges. For other shapes take a look at the ice cream coupes, which also include the deeper models. If you serve small bites beforehand, the amuse glasses are the right format, and for a dessert cocktail in bowl form the coupette glasses are a good alternative, which work just as well for a sorbet.