🥣 Saucer

A saucer is a small dish that is placed under a cup. Tea wares came to Europe from China. Tea was first imported into Britain from China in the mid-17th century, and for most of the 18th century it was drunk in the Chinese style from handleless bowls; handled teacups were made in Britain by the 1740s.

Sipping tea from the saucer was probably common among ordinary people in the 18th century but was frowned upon by polite society. Satirical prints from around 1800 sometimes show it, and the Victoria and Albert Museum notes that it was not done in polite company.

A saucer of milk for the cat is a familiar idea, but most adult cats are lactose intolerant. Dairy can give them diarrhoea, bloating and gas, and Cats Protection advises avoiding milk; water is the best drink for an adult cat. Newborn kittens should drink their mother's milk, or a kitten milk substitute on a vet's advice if they cannot feed from her.