Thanks to Jackie Onions, a retired staff member at Blackfriars Academy in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, the school has entered an old plate into the competition to find the oldest Steelite plate still in daily use.
She said she followed Steelite on social media – her father used to work for the company – when she spotted details of the competition and thought she remembered the school, which is part of the Shaw Education Trust, had used Steelite crockery.
Jackie contacted her friend Karen Emmens, who teaches at the school, asking her to take pictures of any Steelite plates the school was using, including their backstamps.
She spotted one and told her friend to ‘keep that one safe’.
“We were still serving lunch on the plate the day Jackie came and collected it,” said Karen.
“It's not been in someone's cabinet on display, it's been used daily. It goes through the school dishwashing system, which is obviously hotter than normal machines.”
While the exact date isn't stated, the Royal Doulton Hotelware England Steelite backstamp indicates the plate has survived 40-plus years of school meals.
The closing date for entries was July 10th, with Steelite promising to let the winner know within 28 days.