News of the death of the dinner party may have been premature. A combination of Come Dine With Me, the cult Channel 4 series, and financial caution is encouraging more Britons to sit down together at the table and show off their culinary skills.

John Lewis attributes some of the rise in sales of tableware and cookware in its stores to the success of the show, in which contestants compete to be perfect hosts and hostesses by serving three-course meals in their homes. The food may not be of the standard of Raymond Blanc, who also has a TV show, The Restaurant — but everyone seems to have fun.

Portmeirion, the china and crockery group that supplies John Lewis, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Harrods and Selfridges, said that homeowners who could not afford new kitchens felt that new plates and cups provided a fresh look for a much lower outlay. The company’s bestsellers include a range designed by Sophie Conran.

Portmeirion’s sales were up 10.9 per cent to £17 million in the first half of the year, a result driven also by thrifty amateur cooks preparing more suppers from fresh ingredients — which, unlike ready meals, do not come with containers out of which you can eat.

Paula Nickolds, John Lewis’s homewares buying director, said that customers were buying one, or even more, new sets of informal crockery, driven by the growing enthusiasm for entertaining friends and family. Would-be masterchefs — the influence of the Masterchef series is also evident in the attention being paid to place settings — are not always choosing restaurant-type white plates. Patterns are a way of showing guests that you are aware of the new craze for colour in interiors, even if you cannot afford a full makeover.

Research on opinions and trends carried out by John Lewis reveals a widespread feeling that people would like everyone else to behave better. Instilling table manners in your nearest and dearest is a small step towards this.

The tableware sales bounce is yet another example of TV’s influence on eating habits. As The Times reported this week, trading at the Tragus group’s chain restaurants, such as Café Rouge and Bella Italia, has been affected by the millions who are staying in on Saturday nights to watch The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing.

The experience of John Lewis and other homewares retailers suggests that viewers are not all opting to munch pizza from the carton.

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