A sale on middle-class kitchenware favourite Le Creuset caused chaos at the weekend, when shoppers from across the UK flocked to the firm’s Andover warehouse which was selling stock at discounted prices.
Mobs massed, traffic queues clogged roads for miles on end amid hour-long waits and Hampshire police had to be called to try to help keep the peace.
Officers had to patrol the hordes gathering at a Hampshire retail estate after cut-price Le Creuset products were put up for offer, with lines of buyers snaking back for several miles. People queued for up to four-hours as they attempted to snap up pots and pans from the French-Belgian firm.
One TikTok user, who goes by @homeatnumber11_, queued for four hours to get her hands on the discounted kitchenware goods. ‘The queue went on for miles,’ she said, adding, ‘and yes… we were mad enough to join the end of it’.
Despite waiting for hours in the chilly November temperatures and claiming it was a ‘shambles’ inside the warehouse, it seemed worthwhile for the TikTok user, who claimed she saved a staggering £1600 from the trip to Andover.
Now FEMAIL has spoken to UK-based interior design expert Benji Lewis, who has also worked on properties in France, to reveal the top three Le Creuset pieces that will make your kitchen look posh and the pieces you can avoid.
He said: ‘Le Creuset pieces look fabulous but they’re quite a costly outlay so if budget’s a concern I would concentrate only on items that you know you’ll get best use of – practically and to provide some smart decorative colour in your kitchen.
1. Stoneware Classic Teapot
People queued for hours over the weekend to buy discounted items from Le Creuset during a sale at its Andover warehouse
Le Creuset’s Stoneware Classic Teapot (pictured) was Benji’s first recommendation. It retails on the brand’s website for £60
According to Benji, his first recommendation was the Stoneware Classic Teapot, which retails on the brand’s website for £60.
He told FEMAIL: ‘Given that part of the appeal of Le Creuset is that they look so smart, you’re going to want to show them off on your kitchen shelves so I would likely look for lidded items – a pretty pot is going to look better than a baking tray isn’t it?
2. Cast Iron Soup Pot
The second item noted by the interior designer was the Cast Iron Soup Pot, from the range’s Signature Collection.
Like many of the brand’s items, it comes in a range of colours, sizes, and prices.
On Le Creuset’s website, the prices for the different sizes range between £239.00 and £329.00.
‘I’ve had one of these for years,’ Benji said.
‘I make vegetable soup in it at the start of a winter week and keep topping it up each day leaving it on the top of my stove in the meantime.’
This, he said, ‘serves the dual purpose of providing a warm lunchtime meal and looking chic on display at the same time’.
The brand’s Cast Iron Soup Pot (pictured) is not only highly practical, but looks chic sitting on your stove, said Benji
3. Stoneware Pumpkin Mini Casserole
Like many of the other items, this casserole dish comes in more than one size.
The mini version recommended by Benji is priced by Le Creuset at £50.
Explaining why it made his list of recommendations, he said: ‘Given that Le Creuset produce such great looking stuff, showing it off is part of the gig.
‘I love this mini casserole both for its look and because it’s perfect for making a small winter warming casserole.’
Interior designer Benji’s third recommendation from the brand was its Stoneware Pumpkin Mini Casserole (pictured), again, for both its look and function
What about when it comes to less appealing products from the pricey brand?
According to Benji: ‘I think I’d likely sidestep the pieces that have less of a brand identity or look less photogenic.
‘Part of the appeal of owning Le Creuset is that the products are so clearly a vibe, so their plain black oven trays I’d avoid, and I’d bypass their glasses and tumblers too.’
He added: ‘Curiously, as much I’d have their teapot I wouldn’t have the kettle, you’d risk looking like you hadn’t got much imagination and had just gone “catalogue shopping”.’
Le Creuset has been selling pricey pots and pans since 1925 in various colours – but is best known for its classic orange. The brand last year reported a 20 per cent dip in sales, yet has also been noted for attracting more than 260,000 followers on TikTok.
Recent launches have included pastel colour collections, casserole dishes embellished with a petal design, a heart-shaped Valentines collection and small bowls in the shape of fruits and pumpkins.
UK-based interior designer Benji Lewis (pictured) has revealed which the most (and least) desirable pieces from Le Creuset
The kitchenware has become beloved of UK influencers such as YouTuber Emily Canham from Northamptonshire, who posted a TikTok video of herself cooking dinner – with her cast iron shell pink casserole dish, priced £255, at the forefront.
Gen Z-ers have given the brand their own twist, with the hashtag #LeCreuSlay often trending on the platform – despite the overall slide in sales.
Nick Ryder, managing director of the company based in Fresnoy-le-Grand in northern France, said in its latest annual report: ‘In the post-Covid world, with changing spending patterns and a backdrop of increasing prices and interest rates, the market we operate in has seen a decrease in spend.’
If you want to buy some pieces from the classic brand yourself, there are some ways to pick up them up for lower prices.
Among the outlets selling items with large discounts are the Brand Alley website, which has a number of pieces offered for up to 50 per cent off.
In addition, shoppers can sometimes snap up a bargain Le Crueset piece in discount store in TK Maxx, with some items available occasionally on its website.
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