Six places set under an open sky, a 200cm oval table with room to spare, and a ceramic top that shrugs off the spilled red and the dropped serving spoon. The Aspen is built for the long lunch that drifts into the long evening, the kind where nobody watches the clock and the table earns its keep right through summer.

The difference is the top. Solid grey ceramic rather than tempered glass, so it takes the heat of a serving dish, resists scratches from cutlery and keys, and wipes clean with no smears or water marks. It reads like stone and wears like stone, with none of the fuss.

Underneath sits a black powder-coated aluminium frame in a cross-leg design that gives the table its architectural stance and keeps the whole set rust-free and light enough to shift. The six Aspen chairs share that frame, hand-woven in grey synthetic rope that holds its colour through a British summer. Seat and back cushions come in grey Olefin, chosen for fade and water resistance, and they meet UK fire-retardant standards. Royalcraft list this set under their ellipse dining range.

Rope, ceramic and aluminium are all content left outdoors through the season. The cushions are the part worth protecting: bring them in or box them during a long wet spell, and a cover over winter keeps the set looking new for years rather than seasons.

Specifications

• Frame: Powder-coated aluminium, rust-free, black
• Table top: Grey ceramic glass
• Weave: Hand-woven grey synthetic rope (chairs)
• Cushions: Grey Olefin, UK fire-retardant (UKFR)
• Table: H72 × W200 × D130cm
• Chairs: H75 × W65 × D74cm
• Seats: 6
• Assembly: Simple assembly required
• Guarantee: 1 year

What's included

• 1 x oval ceramic dining table
• 6 x rope dining chairs
• 6 x seat cushions
• 6 x back cushions
  

Royalcraft have been making garden furniture since 1990, more than thirty years of it. The set comes with a one-year guarantee, free delivery to UK mainland, and 28 days to change your mind.