A woman obsessed with finding the perfect cuppa has spent over £2,500 on mugs which she keeps in a dedicated cupboard. Amy Sinfield has gone viral after sharing the extent of her passion, which has seen her buy 100 new mugs in the past year – more than eight every month.
In total, the 26-year-old has 256 mugs worth thousands, including a special Emma Bridgewater collection that retails at upwards of £20 a pop and a Sports Direct mug specifically for “workmen”. Viewers online were left stunned when Amy revealed where she keeps her many mugs, in a clip that has over 800,000 views.
A therapy session in a mug
“A lot of my wage goes towards growing the collection,” said Amy, a project officer from Bedford. “Buying a new mug feels almost like a therapy session to me – a cuppa always tastes better in a new mug.
“I actually had to pause buying mugs for a while at my previous house because I completely ran out of cupboard space – I was at about 100 by that point. [Now], my dedicated mug cabinet is perfect because it's deep enough to stack them all the way back.
“I also use two kitchen cupboards above my coffee machine for seasonal pieces and daily favourites like my Le Creuset, Eleanor Bowmer, and Cornishware items. I live with my husband, Jack, and he definitely lives by the saying, ‘Happy wife, happy life!’
Shock and awe for visitors
“Some people think I’m exaggerating, so when they see the collection in person, it’s always a shock. It’s hard to envision 250 mugs, so to see the collection in person, they realise it’s huge.
“It takes them a few minutes to pick a mug, for sure. I [might] offer a Le Creuset, as those are crowd-pleasers.
“[But] whenever we have workmen over, I pull out a giant Sports Direct mug I keep hidden at the back of the cupboard specifically for them!”
Mood and seasonal picks
Amy said: “The mug I pick every day always depends on my mood and, nine times out of 10, my outfit. I love coordinating what I wear with my mug – little details like that really help me romanticise daily life.
“I also have plenty of seasonal pieces, so during autumn, I’ll strictly use my autumnal mugs, followed by Christmas, spring, and so on.”
Amy’s collection started seven years ago, and was partly inspired by her mum, who similarly has a huge collection, spanning just under 300 mugs. She said: “Eight years ago, we visited the Emma Bridgewater shop at Bicester Village where I bought my first-ever piece, and that was just the start.
“While I mainly collected that brand at first, I’ve since discovered others like Le Creuset, Sophie Allport, Gisela Graham, Eleanor Bowmer, and Cornishware, which I absolutely adore. While most 21-year-olds want a big night out for their birthday, I spent my 21st at the Emma Bridgewater factory.”
As for the future, Amy doesn’t have a mug goal in mind, but she has no plans of slowing down. She added: “I’ll definitely keep adding to it – it’s hard to stop when my favourite brands keep releasing gorgeous new designs.
“A major life goal of mine would be to collaborate with a brand to design my own collection; that would be the absolute dream.”
