Blue-plate special

The author first came across this phrase in a pub in Exeter, Devon, called The Long Bar during the 1960s, where a blue-plate special was a value-for-money meal, served on a blue plate. Devon is a long way from the origin of the expression, which is America during the late 19th century, where a number of restaurants routinely ran ‘blue-plate specials’ as quick, low-priced meals. Quite why these specials were served on blue plates as opposed to any other colour remains a mystery.