How do you clean an old silver cream jug?

Warm soapy water and a soft cloth handle most surface dirt. Avoid submerging the piece if it has a wooden or ivory handle, as water can swell and crack the organic materials over time. For stubborn tarnish, use a mild silver polish with a soft sponge. Hard rubbing wears down the surface details, especially on pieces with fine engraving. Rinse it well and dry immediately to prevent water spots.

I inherited a tea set and the cream jug has these weird tiny cracks all over the glaze but the plate doesn't, why is that?

You are looking at crazing. This happens when the ceramic body and the outer glaze expand and contract at different rates as temperatures change. Over decades of use, the tension causes the glaze to fracture into a web of fine lines. Cream jugs undergo sudden temperature shifts during washing. The matching plate likely saw less thermal shock and moisture, which is why its surface remained intact while the jug developed that crackled appearance.

Why are the early ones so small?

Tea was an expensive luxury in the early eighteenth century. Everything on the tea table was scaled down to match the precious nature of the leaves themselves. People also served thick cream rather than milk. A few drops were enough to change the flavour of the tea, so a large capacity simply wasn't needed.

My grandmother used to have this little jug with three little legs that look like lion paws, was that a specific style for a certain era?

Those cast feet are a classic feature of mid-eighteenth-century design. Silversmiths often soldered three small cast legs directly to a rounded belly to keep the piece stable on a flat surface. Lion paws were a popular motif during the George II period. You also see them heavily used on larger furniture of the same era. By the end of the century, tastes shifted toward neoclassical styles. Those little legs were mostly replaced by flat bases or tall pedestal feet.

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Antique Cream Jugs

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These small pouring vessels were designed to hold milk or cream for the tea table, typically featuring a curved lip, a handle, and a bulbous or helmet-shaped body standing on feet or a solid base.