Best of British

Today whilst I waited for the various pain killers to kick in, I took the opportunity to catch up on some TV which I had recorded on V+.  One of the programmes was 'Ceramics: a fragile history' from BBC Four on Monday night.  Normally, this would not be my viewing of choice, however on the trailer I had spotted some clips of something quite wonderful; the Emma Bridgewater pottery making process at Eastworks Factory, Hanley, Stoke on Trent.  The first episode in this series focused on tha material of clay and of the history of pottery in this country and it was interesting to hear that pottery is one of the only materials in our society which is in effect a commerorative time stamp of the date it was made.  You can melt down silver, gold and platinum and remodel into new shapes, but once clay is fired and glazed you cannot remould it, thus making it a perfect material for marking special occasions.

Tomorrow I am off on a little excursion out of town.  I am heading west, to Berkshire to stay with the BF, but more importantly we are going to spend the day paying hommage to our favourite British designer, and business woman, Emma Bridgewater.   We have in the past visited the mothership in Hanley, Stoke on Trent to see the beautiful British pottery being made and decorated, and whilst there have indulged our creative sides in the pottery cafe and painted a few pieces ourselves using the techniques still in practice in the factory today.  But once a year, the Pottery Cafe moves to Camp Hobson, a department store in Newbury, and offers Emma Bridgewater afficionados like the BF and I the chance to paint mugs (and hopefully other carefully requested shapes - it pays to be in with the right people) without having to drive for hours up the M6. This annual event is tomorrow, and I am SOOOOOO excited. 

My kitchen is a mecca to all things EB.  Mr Man has long since given up despairing whenever a new mug, plate or bowl appears in the dishwasher.  Apart from the prettiness of it all, as well as the functionality of every single piece, the thing I love most about EB is its Britishness.  Every piece is hand made and hand decorated in the factory in Stock on Trent.  The materials are also British sourced and there is a real pride in the workmanship and work ethic throughout the whole company.  In a time when cost seems to be the driver for everything, it is refreshing to find that quality and craftmanship is still valued in some businesses in this country.  Many people have said that they think EB is very expensive, but when you consider that it is all handmade here in this country, and produced to a very high standard the price becomes very reasonable.  Plus, by buying British I am supporting the economy and ensuring that I am playing my part in keeping Britain moving. It might SEEM more economical to buy some mass produced Chinese stuff from Ikea, but in the longer term that money will not pay nearly as many British workers, and therefore be available for reinvestment into the British Economy by those same workers, rather than being syphoned off into the pockets of a few share holders in Sweden and an enterprising capitalist in China.

So, I have spent today thinking about what I am going to paint to make my mark forever on some EB ceramics.  I have a few ideas and my creative juices are flowing. I just hope they don't run out of mugs - The economy needs me.