The idea of this blog is to share ideas for using hand-made pots to serve good food.

Eating with friends and family is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I hope to show how the warmth and character of hand made ceramics can really enhance the pleasure of cooking, serving and eating food.

This blog will include pots from other potters as well as my own and recipes for the food which I enjoy, hoping that you will like it too.

Friday 28 December 2012

Christmas Dinner



We had our family Christmas dinner early as my daughter, Miya, was going to Germany for Christmas.  Taja made some wonderful marinaded fish and tuna sashimi starters, beautifully presented on a couple of his serving platters.



My contribution was a chocolate roulade.  I found a Mary Berry recipe on the BBC Food website and added some fresh cherries poached in brandy (with stones removed) with the cream inside, and some raspberries to decorate.




In between the fish and the roulade we had a delicious roasted chicken with lots of veg and all the trimmings.

On Christmas Eve, a Scottish lady came into my showroom looking for an 'ashet'.  I didn't know what she meant.  She was looking for an 'ashet' big enough to serve her turkey on.  Unfortunately, the one I had was only chicken sized.  Intrigued by this word, I looked it up in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, Volume 1, and discovered that it is a northern dialect word for a large plate - from the french, 'assiette'.
She did buy a jug for the gravy.


I'm hoping to make some larger serving platters next year, which will make good centre-pieces on the table and add to the sense of occasion,  when serving something a bit special.  Hopefully, I will be able to provide a suitable 'ashet' next time.



Thursday 6 December 2012

Christmas Show at The Studio




My Christmas Show at The Studio opened at the weekend and will be continuing until Christmas.
It seems to need an event to make me re-do the display in the showroom.  Now it is looking festive and stylish for the Christmas season.  I have used photographs from my Pots and Food Calendar to show the pots in use.

No more deadlines before Christmas, so I am looking forward to developing some new work.
I want to make some larger serving platters and will try and get round to showing some work in progress on the blog.  Always difficult to remember to document work in progress, when you're caught up in actually making it.

I made my venison casserole yesterday, using the recipe from the Calendar.  I used some of the spiced mulled wine which was left over from the Christmas Show opening, which made it particularly delicious.  Mulled wine is always great for meaty casseroles as well as warming up the customers!