“I Really Like Chocolate, So When Asked If I Was Keen To Design And Produce A Hot Chocolate Tumbler For Wellington Chocolate Factory, I Didn’t Need Any Convincing."
“Having worked in the coffee industry for a number of years, I’ve made a lot of hot drinks and have had the opportunity to develop a strong appreciation for functional ceramics. These days, I spend an increasing amount of time at the pottery wheel, and though it’s still coffee that gets me out of bed in the morning, a hot chocolate at the end of a late night in the studio definitely hits the spot.
Much like making espresso in a cafe, there’s a number of steps in the process when making ceramics by hand.
Each of the WCF Tumblers are wheel thrown and left to dry for a day or so before being trimmed and decorated with ceramic slip. They’re then left to dry completely before being bisque fired, glazed and fired a second time up to stoneware temperature. The whole process, including drying time, takes a couple of weeks from start to finish.
I enjoy the hands-on nature of small batch production, both at the wheel and behind the espresso machine. There’s a familiarity to each set of processes and having an opportunity to contribute to an everyday experience of hospitality is satisfying work.”
