29 June 2020

ceramics


I've made a new Instagram account, polly_appleton_studio to showcase my ceramic work, I thought it would be nice to gather together some of my favourite pieces in one place, rather like an album or portfolio.

It's been about 4 years since I signed up to an evening pottery class and I've been enjoying the feel of shaping and moulding clay with my hands ever since. I love the process. I love that clay is so natural, so pliable. I love planning what to make, how I'll create it and how I'll treat that piece, what glaze I'll apply and how it might look. I build everything by hand, sometimes using a coil technique with long sausages of clay joined together, sometimes I use slabs (rolled flat sheets, like pastry) and sometimes I just feel the clay in my hands and shape it, pushing, pulling, squishing, and sticking to create the form I'm after. My pieces tend to vary, from practical useful objects to playful sculpture. 

D and I started our ceramic journey at the same time, it's really nice to share a hobby and grow as potters together. Though his work is very different to mine, he throws all his pieces on a wheel, making beautiful pots and bowls, you can see them here. He recently built a little Raku kiln which we've been having fun with, I've been documenting our experiments with Raku on Instagram stories for my new account.

6 June 2020

the importance of food

We are still in lockdown, though not quite so locked down as we were, restrictions are gradually being lifted here in the UK, D is no longer furloughed and back at work. I'm still working from home, but for us we are still happily taking things slowly. Not venturing far, the occasional bike ride around the local roads and bridleways. The last time I visited an actual shop was something like 12 weeks ago. Of course we are still shopping for food, just in different ways. We have organic fruit and vegetables delivered weekly from Cofco, if you are local to Cambridge I can't recommend them enough. We cook from scratch so we've been sourcing grains, pulses, flour and some dairy online from small producers as well as picking a few bits here are there in the garden. We now know exactly where our food is coming from and I think we'll continue this way of shopping in future, the choice is amazing. 
  • garden salad of salsify leaves, chives, and walnuts
  • D's sourdough bread
  • homemade soya yoghurt
  • Dorset Vinny open sandwich with sprouted mung beans and alfalfa
  • garden salad of lettuce, spinach, chard, courgette, chives, celery leaf, sprouts, pansy flowers
  • growing a SCOBY
  • vegan mushroom and rice burgers cooked on the barbeque
  • lunchtime platter, more Dorset Vinny, sprouts and Netherend Farm butter
  • my homebaked super seedy bread
None of the links in this post are sponsored, just producers I love. I should also add a favourite for grains and pulses, again fairly local to us is Hodmodods and for the most delicious craft beer I recommend another local Turpins Brewery