Had a lovely day last Saturday visiting Wells and taking in a collection of jewellery to 'Just Make' on it's opening day.

I've been to Wells before: it's not far from our home, and has some very lovely historic buildings plus a great market, but I hadn't discovered the Market Street area where Just Make is before.

It's interesting that it's called Market Street, because it's not where the market is: an historical name I guess? Anyway there is one (rather good) fruit and veg stall there, just at the entrance to The Courtyard, which is where Just Make is situated. A good landmark.

I met Laura Pearcey, the owner, at the 'Made by Hand' in Newport last December, where we were both exhibiting. She makes covetable ceramics under the name of Boop Design, and is also an experienced ceramics teacher. Opening Just Make is her latest venture.

Laura's done the space up really well: it all looks very smart. As you'd expect, Laura has some of her own quirky ceramic jewellery and pots on sale. 

There are also ceramics by other great makers, including Tone Von Krogh.

Other Made by Hand makers get in there too: these lovely bags by Dr Bean are really special. We bought one as a present last Christmas: it now lives with my sister-in-law in Australia (and she's extremely pleased with it). I'm very tempted to get one for myself too... 

Not only is there a careful selection of high quality handcrafted work for sale in Just Make, but Laura's also holding classes and kids craft sessions there. It's not a huge space but ideal for small groups.

If you haven't been to Wells it's definitely worth a visit, and Just Make and the area around it are 'musts'. Sew Vintage, a few doors along, is a haberdashery and sewing parlour, and Millie Moon have opened a haberdashery boutique and sewing school just round the corner. In fact 'This is Somerset' is hailing it as the Wells Craft Quarter.

It's also quite foodie, with the farmers markets and a very nice deli. On Laura's recommendation we had lunch in The Good Earth, a vegetarian cafe in Priory Road, just around the corner. I had a delicious quiche, salad, and cake, and will definitely be returning!

Now I'm feeling slightly guilty about this post because we went to see the Redlynch Artists who were exhibiting at the Organic Gardens at Holt Farm, but actually I'm afraid I preferred the organic gardens to the show. Sorry Redlynch artists, but I guess art isn't meant to appeal to everyone anyway, is it?

The wonderful gardens at Holt Farm certainly did appeal to me though. Holt Farm turns out to be the home farm of the Yeo Valley dairy business owners. They open their garden to the public on specific days throughout the summer and for special events including this show.

This is my sort of garden. Wild(ish) swathes of flowers bursting through gravel, vistas, sculpture, a vegetable garden, and a great tea room. Lovely cakes. Amazing loos!

I particularly liked the way that each little feature was thought through and attended to: the handles on gates were beautifully crafted for instance, in fact there was a lot of art in the garden in one way and another. I regret now not taking more pictures, but it was rather rainy when we were there, and you can see more pictures here, on the Veg Plotting blog. 

Do take a look at the Holt Farm website: it's equally well crafted with - believe it or not - a snail walking around it waving it's antennae (I assume that's what they're called). I guess walking is the wrong word, but it is in all honesty a little too jerky to be called a slither.

Whimsy - no garden (or website) should be without it. Open once more this year only, on 30th October for Seedy Sunday.

This feels like a generous garden, and I shall enjoy my Yeo Valley dairy products all the more from now on!

I've long been a fan of open studios: in fact visiting 'Hidden Art' studios in London's east end was one of the things that made me passionate about craft in the first place long before I became a maker. I loved climbing wonky staircases and emerging into wonderful caverns of creativity: quite magical. Of course the romance disguised often appalling working conditions and extreme poverty, and I'm sure makers who were sometimes quite desperate for a sale. And we did buy some fantastic things, some of which still adorn our home now.

I had no idea what Somerset Art Weeks would be like though, as this is the first time we've had the opportunity to attend any of the exhibitions and events. To our great delight I have to say they've been fantastic. Very different to the London events in many ways, but still revealing sides of life that are new to us, and of course some amazing art and craft.

One place we've visited and thoroughly enjoyed was Wick Farm, near Langport. Ten artists had collaborated to create a whole trail of fun things.

I particularly loved the gigantic metal hare's head shown above, and the swimming costumes which had been planted up with flowers beside a swimming pool were fun. A turf seat with upcycled sacking cushions was refreshingly cool and surprisingly comfortable. The shepherds hut full of fast deteriorating food sculptures, was, I guess, interesting (as well as very saggy and rather mouldy).

In the wood (yes it's a world away from Hoxton) there were a number of installations including a series of action men and women climbing a tree (amongst other antics), a giant rabbit sitting in a tree, a series of etherial dog paintings, and various suspended carvings.

Unlike the London studios, there wasn't much of an emphasis on things being sold, unless you count the soup, tea and cakes, which we happily bought and throughly enjoyed!

All in all: top marks for effort. Loved the map, the atmosphere, the venue, the food, and some of the art, and I'd definitely visit again. Many thanks Wick Farm Arts!

Had a lovely day last Friday taking a package of work into my newest gallery: Gallery nine in Bath.

Bath is the closest big city to my new home in Somerset, and so I was very pleased when Sarah Denholm, the proprietor, came around to my stand at the Contemporary Craft Fair in June and asked if I'd like to exhibit in her gallery. A few weeks later I ventured into Bath and I found that her gallery was definitely my sort of place, so I gladly accepted her offer to be my representative in this beautiful city!

The gallery itself is in a really nice area. Margarets Buildings is a small pedestrian street a few minutes walk from the centre. It's less touristy and more residential up here, and the gallery sits alongside some lovely little shops, cafes and restaurants: an ideal situation. 

Inside everthing is beautifully presented. A number of highly reputable jewellers I know have work there: Catherine Hills, Lesley Strickland, Gail Klevan to name just a few. 

There are two floors, and addition to jewellery, Gallery nine has a great collection of ceramics.

These elegant vessels are by David White. Sasha Wardell and Phillip Lydden also have work there which I also love.

And who can resist Sue Binns lovely stripey and really functional mugs and jugs (not me - I have several!)

There was a great selection of paintings and prints. I particularly liked the paintings in this picture, by Neil Canning. Made me wish I had more wall space. The textiles were good too: some lovely scarves. Sarah and I obviously have similar tastes.

All in all, I'd highly recommend a trip to Gallery nine. It's certainly a place I'd be frequenting even if I didn't have some of my jewellery in there.

9b Margarets Buildings, Bath, BA7 2LP

tel 01225 319197

www.gallerynine.co.uk

Well we've finally gone and done it - moved full time to Somerset - bye bye London!

It's now nearly seven years ago that I quit my job as CEO of a charity and went back to university to retrain as a jewellery designer. Having made that career change - and subsequently established myself as a designer/maker - moving to the country was the logical next step in the process of simplifying my life and downshifting. It certainly feels like a new and very different phase: I've spent all my adult life living in the inner city, and have never lived in the country before.

I'm really going to miss our old house in London, which really was a very special house, but at least I know that the new occupants are really nice people who already love their new home and will take good care of her.

I'm going to miss the old London garden in particular, as it really was my favourite place, and I spent many happy hours there. 

When we took on this little country cottage the garden was a complete wilderness: you had to slash your way through to the end, and peep through bushes to get a glimpse of the view beyond. It was sad, because the cottage had been a weekend retreat for my in-laws and in it's prime had been very well tended.

Anyway, with a major renovation on our hands, the garden had to be razed. Luckily a friend of mine fostered the few plants we could salvage.

The garden became a building site. At least this gave us an idea of how much space we had, which was much more than we'd expected.

We planned a terrace next to the house, then a cottage garden, then fruit and vegetable beds (that was before we got the allotment!), and then a gravel garden with another terrace at the end overlooking the valley. In case you hadn't gathered - it's a long thin garden!

The bare earth stage was very difficult for me: I missed the lushness of my mature London garden! We've spent a lot of time this spring visiting plant sales and open gardens, and with the addition of kind donations and lots of hard work, the garden is now looking quite green and floriferous. Amazing when you consider that the first plant only went in one year ago! Of course the hedges help a lot. Wish I could think of a good way to use all those redundant plastic plant pots...

Gardening's always a bit of trial and error with the hens. I love the way free-ranging hens bring the garden to life, so in general my policy is that plants have to stand up for themselves against the hens: they don't get mollycoddled. We've made an exception with the vegetable beds which as you can see are netted, and the new roses are getting protected until they're a bit bigger. But apart from them, every plant gets taste tested! Bizarrely, the hens seem to go for different things at different times: the alchemilla mollis which was very hen-pecked in London is completely ignored here! 

A real bonus is the view from the end of the garden, which emerged once the 'hedge' was hacked down. It's terrific (though often also terrifically windy). I'm looking forward to having the terrace that overlooks it a bit more sorted: at the moment it's just a pile of gravel with a bench in the middle!

Anyway - big move done! I'm now settling into life in the country... and hopefully a few more regular blog posts! 

 

Just wanted to show you a few quick snaps of my latest outlet: SEED which is now in the Black Swan Arts building in Frome.

Having recently moved to Somerset I've been checking out potential nearby outlets for my jewellery, and had shortlisted both SEED (which used to be in Catherine Hill) and Black Swan Arts. Imagine my distress when I heard that the Black Swan craft shop was closing due to Somerset County Council's arts funding cuts, and SEED was moving! Luckily it was only short lived as it emerged that SEED was moving into Black Swan's shop: a really great solution, to have a home grown business taking over this key Frome facility. 

I was delighted when Sinead approached me about supplying some jewellery for the new enlarged SEED. The shop only opened the day before these photos were taken, and it had all been set up in record time. Not surprisingly there's a freshness to the display, alongside the feel of this being an aladdin's cave, ripe with opportunities to discover and be delighted.

Regulars will recognise the familiar SEED style: every corner looks fantastic, full of gorgeous products, treats for the self and the home. 

The shop is a haven for gift hunters, with everything from cards and candles through to table wear and probably even tables, because most of the display furniture is actually for sale!

Sinead really does have a knack for both selecting and displaying things, so SEED is well worth a visit. The Black Swan Arts gallery is still open on the first floor with a good programme of exhibitions, and the craft studios and Divas cafe are still open too, so there's plenty to see and do within the same building.

2 Bridge Street, Frome, Somerset, BA11 1BB.

 

We're beginning to sample the gastronomic delights of Somerset, and couldn't resist visiting Matt's Kitchen, in Bruton High Street. Actually what we really visited was Matt's sitting room, which he's turned into possibly the smallest restaurant I've ever been to. Small in size but certainly not on style: this is a bold venture in many ways.

Bold because, firstly, Matt's Kitchen is only open for lunch on weekdays and a couple of evenings a week. Usually: it's all very much a question of what suits Matt. He likes to keep his weekends free, but he sometimes hosts private dinner parties on other evenings too. Well if you can run a viable restaurant business without working too many unsocial hours, then why not? 

The menu is bold too in it's simplicity: it's different each day, and published once a week (he sticks it in his window). What Matt shows on the menu is the main course of the day only - and even with that there's a caveat that this is the plan, but it might change if he finds something else better. The day we went he'd advertised Provencal fish stew, and that was indeed what we were served as a main course. It was served On a bed of leeks with aioli and chunks of bread, and was perfectly good (although the potatoes could have been cooked a little longer).

The rest of the menu was recited to us by Matt. There was a small choice of starters: J had Matt's homemade merguez sausages. They were very good. The family on the next table decided they were the best sausages they'd ever had (it's that sort of place: a dream for eavesdroppers).  

I had a mackerel mousse (light but large), and we also had a plate of three fresh salads (fennel and orange, marinated courgette ribbons, and fresh leaves). Matt gave us some green olive and almond tapenade too, which was delicious.

The puddings were great. Rhubarb ice cream with poached rhubarb was yummy (if you like ice cream with a crystalline texture, which I do). Lemon syllabub - again with poached rhubarb - was rich, creamy, and unctuous.

I have to say it took a bit of a leap of faith to eat in Matt's kitchen, but it was worth it. There isn't really any choice to speak of in any of the menu: when we had some choice it was because there was one dish left presumably from the previous day. And we had no idea what the prices of the starters or puds were going to be until the bill arrived. But with starters at £4, the mains at £10, and puds at £4 we came away with a very reasonable bill of £43 for 2 (we had 3 starters and there's a small charge for corkage).

The decor is quirky and fun: a mixture of ancient blue Lias flagstones, timbers, a big inglenook, and white walls complemented by a very eclectic and characterful mix of 50s/70s furniture. The shelves display an amazing collection of bizarre artefacts (mostly vintage plastic toys and household implements) painted turquoise in true art-school chic. Sounds odd maybe, but it gives a very contemporary vibe and it works. Matt himself was charming, and quite how he manages to cater for 16 people and play host with only one helper as far as I could see is an incredible feat. Obviously lots of advance preparation, but the meal was none the worse for it.

Matt's Kitchen is certainly one of the more unusual restaurants I've eaten in in this country, and definitely one of the more interesting. There's something about the scale of the operation and the way you have to surrender to Matt's menu that gives the meal a little drama and the sense of it all being a bit of An Experience. I'll definitely be back for more. Booking essential: 01749 812 027

We're over the moon with our new allotment: it's in the parabola - an old walled garden in the grounds of Hadspen House. It's a completely magical spot.

Our real first job is to prepare the ground for planting, but as there are a number of wild and naturalised flowers out at the moment, I took the opportunity to capture them with my camera this morning, in case they get lost in the planting process. 

OK I know some of them are only dandelions, but they're beautiful nonetheless! Snowdrops, celandines, forget me nots, bluebells, primroses, comfrey and more I'll have to get my wild flower book out for...

Outside the allotment site itself were some amazing fritillaries - one of my favourites.

Problem with having an allotment in such an amazing spot is that it's hard to do anything other than gaze in wonder!

Been a bit quiet with the blog recently because I've been busy with other things ... like moving to Somerset! We're still partly in London as we haven't sold the house there yet, but in the meantime are spending an increasing amount of time in the country.

It's really good to make friends with the neighbours 

have great views from the end of your garden

and fantastic walks just a minute from the house.

I'm also loving the farmers markets, fresh country air, and completely different noises.

I have to say that I'm looking forward to the familiarity of Hatton Garden next week too though! ;-)

Went to 'At The Chapel' in Bruton, Somerset last weekend: this must be my favourite eatery at the moment. The concept and execution are both perfect. A lovely old building renovated in a way that honours the best things about it: light and space, clean graceful lines, features like great windows and old iron pillars.

The space provides a choice of seating options: big shared table, small dining tables, comfy chairs and low tables - even stools at the bar if my memory serves me right. And this leads to a variety of customers too: it feels like a real meeting place for all sorts of people from the local community. From coffees to cocktails, pizzas to puddings - everything I've tried has been great.

There's an emphasis on provenance and locally sourced materials, and this goes from the food to the flagstones. I love it.