All the work in the show has being inspired from places in Kilkenny.  Andys are photographed here in the gardens of Rothe House the place of his inspiration.

The tea set I made is photographed in Castlecomer Discovery Park by the river, the place of my inspiration…

These are some of the new shots from the great photo shoot in shutterbug.  Blanaid pulled out all the stops with the styling and Moselle had some fun……..check out some more photos here.

Sorry for lack of posts of late,  summer always means no time to sit at the computer and beautiful sunny evenings definitely means no time or desire to sit at the computer……..the up shot is the garden is in full bloom and looking lovely and the house is full of summer displays. We have some gorgeous photos coming up from a shoot a couple of weeks ago and lots of new stuff so just bare with me and I will get them all up on line.

I made these ceramic bells earlier this year and waited until the bluebells were in bloom down the woods before photographing them. The bells make a beautiful ring depending on the size and I think they look gorgeous displayed in nature. Prices range from €15 to €25

We have a collection of all sorts on our workshop wall…above are a series of  glaze tests I did a couple of years ago. I had lots of fun doing these  tests and promised myself that it was something I would keep doing on a regular basis, but like lots of things busy production took over. It is good to live with them and some of these days I will develop them some more.

Beside the glaze tests we have a collection of found objects, all of which were found on the ground outside the workshop……all sort of little people, flowers and insects. They make quite an eclectic collection.

Thanks Aisling from the Narrow Space and Patsey Murphy from The Irish Times for the editorial in today’s paper. A really nice plug for Andy’s upcoming exhibiting…

‘American ceramic artist Andrew Ludick has been living in Castlecomer since 2003, sharing a workshop with his wife, potter Rosemarie Durr. A new exhibition of his delicate, glossy earthenware bowls, mostly white with dashes of colour, begins on May 7th in the Narrow Space Gallery, 14 Mitchel Street, Clonmel, Co.Tipperary, tel:052-6127838. Prices for these beautiful collectibles start at around €40 for a small vessel, see thenarrowspace.com’

BASIC WHITE YEAST BREAD

1lb/45og strong white flour

300-320 mls warm water

1.5 teaspoons of salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 sachet of easy blend yeast

Mix all your dry ingredients in a bowl and add the water and oil.  Mix and then turn out onto flowered worktop and knead for 10-15 mins. Place in an oiled bowl cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm kitchen with no draughts for about 1 hour until it doubles in size. Knock back and leave to rise for again, then press out air and leave to rest for 10 mins. Flatten out into a rect. baking sheet, then dimple with your fingers. You can use whatever toppings you want, I put olives, red onion, basil and garlic on one half and on the other I put fresh rosemary, sprinkled it all with rock salt and drizzled lots and lots of olive oil.

Bake in hot oven for 20 to 30 mins….eat while hot

I served the focaccia with baked potatoes, tomatoes and herbs. Put chopped potatoes, tomatoes and fresh herbs in a oven proof dish with some red onion, chopped garlic, olive oil and a little water (enough to cover the the bottom of the dish) Bake for about 45 mins. yummy….

Check out some of the new Inch Blue baby shoes we have in the shop right now……too cute for words

I hope you all get your fill of eggs this weekend……the shop will be open on

Sunday from 1pm – 5pm and Monday 12pm – 5pm

so if your out in the Discovery Park for a walk, or an Alice in Wonderland Experience, call in to say hello…

Happy Easter all

At last the daffodils are out…..these are the first of the year from my garden, brightening up the shop and looking great in Andy’s vase.  Andy’s work looks beautiful all on its own but introduce a few colourful flowers and its magic!

Kids love these bunnies and they are only €2.50 each

I was told today by a customer that this is called  a  ’Japanese Easter Tree’ I love the idea of an Easter Tree…

How cute are these little egg warmer bunnies?

I realise all my recipe’s lately are cookies but that’s the nature of winter (that’s my story) so here is one that is very healthy and full of goodness and the rice krispies make them nice and light. By summer I will be on salads… promise

150g/5oz butter

75g/3oz light brown sugar

75g/3oz honey

250g/9oz porridge oats

75g/3oz  rasinis or sultanas

50g dried apricots chopped

50g/2oz Rice Krispies

Preheat oven to 190 C, 375 F, Gas 5

Melt butter in a saucepan with sugar and honey over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Then remove from the heat and let cool a little.

Mix together oats, dried fruit and rice krispies. Then add the melted ingredients to the bowl, stirring everything well.

Spread the mixture into a lined 9in x 13in tray and bake 15-25 mins until it turns golden brown. Cool in the tin, then cut into squares or fingers………enjoy!

Andy made these utensil holders a couple of years ago, I think I need some more….I have a weakness for wooden spoons!

None of our chairs match, I have picked them up over the years at auctions and the cupboard in the corner was a fab find in Eclectic Interiors. It acts as a pantry and takes up very little room.

Another great buy from Eclectic Interiors was this dresser which holds all my crockery (a bit of a crazy mix from all over the place, not much matching here) the lovely plate on the side is another beautiful piece from Bridge Pottery.