Latest reviews

Kirstie Fox reviewed: Silver clay and silver smithing - Rings, bangle and charms

"All fab! I really enjoyed making the jewellery."

Michele Etherton reviewed: Silver clay and silver smithing - Rings, bangle and charms

"It was very well organised, lunch was great and the teaching was brilliant. It was a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and very conducive to learning a new skill."

Nicola Howe reviewed: Silver clay and silver smithing - Rings, bangle and charms

"Fab day, fab lunch, fab company! I enjoyed learning the process and having so many finished pieces to take home."

Molly Pake reviewed: Chocolate and Prosecco - chocolate indulgence day!

"I liked the fact that we could make as much as we wanted. There was no time limit either."

Esme Baedwell reviewed: Chocolate and Prosecco - chocolate indulgence day!

"I loved the whole day, flavouring and tempering and also learning about the history of chocolate."

Julia Beadwell reviewed: Chocolate and Prosecco - chocolate indulgence day!

"I learned how to temper and flavour chocolate and how not to be afraid to experiment."

Alimi Adewale reviewed: Lucy Churchill's Stone Carving Workshops

"I was privileged to take Lucy's class in stone carving, to learn under someone with an early career in museums and restoration carving is a rare opportunity and you get to learn what they don't teach in art school, traditional stone masonry secrets and ideas. She gets you into it from day one, and you realise there is a carver in everyone. After the first day you just get it and the stone starts to yield because of the technical know-how she has instilled: understanding tools, tool techniques, tool sharpening and reading medieval stone signature. I travelled all the way from Africa for this class because this is the best UK stone carving class, and Lucy is always providing her students with amazing meals and unlimited teas. Gratitude for sharing lots of knowledge in stone carving."

Catherine and Miles reviewed: Two person 'Have a Bash' at Blacksmithing course in Shropshire

"This was a fantastic day and a great way to gain an appreciation of the skills that go into the blacksmiths art. Jake was a very patient teacher, clear in all his explanations and very skilled in seamlessly recovering any minor student mistakes without any fuss. His teaching style achieves the tricky balance in ensuring that you do everything safely and to a good standard for a beginner while not being intrusive, all of which leaves you with a great feeling of achievement at the end of the day when you leave with items made through your own efforts. Jake himself is incredibly skilled, making all the techniques look easy when he demonstrates what you will be doing yourself later, but his talent lies in then breaking these down into easily understood and manageable bits so that you surprise yourself when you are able to replicate what you have been shown, albeit much more slowly! We had a great day and this taster has led to us wanting to learn more as soon as Jake sets up a blacksmithing part 2 course in his new forge. Would recommend this course to anybody. Thanks for a fun day Jake."

Charlotte Powell reviewed: Throwing taster session

"Great fun, would like to come back and have another go."

Pete Rhodes reviewed: Throwing taster session

"Great fun. Deiniol was very patient!"

Julie Jones reviewed: Taster pottery throwing lesson (various dates)

"We had a fantastic session with Jack who was an excellent teacher. I would definitely recommend this course for a fun and creative afternoon."

Susan K reviewed: Willow Curlews with Phil Bradley in the Yorkshire Dales

"Phil is a fantastic tutor, showing you each step and then letting you get on with it, before moving on to the next stage. Rachel and Mike are wonderful hosts and we are honoured to share this unique location for the day, which makes the experience even more special. Everyone enjoyed a tasty lunch of homemade soups/bread and baking. They even provided fresh water, juice and suncream, as it was a hot, sunny day and we were able to work outside. Everyone had a unique hare to take home and I'm sure we all enjoyed it. Highly recommended, thank you Rachel, Mike and Phil."

Penny Harris reviewed: Three day luxury felt picture making retreat

"Inspirational three days. New techniques learnt. Good company too. Plenty of space in Felting room with everything we needed"

Linda Lemmon reviewed: Beginner’s Soapmaking Workshop in Salisbury

"I had an absolutely fab day. Beautiful setting and Catherine was a great teacher. Clear and concise in her teaching, patient and very generous with her knowledge. I am definitely inspired to try more of the recipes at home. Highly recommended."

Herbal Harmony responded:

"Thank you Linda! So glad you had a great day, enjoy your soaps and hope you have fun making more of them at home!"

Karon Lindner reviewed: Persian Patterns: Exploring the geometric genius of the Persian master-craftsmen

"Wonderful experience - challenging, beautiful, encouraging tutors, so much to learn, to enjoy. Looking forward to next time ..."

Prema reviewed: Persian Patterns: Exploring the geometric genius of the Persian master-craftsmen

"I have thoroughly enjoyed the weekend learning and experiencing Persian geometry with Daniel. Daniel's passion is evident and brought the patterns to life, skillfully guiding us even through what at first seemed like the most difficult of patterns and made it very achievable. The quotes and stories that were told about Sacred Geometry brought forth a very rich experience. I now have the spark to continue my journey, thank you Daniel for sharing your obvious passion and Vija for your beautiful support."

Rosie reviewed: 2-Day Traditional Stained Glass Painting Course for Beginners

"I had a great time on Nathalie's course and produced some images I was really happy with by the end of the second day. Nathalie is very knowledgeable and I felt I was learning all the time through watching, conversation and practicing different skills. There was a good atmosphere in the studio and there were lots of laughs. It was nice that Nathalie allowed us to see her studio where she works giving the experience a more authentic feel."

Couleurlive responded:

"Dear Rosie, Thank you very much for your precise and kind review. I am delighted you kept good memories of those two days."

Anna Kelleher reviewed: Weaving the cosmos: sacred geometry and hexagonal weave basketry

"Great course! Fun, interesting and very pleased I have a basket and new skills to take home too."

G. Ross reviewed: Weaving the cosmos: sacred geometry and hexagonal weave basketry

"A thoroughly enjoyable day! Something so different - yet satisfying. Highly recommended."

Brenda Denny reviewed: Stained glass leading for beginners

"Reg and I did a one day stained glass leading course with Jamal, we had a fantastic day, Jamal is a very good teacher and shares his knowledge in a very friendly way. Reg has since bought glass, lead, etc and is busy making a flowered stained glass in his garage, he has caught the bug. I would certainly recommend anyone to have a go. Also whilst you are there check out Jamal’s drawings, I bought one, picking it up next week and looking forward to hanging it on my wall, he is a fantastic artist. Brenda & Reg."

Dave and Gayle reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"We really enjoyed the stone sculpting course. A great opportunity to do something we hadn't done before. We found that Sebastian struck a nice balance of showing us the basics before getting started, support with coming up with a workeable original design, and advice and techniques for carving and then finishing our sculptures. We are really pleased with the end results. Combined with the lovely surroundings made for a great weekend. Thanks."

Neill reviewed: Make and decorate a ceramic bowl in one session

"We both had such an amazing time making bowls with Josie. She talked us through every stage of the process, demonstrating what to do, and helped us to understand why we were doing it. She has such a wealth of knowledge. The process of making the bowls was great fun, and was very relaxed too. We picked up our finished bowls a few weeks later when we were back in London, and they now have pride of place in our entrance hall. We would highly recommend this experience."

Josie Warshaw Ceramics responded:

"Many Thanks for your positive review ...I hope to see you again for another making session ."

Bridget Hunt reviewed: One inspiring day of mono printing from nature in artists studio near York

"As usual Emily’s workshop was well organised, informative and lots of fun. We learned some new techniques and had them plenty of opportunity for hands-on practice, with help, advice and support when needed. A great day!"

Julia reviewed: Beginner’s Soapmaking Workshop in Salisbury

"What a great way to spend a day! As a complete novice in the world of soap-making I was surprised and intrigued by the whole process. Following Catherine's instructions (although I did go 'off piste' at one point and had to be rescued!!!), the class each produced two individual boxes of fragrant and beautifully coloured soap. It's a fascinating subject and we all left with plenty of information, so that we could have a go at home. This, coupled with Catherine's enthusiastic support, meant that there are now another bunch of soap-makers released into the community. So it's all bubbles from here on!!! Fully recommended. Book now! You'll have a great time and meet some interesting people in the beautiful surroundings of The Liveability Centre."

Herbal Harmony responded:

"Thank you so much for your review Julia! I'm really glad you had an enjoyable day and have fun making more soaps!"

Gillian Corrigan reviewed: Ceramic sculpture for all abilities in Kent

"Brenda is an excellent teacher . She was brilliant at explaining to me how to build my sculpture step by step and encouraged me throughout. She was helpful without being intrusive. She had provided not only the basic materials but many additional resources The other people were friendly and the surroundings-we were at Godington House-beautiful. I made a green man mask and every time I look at it it makes me happy. Oh and there’s loads of cake and tea and coffee whenever you want."