Berry Bowls

The Berry Bowl

There’s something rather fun about making a colander out of clay.

I’d seen ceramic berry bowls and loved the idea of taking such a familiar, practical object — usually made from metal — and recreating it in ceramic. It felt like an interesting challenge for the potter’s wheel: could I make something that worked as a colander but was also beautiful enough to bring straight to the table?

My first versions were quite traditional, with handles and evenly spaced drainage holes. But, as so often happens when I’m making, I started to play.

The holes became part of the design rather than simply something functional. I experimented with different patterns, changed the shape of the bowl, lost the handles and tried different glaze combinations. Gradually, the berry bowl evolved into the version I make today.

Each one is thrown on the wheel before the holes are individually cut by hand. Once fired and glazed, those little openings become part of the character of the finished bowl, making every one slightly different.

They’re made for rinsing berries, grapes, cherry tomatoes and other small fruits, then taking them straight to the table — no need to transfer them to another bowl. And when they’re not being used as a ceramic colander, they’re lovely simply sitting out in the kitchen.

A practical object, made a little more special — and still one of my favourite pieces to make.