Latest reviews

Helen M reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 pottery / ceramics workshop for 1 person

"I was given a voucher for a pottery day from my husband for Christmas. The booking process was easy and Louise checked for any dietary requirements for lunch (I avoid cow’s milk). On the day the travel directions were very straight forward and on arrival Louise put me at ease as she is very friendly and approachable. I was a complete beginner and enjoyed learning pinch pots, coil pots and slab building. After a lovely relaxed lunch I tried throwing on the wheel. By the end of the afternoon I had a good choice of pots to have fired and glazed."

Blended Monkey - pottery - woodturning - green woodworking - pole lathe - throwing responded:

"It was lovely to meet you for your 1-day ceramics experience and I'm really pleased you enjoyed your time and felt at ease in the studio. I enjoyed your company and our chat too! You made some great pieces."

Gillian reviewed: Hare Sculpture workshop with Jo Garden Art in beautiful Norfolk/Suffolk

"What a truly fantastic fun filled day. This was my 2nd workshop and it was as brilliant as the first. Jo and Andy are so welcoming and kind. The day flew past as we were guided gently, laughed lots and chatted continually. Home with a second amazing Hare full of personality that has brought smiles to so many already and each time I look at them, they bring back such warm memories. Thank you Jo and Andy for an inspirational experience. I will definitely be back xxxx"

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you Gillian - the workshop was so much fun and all of your hares were gorgeous ;-) So happy the second workshop was as good as the first for you - that means a huge amount to me. Jo x"

Vicky Grant reviewed: Woodturning for beginners

"I had a great day learning about wood, how to cut & dry it, and manage to turn a couple of half decent souvenirs with the expert guidance of Stuart. He is very patient, passionate about what he does & a great guy to spend a day with & chat about all manner of things. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would highly recommend."

The Scottish Woodturner responded:

"Hi Vicky, Many thanks for your comments. I'm glad we managed to cover the processing side of the timber as well as making a few things. That will at least have given you an insight into what's involved when you start to sort out all the trees you have. Just let me know if I can help further. Hope your son liked the spinning top. Stuart."

Amanda Wisker reviewed: Hare Sculpture workshop with Jo Garden Art in beautiful Norfolk/Suffolk

"Had a fabulous day for a friend’s special birthday, Jo made us feel so welcome. We all made amazing hare sculptures, thoroughly recommend a day with Jo."

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you Amanda! Just loved yesterday's workshop - so glad you all enjoyed it ;-) Jo x"

Aaron reviewed: ZZZ Personalised silver ring making course in the South Hams

"This was very fun and I would definitely recommend it."

Henry reviewed: Introduction to green woodworking at Sallerton Wood

"I had a great day out in such an amazing setting. It was so interesting to find out about selecting and splitting up green wood to work with and then to be shown and learn to use traditional tools in the well-equipped workshop shelter. Andy is extremely knowledgeable and made it all seem so easy. I came away not only with the things I’d made during the day but also eager to do more as soon as I get the chance. Thanks for an excellent day (not to mention the tasty lunch and afternoon cake)."

Sallerton Wood responded:

"Thank you so much for that lovely review, Henry. We are delighted that you enjoyed the course so much, and the lunch and cake! We'd love to welcome you back to Sallerton Wood at any time in the future."

Becky reviewed: One-day woodcarving for beginners

"Will is an excellent teacher, I had no previous woodcarving experience but learnt alot about the different tools and techniques needed to get started with woodcarving. Will was very patient and was more than happy to answer any questions and give suggestions around design. There were a few of us in the group but Will gave us all one on one guidance throughout the day. I had an excellent day and came away with something I was very happy with. For anyone looking for a woodcarving course, I couldn't recommend Will enough!"

Ellie reviewed: One-day woodcarving for beginners

"I completed a woodcarving course with Will and was blown away by his carving skills, his knowledge about the craft and his ability to teach a complete novice how to use the tools. He was incredibly patient throughout the day, and guided me to produce a letter carving I was thrilled with. I thoroughly recommend Will to anyone out there with little, or no knowledge of woodcarving, that wants to give it a go. Thank you Will. I shall definitely be back for another day carving with you soon."

Danny Danjuma reviewed: One-day woodcarving for beginners

"One of the most amazing courses I’ve taken, from the friendly and focused attention of the facilitator to the free yet safe feeling in the opportunity to create, I’ll definitely be looking to take up wood carving after this. Can’t recommend this enough!"

J Perry reviewed: Forget Me Not Embroidery/Crewel Panel

"Absolutely delighted with my Forget-Me-Knot printed design on really nice material, beautifully packaged Cannot wait to start stitching, Thank You Annie"

Annie Morris responded:

"Brilliant! So happy to hear that you are delighted. Enjoy your stitching time! x"

Scarlet Hodge reviewed: One-to-one woodcarving tuition (one day)

"Will was extremely welcoming upon arrival and held a very thorough yet fun course. Techniques and equipment explained well and great attention to detail regarding covid regulations. We enjoyed every minute and time flew by! And what an amazing location!"

William Barsley responded:

"Thanks so much Scarlet. It was good fun and great to introduce you to the art of woodcarving!"

Tina Browne reviewed: Jewellery making with Precious Metal Silver Clay - Full Day Workshop

"Really enjoyed the workshop and very pleased with the pieces of jewellery I made. Charlotte was a great teacher and very patient and encouraging."

Felix & Reuben Jewellery School responded:

"Hi Tina, Thank you for attending our workshop. Well done on making such gorgeous pieces of jewellery! We are really glad you enjoyed the experience! Regards Charlotte"

J Bourne reviewed: Coptic Bookbinding Kits in Blue 'Flowers' design

"Although I have done bookbinding before, I had not done anything with Coptic Stitch binding. I saw this kit advertised and thought it would be simpler to work from a kit to get me started. This was successful. I found the prepared materials very good and the instructions easy to follow. Everything worked well and I am pleased with the results."

Nant Designs responded:

"Thankyou for your great feedback. I hope you will go on to experiment with other bookbindind techniques in the future"

janet reviewed: Sculpt your own faithful dog!

"Fab kit. Generous supplies of materials and very comprehensive instructions. I had a fantastic time sculpting my dog and thrilled with the result"

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Hi Janet - Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review of the Faithful Dog Kit. Tula, the Cockapoo who is one of the 'templates' had a nasty accident a couple of weeks ago and I've just returned from the vets where she had her 10 stitches out, poor thing. However, she is all recovered but will have a big scar across her chest - perhaps I will need to do a new sculpture of her!!!!"

angela hughes reviewed: One day stained glass workshop London for beginners and enthusiasts

"Great day with tejal learning how copper foil stain glass. Tejal has great knowledge of the squipment and techniques and was very encouraging with our creations. Very reasonable and a fun day had by me and my daughter."

GlassSeasons responded:

"thanks, appreciate it"

Sue Puddefoot reviewed: Glass bottle cutting for beginners - Sittingbourne

"I had a lovely afternoon cutting bottles under Janet and Claire's brilliant tuition, they were very patient with me! There were a lot of bottles to choose from in different colours and we made a variety of different items including a storm lantern."

Fancy Tat responded:

"Hello Sue, Thank you so much for your kind review. We really enjoyed spending the afternoon with you and we’re really pleased that you had a good time :) Kind Regards Claire & Janet"

Gordon reviewed: Woodturning for beginners

"I had a blast of a day learning the mysterious art of wood turning. Stuart gives you a real appreciation of the fine art involved and guides you to produce some lovely souvenirs. His workshop is impressive. I'd thoroughly recommend the day to those with either a passing interest or a deep desire to learn more."

The Scottish Woodturner responded:

"Hi Gordon, Many thanks for your recommendation, I appreciate it. I think your day here was probably less tiring than your other pursuit of "Marilyn & Munroe" bagging. All the best. Stuart."

Stephen Bloomfield reviewed: Bandsaw box making day

"A very enjoyable day even for someone -- perhaps especially for someone -- who had not done any woodwork since schooldays. Tim was very good company and a good tutor -- ready to help but not intrusive. I shall be going back to make another item."

Piers Lesser reviewed: Carve a spoon in a day

"Mike was really skilled in looking after us all. He provided tools and enthusiasm and was able to keep the slower of us nicely included without any suggestion of criticism. It was a wonderful day and well worthwhile. Thank you."

Rosa reviewed: One day bangle/ring workshop

"Got this as gift for my 21st from my boyfriend - had a fab day ! Jolene is lovely and patient, we’ve left with some gorgeous pieces of jewellery too. Would highly recommend"

Rosemary Owen reviewed: Leather dog collar and lead workshop

"I had a great day with Christina who was more than happy to help me increase my limited knowledge of leatherwork. A very informal and relaxed atmosphere in a beautiful setting. I would highly recommend one of Christina's courses. I will be putting my new skills into practice."

The School of Leathercraft responded:

"Thank you was a pleasure"

Roger Morse reviewed: Summer Carving Course

"Wow! What fun. Learned a lot under Nicholas' excellent tutorage and guidance and was able to produce a now much loved carved piece of stone. I also learned that stone is harder than wood and does produce a lot of dust! I really enjoyed my three days. Thank you."

nicolas moreton responded:

"Glad to hear you had such a great time and went away with a now treasured piece of work and some new skills."

Bob Missin reviewed: Blacksmithing Introduction courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"It was its usual excellent day (I have been 3 times) with great food, great tuition, a warm, friendly atmosphere and at the end you go home with something worth looking at in the garden, at home or as present. I would recommend it to anyone, you don't have to be big and strong to do it, just watch your head on the forge."

Sue Barlow reviewed: Blacksmithing - one to one - Hammer Skills

"I bought the experience day for 2 for my Dad’s 80th What an amazing day we had, Bob was so lovely and so helpful. We started off with the basics in the morning then made a couple of things to take home. I would highly recommend the blacksmith workshop. Thanks Bob we had a fantastic day!"

Howard Swarbrick reviewed: Box making weekend in Cumbria

"There were four attendees on the course held over 14/15th Aug of varying skills and experience.To his credit Mark was able to keep us all on the go at a pace to suit our individual abilities but at the same time not allowing anyone to fall behind. There was no waiting for anyone to catch up. There was great emphasis on workshop safety and to this end the use of all relevant hand and power tools was explained and what could happen if "you did it wrong"! Each step along the way was carefully explained with a demo if needed. Mark is very knowledgeable particularly when it comes to wood finishing; indeed he has created his own finishing waxes. I made a box using oak with concave external faces with a walnut drop down lid and radiused corner trims. Well chuffed I was! The location is super, very close to the M6 and easy to find. We had a lot of fun; a good laugh and came away with a sense of achievement. Here's to the next course"