Latest reviews

Caroline Verden reviewed: Make a needle-felt Herdwick doorstop - a Quirky Workshop nr Ullswater & The Lake District

"Thoroughly enjoyable day in a lovely venue with great company, and food. Annis was an excellent tutor, and we all went home happy with our herdy doorstop under our arm, I look forward to returning!"

Susannah Yorke reviewed: DELETE-Business Course in Traditional & Modern Upholstery (Taster Day)

"A day spent in Sarah’s tranquil upholstery studio, is just the tonic to escape the pressures of todays fast living. To stop and learn a new skill, while having a bit of ‘me time’ is what I craved and this course delivers in spades. Sarah shares her extensive knowledge in a friendly, relaxed manner and imparts best practises and trade secrets that you won’t glean from a book. Her enthusiasm is contagious and you’ll soon find yourself browsing fabric sites and collecting chairs to practise your new skills. I highly recommend the diploma, along with the delicious lunches and encouraging cups of tea."

Pete Brown reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"This course was the most fantastic birthday present – not too daunting for beginners but challenging enough to give you a real sense of achievement. Ade and Andy have a supportive step-by-step approach that builds your confidence as the day progresses. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, and the home catering is a perfect fit for the 'crafty' ethos at the Forge. Definitely recommended!"

Alexandra Bradley reviewed: Lino and stamp printing workshop

"Four of us did this workshop for a team building session and it was fantastic. It was great fun, interesting and relaxing at the same time. I loved developing ideas and feel way more prepared for the festive season than ever before! Diana was a great teacher and had lots of kit for us to work with. Inspired to do more lino cut printing. Thanks."

Heddfan From Narberth responded:

"Thank you Alex. It was great working with you and your team. I hope you come back."

Ben Routledge reviewed: 2 Day forged chef's knife course.

"Myself and a friend completed this course just over a month ago and it was truly excellent! Steve is a great bloke and an extremely knowledgable teacher. The knives we made were of top quality and are (still!) incredibly sharp! I would highly recommend this course to anyone with even the slightest interest in forging or chef's knives! Thanks for the course, Ben and James :)"

White Tiger Knives responded:

"Ben, James It was a total pleasure to have you both on the two day course. The knives you created were beautiful and you both should be very proud of how they turned out. Kind regards Steve"

Claire pike reviewed: Weekend Traditional Lampshade Making Workshop

"I had a fabulous weekend with Sarah learning to make a lampshade. Sarah was very informative and knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble. She took us through step by step and everything was very well explained. No question was a silly question and Sarah made everyone feel so welcome. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sarah and I can’t wait to return to continue with my learning."

Daniel Pulley reviewed: Timber framing courses

"Awesome week in the woods with Alan, Mary, Connor & Sid. Very knowledgeable on the art of green oak timber framing, learnt a lot during the week. Great for lads in the trade looking to advance their skills, or for people looking to learn something new. The food was superb. Will definitely be booking up on next years course!"

Mollie reviewed: Felt Pod Vessels

"Dear Emma I had a wonderful morning with you, thank you, and look forward to more workshops in your excellent work space. I've just returned from a wet and windy week in Wales and am preparing my work room for a go at making another felted pod, while your instructions are in my head! Thanks for sending me the images - I downloaded them just in time! I took my creation with me and gave it some attention - hopefully I'll manage to send some pictures! The silk looked good, but I think I needed to add more! I learned so much from your knowledge and generous teaching style and very much look forward to joining you again. Many thanks, Mol"

Mel reviewed: One day introduction to glass fusing in Medway, Kent

"Had an excellent day learning and creating some glass fusing pieces. Was a really fun day! Beverley was an awesome teacher, really knows her stuff. Would highly recommend!"

Beverley Bunn Glass Art responded:

"Thanks Mel :0) I enjoyed having you and Steph in the class - your pieces turned out great! Glad you had fun x"

Jane Wach reviewed: Introduction to candle-making as a business

"My friend and I had the most amazing day today ! Jo is very knowledgable and teaches to a very high standard Would highly recommend this course"

Yuen Lau reviewed: Make your very own crossbody/messenger bag

"Richard was an excellent teacher. He was super patient and guided me step by step on how to make my bag. He also gave a lot of advice and was experienced to answer all the questions I had. He was also very accommodating so I was able to customise my bag to suit me. I would highly recommend his workshops. I will definitely continue with leathercraft, and he was so lovely about contacting him with any further questions be it in the near future or a few years down the line. Very genuine and very passionate about leathercraft. I am so happy with my crossbody bag I made by hand."

Neil Kingsnorth reviewed: Green wood chair making - 6 day woodworking course in Devon

"Excellent, inspiring and thoroughly enjoyable. I learned an enormous number of new skills and techniques and built my confidence in working with green wood. Peter is a brilliant, highly knowledgable and patient tutor who guides you through calmly and with clarity. It's also a beautiful venue, and the tools provided were excellent, which all helps. I ended up with a beautiful chair but also much greater knowledge and skills, which I was looking for. Highly recommended."

Jan Burnham reviewed: Introduction to candle-making as a business

"This friendly educational course is the perfect introduction into candle making. Jo has so much experience and advice to offer. You walk away from this course with the confidence to make more of the items you create on the course. The items I made and the experience and knowledge I gained made this course worth every penny. Stunning venue, totally found Jo inspirational."

Chris & Evie reviewed: One day stained glass course

"We had a great day at Cheryl's. We learnt how to use all the tools needed to cut and shape stained glass and shape and fit the leading. We were really happy with our pieces we took home. We had a lot of fun too and a nice cake and a cuppa. We highly recommend this experience and thanks again Cheryl.. xx"

Fran Brockbank reviewed: Willow Curlews with Phil Bradley in the Yorkshire Dales

"The Curlew Willow workshop was an absolute joy. The setting at Broadrakes is very comfortable and the lunch provided was excellent. Phil Bradley is a great tutor and my curlew, which has been in the garden, has impressed visitors all summer."

Yvonne reviewed: Make a snowdrop 8" x 4" fused glass light catcher with glass artist Matt Sorrell

"Sarah and I thoroughly enjoyed our Fused Glass class this week. Waiting in anticipation for the results of our labours!!"

Steph reviewed: One day introduction to glass fusing in Medway, Kent

"What an amazing course, Beverley was an excellent teacher and host. Thoroughly enjoyed learning the basics and very happy with what I managed to achieve in one day. Would certainly recommend this course to anyone interested in glass or learning a new skill. Will be looking to book another course with Beverley in the future."

Beverley Bunn Glass Art responded:

"So glad you had a good time - thanks for your lovely review! You are welcome back any time! Oh and I just found your notebook here lol I will keep it safe for next time x"

Philip Jarman reviewed: One to one, One day, blacksmith course

"I took a two day one-to-one course with Alex as a complete beginner and loved every moment. He's patient, funny, skilled and great at communicating his (extensive) blacksmithing skills to others. The work is physical and hot, but so enjoyable and it's great to be able to take home an armload of useful things you've made. Can't recommend it highly enough: as a present for someone or a a treat for yourself."

Chalk Pit Forge responded:

"Hi Philip, Thanks for the great review, much appreciated. Really glad you enjoyed it! Alex"

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

"I treated myself and my husband Jeff to this one day course for our 19th anniversary (which is bronze, well only painted bronze but looks so good). Jo really is a brilliant, clear and friendly tutor who guided a completely non creative Jeff into a great hare artist ! We had a fantastic day, the dogs are so friendly and the studio is modern and bright. I recommend this day to everyone and I will send a few friends and family on it for unique Christmas and birthday gifts. Can’t wait to return and have started saving for a 2 day course."

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you Lynn! It was a pleasure having you and Jeff here on Saturday ;-) And didn't Jeff do well! I love it when someone say's they are not creative - then go on to pull a hidden talent out of the hat!"

Sevane reviewed: Hand forged rustic knife course

"We had a blast! I absolutely recommend this half-day course to any beginner! I am a woman, with not a lot of strength in my arms and moderately fit, and we came together with a guy friend. We both found it challenging in the arms (don't hesitate to ask for a lighter hammer sooner - 2.5kg was too much for me, but a lighter one was much better!) but oh so satisfying and fun. You get to do each step of the process yourself (except the differential tempering which requires experience). Andy and Dave were super friendly and warm. They explained anything that needed explaining, gave proper demonstrations, answered all our questions; they corrected us and helped us out when necessary. This is a working forge, so most of the time we were left on our own to do our thing (which I really appreciated) but they kept an eye on us and checked in regularly. Sometimes they would rectify whatever needed rectifying, to make sure that, for example, no cracks were going to develop later, ruining our work. I loved the forging bit. Using the belt grinder was a bit more challenging for me because I never used any power tools before, but given time to focus it actually got fun. Overall we ended up super happy and physically tired (in a good way!) and we have a beautiful custom knife that we can show off and use. Also, we had a bit of choice and liberty in the shape of it so our knives don't exactly look the same and that's satisfying. The forge is a fun place to be in, with all the stuff and gear and the music around, and Andy and Dave working on their own projects. The price is very reasonable for the experience and result you get. I recommend this experience to all and especially to women who wonder if they'd like it or if they can do it. For me it was very new and exciting, and I'm sure you'll love it too!"

Gareth Cook reviewed: One day stained glass course

"A fantastic day on the 'foiling' course, set in an inspiring workshop. Hands on skill building from the start, with great advice and professional artistic direction from Cheryl when needed. As a first timer, so impressed with my day's work. Highly recommended."

Christopher Hadley reviewed: Make a Welsh stick chair

"Absolutely wonderful course. This is the third course I have done with Ben, having done his stool and chair courses in London. Taking a week out of the city to work intensively on a chair was, however, a totally different experience. The location of the workshop is beautiful, and it really feels like you are away from everything. The workshop offers protection from the inevitable Welsh rain from time to time, while being mostly exposed, allowing you to enjoy the woodland flowers while working! The course is well structured, and the workshop has plenty of good quality tools for everyone to crack on in parallel. Ben is a great tutor - he has a lot of patience and always manages to rescue novice errors! He is a thoroughly nice chap too, and our group got on really well. I did this back in May/June of this year but have only just got around to writing this review. Looking back, this was one of the most fun, peaceful and rewarding weeks of recent years. I'm absolutely delighted with my chair, which will look great in my new flat. I hope to be back one day!"

Bethan Vaughan reviewed: Jewellery workshop for beginners (ring, earrings, pendant or bangle)

"Marion's course was of a very high quality indeed. We were fascinated by her clear modelling of many intricate jewellery-making skills and then found that we were very quickly replicating her techniques ourselves! Marion's close guidance throughout the process was excellent - she was extremely patient and was able to tailor the experience to the individual depending on our preferences. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were very pleased with the beautiful and unique silver rings we made! What a fantastic way to spend a Saturday!"

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

"Without doubt one of the best courses I have ever been on and highly recommended. Jo's home and studio is beautiful and she is warm, welcoming and friendly - plus a great tutor too! She is brilliant at explaining what will happen, showing you what to do in bite size chunks and then encouraging you to do the work with the bare minimum of help. I never thought I would turn a basic wire skeleton into such a lovely piece of art which has a memento of my late mum enclosed inside. It will forever have a special place in my garden. All six of us were total beginners and we all did incredibly well. Would definitely be happy to go back and make something else another time. Thanks Jo (and Andy, Tula and Mia)."

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you for such a lovely review Annette. Your moon gazing hare is beautiful and I am so pleased it will have a special place in your garden xx"

Lesley reviewed: Gelli Plate Printing Workshop by Clare Cosens

"Thoroughly enjoyable course. Claire is an excellent teacher/host. This is the 2nd course I have attended and will not be the last"