Oxford Clay

Welcome to Oxford Clay.

It was during a shopping trip to the local supermarket that I saw a sign on the community notice board that read “Children’s Pottery Classes - East Oxford Community Centre”. I went to the classes and loved them, inspiring a lifelong passion for working with clay.

Over the years practising pottery I learned about the different ingredients and minerals that made ceramics and created the colours in glazes. However, I started to wonder, where did these materials actually come from and how are they produced? I realised that many of the ingredients I routinely used caused harm to animals, people and the environment.

I wondered whether pottery could be made without these ingredients, so I spent months researching and testing clay and glaze recipes, using only ingredients that were non-toxic and caused minimal environmental harm. I developed a special mix of clays from Devon, Dorset and Cornwall in the UK, and combined them with recycled rainwater. I created a glaze made from recycled wood ash, coloured by the natural trace minerals and metals in the ash itself, making each piece totally unique. I learned about the different ways animal products are used in pottery and excluded these from my practice.

Once I was happy with the final ceramics, I applied to The Vegan Society for vegan certification and I was proud to be awarded vegan certification for all Oxford Clay’s products.

You can read more about our sustainable approach on our Ingredients webpage. 

If you’d like to know more about some simple ways pottery can be made more eco-friendly I have written two eBooks sharing everything I’ve learned. I cant wait to share them with you!