Latest reviews

Alice & Joe reviewed: Beginners Pottery Day Course

"Thank you for an absolutely wonderful day! We were both completely new to throwing and the session was suitably tailored to our abilities, providing us with an overview and understanding of the basics in a relaxed environment. This resulted in us both gaining confidence throughout the day and producing some really nice varied pieces by the end! Looking forward to receiving them once they have been fired! Highly recommend!"

Cariss reviewed: Bespoke candle making workshop - Edinburgh

"We spent a very chilled morning learning to pour soy wax candles and mixing our own scents. Kerry was very welcoming and knowledgable, and made the couple of hours we spent on her kitchen most enjoyable.. a very enjoyable mother & daughter bonding experience!"

Joanna reviewed: Weekend upholstery courses - Oxfordshire & Berkshire Borders

"A well organised and informative weekend class led by Philip who is a highly experienced and intuitive teacher. With the different styles of furniture brought over the weekend by students, a richer learning experience is gained. Both modern and traditional techniques are explained and demonstrated. Philips undetstanding and experience of textile materiality is inspiring and incredibly helpful in application. An infectious craft that will see you scouring antique shops forever more!"

Sean Dempsey reviewed: Weekend introductory blacksmithing course 'O' at Quinnell School of Blacksmithing

"This was an amazing experience, much better than I even imagined and I would highly recommend it to anybody interested in the craft. The instruction was excellent and apart from learning a lot there was a lot of enthusiasm and everybody had a lot of fun. The Fire and Iron gallery is an iconic place in Surrey and a very inspiring place to learn some forging skills. I will always treasure the pieces I forged on that day. I feel inspired to continue with the craft and hopefully will shortly do the more advanced course which involves creating pieces of my own design."

John Fearnside reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"This is a very pleasant way to spend a weekend in beautiful surroundings and create a stone carving with the guidance of Sebastian who a great character and hugely knowledgeable. I cannot recommend this enough."

Pippa Lewis reviewed: Beginner's modern calligraphy at Swallows & Artisans, Lake District

"Fantastic course at the beautiful Swallows & Artisans. Caron was a great tutor - helpful, encouraging and informative, and clearly passionate about her craft. We left with some beautiful hand made cards, a box of tools to keep us going, and a real sense of achievement! We were well fed and looked after by our host Karen. Do stay if you can, Lanehead is idyllic and it's the perfect venue to 'get away from it all'. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this course and venue to anyone looking for a crafty getaway."

Nicky Whittle reviewed: 2 Day Silver Jewellery Making Course - Ely

"I booked this course for myself and two friends some time ago. Finally the weekend arrived and we rocked up in Ely for our course. We could not have had more fun. What an EXCELLENT weekend. Not only were we all really pleased with what we made, but the quality of teaching was superb, the laughs had us doubled up and the constant supply of tea/coffee, biscuits and cake, not to forget the lovely lunches was amazing. We could not have wanted for more and were really thrilled with the whole weekend. Highly recommended. Thanks to Jonathan and Helen. xx"

Phoebe Arnold reviewed: Joinery for Furniture Making Evening Class in London

"Tom is a fantastic teacher and he has an amazing gift of being able to make you feel comfortable and like you're making progress even when you're finding something really difficult. I loved the woodwork for beginners course and got so much out of it - knowledge about what different types of wood, how to use machines, and most importantly how to saw in a straight line. I highly recommend this course!"

Jo Lodge reviewed: Two day (consecutive) stained glass starter course at North Norfolk Stained Glass

"A fantastic course, I had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Paul & Natalie are great tutors and make you feel at ease and encourage you throughout the whole process, even the scary soldering bit! It was lovely to have a relaxed atmosphere and a small group (there were two of us) so there was plenty of help available. Plenty of tea and a lovely lunch and an amazing setting ( we did manage to see a couple of hares too). Thoroughly recommended!"

North Norfolk Stained Glass responded:

"Hi Jo, It was a lovely two days - we enjoyed it just as much as Andrea and yourself did! You created some fantastic pieces and we’d love to share them on our Craft Courses page, if that’s okay with you? :) We look forward to hearing from you in the future and hope to see you soon! :) Best wishes, Paul & Natalie"

Vanessa Bashford reviewed: Green Wood Chair Making - 6 Day Woodworking Course in South Devon

"What a week. It has been a privilege to have spent time being so expertly taught by Peter, and in the company of a lovely group of people. The Workshop is a world away from the more usual stresses of life, it is a great working space and has everything you need (…somewhere). I went along to make a chair. I came home full of smiles about the laughter and stories that were told as we worked away, an amazing sense of achievement, and a fantastic chair. Thank you, Peter, and thanks to everyone for all the encouragement and camaraderie."

Ron Humphrey reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Passing through the Smithy door, leave the world behind you. Concentrate on Colin’s words, demonstrations and guidance as he takes you from the first strike of the hammer and way beyond until the day is done and your work complete You’ll be amazed and inspired by the process, by what you’ve achieved and how the hours have flown Colin’s teaching style can’t be adequately described, he’s just a Wizard with fire & iron A totally uplifting experience; thank you Colin"

Clive Roe reviewed: Bees for Development Sustainable Beekeeping Weekend Courses 2024

"A well-run, highly informative weekend course, set in a very pleasant location. The enthusiastic tutors managed to put over a wealth of information in a highly digestible way...and the food was great!"

susan garrett reviewed: Pottery throwing course in the South Downs National Park (one day - one-to-one)

"Buyer beware. If, like me, you become ill and want to re-schedule she throws the cancellation policy at you and you forfeit the whole lot. So don't get ill!!!!!"

Paddock Studio Pottery responded:

"To all customers, In response to the review by Sue Garrett: it was a very late cancellation on the night before, which meant it was not possible to offer the date to any other customer. Therefore, it was decided to not refund the cost of the day's course. I am a tiny business which cannot afford to lose a day's pay. I try to accommodate for very serious events such as hospital appointments, deaths, or births, but I'm afraid I can't account for every situation. I hope that most people will understand that it is generally accepted that a late cancellation will result in forfeiting the course fee. Rowena Williams The cancellation policy can be seen on both websites: Www. Thepaddockstudiopottery.com Www. Craftcourses. Com"

Caroline reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"What a great way to spend a weekend! Sebastian was a great tutor, balancing giving each person the autonomy to experiment with giving the required support / suggestions as and when required! The group had people of varied levels of prior experience of stone carving (some on their second or third workshop with Sebastian - which is quite a testimonial in itself!). I can see why people come back. Thoroughly enjoyed it and more than happy with my ‘creation’. Many thanks."

Dorothy Givan reviewed: Encaustic one-to-one Little Waltham, Chelmsford, Essex

"This was the third time I had visited for an Encaustic workshop. On the last two occasions I came with a group of friends. We all enjoyed the experience and learnt lots of new techniques in a very relaxed atmosphere. Catherine makes it so enjoyable that you always want to return for more. I and more friends are looking forward to another encaustic workshop next month."

Catherine Price Encaustic Art responded:

"Thank you Dorothy. The wonderful thing about Encaustic is that you never stop learning, there is always a new technique to learn or discover! So glad your group enjoyed the workshop x"

Laura Billingham reviewed: Pottery Throwing (Group Discounts Available) Lessons in Worcester

"My mum and I had so much fun doing our one off pottery session with Chris. I felt very comfortable and completely at ease. I had no experience with pottery at all before we went, but finished the session with two little bowls and an interest in pursuing pottery as a hobby. Chris was very patient and an excellent teacher. I really enjoyed myself!"

Daniel O'Brien reviewed: POLISHING - French polishing & modern hand finishes in East Sussex

"The relaxed setting, makes the whole course more enjoyable. John always has time for questions no matter what."

J Jones reviewed: POLISHING - French polishing & modern hand finishes in East Sussex

"Worked systematically through the topics with ample time to develop practical skills"

Karen Prentice reviewed: Alien spoon carving

"My husband and I both attended Alan’s spoon carving course this weekend and had a really great day. We both found Alan to be extremely enthusiastic and knowledgable about the whole process. He had a wide variety of tools for us to try and we have managed to source some on Allan’s recommendations. The course took place in Alan’s home and was a lovely welcoming environment. We were treated to a lovely lunch and tea and coffee during the breaks. I had bought my husband the course as a birthday gift and decided to go along too. Would thoroughly recommend this course and thank you Alan for being so inspirational."

David Duke reviewed: Furniture Making - Cabinetmaking Fundamentals in East Sussex

"New skills, comprehensive instructions, absolutely would recommend."

Karen Prentice reviewed: Alien spoon carving

"My husband and I both attended Alan’s spoon carving course this weekend and had a really great day. We both found Alan to be extremely enthusiastic and knowledgable about the whole process. He had a wide variety of tools for us to try and we have managed to source some on Allan’s recommendations. The course took place in Alan’s home and was a lovely welcoming environment. We were treated to a lovely lunch and tea and coffee during the breaks. I had bought my husband the course as a birthday gift and decided to go along too. Would thoroughly recommend this course and thank you Alan for being so inspirational."

Giacomo Maltman reviewed: Furniture making SKILLS WEEK - Essential cabinetmaking hand skills - 5 days in East Sussex

"Having not done anything like this before, I feel I learnt a great deal. From the first morning until the final hour new skills and techniques were being shown and valuable knowledge passed on. I enjoyed John's thorough teaching approach and feel he probably covered more detail than anyone else could possibly fit into one week - things like; steel types, different kinds of oil, sharpening angles, blade steepness etc. All valuable info that I'd not really given much thought to previously. The workshop itself was a great place to be for the necessarily long days we spent there. Light and airy with plenty of good quality tools (and cake) to try. I also enjoyed looking around the other workshops a great deal. Seeing what everyone was up to was quite inspiring."

John Gove reviewed: Furniture making SKILLS WEEK - Essential cabinetmaking hand skills - 5 days in East Sussex

"The course is well designed with the beginner in mind. I thought I knew how to use a plane and chisel, How wrong can you be? .John was very clear with his teaching and instructions and always ready to answer questions and help with both minor or major problems. Would highly recommend this course."

Dominic Rudd reviewed: Furniture making SKILLS WEEK - Essential cabinetmaking hand skills - 5 days in East Sussex

"Well paced instruction, clear and understandable demonstrations and bags of time to practice. I never felt rushed. I liked John’s instructional style and gained a great deal of confidence from accomplishing to tasks and projects. The workshop and equipment were well thought out. I’m often a bit overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in some people’s workshops but John seemed to have just the right amount of kit which was in excellent condition. And I am left with a clear idea of the minimum amount of stuff I need. I really appreciated the ability to use the workshop in my own time before and after the instruction. I felt trusted and that I was treated as an adult. I liked the way we focussed on the important skills and didn’t spend unnecessary time on less productive things. I was really chuffed with the results...the box and board. And i feel really pleased with the skills involved in producing them. John gave us five full days! No skimping! I will and have recommended the course."

Flora reviewed: 2 day - Chicken wire sculpture - make a 3D hare at Swallows & Artisans, Lake District

"Fabulous course, wonderful hosting and delightful accommodation. Can not praise highly enough! Possibly the most attractive studio space ever. I look forward to going back."