Raku Taster – 25th October 2025
Our Wonderful Raku Day We (Catherine and Philippe, mum and son) started the day with a drive from Swansea to Llanddowror, which was already a little bit magical, with so…
This blog was kindly written by : Nicola Meredith and you can visit all her stories at welshwanderwoman.wordpress.com
I enjoy being creative, but when it comes to pottery, I am more of a viewer than a doer. What I mean by this is…. that I am not a potter, but … I do REALLY enjoy The Great Pottery Throw Down on the telly. And my favourite week on this fab Channel 4 show, is Raku week. So, when I found (via Google) that RakuMania are a pottery near St Clears in West Wales, that do a Raku taster session, I was rather delighted. The chance to actually try my hand at Raku, the entertaining, high temperature, unpredictable, art of decorating pottery, seemed like it might be a rather grand day out.
I roped in a willing friend, and fellow Throw Down fan, and we stumped up the £99 each. The price is for a day with two expert potters, and includes drinks, snacks, and two pots to decorate.
It was a full day, 9.45 to 4.30, set upstairs in a pottery studio surrounded by glazes, tools, pots, and lots of other unknown potting paraphernalia. The day started promptly with an introduction by Adrian Munday (Aka The Carmarthenshire Kiln God). This informative intro included a potted history of pottery, and of the origins of Raku. Then moved swiftly on to advice on three different Raku techniques.
Our pottery classroom
There were six of us experiencing Raku for the first time, which was a nice sized group, and with the support, guidance and patience of Adrian and the lovely, knowledgeable Karen Williams, we all had a bash at decorating, glazing, dipping, washing, and painting, and also a little bit of Naked Raku. This does not involve removing any clothes (thankfully), but is a deceptively simple technique, that allows the super high kiln temperatures to weave an unpredictable pattern on the clay. After decorating our chosen pots and bowls, we all trooped downstairs to watch Adrian place our precious items in his slightly dodgy looking kiln, and then gradually crank up the temperature, until it got to 1000 degrees… The results emerged 45 minutes later, and once cooled, brushed, polished and buffed, looked great. And all so, so, different.
Hot stuff
The other technique that most of us tried, was the one I had associated Raku with before today. This is where a pot is heated up to be super hot, and then various carbon rich items (such as feathers, hair and wool) are gently placed on the pot, smoking dramatically, and leaving unusual, interesting, sometimes very smelly, scorch marks. Once cooled we each waxed then buffed them to a shine. They take on a soft, almost pearlescent glow which is gently gorgeous.
There was heat, flames, steam, smoke, and there was also collective joy, and sometimes a little individual glee, in our creativity and our emerging creations.
To allow me to try all three techniques, I purchased a third pot, and I am glad I did.
I liked them all. They all look so different, and so individual. It was a fun day.
This Relaxed Rural Raku is Really Recommended.
Student Comments
N&S A : Had a brilliant & fun day! Learnt loads and very happy with the results. Great hospitality. Would come again
NT – Brilliant informative day with wonderful results
SA – What an amazing day! Really inspiring way to spend a few hours and LOVED the pots
AH – Really informative & lots of individual attention – much appreciated
NM – Fun, productive and unpredictable. Love it 🙂
