Muchelney Pottery Stoneware Pestle and Mortar

John Leach’s Muchelney Pottery

‘Honest, hand-thrown pots’, is how John Leach, grandson of renowned potter Bernard Leach, describes the range of Muchelney tableware which is in daily use in kitchens all over the world. A success which is based on a solid understanding of how a raw material can be transformed into items of functionality and beauty.

The pottery, established by John and his wife Lizzie in 1965, remains a small, largely family-run affair based in Muchelney, an ancient village near the heart of the Somerset levels. Here, pots continue to be thrown by hand using local clay and are given their distinctive ‘toasted’ finish by firing in a wood-fired kiln to the high stoneware temperature of 1320°C.

Ideal for oven to table cooking, Muchelney pots retain their heat, are durable and safe to use in the microwave and dishwasher.