POTTERY:FUNCTIONAL POTTERS, by which I mean potters who make functional pots, are becoming an endangered species. The availability of cheap handmade ceramics from the Far East has made it difficult to make a living from tableware.

Many once-flourishing Irish studio potteries have simply closed, and some of our most talented potters have shifted their emphasis to making non-functional ceramic art. The old-fashioned artist potter – the sort of maker who puts their heart and soul, and all their creativity, into making tableware – is increasingly rare. Their work is different from the pottery in run-of-the-mill craft shops; it is made by the designer, or by small collaborative teams.

“You can almost feel the energy of the maker within the piece,” says Mairead McAnallen, owner of Gourmet Pots. Her small gallery-shop of contemporary studio pottery has recently relocated to new premises four miles from Schull in Co Cork. It’s one of the few places in Ireland or the UK where you can buy handmade tableware of this calibre. “Our casseroles and fish dishes can actually be used,” McAnallen explains. “They’re really tough and can go in the oven or dishwasher. We specialise in pottery that has been made specifically with food in mind.”

Irish work available through Gourmet Pots includes garlic crushers and colanders from Karen Morgan, handpainted tableware from Bridge Potteries, incised stoneware from Anthony O’Brien, and tea sets from Derek Wilson.

Gourmet Pots, tel: 086-8846953, mairead@gourmet-pots.com; prices are from €25-€250