CASSEROLE dishes, bowls, mugs, coffee cups, jugs, tall bottles – potter Neil Alcock produces a wide variety of ceramic pieces for all tastes and budgets. But why are they all blue?

“I’m colour blind,” admits Neil, who is a regular at Worcestershire Farmers’ Markets. “I avoid reds and greens and produce lots of different finishes in differing shades of blue, and a few other dark colours.

“I do four farmers’ markets a month and also some arts and crafts markets. I like meeting customers one-to-one and enjoy the whole market experience.

“Some people buy individual pieces as gifts, some slowly build up a set or some order a complete dinner service.”

All of the pottery pieces are handmade by Neil and fired in an old farm building in rural Gloucestershire. He even makes his own glazes. All of Neil’s pieces are oven-safe, microwave-safe and dishwasher safe due to the temperatures they get fired to.

As well as throwing his own pots for sale, he also does mobile pottery parties, or demonstrations and talks, and also teaches in schools. For the parties or demos, he takes along his mobile pottery wheel and some clay, and he’ll help anyone who wants to have a go at throwing a pot.

At the end of the day he takes the pots back to the workshop, fires them, and then glazes them a blue colour, and returns them.

Neil, who trained at Eastbourne Arts college, initially wasn’t planning to do anything with pottery until an enthusiastic teacher encouraged him to attend the class.

Then he discovered he totally loved pottery, and he’s been lucky enough to make a living doing it ever since.

Neil will be at the farmers’ market in Malvern today, from 9am to 2pm, where you can also find the best locally-produced fruit, vegetables, meat, baked goods, plants, drinks and speciality items.

Next week’s market is at St Peter’s Garden Centre in Worcester from 9am to 2pm.

For more information about Worcestershire Farmers’ Markets, log on to www.wfmg.co.uk.