Untitled

[tomrooth]

A medley of handmade tiles just out of the kiln. Am looking forward to exhibiting them at the @decorativefair from 29 September to 3 October. It’s my favourite art fair in London, and full of the most amazing and art and antiques - literally something for everyone 🌟. It’s also dog friendly, and set in the middle of Battersea Park (with free parking for the fair), which’ll be looking stunning with its autumn leaves. It’s a great day out, and definitely worth the trip - hope you can make it! To book your tickets and time-slot, visit www.decorativefair.com. (at Crystal Palace, London) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTMlxu2oLup/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

Mussels in cider (served on Circling Seahorses and an Octoplate), cooked to the rhythm of Charlie Watts’ drumming. So delicious, so easy! Ingredients: 2 bags of mussels 🦾🦾 2 small bottles Cider (Medium dry) 🍏🍎 Onions 🧅 Garlic 🧄 Small tub of single cream 🐮 Parsley 🌿 A Stones playlist Directions: Fry and sweat the onions and garlic. Add the cider, then boil down to condense and make richer. While condensing, de-beard the mussels. Discard broken ones, and put the mussels that are open to the side. They’ll probably close - if they don’t, discard. Add the mussels to the pot. Put the lid on, then steam in the cider for 8 mins or so (until they’ve all opened). Remove the mussels and load onto a plate. Add the cream to the sauce, mix, then pour over the mussels. Serve on large plates (ahem!*), with freshly chopped parsley. *available @ www.tomrooth.com 🍏🥂 (at Northcote Road) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTC3tbVoXp1/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

I love this beautiful mouldy old lemon, with it’s undulating velvety surface, and merging gradations of yellow, white and green, which are a bit like a Rothko canvas. The decomposing fruit reminds me of a 17th Century vanitas painting, pointing out the transience of life (a useful reminder sometimes!) 💫🍄🍋. Photo by @her_dark_materials #wildmushrooms @merlin.sheldrake (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTAQVmUomj4/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

Bilberry jam on toast for tea… it’s the best jam you’ll ever taste (promise!), and so easy to make. Pick lots of them, boil them down with a bit of water until they have a thickish consistency. Add a spoonful of honey to taste. Let it cool, then put it in the fridge. It’s delicious on toast, with cheeses, pastas, salads, fish, meat, ice-cream and puddings - basically everything. It also looks pretty tasty on our side plates! (at Ceredigion) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSza2YvI-LN/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

This is what I had for lunch with @her_dark_materials last week - a veggie bolognese that I’d brought along for the shoot. It’s delicious, and so easy to make: the lentils make it taste so meaty, and the wine and stock so rich... definitely worth giving it a go! Ingredients: Cherry tomatoes (leave them sitting out by a window for a few days) pasata 1 bay leaf thyme basil balsamic vinegar red wine celery onions mushrooms garlic vegetable stock (a cube will do) green lentils Directions: Fry the garlic, onions, then add the other ingredients, apart from the lentils. Let it gently bubble for a few hours, then add the lentils (don’t go crazy with quantity). Cook them for 30 mins or so (until soft, and they’ve absorbed the juices). Put it in the fridge once cooled - it’s best the following day (and days after), once the flavours have fused. Serve with pasta or whatever, with Parmesan cheese grated on top. It also makes a great lasagna base. 🍷👌 (at The Cotswolds) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSwOH06IggJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

It’s excellent to be back at Pen (my favourite place in the world) and working again at the table where I drew the Isolation Collection, during the first lockdown. I’m hoping to finish this bee spiral by the end of the week🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🤞#handdrawn #handmade (at Ceredigion) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSuUz1zokW9/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

It was excellent doing a photoshoot with Ros @her_dark_materials last week. I’ve loved her work for ages (have a look at her Insta page if you haven’t already), and it was great to finally meet the artist! Her house is as atmospheric as her photographs, and full of intriguing things, that made the ideal props for the shoot: her garden was beautiful too - and halfway through the day we headed outside to pick vegetables and fruit for the compositions. I’ll be posting the pics over the coming days and weeks - hope you like them as much as I do :) #photoshoot #interiorstyling #oldmaster #oldmasters #vermeer #stilllife (at Ceredigion) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSryZyBo4dw/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

The final sardine finished - just in time for Friday drinks. Happy weekend! (at Battersea) https://www.instagram.com/p/CShWzHNoiRR/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

It’s ‘ginger buttered scallops + cider and cinnamon poached pears, with lemon’ as a starter this evening…. I invented this recipe myself, and it’s one of my favourite ways to eat scallops! Ingredients: Pears, scallops, cider (medium dry), ginger, cinnamon, flour and lemon. Directions: Poach the pealed pears for 10/15 mins in cider, with a cinnamon stick (to taste). Once cooked through, put the pears to the side, and boil down the cider, so it’s condensed. While this is happening, grate some ginger, then fry it in butter until brown. Then add the scallops (a minute or so on each side - not too long!). Put the scallops to the side, and pour the cider over the ginger and butter, and further condense if necessary. Mix a teaspoon or so of flour with a splash of cold water. Stir until mixed, so the lumps have disappeared, then gradually add the flour solution to the sauce. Once consistent, pour it over the scallops and pears, squeeze over some lemon, consume - it’s delicious! Any questions, don’t hesitate to DM me. 🥂 (at Northcote Road) https://www.instagram.com/p/CScS_vbHAAj/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

The perfect end to a lunch, and the beginning of a long afternoon - it’s great seeing my bluebottle plate in action! I drew each of the 329 flies, and signed one: a challenge for the guests to spot! 🪰🪰🪰👀🪰🪰🪰 #cheese #port #bluebottles 🍷🍷 (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSO-RJHIEek/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

View this post on Instagram

Working on a #turtle - I’ll be glazing it this afternoon ☀️ (at Battersea) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR6KAI0o1d_/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

Just arrived home from #thegamefair - it was excellent fun, with lots of sales, and I met some great people, but boy did I start craving some greens! The queues for the more gourmet food stalls were often over an hour long, so I ended up living off fish & chips and burgers, as I couldn’t leave my stand for too long. It was delicious at first, but after a bit I started dreaming of healthier, lighter dishes like this: steamed mackerel, homemade vinaigrette, with pear salad. Yuuum! (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRyoIffoSag/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

I’ve just found out that in China and Japan, turtles are symbols of longevity and good fortune (for the Japanese, an owner of a turtle receives 10,000 years worth of good luck). For native Americans they represent Mother Earth and the cycle of the 13 moons, and the Mayans, they symbolise the alliance of water and earth. For Egyptians they ward off evil, and in the United States they represent Ninja skills, and the ability to live underground for long periods of time. They’re such amazing creatures, and definitely worthy of their excellent symbolism! (at Ragley Hall) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRv4-3QIDLz/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

I’ve spent the morning photographing my turtle and octo-soap dishes - they look great in situ. They also make great and original gifts, when washing hands is more important than ever. It’s good that normal soap has made such a comeback, over the eco-unfriendly plastic hand-pump dispensers. ☀️🧼🐙🐢 (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRgeJlpHiGO/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

Alfie, the legendary Chelsea Arts Club feline, having a catnap in (and on) the kiln. The plate will be heading to the CAC for an online auction at the end of this month 🐈‍⬛ 🧑‍⚖️🍷#chelseaartsclub #handmade #handdrawn #catsofinstagram (at Crystal Palace, London) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRWrA0iofIW/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

I’ve made a pollen-laden bee tile for this 19th Century water-gilded frame - a perfect marriage of old and new! 🐝🖼 (at Battersea) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRUEcKNIdpk/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tomrooth]

A morning of mixing glazes and glazing. The ceramics will now spend 36 hours in the kiln, where the glaze will basically turn to glass - and the images will be (re)revealed!🔥🧯🚒🔥#handmade #handdrawn #pufferfish #chelseaartsclub #cat #octopus #tile (at Crystal Palace, London) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRGq90EHhuC/?utm_medium=tumblr