Journal

The Sloe Berry bowl will be our final limited edition design of 2018. A cool purple glass bowl that celebrates the deep purple pearls of the Blackthorn tree. It's been a fantastic year for these fruits, (the ancestor of all our cultivated plums) and which are surprisingly, incredibly sweet (for a Sloe) which should make a great Sloe Gin. We've got both Sloe and Elderberry Gin on the go and are really looking forward to Christmas. Some people may remember many years ago, we made a hand cut sloe bowl in grey glass, this year we are very happy to revisit this beautiful winter bounty with our new technologies enabling us to capture the essence of this abundant plant. Like most rural areas Rosedale has many, many blackthorn hedges, and this year, they are laden with purple pearls. There have already been quite a few pre orders for this design, and we are planning to launch the bowl through our mailing list later this week. Please drop us an email or give us a call if you'd like to pre order a bowl.

We just love blackberries and it’s been a good year for these hedgerow gems.

Our third limited edition of 2018 captures the dramatic dark purple colour of this member of the rose family, with a lip wrap emphasising their deep green leaves.

Over 300 species of this dynamic plant sprawl across the land, creating cathedrals of thorny arches, providing a haven for many small mammals and birds.

Folklore suggests passing through the arch of a bramble would cure many ailments, as do tinctures and teas of its leaves, berries and roots. Still, the gathering of hedgerow brambles in the autumn is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, as is savouring the wine, jam and desserts that follow.

You can order one of our new bowls here

Our first design of 2018 is now available to order here Our first design of 2018 is an intense golden yellow with a transparent bright green lip wrap, a small celebration of spring’s colours. Not only do we find the catkins beautiful when covering a tree with colour long before the leaves uncurl, the Alder trees also have a special significance for glassmakers. When we make glass, we use Alder wood for our blocks to shape and cool the molten glass as this wood is especially good at absorbing water. Alder does not rot when wet and for that reason most of Venice is built on Alder piles. You maybe unaware, that when visiting Rosedale you will travel along Alder Carr Lane. A ‘Carr’ is the old name for an Alder Woods, which were thought to have mysterious, magical atmospheres. Rosedale has an abundance of Alder trees on the banks of our two rivers. The Alder Catkins fill the trees with colour and springs promise long before any leaves uncurl. (The pollen has long been used as a dye for clothes, even for the fairy folk) For all of us this year spring is much later…. the Alder Catkins are particularly late to reveal their splendour and as I type Rosedale’s Alder trees are only just coming into bloom. We hope the design of this new bowl brings a little early spring into your home. Our new limited edition of 100 bowls is the first of 2018. Hand blown, hand engraved glass, signed dated and numbered

Spring in Rosedale feels especially late this year given we are 400ft above sea level. I went for a walk in Northdale this morning and found the Alder Tree just starting to bloom.

We have a few of our Christmas limited edition still available to order in time for a Christmas delivery. Order online or call us on 01751 417550

Our final design of 2017 will be available to order at the end of the month.