There is nothing nicer than having something handmade and even better, exclusively for you. Apart from finding lovely little nurseries where specialist growers have spent hours nurturing young seedlings into healthy plants, I am equally excited finding artisans and craftsmen that make wonderful products from wood they have coppiced such as hazel and willow or hand throw clay to create pots in all shapes and sizes.

 Recently I have been travelling around to find local craft fairs and bought a hand made cleft gate with posts, hand forged hinges from a blacksmith, an oak curved bench and iron pergola. Each has been adapted and finished to meet my strict standards!

 Every piece becomes much more important and personal and is far better than any run of the mill mass produced object bought from a shop. The other thing is it supports all our wonderfully talented artisans in this country and surprisingly even though they are all lovingly handmade, the items are often cheaper than any shop bought 'copy'.