Last of the September firing • In 9 active baskets • Only 263 left
Ailsa's Snack Bowl with Dip Pot
Ailsa's Snack Bowl with Dip Pot
Dispatched within 1–2 days
90-day money-back guarantee
Free UK delivery with Royal Mail tracking
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Ailsa's Snack Bowl with Dip Pot
Thrown by hand in Amble, Northumberland · her last big firing
Snack in the bowl. Dip in the pot. Nothing touches.
Ailsa Hepple has made pottery in the old net shed at the bottom of her garden in Amble for 26 years. Her husband Alec has spent 51 years of marriage refusing to let his curry sauce touch his chips. So she finally built him a bowl with the dip pot right on the rim. This is that bowl, from her very last big firing. Her shoulder won’t allow another.
Last firing · only 263 left
26
years at the wheel
1
dish instead of two
10
tries to get the seam right
“I’ve washed that man’s curry sauce out of more jumpers than I can count. And I had never once thought to make him a bowl.”
— Ailsa Hepple
What arrives at your door
- One handmade ceramic dip bowl in Ailsa’s Coquet Sand glaze, with the dip cup joined to the rim
- Wrapped by hand in brown paper by Ailsa and her granddaughter Jodie
- A short card from the studio
Why the cup is on the bowl
The glaze
Coquet Sand
A soft speckled cream that thins out over the edge and fires to a toasted brown, like the edge of a digestive. Ailsa tried two dozen test tiles before she settled on it, and it is the only glaze she uses on these bowls.
How to use it
- Fill the bowl with chips, crisps, nuggets, wings, crudités, pretzels, dumplings or fruit.
- Fill the cup with curry sauce, gravy, ketchup, hummus, soy sauce, chocolate or anything else you dip.
- Dip as you go. Turn the bowl so the cup sits on whichever side you reach with, left or right.
- When you’re done, the whole thing goes in the dishwasher. One dish.
A plate and a ramekin vs. Ailsa’s bowl
| Plate + ramekin | Ailsa’s bowl | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the sauce goes | Wherever the plate tilts | Stays in its cup |
| Chips after five minutes | Soggy where the sauce ran | Crisp, dipped one at a time |
| Bumped on the table | Ramekin slides or tips | One piece, nothing moves |
| Carried to the settee | Two things to balance | One bowl in one hand |
| Dishes to wash | Two or three | One |
Made by hand in Amble, Northumberland
Ailsa throws every bowl and joins every cup in the old net shed at the bottom of her garden in Amble. The first nine she made cracked at the seam in the kiln. On the tenth she learned to join the cup while both pieces were still leather-hard and work a coil of clay into the seam by thumb. Every bowl since gets the same treatment, and every seam gets one more look before it is wrapped. Her shoulder won’t allow another big firing, so what’s left from September is her last.
Ailsa Hepple
Perfect for
Questions people ask at the stall
How big is it, really?
About the size of a cereal bowl: 12 cm across, 15 cm with the cup, 7 cm tall, and it holds about 400 ml. It is made for one person’s snack or side, not for a party platter.
I’m left-handed. Does that matter?
No. The bowl is round, so you just turn it until the cup is on the side you dip with.
Can it go in the microwave and the dishwasher?
Yes, both. The cup is joined in the clay before firing, not glued on, so it doesn’t come loose in the dishwasher.
Will mine look exactly like the pictures?
Close, but not exactly. Every bowl is glazed by hand, so the brown rim and the speckles run a little differently on each one.
Ailsa’s standard
- Thrown, joined and glazed by hand
- Every seam checked before it is posted
- Microwave and dishwasher safe
- Wrapped by hand, dispatched within 1–2 working days
- 90-day money-back guarantee
90-day money-back guarantee
“If it doesn’t keep your sauce where it belongs, I want to hear about it, and I want you to have your money back.” Use it every day for 90 days. If it isn’t right for you, email us and get a full refund. No questions asked.
Care and handling: Microwave and dishwasher safe. The bowl can get warm in the microwave, so lift it with care. Because every piece is thrown and glazed by hand, colour, speckling and the brown rim vary slightly from bowl to bowl.
Product details
| Material | Handmade ceramic, glazed and kiln-fired |
| Bowl | approx. 12 cm across, 7 cm tall |
| With dip cup | approx. 15 cm across |
| Holds | approx. 400 ml |
| Weight | approx. 525 g |
| Glaze | Coquet Sand (speckled cream with toasted brown rim) |
| Care | Microwave safe, dishwasher safe |
| Delivery | Dispatched within 1–2 working days |
| Guarantee | 90-day money-back guarantee |
The September Firing
The September Firing
A note from the net shed:
Ailsa Hepple has made pottery in the old net shed at the bottom of her garden in Amble for 26 years. Her husband Alec has never once let his curry sauce touch his chips, so she finally made him a bowl with the pot built right onto the rim. Since April the bowls have sold at her stall on Amble harbour. Her shoulder won’t allow another big firing, so the bowls left from September are her last. On sale until 30 November, and after that only while they last.
Free UK Delivery
Free UK Delivery
Free delivery across the UK
- Dispatched by Royal Mail within 1–2 working days, with tracking
- Every seam is checked and every bowl wrapped by hand
- Handmade ceramic dip bowl, approx. 12 cm across (15 cm with the pot), 7 cm tall, holds approx. 400 ml
- Microwave and dishwasher safe
- 90-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us any time at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (UK time). Whether it’s about your order, how to use your bowl, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 90-day money-back guarantee. Use it every day, and if it doesn’t keep your sauce where it belongs or simply isn’t for you, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 90 days for a full refund. No questions, and UK delivery is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Ailsa throws each bowl on the wheel herself, throws the little pot separately and joins the two while both are still leather-hard, working a coil of clay into the seam by thumb. After the first firing she dips each bowl in her Coquet Sand glaze and fires it again. Before it is wrapped, she checks every seam. No two are identical. Microwave and dishwasher safe.