This is a two-day course, and come going-home time you'll have a large wooden bowl that you've made with your own hands to take away with you. Suitable for any level of expertise - complete novice or experienced woodworker - a good time is had by all.

Over the two days you'll learn about selecting and cleaving a log, anticipating shrinkage and working with the nature of the material as well as using various gouges, mallets and spokeshaves. We have a large range of very high quality sharpened tools to try out so that you can find ones that really suit you. (And if you feel you want to carry on working with wood when you get back home, we can also supply exactly the same tools for sale.)

The bowl carving course is hosted by myself and either James Verner or Karen Hansen, two local woodworkers. Between us we make sure all our guests get the attention and coaching that they personally need. We talk you through each stage of the process and demonstrate the techniques before everybody selects a suitable freshly cut log and gets stuck in. We are on hand to offer assistance and advice throughout.

As we are working with green (unseasoned) wood, it is far easier to carve, and the form and grain start to emerge through the first day. We then work through the stages to reach a finished bowl by the end of day two. The bowl is then ready to take home for seasoning and showing off to your friends and family!

The bigger bowls can be quite hard work if you are not used to physical exertion, but everyone should be able to enjoy this course by selecting a size and species of wood that is not too ambitious.

We always try to offer the opportunity for individual expression and the projects are designed to allow for as much variation as practically possible within the time allocated.

The wood we supply is locally sourced from sustainable supplies and the finished bowl should give many decades of service and pleasure.

By the end of two days you should expect to feel confident enough to make further bowls on your own at home.

Essential Information:

The course is for adults only, and costs £250.00 + VAT (£293.75) per person, including materials and delicious lunches, tea and coffee, biscuits and cake. Tools are also supplied for your use during the course within this price.

The days run from 9.00 (tea and coffee) for a 9.30 start and finish at approximately 5.00pm. As well as stopping for lunch, we break for tea, coffee, biscuits and cake during the morning and afternoon. We promise not to work you too hard! It's a really good, simultaneously relaxing and productive time.

We aim to down tools at approximately 5.00 p.m. on both days. If you are arranging to be collected then any time after 5.15 is good. However, at the end of day two we like to sit down for a glass of something ... so rather than miss out, it's best to plan for 5.30 onwards on the second day. Of course, whoever is collecting you is welcome to come down to the woods, any time after 5.00.

Sturdy footwear should be worn and although we can all comfortably work under shelter should it rain, it is worth bringing suitable clothing for the short walk across the meadow to the woodland workshop, and this path can get muddy. Full directions are supplied on booking.

Please do remember that we are dealing with a natural material and whilst every effort is made to minimise the risk through careful selection, informed choice of design and careful and slow drying, some bowls may develop splits as they dry. There is no way of avoiding this and therefore please understand that this is in the nature of the material. If we want 10 perfect bowls then we will make 12 blanks to allow for this ... like a bakers dozen in a way!

If you have any questions or need further details, please feel free to contact me, Guy Mallinson, direct: guy@mallinson.co.uk.

If you'd like to see what it's like on the day, we have some (amateur) video clips of a bowl-carving course in action, on our A Perfect Venue and Menu page.

After Care:

The following is information for guests who have been on a bowl carving course and need a reminder about how to look after their bowl in the weeks while it is drying.

While they're drying, keep bowls wrapped in their muslin in a place that is out of direct sunlight, away from radiators and out of the wind - an unheated cupboard is ideal.

Weigh the bowl (without the muslin) on Day One and then weigh at either daily or weekly intervals.

The weight will drop rapidly at first and then level out. Typically, this takes 4-6 weeks depending on the piece of wood, the thickness of the bowl, the relative humidity of the air where you are drying to bowl, the ambient temperature etc.

The graph below shows the drying times for three different bowls and indicates the kind of variation to be expected.

Once the bowl's weight has levelled out it will vary up and down by up to around 10g each day as the atmospheric conditions vary. This is typical of all timber products and furniture. However, the rate at which timber gains and loses moisture (and therefore weight) is slowed down by sealing with oil or wax.

If you want to further finish your bowl now is the time to do so, prior to oiling.

To oil, simply apply the oil that we gave you to the bowl, using a clean, lint-free cloth and paying particular attention to the end grain as this will absorb more oil than the long grain. After the first coat is applied leave overnight and then apply oil again. Two coats should suffice.

Thereafter, keep the bowl out of direct sunlight (as with any piece of wood) and away from radiators, Agas etc. Fill with nuts, salad or fruit and invite all of your friends around for dinner to show-off your skills as a green woodworker!