My friend is a big fan of Emma Bridgewater's pottery, so we decided to stop at Stoke on our way to…read morethe Lake District from the Cotswolds. We were delayed in getting to Stoke because of train problems, but we managed to get here before they closed at 4 pm. It's only a couple of kilometers from the station, so it was a quick ride. We stopped at the café first as we were famished. They were at the end of their lunch service, but they still had some tomato soup, so we settled on that, a slice of sponge cake, and a couple of bottles of Elderflower Presse. The tomato soup was great. It didn't have cream, so definitely better for my tummy. It was piping hot too! The cake was perfect--moist and not too sweet even with that thin layer of jam. So glad they had Belvoir's Elderflower Presse. That and Fever Tree's Ginger Beer are favorites of mine. We shopped at both the regular store, and their "seconds" (imperfect pieces) store. As I'm traveling light (carry-on and backpack only), I got something small. I got a trio of egg stands from their regular shop, and a Christmas plate from their seconds shop. My friend also got a few things. Almost all her pottery are hand made, but all of them are hand-decorated. It's good to know that not all pottery is made in China!

It's best to ring in advance and ensure yourself a 90 minute slot. I've been twice now, but I could…read morehappily go very regularly- you and your group if you have one are seated at a table (it's kid friendly, so sometimes there are some squealers on the one adjacent). You're charged for the piece of pottery you want to bake, and you can choose from several different pieces of biscuit from egg cups and mugs, to large platters and enormous tea pots. You're given a quick break down, and you can pencil and hand paint your own design, or use the selection of cute shape and letter stamps. Whilst you're there, there's also a lovely little coffee shop inside, where you can enjoy messy mugs of marshmallow topped hot chocolate inside, or decent coffee, which they will bring over to your table for you to quaff whilst you're creating. They'll tell you when your pieces will be glazed and fired, and if you're local, you can pick up, and if not, posted out in stacks of card and bubble wrap.

Card Factory is a very cheap card shop, but the cards are very nice. They also sell Christmas wrap,…read morebirthday wrap, gift bags, balloons etc. The shop is clean and tidy. The staff are always friendly, polite and helpful, even when they are extremely busy.

This is where i go for cards , wrapping paper you name it i get it from here …read more This card shop is really really cheap for cards etc they have loads of diffrent ranges and its well worth the money and they look as though youve paid alot for them . The shop is quite small of which if there is alot of peple in its hard to get buy with a pushchair but its always clean and tidy . The staff are smartly dressed and have always got a smile on there face and if there is a certain thing you cant find thay will help you find it . They do great gifts for new borns in there and you get served very quickly of whiis tf your in a rush