What a wonderful week! Every year, we're lucky enough to be invited to the annual stockists day at the HQ of Emma Bridgewater in Stoke on Trent. This year, my boss Em kindly took myself and her sister, Charlotte along with her to visit the factory.

LET'S GO!

After a (rather long but fun nonetheless) road trip, we had an overnight stop before venturing to the factory in the morning.

THE FACTORY

As I'm typing this out, sipping my coffee in my Emma Bridgewater mug; I have a new appreciation for the craftsmanship in this brand. We started at the very beginning; seeing the talented, patient ladies and gents making the foundation of each EB piece. These guys whip out about 500 pieces a day?! They're then left overnight to solidify in the air before going in the kiln. After setting; they're perfectly painted by a great team of decorators, following pattern guides to ensure each piece is perfectly Bridgewater approved.

The time and care put into each item is mind boggling and I certainly wouldn't have enough patience! After this, they're glazed and popped in the kiln; bringing out the bright colours and locking in those details. The process is long and it definitely taught me a lot about how much work goes into my favourite mug for my morning brew.

PREVIEW OF AW19

After our tour, we went for a group viewing and discussion about what EB have coming up for Christmas 2019. Guys. This collection is AMAZING; we have fallen utterly in love with it and we know you'll love it all too. Have a little sneak peek at what's to come (shh don't tell anyone)!

OUR AFTERNOON

After an AMAZING afternoon tea (with long tables adorned with as much EB as a girl could want), we had a nosey around the gorgeous garden. Filled with bee-friendly plants and gorgeous florals, it gave us some serious garden envy. Mrs Bridgewater definitely didn't miss a single touch, the garden added a lovely touch to the place. 

We then had the chance to paint our very own half pint mug, which was so relaxing and a great end to the day. We're waiting for them to arrive back so stay tuned on our socials to see how they turned out!

We had a wonderful time and it was brilliant to be among other businesswomen and see the huge female role in the company. We are so impressed with EB's priorities of recycling materials, 0 waste, good working conditions and they were amazing hosts. Thank you to the team at Stoke and to Em for bringing me along. I loved it!