Off Air... with Jane and Fi - OFF AIR…EXTRA (with Emma Bridgewater and Thomas Fudge's biscuits)

Episode Date: December 12, 2025

In this special bonus episode brought to you by Thomas Fudge's biscuits, Fi chats to Britain's most celebrated ceramicist, Emma Bridgewater.They talk about Emma's classic designs, how she gets her inspiration, and Christmas traditions.Pick up your favourite Thomas Fudge's flavour at your local supermarket, and discover Thomas Fudge's Seasonal Selection at Sainsbury's and Morrisons.If you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: [e-mail] us on Instagram! @janeandfiPodcast Producer: Eve SalusburyExecutive Producer: Rosie Cutler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this special bonus festive episode of Offair, brought to you by Thomas Fudge's Remarkable Biscuits. So it is fully December, you can't hide from it, so it's okay, we could admit it. We're excited for Christmas. Jane has eaten a Christmas sandwich, basically every day this month. That is no joke. I've genuinely brought Advent calendars for all of the pets,

and yes, that is a thing. Just deal with it. They love them. So we've been talking about Christmas traditions, what makes us feel festive, and our favourite ways to spend the season with, let's face it, national ceramic treasure Emma Bridgewater. Emma is the nation's favourite ceramicist and is known for her beautiful hand-designed crockery. She's designed mugs for the coronation, which in fact is the last time we spoke, and a fair few bits and bobs for Christmas too, I bet a lot of our listeners have given and received those

as Christmas presents I know I have. So I began by asking Emma where the inspiration came from to create her brilliant mugs. A blinding flash came to me in a china shop when I thought they haven't got the mugs that we need and I think I've got to supply them. And the inspiration was always, was and is always, the gorgeous kitchens that my mum made throughout my childhood and growing up.

But also, Stoke-on-Trent, because in my, I realized I didn't want to, I'm not a potter, not then, not now, I wanted to find a potter. So I went to Stoke, and Stoke was the answer. Stokes the other half of the equation. It all happened. The inspiration was in me, even though I didn't really know how I was going to sort of organise it. And Stoke, which was absolutely falling to pieces in 84 when I first went there, 85 things got underway.

I was just utterly romanced by wonderful people with extraordinary skills at a moment of great change. The huge pivot was happening as the country moved away from heavy industry. So Stoke is the absolute heart of pottery, isn't it, renowned the world over? Yeah, 200 years of dinnerware for the world, wonderful, wonderful things, you know, at the top end, Spode, Mason's, Minton, extraordinary quality. And then everything down to, you know, Woolworth's, do you remember Woolworth's? I'm so old. Woolworth was a sort of, it was incredibly important. Of course I remember Woolworth's. Well, I love that you think I might be so young that I couldn't, Emma.

but tell me a bit more about your mum's kitchen then because I think that's what we're imagining when we hold one of your mugs with a hot cup of tea inside it it's taking us to a place so what's that place to you hosie welcoming open all hours

I mean she was a great one for falling asleep on the sofa pretty much when she'd got supper on the table she hated late nights but we all love them. She just didn't mind how many people I bought home, whether it was escaping school lunches in the sixth form. We used to come home and make an enormous, our favourite thing was tinned pairs with chocolate sauce and then lie down on the floor with the Tommy Egg. I mean, she, it was, it was a very, very, it was just welcoming and fun and nice. Before, well, I was getting set up, I was when I got all organized

I felt how glad I am I've got the kitchen clock from my dad's house which was in the very first kitchen I can remember and so I've got the soundtrack and her first kitchen I can remember was painted a very deep pink and remember that's in the early 60s

when that wasn't quite the norm and she'd asked the painters to find the same colour as black current fool So it was a very deep, unusual pink. Gosh, I'm loving this place. I can picture it totally. I think one of the things that your mugs allow us to do, Emma,

is give ourselves a bit of a treat. So I've got my standard oak flat white apologies. I come from East London these days in one of your mugs at the moment because I don't know whether you'll remember this, but you sent me a monogrammed mug afterwards spoken after the coronation. I couldn't believe it. So I always think that things just taste nicer in one of your mugs

and my bog standard oak flat white does And I think this is what Thomas Fudge's Florentines lend themselves to as well, isn't it? It's that sense that you're having a little bit more There are a kind of biscuit with a crown on top, aren't they? Most definitely. And I think we're looking for that, aren't we? Making a little sort of special space for ourselves in what sometimes feel like a madly hectic world.

I think, I mean, what we do is design with real attention and biscuits that are made well. So important. Yeah, so it is, it's the attention to detail, isn't it? I also like to see a bit of fruit in all of my snacks. I find it very reassuring. And there is always some fruit in a Thomas Fuchess Fondi. It just makes me feel better about myself.

Do you get at all nervous, even though you've been doing this for quite some time, when you are asked to do something for a very special occasion? Because you have been asked to do stuff for some of our most special occasions in this country, haven't you? Well, I think if you don't get nervous about challenges in your life, that's probably a slightly bad sign. But I do draw enormous faith from the strong staff tradition

of making things for occasions. The wonderful Pottery's Museum is full of the most amazing things, commemorating all sorts of things, events political as well as national or industrial or royal. It's what they've always done. They love writing slogans and jokes and names and dates and stuff on pottery. And so I kind of was walking into a tradition that I felt very at home with. So that helps. But yes, then you've got to get on your metal and make it dig deep, you know, and make it good. And do you have a sense of responsibility?

Because I think I can hear that when you talk about the pottery industries and obviously what you owe to them as a kind of ambassador for them now. Am I hearing that right? Absolutely, completely. I feel, I feel mystified by the idea that we don't make more and that we seem to have sort of turned away from it like Lemmings, whereas I think the odd thing I did was to turn towards it and say, we're going to do it and we're going to do it here.

We're going to do it here because you do it the best. You're really good at this. We don't need to import it at a low price. We need to make something properly and, you know, with respect. And that, for me, that has, that has been a serious sort of resolution of my own. I didn't, I mean, I have to say that I've always felt the important thing at the point of contact is that you love the product. Made in Britain is, to my mind, that's essential information, but it's not the first thing we say to you. You know, I want you to see the mugs and love them and need them.

and I designed in that spirit and the the B design team have absolutely taken that all to heart and I think your work has always said to me something about individuality and I think

that is very important these days isn't it? Because we definitely do live in a world where you can replicate stuff and at a touch of a button you can get stuff cheaper, you can get more of it you can get it faster but actually an Emma Bridgewater mug is saying a little bit more about just being able to take some time out, I think.

Well, it's very nice that that's how it reads to you because that's exactly what I want. And I really do think that making things well, making them close to home, there's so much sense in the way we make. And yet it's sort of, it mystifies me that it's so, unusual now to set back. I think that individuality, perceiving the work of the human hand has always been important to me. It's always been important to most of us, subliminally or

kind of consciously. And I can't help feeling in an AI infested world, you can tell my love of tech, that the guarantee that something was made without AI may become quite important. I feel very drawn to things that are made by humans. And the craft movement sort of resurgence at the moment would say, I'm not alone. Decent craftsmanship. It lies at the heart, doesn't it? So what we need to do, Emma, is we need to curl up with a cupper in one of your fabulous ceramics with a very decent snack and we know it's going to be a Thomas Fudge's Florentine and just savour the moment, step back from the busy world and we'll all be all right, won't we?

Oh, can't be in? This bonus episode of Offair is brought to you by Thomas Fudge's Biscuits. Pick up your favourite flavour of Thomas Fudge's Florentines at your local supermarket and discover Thomas Fudge's seasonal selection at Sainsbury's and Morrisons. Congratulations. You've staggered somehow to the end of another Offair with Jane and Fee. Thank you. If you'd like to hear us do this live, and we do do it live, every day, Monday to Thursday, 2 till 4 on Times Radio. The Jeopardy is off the scale. And if you listen to this, you'll understand exactly why that's the case. So you can get the radio online, on DAB, or on the free Times Radio app.

Offair is produced by Eve Salisbury, and the executive producer is Rosie Cutler. Thank you.