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. And 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 was, 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, 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.

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