Category: Artisans blogs

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How To Create Your Perfect Cheese Charcuterie Boards

Live Edge rustic charcuterie board
Live Edge rustic charcuterie board
Charcuterie Olive Wood Cheese Board

When it comes to hosting gatherings or simply indulging in a cozy night in, a well-curated charcuterie board can elevate the experience to new heights.

And what better way to showcase your delicious spread than on a charcuterie resin board?

These stunning boards not only provide a beautiful backdrop for your culinary creations but also offer durability and versatility. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your charcuterie resin board:

1.Start with Quality Ingredients:. Choose a variety of cured meats, artisanal cheeses, fresh fruits, nuts, olives, and gourmet crackers to create a balanced and visually appealing spread.

2. Arrange with Care:Start by placing larger items like cheeses and bowls of dips or spreads strategically around the board. Then, fill in the gaps with smaller items such as grapes, berries, and nuts. Don’t be afraid to play with different shapes, colors, and textures to create visual interest.

3. Consider Temperature and Texture: To enhance the flavor and texture of your charcuterie board, consider the temperature of your ingredients. Serve cheeses room temperature to allow their flavors to fully develop, and pair them with a mix of crunchy and creamy accompaniments. Additionally, incorporating a variety of textures, from smooth and creamy to crispy and crunchy, will keep your guests coming back for more.

4. Use Resin Boards to Your Advantage:Charcuterie resin boards not only provide a stunning backdrop for your culinary creations but also offer practical benefits. Their smooth surface is easy to clean and maintain, making them ideal for serving a variety of foods. Plus, their durable construction ensures that they can withstand heavy use without warping or staining. The Olive Wood Cheese Boards have high quality and are easy to clean up. 

5. Get Creative with Garnishes:Elevate your charcuterie board with thoughtful garnishes that add flavor and visual appeal. Fresh herbs, edible flowers, drizzles of honey, and artisanal jams can all enhance the presentation and taste of your spread. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations to discover your own signature style.

6.Personalize Your Presentation:Tailor your charcuterie board to suit the preferences of your guests by including a mix of flavors and dietary options. Consider offering a selection of vegetarian or vegan-friendly items alongside traditional charcuterie fare to accommodate all dietary restrictions. You can also include personalized touches such as handwritten labels or custom serving utensils to add a thoughtful and personalized touch to your presentation.

Handmade Charcuterie resin boards offer a stylish and practical way to showcase your culinary skills and delight your guests. By following these tips and getting creative with your presentation, you can create a memorable charcuterie experience that is sure to impress even the most discerning palates. So go ahead, gather your favourite  ingredients, and let your imagination run wild – the possibilities are endless!

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Press Coverage and Press Loft for Subscribers

Getting exposure for your small businesses as well as sales is high priority for us at TBCH! Since we launched in 2019 we have had hundreds of articles and products in all manner of publications including The Metro, The Telegraph, Prima Magazine, Women’s Own, Bella, Sunday Times and much more!

You can see some of our media coverage here  

When you join us on the Standard Annual Package we will as you to supply a profile photo of you as well as a short bio so that we have it on file for press opportunities that might come our way. We work closely with a PR Executive who is brilliant. Recently she got TBCH mentioned on Sky News!

We also have an account with Press Loft

Their  PR tools allow us to easily secure press coverage, social posts & quality backlinks for SEO for the website by connecting with our extensive network of over 25,000 journalists, bloggers, and influencers.

 

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Beautiful Beech

Beech

I use European Beech quite a bit when making my pieces as it’s a very strong, hard and durable close-grain hardwood. When compared to North American hardwood species, only Hickory has higher strength properties.

Beech nuts

The European Beech tree has an unmatched place in history. The beechnuts were food for prehistoric man and are still consumed today. Beechnuts are eaten by birds and mammals, serving as an important food for squirrels.

For centuries beech has been used in furniture, cabinets, boat building, hardwood flooring, butcher blocks, tools, and other interior furnishings, as well as for turnings, musical instruments, toys, kitchenware, and carvings. It also has excellent bending capabilities and can be used in steam bending

It features a straight grain with a warm, reddish hue, offering a more traditional aesthetic. Beech is renowned for its shock resistance and is frequently used in chairs, desks, and other pieces that require structural integrity which is why I use it as the base timber for many of my cutting boards

 

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What are traditional silversmithing techniques?

handmade sterling silver layered flower brooch

What are traditional silversmithing techniques? 

In my product descriptions, I write that I make my jewellery using traditional silversmithing techniques, but what are these? Well, these techniques are the foundations for making jewellery (otherwise called basic fabrication). So the main ones I use are:

·         Drilling – to create holes for jump rings or to help cut silver

·         Piercing – cut shapes out of silver with a fine jeweller’s blade

·         Soldering

·         Filing

·         Polishing

·         Hammering

·         Doming – using a doming block to create a curve in the metal

 For example, to make my flower brooch this was the process and techniques:

  1. Roller mill – silver through my roller mill to put texture on the surface for 2 of the flowers
  2. Piercing – after gluing my flower shapes onto silver, I pierced them out, plus 3 smaller flowers
  3. Filing – I filed the edges of the flowers until I was happy with the finish
  4. Hammering – I hammered on the 3rd flower to add some different texture
  5. Doming – I domed two of the flowers to create a slight curve
  6. Soldering – I soldered all the pieces together, finishing with the pin on the back
  7. Filing & polishing – after soldering the silver is quite dull, so then I filed any solder that has spread & polished the surfaces with different textures 

You can create such a huge variety of finished pieces of jewellery with these basic techniques, that even though I’ve been designing and making jewellery for over 10 years, I’m still so energised to create!

Mandie @ Imogen George Jewellery

x

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Five ways handmade soap is better for the planet

Handmade Lavender Rose soap

Swapping from liquid soaps in plastic bottles is a great way to help the planet. Here at Gower Lavender we work hard to make our business ‘planet-first’. We have solar power, we grow our lavender without weedkillers and pesticides, our packaging is made of compostable and/or recyclable material, and we use natural, ethical ingredients in our products – and we NEVER use palm oil.

If our business can make planet-first changes, then we reckon you can too. Swapping to a solid soap is a simple change which can have far-reaching benefits.

Here are five reasons to make the change:

1) Solid soap uses less water than liquid soap, so it takes up less space and is lighter – that makes it more efficient to transport, reducing its carbon footprint. And better value for you too!

2) You can say goodbye to plastic packaging. Did you know that only 9 per cent of the plastic ever produced has been recycled? Even if you diligently put your old bottles in the recycling, there’s a high chance they won’t be recycled, ending up in landfill instead

3) Handmade soap is better for your skin. Most liquid soaps are detergent based, stripping moisture from your skin without replacing it. A proper cold process soap like ours is ‘superfatted’, meaning it contains extra oils which hydrate your skin as you wash

4) Buying a handmade soap from a British artisan maker or crafter means you can get much more information about the ingredients, the process and the people behind the brand. You’re also keeping money local, which is better for British businesses, and for the British economy. It also has less distance to travel, and lower ‘soap miles’ equals better for the environment

5) A bar of soap lasts longer than liquid soap, so you don’t have to buy it so frequently – again, better for the planet and better for your pocket!

We take great care in our range of lavender soaps, using as many local, Welsh ingredients as possible, including our own Gower-grown lavender of course! It makes the perfect gift for someone eco-conscious, or who loves eco products but doesn’t want to compromise on luxury. Take a look at our range, and make the swap today!

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April Plans at Dangles HQ

So what’s happened since I last posted in February…….. 

Well, the sort-out / tidy-up is now finished and thank goodness for that!!  I seemed to go at it in an all-or-nothing style and ended up with so much stuff all over the place that sometimes I just stood in the middle of the room and didn’t know what to do or where to start.  So, everything now has a place and hopefully will be easy to find when I want it.  It’s also helpful for knowing I’m getting low on some wire and need to think about ordering more.

I did identify that I have a lot of semi-precious gemstones needing to be used or sold on.  So, thinking caps on!

For now, I decided that I would use some gemstones in reel bouquets.  I chosen so far to use some Agate and Hematite.  Both are believed to have grounding properties, with Agate thought to bring positive energy when placed in your home or office and Hematite to absorb negative energy and reduce stress.  Perfect for small reel bouquets, don’t you think?  Look out for the new listings this month featuring these gemstones.

I’ve also listed some new pieces in the shop since we re-opened. As well as the existing reels, you’ll see some framed wire art, butterfly sun-catchers and a mermaid sculpture.  More to come.

If you’ve got this far, thanks for reading! I always value your opinions, so do let me know what you think of the pieces for sale and if there’s anything you think would make a good wire twisted product, do let me know.  Likewise, if you see something you like but would like it in a different colour combination, get in touch and I’ll do my best to help.

Happy Dangling!

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For the love of Handmade Silver Jewellery, what’s in your Silver?

Silver Moon Necklace with Argentium Sterling Silver and Apatite & Blue Topaz Gemstones. Handmade in the UK, perfect one of a kind gift.

I’ve always loved Sterling Silver Jewellery and during the 1990’s I found that the silver I owned turned my fingers and ears black rather quickly, which is never a good look. Fast forward to 2024 and I now know (in spades) why this was the case. Sterling Silver is an alloy, which means it is pure Silver mixed with other metals, namely Copper. As Silver is a soft metal it needs the Copper in the alloy so it can be work hardened and stand up to daily wear. Copper is however, unfortunatley the main reason why Silver turns your skin black or even green..

Little did I know that mid 1990’s a Master Silversmith, Peter Johns was working at Middlesex University to come up with a superior Sterling Silver alloy. He found that by adding in Germanium to the alloy this gave a brighter Silver colour (just like Platinum), made the Silver harder and more importantly it was much more resistant to that black tarnishing that upset me so much and many others in the 90’s.

I now only work with Argentium Silver, it is produced from recycled silver so kinder to the environment and manufactured under strict standards in the EU, Italy to be precise by the Legor group. Invented in the UK by a Master Silversmith and beautiful to wear and work with.

I find it interesting that today a lot of Sterling Silver Jewellery is Rhodium plated to give it a white silver shine when we have Argentium at our fingertips to work with. Argentium also now has a silver content of 94% 940 compared with 92.5% 925 in traditional Sterling alloys. I won’t even start on some of the more dangerous metals like Cadmium and Lead which have been found in some cheap imported Silver Jewellery from UK testing in recent years. It makes me very happy that all of my lovely customers get the best and safest Silver in their jewellery pieces.

If you would like to find out more about Argentium Silver I thouroughly recommend checking out https://www.argentiumguild.com/ where you will find lots of beautiful work from fellow Jewellers working in Argentium Silver and more information about Argentium. For now I am back to making some special everyday pieces along with using up my very large collection of natural gemstones for some One of a Kinds that need to be worn out one day soon.

Have a lovely week x

Sonja Gascoigne – Artisan Jeweller/Fate Jewellery, Mum to two special girls & supporter of people with Neuro Diverse Conditions amongst other titles 😉

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Here’s how we engrave our jewellery entirely by hand

engraving scroll design on silver cuff bracelet by hand

With 39 years of experience in the jewellery industry, we pride ourselves of providing the beautiful craft of hand engraving to our customers.

Hand engraving is the premium quality in engraving, the silver is deeply cut out by hand with small hand held chisel tools.  (not a dremel, machine / laser / etching)  We create a beautiful neat deep cut engraving.

Peter learnt the craft as an apprentice all those years ago and has been engraving full time ever since.

Here’s a few clips to show you the beauty of hand engraving.

Hand Engraving the traditional way.

It takes many years to master the skill of hand engraving.  Small hand held chisels are used of various shapes and sizes to cut into the silver.  Cutting at the correct depth and right angles enable Peter to create beautiful designs and lettering using traditional techniques and silversmithing methods.

 

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Max the miracle dog statue commission

It has been wonderful to see people’s reactions to the sculpture of Max the Miracle Dog, now in situ on his Honister slate bench in Hope Park, Keswick.

I was absolutely thrilled when the owner of the world’s favourite Springer Spaniel, asked if I would accept a commission to sculpt ‘Max’. It would be a lasting tribute to the service dog that has been his lifeline and has since helped so many people.

 

A fundraising page was set up before I was asked to take on the commission and more than £26,000 was raised in just one day. With £15,000 needed for the original commission, Mr Irving pledged any additional funds raised to the PDSA, knowing they would put the money to good use.

 

I was excited to accept the commission and to work with Aron McCartney at the McART Studios, who would turn my original wax sculpture into the beautiful bronze you can see today.

 

It has been quite a journey.

 
The Max the Miracle Dog statue will be forever displayed in Hope Park, in the heart of the Lake District. It will commemorate ‘Max’. Aron and I hope it will give a much-needed boost to Cumbrian tourism and local businesses. I am so pleased that I was asked to create this tribute to a wonderful little dog who means so much to so many.