I can remember the moment when I decided to build a clay oven. It was February 2006 and I was feeling rather sorry for myself. Everyone else in the family was busy with projects except me, so I signed up for a one day River Cottage Build and Bake course. And that was that. I knew I had to build one.

Towards the end of 2006 I set about building a brick base for the oven with our son Sam, using the bricks from a collapsed outside WC. We took our time, frequently reading and rereading this book, and completed the project in the summer of 2007. It is possible to build one faster, but why rush?

If you have any questions, do please email me ('email us' in the menu on the left).