One of my mates gave me a handmade raku bowl as a gift recently – ‘handmade’ as in she’d made it herself. It’s so lovely and meaningful, it got me thinking I’d like to be handy too, and bowl over my mates with my, y’know, bowls. And that led me to this rather cool pottery studio in North Devon.

The owner, Taz, is a qualified ceramic artist and teacher for more than 20 years and she’s not what you’d call traditional. She loves bright and bold, daubs the odd political statement on her work and isn’t shy about using rubber to punk up her pots. Très cool. Her artwork, which is mostly to commission, is brilliantly urban and likely to be found in contemporary galleries and venues, including The Conduit Club in London’s Mayfair.

So, if, like me, you can see yourself on The Great Pottery Throwdown, being amazing and making stunning pots for legions of grateful friends – or frankly if you’d just like to try something new, I can really recommend Taz’s classes.

It doesn’t matter if you have no experience or if you’re what Taz calls a ‘polished potter’: head here to learn the basics or build on your expertise. Things like coiling, slab-building, press moulding or throwing on a wheel, all things which I have no idea what they mean but which I’m sure I’ll be very brilliant at very soon.

Pick from Saturday Taster Classes, One-to-One Sessions and Masterclasses with Taz, or you can sign up for a six-week General Pottery Class, with prices ranging from £22 to £85 for a one-to-one. If what you’re after is to make something impressive and fast, sign up for a hand-building class (not on the wheel), a great introduction to the art.

Go on your own or if you’re feeling shy, get a posse of gals together for a fun day out. They can cater for hen dos, team building, boredom-busting and wellbeing boosts. I can see you throwing some clay. You’ll be brilliant, like me… or rather Taz – I’m sure.