We’re excited to share the stories of our workshop, showing you what happens behind the scenes bringing the making process to life.

We make all our products by hand in small batches from our Soap Folk workshop in the Stroud Valleys. We believe that making in small batches builds a connection and respect for the ingredients and materials we use.  This creates a better quality product and a more creative  process. Taking a raw material all the way through to a finished product is hugely satisfying and something we are proud to do.

Our soap dishes are made from slip cast porcelain which creates a durable and elegant finish. The slip - the consistency of custard - is poured into a plaster mould. There is a skill to finding the perfect moment to remove the clay. Too early and the clay will be wet and not yet “memorised” the shape of the mould. Too late and the mould will have absorbed too much water from the slip.

The dish is stamped and any rough edges lightly smoothed with a damp sponge. It’s then left to dry fully before firing. The beauty of porcelain is that it needs only a single firing and can be left unglazed so that natural matt finish can be exposed. 

Although each dish is produced from the same mould, these are not carbon copies; there are infinitesimal differences as each dish is individually handled so that each dish is truly unique.

The soap is ready to cut after about 24 hours in the mould. It's still nicely warm as we make the initial cuts which makes the cutting a little easier - the wires slice through like soap like butter.

The first cut turn the soap block into loaves and the second cut turns loaves into bars. A third cut can make a bar into mini travel soap size.

Soap are placed on the shelves out of direct sunlight and left to cure for at least 4 weeks . We have learnt from experience that geometric patterns on the shelves help prevent dominoes