On the sedate outskirts of Delft, one of the prettiest cities in the Netherlands, a jolly Dutchman called Co van Nieuwenhuijzen is guiding me round the last surviving Delftware factory in the world.
All around us, skilled craftsmen and craftswomen are hard at work, painting intricate patterns onto delicate cups and plates – a process that’s hardly changed since the firm was founded in 1653.
Like the Potteries in Staffordshire, or Meissen in Germany, Delft has become synonymous with the eponymous porcelain that’s been made here for the last 400 years.
Delft Blue (or Delfts Blauw, as the Dutch call it) is familiar the world over, but how much do you know about the place it comes from? If you’re at all interested in ceramics,
