THE EVOLUTION OF AN EGG CUP

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Not me, for sure! The concept of wolves as enemies is embedded deep in human psyche and interwoven into our folklore, from the Norse wolf Fenrir who swallowed Odin whole, to the crafty and cunning predator in Little Red Riding Hood.

However, I’ve been fascinated by these intelligent, noble creatures for a long time and closely followed their reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park in the USA. The return of wolves to this habitat caused changes to Yellowstone that even surprised the experts. They rebalanced elk and deer populations, allowing the willows and aspen to return to the landscape. Furthermore, an end to overgrazing stabilised the riverbanks which meant that rivers recovered and flowed in new directions.

The overwhelmingly positive evidence from Yellowstone has made me an even more determined and passionate advocate for rewilding and for the reintroduction of wolves to Britain’s remaining wild places. This inspired me to create the latest addition to my popular range of handmade ceramic egg cups.

A sense of fun is integral to many of my designs and my wolf egg cup is intentionally a comical creation. They have big yellow eyes, pricked-up pointy ears and a fabulous fluffy tail. In this way I lean into the big bad wolf of legends and fables while also showing their softer side. And of course, it combines form with function, making it all the better to eat your breakfast with my dear!

Anyone familiar with my work will know that the plight of wild animals is an issue close to my heart. They inspired me to start creating a rewilding collection of creatures, and the wolf is my latest addition. Other handmade ceramics in this collection include red squirrel salt and pepper shakers, the wild boar money box, and wild boar planter.

I first modelled the wolf a year ago, sat at the kitchen table in France, and the first stock of the egg cups arrived in March 2023. We had great fun on our latest photoshoot, styling them for Easter.

The wolf egg cup has proven to be an instant hit, so I will soon be adding salt and pepper shakers and maybe a money box and planter to this collection – I’m delighted that their popularity has surpassed even my expectations - clearly I’m not alone in loving lupines!

Other European nations are now reintroducing wolves such as the Netherlands, France and Italy. Adding the wolf back into Britain could really benefit our landscapes and ecosystems. Of course, this would have to be in the wild, meaning parts of Scotland would be perfect. Sadly, there is still a lot of opposition, and misinformation, but the fight goes on. The wolf egg cup is my way of highlighting this issue and hopefully helping wolves to one day return to our shores.