Olaria Pequena (The Little Pottery)

Olaria Pequena, "The Little Pottery," is a father-and-daughter ceramics studio and shop just outside Porches, on the EN125 at the Porches roundabout. It began in 1981, when Ian, a graduate of Dundee Art College in Scotland, came to Portugal to work with Portuguese ceramic artist Jorge Mealha at an old farmhouse studio near the village. He intended to stay for a year; when Jorge later relocated to Lagos, Ian kept the studio going under the name Olaria Pequena, and has run it ever since. For the past several years the studio has been run by Ian and his daughter Molly, who returned to Portugal after completing a Fine Art degree in Falmouth, England. Between them they hand-make pots (platters and bowls), tiles and paper prints, each piece thrown, glazed or printed on site. The shop is open Monday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:30, with parking behind the pottery. Pieces can also be bought through the studio's online shop, organised into pots, tiles and paper prints.