Barbados is one of the UK’s most popular holiday destinations, famed for its stunning seascapes and surprisingly affordable prices. We’ve sent our InFocus film crew out to Barbados (again) to capture the life and times of the island, and here are two tales from the InFocus set to inspire your next Barbados itinerary.
Earthworks Pottery
Barbados has earned a reputation for its feel-good culture, and holidaying folklore justly holds the island as the Caribbean’s headland for smiles and sunshine. It’s hard to describe the ways in which the land itself seems to exude a sense of vibrancy, but there’s one place on Barbados that does the job – and it’s probably not what you’d expect. You may not immediately associate Barbados with pottery, but Earthworks Pottery aptly demonstrates the deep, soulful connections within the clay of Barbados. From its humble origins, Earthworks Pottery has solidified its flair for artistic practicality, moulding earthenware that is beautiful and durable in equal measure. They do everything themselves on-site – pressing, firing, painting, and selling – and ensure that every clod of clay is obtained economically from local Bajan sources.
There’s something wonderfully Bajan in this form of economical solidarity, but the artists at Earthworks Pottery channel a deeper meaning into their craftsmanship. Adaptability and practicality have underpinned Caribbean societies for decades, but the gusto with which Bajans embrace this way of life is a tale unto itself, and the potters at Earthworks Pottery know this well. Their pottery is renowned for its vibrant, upbeat, near-eccentric colours, tapping into the unmistakable blue-green palette of the Bajan coastlines.
All of the products make good souvenirs, but they’re much more than that; they’re made to last a lifetime, and crafted to encapsulate the uplifting, outgoing spirit of Barbados. They take the earth and imbibe it the colours and charisma of these Antillean potters. Each piece of pottery is a little shard of the island, articulating the land’s vitality with a lasting brightness. The Caribbean and kilns don’t often share the same sentence, but Earthworks Pottery will shake up your preconceptions of the Caribbean in the best way possible.
Mount Gay Rum Tour
Rum was originally called “Kill-Devil” by the Bajans who first distilled it, so named for its distinctly fiery sharpness that hit the stomach like an exorcism. The quest to refine Bajan rum into something more palatable began in 1703, when Sir John Gay refined the rum distillation process to smooth out its feistiness. Thus was born Mount Gay Rum, a brand that has become synonymous with Barbados’s flair for mixology. The company’s current factory is open for guided tours, tracing the heritage of rum via all the senses. The early days of rum play an important part in this story, but so do the numerous brands and cocktails that have emerged to satisfy the changing tastes of the rum market.
It’s a tour pioneered first and foremost by the tongue, as you discover the different blends and distilling techniques by sampling the finished product. One of the stand-out offerings of the current tour is the new Black Barrel range, aged in two different barrels to create a deeper, smokier flavour. Much as a sommelier knows how to decode the flavours of wine, the rum distillers will teach you how to isolate different ingredients by taste and smell, helping you discover which rums are best for your personal tastes.
Not one for drinking rum neat? The cocktail classes are right up your street. In the early days of rum distilling barkeeps had to employ all their ingenuity with local fruits and herbs to tame the harshness of rough rums. True to this heritage, the delicate skill of mixology continues in present day Barbados, and the Mount Gay Tour will equip you with a cocktail toolbox for matching any rum with its ideal cocktail counterparts. You’ll be a dab hand at rustling up a taste of sunshine, even when you’ve left the beautiful shores of Barbados.
Televisual Excitement
Stay tuned for more exciting tales from Team InFocus, and take a gander at our YouTube channel for some stylishly informative videos.
You can rest assured that InFocus will continue to lead you on the path towards holidaymaking enlightenment, fellow Holidaymaker.
