"There is something reassuring about the rather unfashionable hybrid tea roses : peace, compassion, ena harkness etc. Their silk petals and almost artificial smell is evocative of hot childhood summers and simple unsophisticated bunches, even… Of the crystal rose bowl!

We inherited a rose garden of all of these varieties in a rented house in Norfolk when the children were young and made just those bunches (but in EB 1/2 pint jugs of course) so it is also redolent of that more recent past. It’s lucky that I have some of these growing around my garden now which served as models for the illustrations on ‘ granny’s roses ‘. It really does make the job of drawing these so much easier. to have real life models in front of you."

– Matthew Rice

"The first bird mugs at EB were done over 20 years go. They are a special passion of mine and we produced over 100 mugs with that simple geometric repeat from great bustard or white stork to sparrow and blackbird with the most well loved garden favourites , tits and robins, always the best sellers. It’s always fun to work out new ways to use the design elements and of course in real life one sees the birds amongst the garden plants. The blue tit is in Rosa Glauca which is a favourite of Emma’s with its blue grey leaves and simple dog rose flowers (they also have wonderful rose hips in the autumn).

– Matthew Rice

There are a lot of people (including ME) who like their coffee in a baby mug and so we have used the floral elements without the birds to decorate them. I am writing this in my greenhouse and it has been easy as I have the mug right in front of me from yesterday afternoons cup of tea. It’s my current favourite"

– Matthew Rice