Coalpot Story

The St Lucia Coalpot Company, is now in it's 10th year,importing traditional Caribbean Clay Coalpots, to the U.K.

The Coalpot is an earthenware cooker and grill, fuelled by charcoal. Our kits come complete with charcoal, produced from locally scourced,( mango and other exotic hardwoods) on the Island .

Coalpots have been the main method of cooking, on the Island for many generations, since the early Amerindian and Arawak settlers.

They are still hugely popular today, the secret of the coalpots longevity, is the simple, yet very efficient way, in which food can be slowly and succulently cooked, preserving the natural juices and nutrients, whilst imparting the food, with it's delicious smokey, and earthy flavour!

The pots are made by local crafts women, living in the shadow of the Piton Mountains .

Then the road trip begins, in the back of an open truck, on very basic roads, to Vieux Fort, for packing and shipping by Geest and their 'Windward Island Bananas', to the U.K. and Lincolnshire!!

The process is very labour intensive, from start to finish, as the clay has to be 'dug out' by hand, pounded to soften, shaped, air dried for 7 to 10 days, then finally.......

......an open air kiln is made, with dry wood gathered and piled high, completly covering the pots, when this has burned away, the pots are done.

Each with it's own unique pattern, created by the fire.