Oversized Studio Pottery Mug in White with Coral Brushstroke Glaze

Some mugs are for a quick cup of tea. This one is for a whole pot of it, or a bowl of soup on a cold afternoon, or the hot chocolate you make when nobody else is watching.

It is a generous hand thrown stoneware mug, glazed in white and swept with loose coral brushstrokes and splashes that carry on over the rim and down inside. The throwing rings from the wheel still ripple around the body, catching the light under the glaze, and the coral sits thick in some places and sheer in others, so every side looks a little different. The handle is pulled by hand and attached with a neat thumb pressed join at the base, and the foot is left unglazed to show the pale clay.

It measures 10.5cm high and 10.5cm in diameter, and 14cm across including the handle. It weighs 540g, so it has a reassuring heft in the hand without being clumsy. On a kitchen shelf it brings a bright flash of colour among plainer cups, and it looks lovely beside other pink and white pieces on a breakfast table. Use it for big milky coffees, porridge on a winter morning or a proper portion of tomato soup with bread for dunking.

It also makes a brilliant present. Fill it with a pair of cosy socks, a bar of good chocolate and a sachet of hot chocolate, wrap it in tissue and you have a gift that needs no further thought, for Christmas, a birthday or a friend who needs cheering up. Studio pottery like this is made in small numbers, so it feels a lot more personal than anything from the high street.

Fair warning: once you have used it, ordinary mugs will feel rather small.