Today we made the mud bricks and constructed the pizza oven. First the clay mix was watered, and mixed to a plasticine consistency, in barrows.
The base had been prepared yesterday, by some dedicated volunteers…
Then came the fun part, mixing the clay with straw – do you wear boots or go barefoot?
Then the ‘bricks’ were hand formed.
The brick is structure laid out…
Then slap those bricks on hard, to eliminate air pockets and to hold the bricks together…
Form a wet sand shape for the overall structure. (This comes out later).
Cover with more mud bricks until the whole thing is covered. Smooth and even out.
Smile for the camera!
A lot of fun and learning was had. Next step: render. Next, next step: cook! What is your favourite pizza?
Many, many thanks to Sharon Co Images for all the photos she took on the day. Fantastic job!
Update Tuesday 22 August…
Graham put on an isolation layer and lit the first fire to dry out the sand. Excitement plus!
Update Saturday 9 December…
So, this Saturday – for our final meeting of the year and a bit of a Christmas celebration – our first ever pizza emerged from the oven.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you Kate for the home-made bases, Ash for the tomato sauce, Graham for the toppings and Therese for putting toppings on. They were really yummy and much appreciated by everyone.
We will be having a working bee to finish the oven off in the New Year.