Handmade clay cookware & tableware

Pots that remember every dinner you cook in them

Name: Vartemis shop
Address: Pribinova 8, Eurovea Galleria, 1st floor, Bratislava, 811 09, SK
Telephone: +421 2 5443 1270
Price range: €€

Red clay, turned on the wheel and fired in small batches. Stew pots that go from oven to table, bread bakers, jugs and mugs that get better with use. Made in Slovakia, shipped across the EU.

Shop the collection How it's made

Potter holding a carved clay plate above a table of handmade bowls, plates and a casserole

Oven, stovetop & tableOur red clay is fired at 1060 °C, so it handles the oven and slow, gentle cooking on a diffuser.

Thrown and carved by hand

Natural clay, no lead glazes

Delivery across Slovakia & EU

30-day returns on unused items

The collection

From the kiln this season

Everything below is in stock in our Bratislava store. Each piece is slightly different in tone and carving — that is the point of handmade.

Bestseller Dark red clay stew pot with wavy rim and carved lid, filled with beef and potato stew

Carved stew pot with lid

2.5 L · for oven braises, goulash and baked beans

€64

New

Oval clay bread baker with a sourdough loaf inside and a carved lid beside it on a kitchen counter

Bread baker with carved lid

Oval, 34 cm · steam-trapping lid for a crisp crust

€72

Two dark brown clay mugs with incised pattern, one filled with milky coffee, on a grey wooden table

Carved mugs, pair

350 ml each · tall handle, incised leaf pattern

€38

Hands pouring red wine from a carved dark clay jug into one of six matching tumblers

Wine jug with six tumblers

1.5 L jug + 6 × 200 ml · carved scroll pattern

€89

Four glazed terracotta tapas dishes with white dot pattern holding crackers, olives and dip

Terracotta tapas dishes, set of 4

12 cm · glazed inside, for olives, dips and sides

€29

Open round clay casserole with brushed red-black finish and lid resting on a wooden board

Round casserole with lid

22 cm · side handles, brushed finish

€49

Orange terracotta jug with lid and painted flower band between two ridged clay tumblers

Terracotta jug with two tumblers

1.2 L · painted floral band, for water or juice

€46

Six small unglazed terracotta cups with steaming tea on a wooden tray with brass handles

Unglazed clay cups, set of 6

120 ml · for chai, espresso or mulled wine

€27

Three matte brown clay storage jars with lids, one with handles, on white linen

Storage jars with lids, set of 3

0.8 / 1.2 / 1.8 L · breathable, for flour, salt, garlic

€58

Three ribbed orange terracotta mugs on a jute placemat beside a potted plant

Terracotta coffee mugs, set of 3

300 ml · ribbed body, wide handle

€34

Serving dish with handles

24 cm · oven-safe, for gratins and fruit

€24

Five terracotta tapas bowls with walnuts, olives, cheese crackers and spread on a blue tablecloth

Small tapas bowls, set of 5

10 cm · stackable, dishwasher-safe glaze

€32

Hand holding a dark red clay tumbler with deeply carved leaf ornament

Carved tumbler, dark

250 ml · deep relief carving, matte finish

€18

Two hands holding a clay tumbler with a white slip band and carved black leaf pattern

Tumbler with white band

250 ml · white slip band, carved vine

€19

Gift set

Carved clay pot with wavy lid, four plates and a shallow bowl with lid next to pumpkins and plums

Dinner set for 4, carved

4 plates, 4 bowls, serving pot · boxed

From €95

Potter in an apron holding a large carved clay jug with lid, six tumblers on the linen table

Table jug with six tumblers

2 L jug + 6 × 200 ml · lidded, for water or kompót

€84

Collections

Three ways we work the clay

Same Slovak red clay, three finishes. Pick by how you cook and how you like a table to look.

Studio table with white-slip carved plates, bowls, tumblers, a fish platter and lidded pots

Our story

A family workshop that moved to the city

“My grandmother cooked lečo in a clay pot every August. The pot outlived three stoves. That is the standard we work to.”

Vartemis shop started as a stall at the Saturday market in Pezinok. Our pots came from a workshop run by two sisters who learned to throw from their father and never saw a reason to stop. In 2021 we opened a small store in Bratislava so people could lift the pieces, feel the weight and see that no two carvings are identical.

We still work the way the workshop always has: wheel-thrown, carved by hand while the clay is leather-hard, bisque fired, then fired again with a food-safe, lead-free finish. Every piece is checked for hairline cracks before it reaches a shelf.

Visit the store

The material

Red clay from the Danube lowlands

Our clay comes from a single pit near Nitra. It is iron-rich, which gives the deep rust colour, and fires dense enough to hold liquid without a glaze inside. We do not add colourants — the shades come from how long each piece sits in the kiln and where it stood.

1060 °C

Firing temperature. High enough for oven use, low enough to keep the clay slightly porous, which is what makes bread crusts crisp.

0 lead

Glazes and slips are lead- and cadmium-free, tested by an accredited laboratory in Bratislava.

2 firings

Bisque first, then the finish. Twice through the kiln means fewer surprises in your oven.

1 pit

One source of clay, so the colour and behaviour are consistent across your whole set.

Collection of carved red clay tableware with white slip bands arranged on a studio table

Care & use

Four habits that make clay last decades

Clay cookware is forgiving once you know the rhythm. A short card with these steps comes in every box.

Soak before first use

Submerge unglazed pots in water for 30 minutes. The clay drinks it in and releases steam while cooking, which is what keeps stews tender.

Start in a cold oven

Put the pot in before you turn the oven on and let them heat together. Sudden temperature jumps are the one thing clay does not like.

Use a diffuser on the hob

On gas or electric, place a heat diffuser under the pot and keep the flame low. Induction does not work with clay.

Wash warm, dry open

Hot water and a brush, no detergent on unglazed surfaces. Leave the lid off overnight so the pot dries through.

On the table

Set for a slow Sunday

Photos from our store kitchen and from customers who tagged us. Bring your own: @vartemisshop

Carved clay pot, plates and bowl styled with pumpkins and plums on linen — Autumn table

Sourdough loaf baked in a clay bread baker on a kitchen island — Saturday bread

Terracotta dish of green grapes with tapas bowls around it — Mezze evening

Two carved clay mugs with coffee on a rustic grey table — Morning coffee

Three terracotta mugs on a woven placemat — Balcony tea

Customers

Written after the first few dinners

Reviews are collected by email two weeks after delivery. We publish them as written, including the ones with suggestions.

The bread baker changed my sourdough. The crust is the kind I used to get only from the bakery on Obchodná. The lid is heavy, which took one bake to get used to.

Katarína H.Bratislava · Bread baker with carved lid

Bought the wine jug set as a wedding gift and ended up ordering a second one for us. The carving is deeper than it looks in photos. Packaging was careful — every cup wrapped separately.

Martin & LuciaTrnava · Wine jug with six tumblers

Stew pot does exactly what they say — the goulash came out thick and the meat fell apart. Four stars only because I wish the 4 L size existed. They told me it is planned for spring.

Peter V.Košice · Carved stew pot with lid

Questions

Things people ask at the counter

If yours is not here, call us during store hours or write — we answer within one working day.

Can I use the pots in a regular oven?

Yes, up to 250 °C. Place the pot in a cold oven and heat them together. Do not move a hot pot onto a cold or wet surface — set it on a wooden board or folded towel.

Are the glazes food safe?

All glazes and slips are lead- and cadmium-free. The lab certificates are available in store and we can email a copy on request.

Dishwasher or hand wash?

Glazed tapas dishes and mugs are fine in the dishwasher. Unglazed and carved pieces should be washed by hand with hot water and a brush, without detergent, so the clay does not absorb soap.

How long does delivery take?

Within Slovakia, 2–3 working days by Packeta or courier. Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary 3–5 days; the rest of the EU 4–8 days. Every parcel is double-boxed with paper padding.

What if something arrives broken?

Send us a photo of the piece and the box within 48 hours and we ship a replacement at our cost. You do not need to return the broken item.

Do you make custom pieces or larger sets?

We take orders for restaurant sets and engraved gift pieces. Lead time is usually 4–6 weeks because every piece is fired to order. Use the contact form and describe what you have in mind.

Store & contact

Come and lift a pot

Our store is on the first floor of Eurovea Galleria, next to the river. Most of what is online is on the shelf, and we keep a kettle on for the clay cups.

Three brown clay storage jars with lids on white linen

Eurovea Galleria, 1st floor, unit 128
Pribinova 8, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

+421 2 5443 1270

contact@vartemis.shop

Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00 · Sun 11:00–18:00

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Destination	Carrier	Time	Price
Slovakia — pickup point	Packeta	2–3 working days	€3.50 (free over €70)
Slovakia — to the door	GLS	2–3 working days	€4.90 (free over €70)
Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary	GLS / Packeta	3–5 working days	€7.90
Poland, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia	GLS	4–6 working days	€11.90
Rest of the EU	GLS / DPD	5–8 working days	€16.90
Store pickup, Eurovea Galleria	—	Ready next working day	Free