THE forthcoming Abergavenny Food Festival will herald a big marketing push for the Court Cupboard Craft Gallery at Llantilio Pertholey.

This co-operative of 34 Black Mountain artists is holding a series of workshop taster sessions throughout the weekend to inspire interest in arts and crafts and raise the profile of the gallery.

On Friday, September 19, there will be a demonstration of dyeing with hedgerow plants.

Saturday 20 features explanations of design and printing using fruit and vegetables, and sugarcraft, which is the art of producing fantastic decorations using icing, flowers and berries.

On Sunday 21 visitors can learn about willow weaving to make platters, dishes and baskets.

They can also discover organic paper making, which involves turning a big sludgy mess of ingredients into beautiful sheets of paper. The Black Mountain artists have gone from strength to strength since establishing their atmospheric gallery and workshops at New Court Farm. Textile artist Anne Gullick said: "Our need for a home and the European funds available for agricultural diversification coincided about seven years ago. "We rent our barns from a farmer who still lives on site, but we are responsible for their refurbishment." An extremely broad range of arts and crafts are now on show at the gallery. These include wood turning, cabinet making, metalwork, pottery, fine art, jewellery, caligraphy, textiles, paper making and printing. Cabinet maker John Harvard Phillips has his own workshop in an adjacent building, from where he makes long-case clocks (as in grandfather, grandmother) bookcases and cabinets. Ms Gullick uses creative machine embroidery, together with printing techniques, beading and stitching to create cushions and similar soft furnishings of a type you certainly won't find in the likes of The Range or Dunelm. "We've gone from strength to strength since we came here," said Ms Gullick. "It's such a nice place to visit. A lot of local people just drop in for coffee and Clam's cakes." Clam's Cakes are made by Abergavenny specialist Jane Phillips, who supplies - among others - the London store Fortnum & Mason. If you would like to book in for one of the Court Cupboard Craft Gallery's workshops, call Anne Gullick on 01873 850689.