From Clay to Cuisine: Pottery and Ital Cooking in Nevis

In Newcastle, local potters help you shape a traditional Nevisian clay cooking pot. On a separate day, you join Ras Iroy on his farm to harvest ingredients and cook an Ital meal over an open fire.

That’s From Clay to Cuisine, a hands-on experience run by Nevis Sun Tours. It’s made up of two sessions on separate days, and the pottery comes first for a good reason.

TravelPulse featured the experience on 5 November 2026 in its coverage of the Nevis Tourism Authority’s “A Warmer Side to Winter” campaign. Here’s how to fit it into your stay.

Pottery in Newcastle

In the north of Nevis, Newcastle’s potters keep the island’s clay-pot tradition alive. They guide you through shaping your own clay cooking pot by hand, using traditional Nevisian techniques.

You won’t carry it home that afternoon. The pot is cured and fired while you get on with your holiday, and you collect it before you leave the island.

Plan your pot collection

Schedule the pottery session early in your stay. Before booking, confirm both session dates and when you can collect your finished pot with Nevis Sun Tours.

That matters most if you’re only on Nevis for a few nights.

Cooking with Ras Iroy

For the second session, you join Ras Iroy, a chef and respected figure in Nevis’s Rastafarian community, on his farm. You harvest fresh ingredients yourself, cook them over an open fire in traditional clay pots, then sit down to eat what you’ve made.

The food is Ital. The word comes from “vital”, and Ital cooking grows out of the Rastafarian commitment to living naturally: fresh, unprocessed food, close to the earth. The session is as much about that way of life as it is about the recipe.

Nevis Sun Tours doesn’t publish a set menu, so mention any allergies or dietary needs when you book.

Who it suits

Couples, families, food lovers and anyone who’d rather make a souvenir than buy one. Wear comfortable shoes for the farm.

Booking at a glance

• Price: US$295 per person
• Format: two sessions on separate days, approximately two hours for pottery and two and a half hours for cooking
• Cooking group: two to six guests
• Days: no sessions on Sundays
• Transport: not included, so plan how you’ll reach Newcastle and the farm
• Booking: online booking closes 48 hours before the tour begins; for anything sooner, contact the operator

From Clay to Cuisine is run and sold by Nevis Sun Tours, which sets its own booking and cancellation terms.

Still planning your trip? Our guide on How to Get to Nevis covers flights, ferries and private water-taxi crossings from St Kitts.