Making Pizza Ovens in Amsterdam

Saturday Dec 8th, Saskia and I got up at 5am and drove to Amsterdam! We had a brief pit stop for coffee and croissants which I fell on like a starving waif at 6am and regretted as soon as we arrived at Tierrofino where the most delicious, overly filling food was laid on for us. There were 6 of us on the course, and the group bonded really well. Christo Markham, the leader taught us some really interesting ways to build pizza ovens and had suggestions I'd never have thought of on my own. For example, the clay is less likely to crack if sugar is added to the mix.

This is one they made earlier and the tadelakt'd over to finish..

Free food and a free book! Bonus!

Insulate underneath with upcycled bottles, keep them in place with adobe bricks and popped clay, all stuck down with clay slip.

 Remember to make the base big enough to accommodate walls of 20cm thick and still leave room for a sizable pizza and door..

 
Level out the clay base with a wooden float and then lay the fire bricks and make them level too.

Build up the sand form, trying to keep the sides vertical as long as possible before curving into the roof.

Saskia quality checking the bricks..

 Adobe bricks, clay, sand and sugar mortar, Straw and clay slip insulation. And my enormous winter knitwear, brrrr.

 More clay, sand, sugar render with embedded jute netting to reduce cracks

While you're down there...

Sand all scooped out, looks perfect!

Examples of other amazing things to make with clay, rammed earth and tadelakt: