The Outdoor Kitchen Collective installed this WWOO design at chef Carine Ottou’s London home. Styling by Kay Prestney
(Picture: Cathy Pyle )Even the smallest of outdoor spaces can be transformed into an alfresco show kitchen with a couple of strategic buys.
From tiny BBQs and tabletop pizza ovens, to a Guy Ritchie-designed grill that cameoed in The Gentlemen, here are the best cooking tools and accessories available now.
Outdoor kitchens
WildKitchens by The Cashmere Caveman Co.
Founded by film director and BBQ enthusiast Guy Ritchie, the Cashmere Caveman Co. puts cooking at the centre of their outdoor dining tables. A firebox powers the grill and provides under-table heating, a technique borrowed from Japanese Kotatsu-style tables, while a chimney draws any smoke and sparks away.
A four-person table costs from £2995 and can fit in a large car boot. From ccwildkitchens.com.
Grillskär by Ikea
If this is your first foray into the world of outdoor kitchens, Ikea is a good place to start. The black and silver Grillskär range has everything you’ll need, plus the kitchen sink. Start with a bbq, or go the whole hog with the side burner, sink unit, draws and shelving, topped with stainless steel. The modular units mean virtually any configuration is possible.
The charcoal BBQ costs £400 at Ikea.
Bespoke design
WWOO at The Outdoor Kitchen Collective
If off the shelf isn’t for you, there are a number of companies that specialise in the design and install of custom outdoor kitchens.
The Outdoor Kitchen Collective stocks six brands with designs that can be tailored to your space, including Dutch company WWOO segments in anthracite or light grey concrete that can come with a Big Green Egg, Braai and pizza baking stone add-ons.
Visit theoutdoorkitchencollective.co.uk
Compact cooking
Roccbox by Gozney
Easy to use, and move, the Roccbox pizza oven by Gozney - the pizza oven manufacturer used by Pizza Pilgrims, Franco Manca and L’Enclume - brings restaurant-quality pizza to your garden gatherings. Gas fuelled as standard, or there’s a detachable wood burner available separately for a wood-fired taste.
From £399.99 at gozney.com.
Cube by Everdure
A BBQ to use on the go, or your balcony (if you have permission to do so). Part of Heston Blumenthal’s outdoor cooking brand, Everdure, this compact BBQ measures just 43cm wide, giving enough space to cook six small burgers or three steaks at a time, and is perfect for small spaces or travelling. It’s designed to stay cool on the outside and easy to clean, with a removable charcoal tray.
It costs from £179 at John Lewis.
MiniMax Big Green Egg
Popularised by Michelin-star chefs for its superior cooking quality, the Big Green Egg is a barbeque like no other. Its racing green ceramic shell looks good in any space, but its size can be prohibitive for those of us with small London gardens. Enter the MiniMax.
It still requires two people to carry it, but has a diameter of 56cm and it takes just 10 minutes to reach 300 degrees Celsius.
The MiniMax costs £795 from biggreenegg.co.uk.
Simple fire pits
If you are just looking to keep warm after the sun has set (and maybe roast a few marshmallows), then a fire bowl might be what you are looking for. Whilst at their very basic they could just be a hole in the ground, they can also make an interesting garden feature.
Available in a range of sizes, fire bowls made of corten steel (metal that takes on a rusty patina that protects it) look the part, as the natural material blends well with garden surroundings.
From £125.99 at Getpotted.com.
