How can I keep using my garden in winter?
JAMES GOODWIN, LANCASHIRE
AGaGu, being something of a reclusive homebody, ventures out into his grounds as little as possible in the darker months due to the shambling locals infesting his lawn in search of heat. Honestly, that’s one option: wrap up, get in front of the TV and stop worrying about it. Presumably you’re lucky enough to have a comfortable inside space if you’re also blessed with a garden.
That is, Guru’s long-suffering editor tells him, an absolute cop-out answer. Guru should instead, he is told, extol the virtues of patio heaters. The problem is that their virtues are few: a traditional Giant Steel Garden Mushroom (that’s the technical term) does indeed throw out heat, and it can warm the top of your head if you’re stood near it. But as every devoted GaGu reader knows, earning your gadget license is dependent on a rudimentary understanding of physics. The vast majority of that heat is spewing upwards and that which isn’t is heating the air, not you.
Infra-red patio heaters, at least those with sufficient power, can be slightly more effective. They don’t heat the air at all, avoiding wastage, and they can be more effectively focused and directed – though they’re almost universally industrial-ugly, and Guru won’t allow them on his classy patio for that reason.
So what. A good coat? Maybe, but if you’re far enough away from your neighbours, an open fire pit is Guru’s favourite huddle-beacon. One which double-burns, pulling enough oxygen up through it to ignite the smoke for as choke-free an experience possible. The stainless steel Solo Stove Yukon (£740) is Guru’s top pick: it looks like it’s been pulled straight out of a tumble drier and is horrendously expensive, but it’s built for a brilliant burn and a fancy patina.