19 HOW TO OUTDOORBUILD KITCHENAN

Having an outdoor kitchen in your garden shows that you consider entertaining outdoors to be a pretty serious business.

An outdoor kitchen area provides you with the space and set-up to feed large groups of people with ease, without having to balance plates and trays on walls and planters. While there are plenty of companies that specialise in creating bespoke outdoor kitchens, they can be pricey. Here are a few pointers on how to create one without spending a fortune.

■ First, decide whereabouts in your garden you’re going to have your kitchen. If you lack space, consider a U-shaped design or running it along a wall or fence. Ideally, it should be sheltered from the wind and shaded from the sun, too.

■ Next, consider the design. You’ll need a good sized prep surface and storage for cookware and utensils. If you’re planning your kitchen to be at the far end of your garden, storage is all the more essential so you can keep everything outdoors and to hand. Think where you’re going to place your barbecue or pizza oven, too – do you plan to integrate it or have it sit alongside?

■ Structurally, you can use a sideboard, a kitchen trolley or even some sturdy crates stacked up on top of each other and secured together. Alternatively, you can build a wall or adapt a shelving unit to suit your needs. Whatever you choose, it needs to be at a comfortable height for you to work on and be weatherproofed. If using wooden furniture, sand it down and paint it with an outdoor paint or woodstain to seal the wood and protect it from the elements.

■ If you have an outdoor tap in your garden, you can factor a sink or washbasin into your design. This can be used to rinse utensils (or hands) when cooking, or simply filled with ice and used as a drinks cooler. You could opt for a large removable basin or bowl without a drain hole that you can lift out and empty when necessary.

IDEAL HOME TIP A shelf fixed to a wall is ideal for potted herbs, with utensil hooks underneath