GREAT FOR GRILL FRIENDS

King of Fire barbecue, £5,000 (Kingoffire.co.uk) THE barbecue was one of the last bastions of male mastery. But in these days of sexual equality, barbecues are now being designed to be more egalitarian, in a way . . . The King of Fire is based on the new concept of ‘social grilling’. Instead of being the domain of one person, this barbecue is designed so everyone can stand in a circle and cook their own food on the rim around the specially ventilated fire chamber in the centre And at 100cm tall and 100cm across, and made of 185kg of premium-grade stainless steel and brass, it’s a sleekly designed garden feature, too. The best part is that when I tried it with my husband and some (socially distanced) guests, we could all chat while cooking our own food just the way we liked it. All in all, this is a breakthrough that could make barbecuing a much more inclusive occasion — though at £5,000 a pop, it’s not cheap. 9/10