THE RISE OF THE OUTDOOR KITCHEN
The garden bar may have been the runaway trend of the past two summers, but the outdoor kitchen is now hot on its heels.
Until recently, a full built-in outdoor kitchen was the preserve of the celebrity home, not least because of the expense – one that may not be justified by the amount of use it’s likely to get over a typical British summer. For example, an outdoor grill station from luxury brand Oxenwood (oxenwood.co.uk), which comes with oak units, Belgian bluestone worktops and a Wolf grill, comes with a starting price of over £25,000.
Duncan Aird, founder of the specialist company Outdoor Kitchen Expert (outdoorkitchenexpert. com), meanwhile, suggests that £45,000 is a “solid starting point” for a full outdoor kitchen.
To make a functional and long-lasting alfresco kitchen that will be used year after year requires proper planning in terms of where to put it, and how much space it will need, says Aird. “The space will require water, drainage, power, lighting and most likely internet connectivity, so creating an outdoor kitchen that is connected to the main house may prove easier and more costeffective than building a
‘satellite’ that isn’t in such close proximity,” he says.
“The space available will also dictate what you can include. An area as small as 10 square metres [about 110 sq ft] can accommodate an entry-level outdoor kitchen, but those looking for an entire outdoor living area, incorporating a bar, seating, canopy, firepit and perhaps a hot tub, may need 15 sq m or more of space.”
For those who lack the budget or space for this kind of commitment, however, there are ways to create a stylish and functional outdoor cooking area without installing a permanent structure.
Interior designer Benji Lewis suggests investing in free-standing storage for tableware, such as an aluminium sideboard by Kettler (£749, John Lewis), to save you “carting cutlery, crockery and glasses from the house to your outdoor ‘room’” (it can also double as an outdoor bar for parties). Cox & Cox (coxandcox.co.uk) has also launched an outdoor kitchen range – with freestanding, stonetopped acacia-wood units (from £325) that wouldn’t look out of place in a country kitchen and provide plenty of space for both storage and food-and-drink prep.
When it comes to the cooking, Aldi’s best-selling Kamado barbecue – a budget version of the Big Green Egg ceramic charcoal grill, which can set you back £795-£1,795 – is back in stock at £399.99, and gets five-star reviews.
Several brands have also launched their own versions of the hit (and often soldout) Ooni pizza oven, including new versions from Cox & Cox (from £256.75) and The Cotswold Company (£385, cotswoldco.com).