Buy a chimenea for mood lighting, heat and food

So your garden is really wee? You might not have space for a separate patio heater, BBQ, and atmospheric lighting. The solution is here, and it’s a gorgeous one – Buy a chimenea to do all three at once: lots of heat, beautiful light effects, plus a simple way to cook a remarkable variety of BBQ treats. Here’s what you need to know.

Grab a chimenea for seriously good patio heating

Whether it’s a metal or clay model, chimeneas are designed to radiate heat just like an indoor radiator. The bottle-shaped body and chimney burn fuel efficiently, whether it’s wood or charcoal. There’s little or no ash and barely any smoke – as long as you buy a quality chimenea built to work properly as well as look good.

All you need is a small, neat fire to take a clay chimenea up to the right temperature. There’s no need for a roaring blaze because the fire itself isn’t the most important heat source. As the clay body – basically the same stuff as terracotta clay plant pots – heats up it begins to radiate out, warming everyone within 360 degrees. The heat isn’t directional, it’s all the way round.

Metal chimeneas get hotter and can take a bigger fire but again, the fire itself isn’t what warms you up, it’s the metal body of the chim that does the magic. As you can imagine a metal chimenea chucks out an impressive amount of heat without the risk of heat stress. Stand anywhere near it, from any side, and you’ll feel the heat. Lovely.

Buy a chimenea for atmospheric mood lighting

There’s nothing quite like a real fire to add ambient light to an event. Chimeneas make lovely light sources, giving outdoor events an extra dimension after dusk. And that makes them a popular buy for all-year-round use, day and night, whether it’s warm or chilly.

As you can see, you can add tea lights for lighting, an unusual way to add beautiful atmosphere to your garden gathering without an actual fire.

The flickering flames draw people in, attracting everyone inwards to snuggle closer as the stories get more exciting and the party feels more intimate. It’s so much better than a torch or LED lights, whose light is harder, more insistent, less natural. And it’s safer than unprotected candles.

Go on thrilling adventures into BBQ cuisine

Let’s talk food. Yes, you can cook on most chimeneas, clay and metal. Some come with an integral swing-out or separate grill, with the rest you just buy a separate grill to cook on. The grill sits comfortably inside the belly. But there’s a whole lot more going on than grilling.

Chimenea cooking accessories include a brilliant chim, firepit and BBQ food smoker, for creating tasty smoked meats, fish, veg and cheeses. A specially-shaped cast iron cookpot lets you make anything you can make in a cookpot indoors: stews, casseroles, soups and more, cooked on top of the chimney part of the chiminea.

A cast iron swivel hotplate turns a chimenea into a fab way to cook up a big British breakfast and more, and a cast iron cooking iron holds food firmly and safely inside two tough metal plates while it sizzles to a state of sheer deliciousness.

Popcorn takes amazing made with a special popcorn popper. Iron pizza spatulas and clay pizza stones make awesome pizza in a chimenea. Use a toasting fork for perfect toast and sturdy steel skewers for the tastiest kebabs in town, crispy toasted marshmallows, and succulent sausages. Top the party off with a special chicken roaster that takes an entire bird, and a clever little aluminium burger press for beautifully-shaped, even-sized meat, veggie and vegan burgers.

A great look

Let’s face it, a chimenea is a really nice shape. It’s curvy and rounded, warm and welcoming. Some clay chimeneas are fully glazed in a shining glossy purple, brown, cream, white, black, blue or red. Others are subtly decorated with matt paint for a more traditional finish.

We have highly decorated clay models with Celtic and Aztec-inspired themes, some with 3D clay models of cool things like lizards and wolves. And we have simple, elegant clay models that blend beautifully into the garden whatever your style, from sleek and modern to frothy, flower-filled old-school gardens.

Some of the cast iron and steel chimeneas we sell come with quirky good looks inspired by 1860s cowboy stoves, some are perfectly plain, and others have a stylish steampunk edge. Either way they’re darkly dramatic.

Here’s some inspiration for you. Take a look at these – aren’t they cool?

Your only problem? It’s a nice problem to have – which will you choose? We have absolutely loads of fantastic chimeneas to enjoy, something for every garden and every taste, so dive right in.