Let’s get cosy with a metal chimenea

Our Mexican clay chimeneas are best-sellers, and so are the metal chimenea styles we sell. They’re a funky-looking, fun way to add cosiness to the garden, perfect for a patio. Let’s explore how your garden life might look with one of these beauties in the starring role.

The metal chimenea experience – It’s hot stuff!

Some people put their chimenea against a stone or brick garden wall, a creative solution when there isn’t much space. The wall itself warms up to give out even more radiated heat. A friend has put their chimenea on decking, on top of a special heat-resistant mat so the deck doesn’t get burned. Gravel is ideal. But because there’s enough room around it for people to safely circulate without burning themselves or falling over the garden furniture, you’ve decided to put your chimenea bang in the middle of the patio. The idea is you arrange the furniture around it in a circle so everyone can enjoy the lovely heat.

Because the chimenea stand has three legs it’s good and stable, with all three legs on the ground at the same time no matter how bumpy the surface is. It is literally impossible for something with three legs to wobble. The sheer weight of the cast iron itself helps keeps it stable, too.

As you discover the first time you light your metal chimenea, it is super-simple to get going. Starting a small fire first, you can feel the metal heating up almost immediately. Steadily add fuel – a metal chim can burn more or less anything – and the cast iron or steel body and chimney soon get wonderfully hot, belting the heat out into the surroundings exactly like a massive radiator. There’s no tech at all. This is the ultimate in low-tech garden heating. Being this close to fire-making, as it has been for millions of years, is actually quite thrilling.

There’s more than just heat, though. You went outdoors in daylight, now dusk is falling and the party is taking on a different ambience. As the sky darkens the glow of the fire lights up everyone’s faces. When it gets chillier everyone edges closer to the chimenea. You add more fuel to boost the heat, creating that magical late night intimacy that makes a party so memorable.

And the next day? It’s BBQ weather and this time you’re using your metal chimenea for cooking. You’ve read about 6 ways to cook on a chim, and you’ve got the chimenea accessories you need to make a feast.

Because you chose a large model, there’s maximum potential for cooking inside the belly of the chimenea and on top of the chimney itself. There’s a fiery curry on the go in your chimney-top cast iron cooking pot. You’re wondering whether to go for vegetarian kebabs on skewers or perfect veggie burgers made with a special burger press. A cooking iron and BBQ grill are on hand for traditional fish and meat treats. Then, for dessert, there’s the waffle iron. Yum.

A week later it’s a bit chilly so you’ve lit the chimenea up again, an easy and reliable way to get warmed up in between garden tasks as well as a nice place to enjoy a cuppa in comfort. You’ve even fried yourself a few rashers to make a tasty buttie to keep you going. Like everything cooked outdoors it tastes amazing, and thanks to the chim your gardening day passes by blissfully. You can see the chimenea being useful all through the winter, whenever you want to spend quality time out in the fresh air.

Here are some more chimenea pictures to inspire you!