The secrets behind glazed chimineas

Everyone who enjoys the Great British Pottery Throwdown reality TV show understands what a glaze is. These unusual glazed chimineas take full advantage of the magic of glaze to offer a collection designed to create ‘wow’ outdoors.

First, a bit about glaze. These chimineas are made from red clay, also called terracotta clay. The raw clay is orange and feels rough, fired once to basically turn the clay into stone. A glaze is a liquid glass coating painted or poured on top of the fired terracotta. The glaze can be transparent, coloured or colourless, smooth or textured. The second firing, the glaze firing, melts the glass in the liquid to glaze the pot. The colour depends on the chemical composition of the glaze. Some potters make their own glazes, for example using wood ash, where different woods make different coloured glazes.

It is quite a job when you think about it. As you can imagine the kilns they use over in Mexico, where these are made, are huge. Someone makes these enormous pots by hand out of heavy, thick red clay. They dry it slowly so it doesn’t crack. They fire it once, then the outside gets dipped into a glaze for the second firing. Afterwards the glazed chimineas are left to cool down before being lifted out of the kiln. Then they’re transported to the coast, onto a ship and across the ocean to here.

Did you notice the ‘5 year guarantee’ sticker in the images? You won’t find it on many clay chimineas, simply because they come with the risk of heat stress, easy to avoid but something owners always bear in mind. This clay is different. It took eight years to perfect the recipe for Chimalin AFC clay, which doesn’t crack anywhere near as easily when exposed to sudden changes in the temperature.

Because they’re traditional Mexican chimineas the design is optimised to deliver the best results: low fuel usage, high performance, practically no mess. That is why the same design and the same proportions have been used for more than 400 years as a great heat source and efficient cooker. Pick a colour that suits your garden and prepare for some fun.

Originally used indoors in a room with a hole in the roof for the smoke to escape and really good ventilation for safety, these days chimineas are recommended for outdoor use only. You can stand one under a high-roofed, open-walled shelter like a car port, but never indoors.

Wipe this beastie down with a soft cloth and warm water for instant cleanliness. Protect it in bad weather with an insulated chiminea cover like this jumbo-sized XL version, as smart as it is effective.

Chimineas are about more than the magic of the flames and the lovely heat. They’re also tailor-made for cooking, the go-to outdoor cooker for generations of Mexicans. Using anything from skewers to cookpots, grills and fish cages, pizza spatulas to chicken roasters, you can let your inner chef run riot. Even if it’s something as simple marshmallows on skewers, nothing tastes quite as good as hearty food cooked with love outdoors.

See how this dramatic purple chiminea complements the flowers and greenery? Very cool! Or the pale grey one below, which goes really well with our toning grey garden furniture. You get a strong three-legged steel stand with a black finish, stable on all sorts of surfaces even if it is a bit wobbly, and the rain lid keeps the inside dry.

Choose the Sempra when you love drama, appreciate high performance, and want a patio heater with a difference, natural-style.