There are 2 ways to cook on  a Chimenea, inside and on the top.

To cook on the top you will need a special bowl and rack as shown on the left.

As soon as the fire starts you can put food on the rack on the top of the Chimenea and start cooking. This way you do not waste lots of heat and fuel.

 The top rack is also excellent for cooking soups and casseroles in a pot. My friends at the Complete Chimenea Company sell the most ingenious range of accessories and cooking pots to enable virtually anything to be cooked on or in a Chimenea.

Most people do not own the new and innovative top rack so cook in the lower oven part of the Chimenea.

At first I found that the grill did not balance well here so I made a prop out of some rolled up Aluminium foil to support it.

One nice thing about cooking this way is that you can quickly remove the grill and access all the food, away from the danger of the fire.

If you want some good ideas for meals suited to cooking on a Chimenea then my friends Allison and Dana have written an excellent book with some exotic dishes that will really impress your guests.

 Buy my Friend Dana's Chimenea Cook Book

If you have a clay Chimenea it will be vulnerable to frost damage in the winter. Unless you have a cast Iron one or the new Superchim.

If you have a normal clay Chim then you  can seal it with a special liquid called Chimseal and then cover it with a big bag to protect it from frost and bad weather. Alternatively you could buy a special trolley and just pull it into the garage or conservatory over winter.

I prefer to bring mine inside AND use it as an attractive fire thanks to a new material that burns without smoke or fumes. This Bio-ethanol is sugar based and can be safely burned in a room and does not require a chimney,

Click here to see a good range of cast iron Chimeneas

New Superchims - Totally weather proof clay Chimenea

These beautiful Chimeneas are made in Mexico and have decorative details and are more robust than normal Chimenea.

The other great feature is that the new Superchim can burn any fuel including coal.

And another Unique feature is a guarantee that they will withstand frost in the Uk down to temperatures of -20c!

This BBQ has a deep bowl made of cast iron that can is strong and durable and can hold a lot of wood or coal.

It also has a dome shaped mesh that can cover the fire to prevent sparks escaping.

I like this BBQ because when you have finished cooking your food you can use it to burn logs and make a superb garden or patio heater.

Any burning machine made from steel will likely go rusty but unless it is really thin steel will last many years and not be a problem

Another interesting take on this is the fire pit which is great while its burning but ugly when not. If you have a small garden or want something pretty and dual purpose then there is a firepit with a ceramic cover that turns into a table when required.

Big Match BBQ Lighter - best BBQ lighter?

The big match lighter is also an excellent tool for lighting BBQ''s candles and any sort of fire.

It is refillable and also has an adjustable flame length. The red end is solid metal and the stick part is aluminium so it is very durable.

I have had one for over 6 years and it still works well, unlike my sleek stainless steel Ronson one that packed up after 2 months.

Burning Garden Waste

If you allow your garden waste to dry sufficiently it is possible to burn almost anything in a well made garden waste incinerator. I like the one that looks like a dustbin with a lid with a chimney in it as this one is great for keeping the heat in and stopping the smoke and ash from blowing everywhere. The trick with burning garden waste is to get the incinerator really hot buy burning the most dry and woody material first.

If you want a dual purpose burner the brazier below has a BBQ grill mesh that you can use for cooking if you have some seasoned logs to burn.