We were delighted to welcome Isabelle Harris, the owner of Gardeco Chimineas and Fireplaces, to the ChimineaShop.co.uk office this week. She brought along her roadshow of new, upcoming products including the new range of bio-ethanol fireplaces (but more on those later…).

Anyway, we took the opportunity while we had Isabelle with us to film some short video clips of our top selling chimineas. There’s pretty much nothing Isabelle doesn’t know about chimineas and chiminea care so we got some great introduction and advice videos.

You can view the video on the ChimineaShop.co.uk YouTube channel

We will be posting the full chiminea vidoes on the blog over the next week or so, with useful comments and links.

Best,

Lewis and ChimineaShop.co.uk team

If, like the team at Chiminea Shop, you are starting to feel the chill of winter coming, it’s not too late to make yourself some eco-fuel to keep you warm over the coming months.

For regular readers of this blog you will know that you can recycle a limitless amount of garden and household waste as carbon-neutral eco fuel using one of our mega-handy logmakers from Greenstamp. Well in the deep of autumn you can’t avoid the blanket of leaves on the floor – just sitting there waiting for you to come along and help them realise their eco-fuel potential.

All you need do is get your hands on a logmaker and compact the leaves into the logmaker with the help of the plunger and then use the newspaper sheets to hold the contents of the log together. It really is that simple.

And if doing your bit for the environment wasn’t enough of an incentive there is also the money-saving side too. You can turn stuff that you would ordinarily throw away into free fuel that could last you for months.

Here’s a little educational video to show you the basic idea about the two main types:

The Dry Logmaker

The Wet Logmaker

On a final point it is a great activity for kids to get involved with. It can help to teach the the value of recycling waste and how they can reduce their carbon footprint.

You can find more about the dry logmaker and wet logmaker on our main site.

Best,

Lewis and the Chiminea Shop Team.

This autumn’s free chiminea cradle promotion is drawing to an end. After overwhelming demand we are now down to our last few chiminea cradles which may not last for more than a week.

The cradle is a fantastic accessory for our medium or large clay chiminea as it raises the chiminea to a more comfortable height for cooking. It also has two side tables which are great for balancing plates and other cooking utensils. It’s made of durable powered steel and was selling like hotcakes when it was £54.99 by itself.

Free Chiminea Cradle

The cradle is also really easy to assemble – you just need to place the chiminea on it when it’s put together – and then enjoy your enhanced chiminea BBQ.

So if you want to get your hands on one best hurry because once they are gone – they’re gone!

Best,

Lewis and the ChimineaShop team.

This year the team at Chiminea Shop put our heads together and think we’ve come up with some fantastic gift ideas this Christmas. To help you choose that special gift we have bundled some of our most popular chimineas with some great value accessories. We hope you like the Chiminea Gift Sets we have put together – we’d love to hear your comments too!

Tia Chiminea Gift Set

We’ve bundled our cast iron and steel chimineas with Winter Spice Kindle Cones which are gorgeous smelling eco-friendly firelighters. Our clay and Mexican style chimineas all come with Ocote firelighters from the slopes of the Mayan hills to give that authentic South American touch.

1. Opera Medium Chiminea Gift Set – A dramatic chiminea, offering a full 360 view of the fire. It makes a great centrepiece for any garden or patio. This gift set includes a tool, a cover and 12 Winter Spice Kindle Cones. It is just £109.99 for Christmas and is a great mid-ranged price gift from our collection.
2. Tia Chiminea Gift Set - Our best selling chiminea of the year by quite a distance. This steel chiminea represents great value for money and is a great choice for people who want a chiminea which is lower maintenance than clay or cast iron. We’ve bundled this together with a multipurpose tool, a weather-proof cover and 12 Winter Spice Kindle Cones. Overall, this bundle saves you just over £80 on the original prices so represents a great value gift at £119.97
3. Toledo Large Chiminea Gift Set – The very popular large Toledo chiminea has been one of this year’s most in-demand chimineas. Like the Opera and Tia gift sets it comes bundled with a tool, cover and 12 Winter Spice Kindle Cones. It is over £60 off the original price at £159.99
4. Four Elements Small Clay Chiminea Gift Set – This gorgeous range of chimineas is also now part of a great value chiminea gift set. It comes with an insulated chiminea cover, a 4L bag of Pumice Stones and a bundle of Ocote firelighters – for that authentic Mexican flavour. This is available now for £99.97

We’ve also got a couple of chiminea accessory bundle gift sets available for those people who already have a chiminea.

1. Chiminea Cooking Gift Set – This is a great bundle for wannabe outdoor chefs. It comes with a long-handled cast iron frying pan, a toasting fork and a traditional pizza stone. This means you can try cooking all different kinds of food with your chiminea or firebowl. This is all for £64.97
2. Chiminea Safety Accessory Gift Set – A great choice for chiminea owners with kids or pets. You get a pair of heat proof gloves, a chiminea guard and a poker. This gift set will make sure that your loved ones are kept safe – and any accident prone chiminea owners can stay safe while making the most of their chimineas! This is also £64.97

Chiminea Cooking Gift Set

For those looking for smaller gifts we also have a wonderful range of chiminea candles. These delightful mini-chimineas are only £18.99 and come with vanilla scented candles.

And finally, our medium and large clay chimineas and Mexican chimineas are all coming with a free cradle worth £54.99 until stocks run out! So there are some great deals to be had – but hurry because stock is running out fast.

Best regards,

Lewis and ChimineaShop.co.uk team

All chimineas are susceptible to the changing weather conditions, and clay chimineas in particular are prone to cracking in cold weather. And if last year is anything to go by then we could be in for another big freeze with heavy snowfall.

One solution to ensuring your chiminea stays in tip-top condition is to move it indoors – a shed or garage would work great. However, we would recommend that even if you do move it out of the elements that using a chiminea cover is the best way to protect it this winter. For those of you without a shed or garage then protecting against the elements, and in particular frost and rain, by using a cover is absolutely essential.

Padded Chiminea Cover

Cast iron chimineas are far more hardy than their clay cousins, but they too are prone to rust if not kept our of the rain. Although a little rust is perfectly common and will not harm the operation of the chiminea (you can just rub it off anyway…) being exposed to rain or snow for prolonged periods isn’t going to do it any favours (and will require even more maintainence) so it is best to keep it as dry as possible.

Steel chimineas won’t rust as easily as cast iron, but water will still find its way into the joints causing rust.

Clay chimineas require a little mor care. As clay is porous it will absorb a certain amount of moisture when it is damp or when it rains. If at night the water freezes this can then cause the chiminea to crack. If you’ve just invested in a clay chiminea, you really don’t want this to happen if you can help it. A padded or insulated cover is the best protection. Regular covers will suffice most of the time, but to avoid any doubt a padded cover will give you that extra protection.

As the nights get cooler it is a great time to make the most of the final long evenings by firing up your firepit or chiminea. You’ll also no doubt be thinking about all the different kinds of fuel you can burn. Choosing the right fuel can be confusing, and costly, but if you are a gardener you may be surprised just how useful all those falling leaves could be as a cheap source of fuel.

Producing your own fuel

There are a few things you should do when using garden waste as fuel. Green waste contains a lot of nitrogen and should be dried out as much as possible before burning. Drying transforms a large part of the nitrogen into carbon and results in a far more efficient burn and far less smoke.

If you’re pruning a tree, you can season the wood yourself. Buy or make a simple wood store, keep it dry, ensure good air circulation, and let the wood dry for between 6-9 months for timber, or a few months for larger branches.

There are a few types of wood that should never be burnt, so if you are unsure just Google it and check!

Also avoid driftwood. Although it’s an easy source of wood if you live by the coast, burning driftwood releases a lot of toxins into the air, and may even corrode the inside of your chiminea.

 Reaping the benefits

• Fallen leaves – gather dry leaves up and then pack them loosely into a paper bag for the fire.
• Garden clippings – e.g. green woody shrubs, trimmings from the vegetable plot, twigs and green foliage. Put cuttings into a clear plastic bag and leave in the sun for a day or so, or spread out on a dry surface in the summer.
• Seasoned wood – large peices of timber should be stored out of the rain and left to dry. Wood ash is also great for the compost heap as it contains high levels of potassium, but only use a bit as its very alkali.
• If you have lots of thick, woody cuttings to get rid of, dry these for a short while before burning.
• For smaller bits of garden waste or household waste – you can buy log makers which will compress the waste into a handy log. See more about these handy log makers here.

In summary, you could do a lot worse than rely on the free fuel lying around in your garden: it’s free, eco-friendly and it can smell great, too. Not forgeting junk mail, boxes, and newspapers. You’ll not only discover a renewable source of fuel for your garden heater, you’ll also reduce your carbon footprint. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Garden Waste as Eco Fuel

Gone are the days of crumpling up newspaper or breaking out a chemical firelighter to ignite your chiminea.  There is a new eco-friendly firelighter on the hearth.  When you open a box of kindlecones, your chosen aroma will burst out and fill your senses.  You will be struck by the rustic beauty of the handmade kindlecones, made with environmentally sustainable soy wax.  Choose from autumn mist, summer garden, winter spice or BBQ varieties to suit your mood.  Place your chosen kindlecone amongst the kindling and light the wick to ignite your desire !  Burning a kindlecone does not increase the level of CO2 in the atmosphere and is a cleaner, more efficient natural alternative to other firelighters.

Kindle Cones are available to buy now for £14.47

When you’re buying a chiminea, you need to think about what accessories you’re going to need. Chimineas do require some protection from the weather, and there are a few absolute essentials which will make using and enjoying your chiminea not only safer, but a lot more fun, too.

Medium Insulated Waterproof Cover

1. Cover – this is an absolute necessity for any chiminea. Covers should be UV-proof (to help prevent fading), waterproof, and tear-proof. Cast iron chimineas will rust if left out in the rain, and even enamel-coated steel chimineas may be susceptible to rust if water gets into the joins and into the bowl. Clay chimineas should never be used when even slightly damp, otherwise they might crack, and a large crack can be catastrophic for your chiminea. The clay is slightly porous and will absorb a small amount of water, so you must be sure it is absolutely dry before you attempt to light a fire in it, which is why a waterproof cover is so essential.

If you have a clay chiminea, you should really buy a padded insulated cover before the winter – a clay chiminea may crack if left out in the frost, which will certainly shorten its operational lifespan.

2. Pumice Stones – these are an essential addition to your clay chiminea. If you wish, you could use sand or gravel. Pumice stones are recommended because the aerated structure of the pumice makes it a great insulator, but as long as you have something between the hot fuel and the bowl of the chiminea, you can use any good insulating material. Please note that cast iron and steel chimineas don’t require this layer of insulation.

3. Sturdy Fire Gloves – the area surrounding the chiminea will get extremely hot and if you happen to accidentally touch the sides of the chiminea, you could burn yourself quite badly, so a pair of sturdy fire gloves are a sensible accessory for your chiminea. A chiminea guard (similar to a fire grate) is also a great investment if you have children or pets.

4. Poker – ideal for redistributing hot fuel, a poker is an absolute necessity for any chiminea. You can also use it to stir up the embers to encourage a fiercer burn if the fire starts to die down.

5. Fuel – of course, you’ll need something to burn in your chiminea. Charcoal is good for cast iron or steel chimineas, particularly if you’re using your chiminea for cooking, as are wood-based fuels. You can use charcoal in some clay chimineas, particularly those intended for barbecues, such as the Cozumel range, but please check the instructions as charcoal burns too hot for most clay chimineas. Wood-based fuel, in the form of timber or heat logs, is fine for every clay chiminea, and you can also use Logmakers to make your own fuel from household and garden waste.

You can use your chiminea to make pizza, just as you can use your chiminea for barbeques and grilling.

You’ll need some equipment before you start: first, some good-quality charcoal. You can use charcoal briquettes, but pure charcoal is better for cooking in our opinion because it’s additive-free. If you have a clay chiminea, it might be worth finding another fuel which will provide the necessary heat as some clay chimineas cannot stand the heat generated by charcoal. Wood (preferably non-resinous, such as oak, apple, or cherry), or fuel suitable for barbeques, such as heat logs, should work fine, but you might need to increase your cooking times. If you want, you can add a few smoke chips to the fuel for additional flavour.

If your chiminea does not have a grill, you can make a platform for cooking by placing a few firebricks in the bottom of your chiminea and placing a big ceramic tile or metal grill over the top. Some clay chimineas have a relatively narrow mouth, so ensure you have enough room to get the pizza in and out. Be aware that the pizza can sometimes unexpectedly slide off the cooking surface, so be careful when turning the pizza, and wear thick gloves to protect your hands.

Ensure your chiminea has been properly seasoned, or, if it’s a cast iron or steel chiminea, that it’s been fired up a few times before you use it for cooking. Make a pile of fuel in the centre of the bowl and light it. Once the charcoal has turned grey/white, or the fiercer flames have died down (if you’re using wood), rake over the fuel and pile most of it off to the sides, while keeping an even lay directly under your cooking surface. You want an indirect heat underneath the pizza, so try to make sure any larger flames are well off to the sides.

If you’re using a pizza stone, please note that they are not designed to take direct heat, so ensure the flames have died down a little before you put the stone into the chiminea. Preheat the stone in the chiminea for about 15 minutes to ensure a crispy base for your pizza. If you’re worried about your pizza sticking, you can line the cooking surface with foil.

Cooking a Pizza on the Toledo Large

Make up your pizza dough – use your favourite recipe. If you want to take a short-cut, use a ready-made base. A thinner base is quicker to cook, and you might need less sauce than you would for an oven-cooked pizza.

Have your toppings pre-cooked and the dough stretched or rolled out to keep assembly as quick as possible. If you’re cooking directly on a grill, make sure to wipe it with olive oil just before cooking to minimise sticking. Pull out the pizza stone or grill and assemble your pizza.

If you want a thicker crust, part-bake the crust first, then turn it over to ensure even cooking before adding the sauce and toppings.

Replace the stone or grill in the chiminea and keep an eye on the pizza. If the heat inside the chiminea is adequate, your pizza should only take a few minutes to cook. It’s cooked when the crust is a delicate golden-brown, the cheese (if using) is melted, the other toppings slightly browned, and the underside of the pizza an even golden-brown.

If you’re not too overzealous with the toppings, moving your pizza in and out of the chiminea should be easy enough. If you go a bit heavy on the sauce or toppings, the pizza might sag in the middle.

If you’re cooking anything else at the same time (such as vegetables or potatoes), you can wrap these in foil and nestle them in the hot coals (this only works with charcoal), but bear in mind these take longer to cook, so get these in long before the pizza.

We now have 1kg bags of Ocote Natural firelighters in stock. Ocote is wood from the Montezuma pine, a fast-growing pine native to Mexico and Central America. Ocote is a pale colour and burns extremely well due to the unusually flammable resin distinct to this type of conifer. Due to high demand, the Montezuma pine is grown commercially in many places, but these sticks are bought fairly from poor communities in the Guatemalan highlands.

To use, simply place a few in your chiminea and pile other kindling or paper over the top and light the ends. Using Ocote to light your chiminea is recommended in the case of clay chimineas as there is no risk of cracking the clay, as may occur with some other fuels.

Ocote is 100% natural and gives off a distinctive, sweet smell when burned.

You can buy the 1kg bags here. Also available in packs of 10 1kg bags.