Thursday 25 April 2013

Concrete Barbeques - How You Can Benefit from Cooking Outdoors

Concrete Barbeques - How You Can Benefit from Cooking Outdoors

An outdoor eating area with a concrete barbeque livens up an outdoor space and gives it an attractive, Mediterranean feel. It makes the perfect garden accessory as it’s not only gorgeous to look at, but when the weather warms up from spring onwards, a barbeque will bring the whole family together.

Concrete barbeques are regularly used during the hot summer months in Mediterranean countries such as Italy, France and Spain, where it is more appealing to cook outside in the evenings when it’s cooler. They also make popular cooking facilities in Euro-Asian countries, such as Turkey and Cyprus, where concrete barbeques are generally positioned either up against the exterior wall of a house, on a flat roof terrace or balcony, or by a pool area.

In the UK, a concrete barbeque recreates this holiday feel. Barbeques are mainly used in the spring and summer months, although they can even be used on mild evenings in autumn as average daytime temperatures hover around 17C in September, but have been known to climb as high as 28C. To make the most of the chillier evenings, you may want to invest in a patio heater as these emit enough heat for a small party to feel cosy and comfortable - even in the great outdoors.

Big K's stone barbecues are made of crushed marble opposed to reinforced concrete and therefore very hard-wearing.

Concrete Barbeques - click here to view our range of products.

How Concrete Barbeques Can Liven Up Your Summer

Concrete barbeques, also known as chimney, stone or masonry barbecues, make great garden accessories and will enhance your outdoor space. Here are some of the benefits they can bring to your home:

Adds Beauty to Your Garden - A stone barbeque makes an attractive focal point. As they are available in a wide range of appealing designs, you will find one to suit any style of home, from new builds to period properties. These include: chimney barbeques with pizza ovens, barbeques with different coloured table tops (terracotta, brown, salt and pepper or peach), concrete barbeques with an extended table top and barbeques with terracotta side tables. So for whatever type of property you have, or style of garden, there will be a barbeque to suit you.

Brings the Inside Outdoors - A stone barbeque means you can make full use of your garden for at least five months of the year. An outdoor eating space can serve as an extension to your property - with the right seating, and possibly the addition of a cosy patio heater, it virtually creates an extra room. Depending on your garden layout there are lots of options for an outdoor eating space. One is to create a sunken stone seating area (with comfy cushions to sit on) or, if your chimney barbeque is closer to the house, the most popular option in the UK is a concrete patio with wooden or wicker garden furniture. The right use of lighting – such as lighting concealed among the plants - will create a fantastic ambiance and bring this whole space to life.

Prevents Cooking Smells Permeating Your Home - Another reason why cooking outside is popular in the hotter European countries is that it stops the cooking smells drifting through the house. There is no fear of this happening if you cook outside as all the usual cooking smells remain outdoors. However, there is certainly something very appealing about the smell of cooked food on a barbeque, and your neighbours will be keen to join in the fun, or want their very own barbeque.

A Sociable Way of Cooking – Grilling food on the barbeque is a very lively and romantic way of cooking as it conjures up the idea of big family meals, such as those in Italy, France and Turkey, where whole families gather round a large table to eat outside. While you may not have large grounds to accommodate this, you can invite a select group of friends and family round to sit at a small patio table, or invite a bigger party to stand and eat buffet style. Keep a filled ice bucket ready so your guests can help themselves to cold drinks, beers and wine, and make an entire night of it.

Why not bring a Mediterranean or holiday feel to your garden and take full advantage of the warmer months by investing in a masonry barbeque this summer? Big K sell a variety of high quality barbeques that are suitable for all types of garden and our range includes concrete or chimney barbeques, Kamado Joes, stone barbeques, brick stone barbeques and metal barbeques in all sizes.

Concrete Barbeques - click here to view our range of products.