In the UK We have gone through a huge change in the way we cook outdoors - one of those biggest changes is the use of an outdoor oven or wood fired pizza oven as they are also known. There is something special about an outdoor oven - the real wood fire, the hardwood log aroma, the sight of a real flame - not forgetting of course the taste of hot pizza or warm bread with a lovely crust.
These have been made very popular by them being used in restaurants, country shows and of course by chefs on the TV. They can provide a fantastic way to cook many types of food, normally only found on the continent. The pizza oven for outdoor cooking has always been deemed as an expensive item, which was the case up until recently. Our Range here at Garden Gift Shop start from only £499 including delivery and as much advice as you like! We have a frequently asked question page which may help answer some of your questions.
Cooking in an outdoor oven is a real pleasure - it creates an atmosphere or an ambiance that is not achieved with a BBQ - you get incredible heat which firstly stops food being dried out in the cooking process, in particular large meat joints. It has the heat to be able to give a crust or sealed flavour on foods without making them tough and chewy. In fact an outdoor oven or pizza oven can be used to bake, BBQ, fry, grill, and smoke many types of food. It is a true all round cooking device for the garden.
The additional attraction to these are that they provide a feature - a permanent feature to add some style and passion to your garden or outdoor cooking area. They can be used to simply add some depth to your party in addition to providing a cooking platform for the event. They create a talking and focal point and many ovens are designed and decorated with paint or tiles to give a warmer climate feel to them.
The real point though - for many people is the Pizza! A good wood fired Product will cook you the best pizza you have ever tasted in under 60 seconds - cooked crispy stone baked base and perfectly melted and bubbly on the top! It really is a selling point. Kids can use the oven - they love them - creating their own toppings and cooking them too. It keeps them entertained for hours and they will eat lots of different toppings.
Buying a good quality oven, suitable for the UK, is a real investment - they will last you a long time and give many hours of fun cooking a huge variety of foods from many different countries. We have been using these ovens for many years and selling them for a long time too - we really understand how to get the most of an oven - do not hesitate to call us for advice.
Yes, you can cook pizza in 45 seconds flat – it’s a wow factor when you show off to your guests and great fun for the kids, but also, you can get very serious about your foods too - the wood fired oven provides opportunities to cook many other types of food - we have found that chicken tikka is very popular and can be cooked as good as in a tandoor oven. Many traditional dishes such as casseroles or Pasta bakes and of course breads can also be cooked in your ovens. It really is a complete solution for outdoor cooking.
You need to consider not only the food that can be cooked in there, but also the ambience and warmth the oven can provide, it will give you a beautiful focal point in your garden or outdoor living area. If you really need some design work then they can also be built into features or used as a stand-alone solution as an attractive centre piece to the garden.
If an outdoor oven is what you are considering - you should think about the types of food you wish to cook, then about the space you have available in your garden and how easy will it be to get the oven to that space. Will you be using it in conjunction with a BBQ or is it a standalone feature? If you think that your outdoor oven will provide you with slow cooking abilities then you might want to consider the type of oven in terms of insulation, for slow cooking an insulated oven will be need to - for maximum effect anyway.
There are many construction types, they can be made using clay, bricks or cast materials. All have their good points, but you must ensure that you invest in an oven with some refractory properties to ensure they can cope with and retain the heat. Brick ovens tend to be more traditional in design whereas the clay ovens are generally dome shaped and lightweight. The cast ovens are modern designs with modern materials.
In general, you do not need to worry about the British climate, certainly all of our ovens will be fine to be left in the garden all year round - but you may want to cover them to help reduce the water absorption.
One thing is for sure - the outdoor oven provides atmosphere, great food and a lovely ambience into the evening as the ovens fire dies down and provides a warm glow and satisfying feeling.