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Outdoor kitchen ideas to elevate garden dining

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Outdoor kitchen and seating area. Jason Ingram

Outdoor kitchen ideas to elevate garden dining

Tamsin Hope Thomson

Published: Tuesday, 30 July 2024 at 3:10 pm

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Find the perfect outdoor kitchen for your garden, with some inspiring ideas for ways to cook and entertain outside.

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Eating al fresco is one of the highlights of summer and being able to cook outdoors is an added bonus. Whether that's having a barbecue, firing up the pizza oven or turning on your gas oven, having a dedicated area for your kitchen has never been easier. There's a huge range of kitchens to choose from. To keep it simple there are barbecue tables, which can be wheeled out next to your cooking area to make serving easier, or with a full-scale kitchen you can have almost every convenience you'd have indoors, including a fridge.

Before buying, think about where you have room to put one and which features will best suit your space. It's most practical to have it near the house, but if your outdoor kitchen will be at the end of the garden, it's worth investing in a kitchen that has a sink.

Outdoor kitchen ideas

Create a modern outdoor kitchen

Outdoor kitchen with fridge. Getty Images

If you want an extravagant kitchen, there are designs to cater for every eventuality, with plenty of work space, an oven or barbecue, a fridge, sink and storage for cutlery and crockery. This means whoever is cooking can enjoy the party, without having to go in and out, fetching plates and condiments.

Buy a kitchen with sink and fridge from B&Q

Install a simple work station

A free-standing kitchen unit is an easy way to cater on the patio, especially if you're looking for a less expensive way to cook outdoors. These can either be a work station that you position near your BBQ or an island that incorporates an oven.

Make space for an outdoor bar

An L-shaped outdoor kitchen. Getty Images

L-shaped outdoor kitchens create the enclosed feeling of an indoor kitchen and give you more work surface and serving space. Alternatively, you can use the extra space for your guests to pull up a few bar stools and keep you company while you cook. This shape allows you to make the most of a corner in your garden.

Buy an L-shaped kitchen from Etsy

Covered kitchen ideas

Put up a pergola

Outdoor kitchen beneath a pergola. Jason Ingram

Adding a pergola to your outdoor kitchen will create some shade and provide a structure to grow climbing plants up. Good plants for growing over pergolas include grape vines, clematis and climbing roses.

Buy a pergola from B&Q

Pull out awning

Awning over an outdoor kitchen. Sarah Cuttle

If you want shade, but there's no room in your garden for a pergola or covered area, try a garden canopy such as a retractable awning. This would work well for a outdoor kitchen that is set up along the house wall, providing cover from the weather, rain or shine.

Buy awning from B&Q

Simple outdoor kitchens

Add work space to simple kitchens

BBQ with work surface. Paul Debois

If you are limited on space or simply want an area to prepare food on for your barbecue, why not add a simple work station? These range from a table or cart that you can fit your BBQ into, to a full work station with sink and space to chop and prepare food.

Install a pizza oven

Table top pizza oven. Neil Hepworth

Pizza ovens are simple to use and come in a variety of sizes from portable, table-top styles to built in ovens that make a garden feature. If you want a portable pizza oven and only plan to use it occasionally, there are tables available that will provide extra work surface, or there are outdoor kitchens which have pizza oven as the centrepiece.

Small outdoor kitchen ideas

Build a barbecue

Brick seating and BBQ area. Jason Ingram

To create an outdoor kitchen in a small garden, instead of adding outdoor kitchen units, it may be easier to incorporate a cooking element into your garden, such as building a permanent barbecue that fits into your existing space or wall.

Invest in a mobile kitchen

BBQ on wheels. Getty Images

In a small garden, a fire pit or barbecue that can be put away for winter is a good option when space is limited. For gardens with a bit more space, there are mobile outdoor kitchen units, which could be stored in a garage when not needed.

Add outdoor shelving

Shelving for herbs and seasoning. Getty Images

Perhaps you don't have room for a full outdoor kitchen, but you can create feel of an outdoor kitchen with a shelving unit for condiments, a foldable table for dinner on the balcony, hooks on a fence to hang your cooking utensils or a side table that can be wheeled next to your barbecue to hold salads and drinks.

Tips for planning an outdoor kitchen

Outdoor kitchen sink area. Jason Ingram

Choose materials that are suitable for a range of weather conditions – good work top choices include granite, stone and stainless steel. Some units are only suitable for use underneath a cover, so check before buying.
Place an outdoor kitchen near to the house to avoid long trips back and forth to get items you've forgotten
Think about storage for items like charcoal, logs for pizza ovens, BBQ tools to make cooking outdoor easier
Consider what lighting you'll need for evening entertaining
Check whether the kitchen will need any electricity or gas connections

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