Stunning Rustic Oven in Hethe OX27

Rustic oven and outdoor cooking space

We were approached in May 2016 by young busy couple who wanted an informal rustic oven and outdoor cooking space close to the house for ease of use. Situated in the lovely village of Hethe in Oxfordshire, we took cues from the weathered Cotswold stone of the surrounding area and built them a simple cooking area tucked into existing planting and backed by an old brick wall.

Looking around local reclamation yards, we managed to source some reclaimed cotswold stone from a local architectural salvage yard Burgess reclamation that was tipped close to our work area. We used a stand alone Four Grand-Mere raised 800 brick oven with adjacent Beefeater gas BBQ and charcoal grill set in a concrete worktop.

We also installed a demountable sail structure so the clients can cook under cover at short notice. The rustic oven and outdoor cooking area is now regularly used especially at weekends when they are back from their demanding London jobs and looking after their new baby born when we were finishing up.

The F800 ‘Campagnard’ wood-fired pizza oven used in this project is our most popular size for home use. Ed, the husband, is a very keen cook and loves large joints of meat slow cooked in the oven so he was particularly attracted to our raised option that is 75mm higher in the dome than the standard. It gives just a bit more space above the hearth so large birds and joints can cook overnight without burning.

The oven can cook 2 x 12″ pizzas comfortably and 3 with a squeeze or slightly smaller 10″. Because of the size and superior insulation, the oven heats up quickly and retains the heat superbly with the 80mm thick mass in the dome.

The tile hearth laid over a cast chamotte ‘tray’ gives an 80mm thick thermal store in the base meaning crispier pizza bases and slow cooling time, ideal for slow cooking when the oven is closed up with the supplied heavy insulated door.

With a phenomenal 7 degree/hour heat loss when closed up, you can guarantee the oven will be still super hot the following day!

The Cotswold stone piers, oven base and oven render was built with an NHL 3.5 Lime/sharp sand mortar giving the whole build a lower embodied energy when coupled with the re-use of a local building stone. The worktop was made from 50mm concrete paving slabs, polished smooth for prepping dough and ease of cleaning.

Even though we had a substantial budget for this project, we had to make a compromise on the Beefeater BBQ, which is never our first choice of brand. There are small details that make them difficult to build in, especially with brick or stone, as the gas inlet is placed very close to the front, leaving very little space to lay masonry up to the fascia panel. The new Proline range is more accommodating and thought through but has a more contemporary styling so not always an appropriate choice in more rustic builds.

For charcoal barbecuing, we made up an inset tray and grill so Ed and Jaime have an alternative to gas without having to fire up the pizza oven.

Jaime very kindly sent this recommendation for our Rustic oven build-

“My husband and I had a clear vision of what we wanted in our outdoor cooking space but had been struggling to figure out the best way of building it with various companies offering design or supply only.

We wanted a comprehensive solution and when we found Amrit we immediately knew we had made the right choice. He understood our vision, nailed the design and was sympathetic to our budget sourcing the best equipment to ensure we ended up with the finish we wanted but without exceeding our price limit.

Then when it came to the build, he worked tirelessly through a relentless heatwave to get the project finished ahead of the arrival of our baby. The finished product looks better than we could have imagined and we have had many a happy pizza party/barbeque since it was installed.

The whole cooking area has revolutionized our summer dining and the pizza oven especially is now an integral part of our “kitchen”.

I wholeheartedly recommend Amrit for any garden kitchen project you wish to undertake and don’t imagine there is anyone else out there able to offer the service, expertise and finish he offers and delivers on.”     Jaime & Ed , Hethe

Outdoor kitchen hethe design cgi

Rustic outdoor kitchen

Kitchen and house

Beefeater gas bbq

First firing

Cooking pizza