The designer: Simon Burvill at Gaze Burvill (www.gazeburvill.com)

The story: A la Carte is Gaze Burvill’s outdoor kitchen collection, perfect for the garden, terrace or any landscape large or small. Encased in oak cabinetry which is specially designed to live outdoors, the range includes a new Grill Station, standalone units housing Wolf grills and Sub-Zero fridges as well as teppanyaki, ceramic charcoal BBQ, pizza oven, sink, gas burner and storage. They also offer a fully bespoke service.

Designer Q&A:

Q) Tell us about your A la Carte outdoor kitchens

A la Carte opens the way to an entirely new level of outdoor cooking experience – the very best appliances but framed in exquisite oak cabinetry. No longer must you hide the BBQ behind a shed to maintain your aesthetic standards! Today, the sort of beautiful craftsmanship, not to mention equipment, that we now expect for a kitchen inside the home is available for the outdoor space.

The simple modular concept at the heart of A la Carte is that of ‘pick and choose’ – like selecting from the A la Carte menu in a restaurant. It is designed for supreme ease of installation and allows the kitchen to be reconfigured and added to later on. But Gaze Burvill also offers a fully bespoke service for A la Carte – with the latest innovation being a moveable kitchen – the ‘Grill Station’.

The A la Carte Collection exploits Gaze Burvill’s decades of experience and expertise in creating uncompromisingly high quality outdoor furniture and extends it into a complete experience in entertaining family and friends.

Q) For someone who is interested in having one installed, are there any practical considerations?

Does an A la Carte outdoor kitchen need to be beneath a shelter? No! Gaze Burvill specialises in making oak pieces that can withstand weather and climate. As for any kitchen, a level ground is an essential start. All the units in our modular collection come with adjustable feet, so the small height variance that would be expected when standing them on outdoor tiling or natural stone slabs is not a problem. All the grills and charcoal or wood-fired BBQs don’t need electrics, though the in-cupboard lighting, and often also worktop lighting, which customers often desire, do all need an electricity supply. In its simplest form this can be a simple socket, as long as it is installed by a qualified electrician. The sinks need to be plumbed in by a plumber.

Lack of space restricts us no longer! On fully articulated wheels, the Grill Station is adaptable and moveable. Choose from a top of the range 30” BBQ Grill from Wolf with rotisserie and cooking lights, Teppanyaki Grill or ceramic Big Green Egg with an option to have a slimline outdoor-rated drinks fridge. As well as interior lighting there is a power point, phone charger and plenty of storage space. We can build in an outdoor rated Bluetooth music system and speaker, phone chargers and more!

The Grill Station dimensions are 180cm or 200cm long x 79cm deep x 94cm high, and the worktop is made from Dekton by Cosentino.

Q) Are the kitchens weatherproof or what can we do to keep them working and looking their best?

Part of the design challenge is ensuring there are no water traps in the cabinetry, so that the kitchen can live outside in all weathers and seasons. The oak is fumed – an ancient craftsman’s trick to slightly darken the wood, which also minimises tannin staining in the early weeks after installation.  Because oak is naturally impermeable and durable, it is the perfect choice for outdoor furniture and cabinetry. After a few years, as the natural impermeability is washed out, we recommend an application of a special oil which Gaze Burvill can supply. Gaze Burvill offer a full aftercare service to keep the outdoor kitchens in tip-top shape through the years.

Q) Discuss the materials and appliances used

All our cabinetry is made in Hampshire from prime grade oak from sustainable sources and most of the standard units house Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances. We also offer ceramic ovens, like those from Big Green Egg, and pizza ovens from Delivita and Valoriani. We have incorporated Teppanyaki grills, steamers, warming drawers, boiler taps and of course, many a kitchen sink. We find that for the alfresco chef, a built-in Bluetooth sound system and good speakers are of fundamental importance!

We fit worktops in Dekton by Cosentino as standard, as these have excellent resilience to UV and weather, as well as an attractive range of colour choices – but we can work with other suitable materials if the client wishes.

Q) Can they be custom designed?

Yes, as well as the standard units, we offer a full bespoke service, and probably half of the kitchens we make are bespoke in some way.

Q) Why do you think outdoor kitchens are becoming more popular in the UK?

There is something uniquely therapeutic about cooking, as we are increasingly discovering, and the same is true of being outside – so the combination doubles the benefit. The BBQ has been a central feature of summer fun for so long – but now we don’t just want to throw a few sausages on the grill, we want to marinade, use fresh herbs from the garden. We need a little space to work, perhaps a warming drawer to prove our pizza dough – we have become more adventurous and knowledgeable in our outdoor entertaining: we want all the benefits and equipment that we expect in our indoor kitchen for our outdoor kitchen. And as we now curate and design our gardens and terraces to match our aesthetic expectation of our indoor spaces, we look for a beautiful, as well as cleverly designed, outdoor cooking and entertaining solutions. Finally, by using sustainably sourced oak, designed for years of use, we make a rather more responsible environmental choice.

Photography by Gemma Klein