The hottest trend in gardening? The coveted outdoor kitchen

The Guardian

2 days ago

This week, I read that Joa Studholme, Farrow & Ball's colour curator, was predicting the onslaught of butter yellow paint in our homes a decade ago, when everyone was still furiously coating their walls in 'mizzle' grey. I marvelled at both her foresight and the comfortingly glacial pace of interior design trends. But if interiors trends are slow, I'd argue gardening ones are even slower.
One of the trends that comes up persistently is the outdoor kitchen. In my mind, they are associated with Guides' camps and fixed barbecue grills that are used once then languish unwashed until the entire shenanigan unfolds again the following summer.
But I've realised I'm alone in this: garden designer Pollyanna Wilkinson, whose book How to Design a Garden is full of invaluable advice, tells me 99% of her clients have requested one in recent years: 'They're popular as they allow you to be sociable – if you're hosting outside, you can remain with them while cooking.'
While I do host a lot, I can never be bothered to offer more than drinks outside; it's such a faff to carry everything in and out, and food can quickly go cold outdoors.
But if you are dedicated to alfresco hosting (and have a four- or even five-figure budget), top-end outdoor kitchens provide work surfaces with built-in barbecues, sinks, wired-in fridges and beer taps. Ideally, it would be integrated with its surroundings, reflecting the materials used in your home or garden.
Things to think about if considering one of these include checking where the sun will be in the evenings (now is a good time to do this; it will be in a different position come autumn or winter) and how your planting will fit the area. Softening the utilities with elegant grasses and perennial colour will make a massive difference. Salvias are a good place to start, as they keep colour coming from midsummer through to November.
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But you probably want to make the most of the outdoor dining season right now. The most aesthetically pleasing, low-impact, though not the cheapest solution is the coveted Big Green Egg, a ceramic charcoal barbecue which also works in smaller gardens. Wheel it in, wheel it out; make the most of those open-fire flavours. And while I don't crave an outdoor worktop, I do see the benefits of a sink and a tap: it's a space to wash off flower pots, muddy boots and maybe even that barbecue grill before another summer sails by.
Whatever you're cooking on, it's chic and sensible to grow some edible plants around your outdoor dining area. Pots of herbs on the table, nasturtiums, borage, chamomile and cornflowers within reach – perfect for the freshest of garnishes for salads or cocktails, and good for the bees too.