Nothing quite says summer like al fresco dining and, if you’re lucky enough to have a home with a garden, making your outdoor space shine is the next logical step towards a dream home. Make lavish everyday dining with your household an event and create an impressive centrepiece for hosting loved ones and build your own pizza oven. Whether you’re a DIY pro, a pizza purist or you just love getting the gang together on sunny days, there’s an outdoor pizza oven solution for you.
Build your own pizza oven
If you’re looking to make your pizza oven a permanent fixture in your garden, there are a couple of ways to achieve this for the DIY-savvy among us. Here are a couple of ways to get creative with your wood–firing dreams and try your hand at culinary garden crafting.
Clay is the way
The history of outdoor clay ovens powered by fire is likely to stretch back as fair as ancient Egypt. However, when it comes to pizza, it’s more likely that these clay structures for wood fire cooking originated in 1700’s Naples. There’s no doubt that they served a practical purpose but they also developed a tradition of sorts around communal eating and enjoyment of food which is perhaps why the at-home pizza oven is still a coveted feature today. If you’re not afraid of a little DIY and you’d like to keep things traditional, here’s how you could build your own pizza oven in your back garden.
Build your own clay pizza oven: step-by-step guides
There are plenty of ways to go about building your very own garden pizza oven. We’ve scoured through a series of guides and tried to pinpoint the very best, as well as the materials that you’ll most likely need to get it done. Here are the must-haves according to most of the step-by-step guides to build your own clay pizza oven: clay (of course!), bricks, an assortment of fine rubble and larger stones and wood shavings. Now, let’s move on to the more detailed instructions we’ve collected from a range of sources so you can tweak your shopping list to match.
When it comes to preparing fantastic food and innovative cooking, we’re pretty confident that food magazine, Delicious, is an authority on the topic. This guide details each step of the journey in helpful detail with visual cues to keep you on track throughout the building process.
We also came across this innovative guide for how to build your own pizza oven from Instructables.com – it’s instructive, informative and just a little unexpected. It even incorporates empty wine bottles as part of its foundation (yes, you heard right and, yes, it feels like an excuse to enjoy one more refreshing glass in the sun).
If you prefer video tutorials to envisage the building process, watch this video by Totally Handy:
More of a buyer than a builder?
If you have dreams of clay pizza oven afternoons in your back garden but you’re strapped for time or a little unconfident with the DIY approach, you’ll be pleased to know that there are some beautiful options on the market that won’t demand your time. This stylish mosaic clay oven from Fuego will give your garden an effortless holiday feeling while this rustic-looking option from Hereford Pizza Oven Company will blend perfectly into a more naturally styled garden.
Modernity meets tradition
With the rise of social media, cooking has taken off and come to dominate many fellow foodies’ feeds in recent years. One trend that emerges often is pizza making at home – a practice that’s opened doors to plenty of impressive outdoor pizza oven brands that make wood-fire-effect pizza at home an attainable possibility. Here are some of our favourite options.
Gozney pizza ovens range from colour-popping, portable pizza ovens that you can enjoy equally in your own back garden or take on camping trips for all the family to enjoy to their striking Dome structure that’s shaking up how people think about outdoor cooking at home. It’s wood-fired and claims to be able to roast, smoke and even bake. If you’re a budding cook, we suggest you explore what they’re all about.
Ooni has also revolutionised how you can cook pizza at home. They’ve declared that outdoor cooking season has arrived and they’re here to teach you how. From easy-to-use gas-powered devices that’ll take the stress out of your al fresco pizza feast to their versatile ‘Karu’ edition, they’re a sleek looking option that’ll perfectly complement modern landscaped gardens and patios.
Make your al fresco pizzeria a centrepiece
If you’re looking to make your new pizza oven – built or bought – an impressive centrepiece in your garden, you’ll also want to ensure that the flow between your home and outdoors is seamless. Here’s a few ways to make your garden dining area feel like an extension of your home.
Bifold doors
Bifold doors are a fantastic option for removing any barrier between indoors and outdoors, maximising the feel of the space inside your home as well as encouraging a more sociable atmosphere. Closed, they’ll offer a great view into your garden and open they’ll open fully to reveal your green space. Learn more about bifold doors and get some inspiration for your own home with this article.
Garden room bar
If, come summer, hosting at home is your thing, why not elevate your outdoor cooking paradise and consider investing in a garden room that you can host an innovative home bar in. Garden rooms can either be standalone structures or built in the place of old structures like dated garages.
If you're looking to reimagine your home to incorporate your garden and its features more thoroughly, book a free advice call with one of our in-house experts to assess your options.
