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Home gardening
Fusing powdered glass to steel at temperatures in excess of 800ºC is a job best left to the professionals, but this family-run Isle of Wight-based company fits the bill perfectly. They've been enameling stoves, cladding and other products in their own workshop since 1990, creating work for designers Yinka Ilori and Thomas Heatherwick, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts and Soho House. Not to mention beautiful, their products are heat-resistant, hygienic and stain-resistant, and won't fade or corrode. “Outdoor kitchens look great when you put them up, but if you live in the UK they can look bad by the next summer,” says Nicola Adams of Morley Stoves, who has a long-standing relationship with the company. “But these are the kind of units you pass on to your children.”
Adapt is Vlaze's newly launched second generation, now made up of 600mm and 1,200mm modules, that allow you to configure a custom setup. A list of desired units is created by the company on computer software and submitted for approval. The layout where I sat down for my morning coffee included a recess for a Kamado grill, an integrated sink, a pull-out bin, sliding drawers, sliding shelves and soft-close doors. The original's vibrant colours (like deep indigo and light ochre) are now joined by a “Nature” series of neutral tones that blend more elegantly into outdoor (or indoor) spaces, and the same tactile, easy-to-clean surfaces that keep the Kings Cross sign looking pristine year after year. Vlaze Adapt Modular Outdoor Kitchen, from £4,600; morley-stoves.co.uk
From dusk until it gets warm
Dutch company Stoov has been making heating pads and cushions for indoor use for nearly a decade. Now, some of their product lines, including the basic “Ploov” cushion, can be purchased with a durable stonewashed canvas cover suitable for outdoor use. There's only a little bit of assembly required: slip the soft inner cushion into the cover, which has a little pocket for the heater and battery. Then slide the whole thing into the durable outer cover. A neatly designed switch/control panel/charging connector pops out from one corner. At the end of an evening in the garden, the night breeze will be chilly as usual, but just flip the switch, choose your preferred warmth, and you'll be warm through dusk and beyond. Stove Ploov Canvas, from £99.99
Your new lover
Though the Big Green Egg's instantly recognizable shape is typically associated with kamado-style grills, the Atlanta-based company began making wood-fired outdoor heaters inspired by Mexican chimineas in the late 1990s. It was discontinued a few years later, but has since garnered a cult following, with originals selling on eBay for 10 times their original price. To celebrate the company's 50th anniversary, this new version has been released. Now in one piece instead of two, it has an improved ceramic formula and a wider chamber that puts out more heat (its sister grill's main job is to keep heat in), and it makes a beautiful centerpiece for any patio. Big Green Egg Chiminea, 675 pounds
Screen Test
Ambient light and noise are outdoor projectors' biggest enemies, but this battery-powered 1080p unit performs well despite being the size and weight of four bottles of beer. Mount it on a tripod (better than a pile of bricks), and the fast, accurate autofocus and automatic keystone correction give you a crisp, bright image (400 ANSI lumens, which is underpowered at its maximum size of 150 inches, but perfect for sunset projections on more modest screens). The two 8W speakers are impressive, but you can connect external speakers if you want to echo the sounds of on-screen explosions. Inside is Google TV (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.), but the missing apps (BBC iPlayer, etc.) can be cast from your smartphone with Chromecast. anchor Nebula Mars 3 Air, £550
Cook like Neapolitan
While I'm awfully bad at “toasting” pizza, and the last oven featured at Technopolis highlighted my poor pizza-peel technique, this compact new gas-only model from Gozney is more forgiving. It's somewhere between the entry-level Roccbox and the professional Dome in terms of price and features, but the powerful rotating burner is on the side of the oven, so you're not toasting your pizza directly against (or in) the flames. It takes just over 30 minutes for the stone to reach a temperature of about 450ºC, and a bright digital thermometer keeps track of the temperature. While anxious chefs like me might stick to the safer 12-inch diameter (especially when people are watching), the Neapolitan Wizard cooks a 14-inch pizza in about 60 seconds. Gosney Arc, 599 pounds
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