Outdoor kitchen ideas

Whether you have a small garden, balcony, patio or sprawling country estate, summer is a great excuse to cook and dine outdoors – and we have an array of garden kitchen ideas to suit. 

‘Outdoor cooking is increasingly popular and while traditional BBQs remain a firm favourite, pizza ovens are much in demand, particularly with families,’ explains Polly Edler, Partner & Category Design Lead. ‘The newest grills, barbecues and ovens feature advanced technology which will appeal to even the most discerning chef.’ And you can get fully kitted out with our collection of BBQ accessories including cleaning brushes, BBQ covers and grill baskets.

The best small outdoor kitchen ideas go above and beyond traditional charcoal barbecues – think game-changing grills and gadgets for alfresco meal prep and pro-grade pizza ovens plus a whole host of garden ideas that truly elevate your outdoor entertaining experience.

Be it charcoal BBQ, gas or grill – nothing beats cooking outdoors. The hugely popular Weber Genesis E-415 4-Burner Gas BBQ features a high-performance grilling system with four burners for large groups of up to 10 people, and it has Weber’s Flavorizer bars that vaporise juices to boost that barbecued flavour.

The Traegar Ironwood D2 650 grill can be controlled from your phone and uses wood pellets. If you’re short on space but still want ideas for outside kitchens, we recommend the Weber Traveller foldable1-burner gas BBQ. For more help choosing something for your outdoor BBQ area, this BBQ buyer’s guide is full of handy advice.

Serves 4 • Prepare 10 mins + marinating • Cook 25 mins

Ingredients

½ 568ml bottle Stella Artois Cidre

4 tbsp maple syrup

4 cloves garlic, halved

8 sprigs thyme

420g essential Waitrose British Pork Fillet, cubed

2 courgettes, thickly sliced

8 shallots, halved

1 red pepper, deseeded and thickly sliced

Olive oil spray

1 Place the cider in a large glass bowl and stir in 2 tbsp of the maple syrup, the garlic cloves and half the thyme sprigs. Add the pork and leave to soak for at least an hour or preferrably overnight.

2 Lift out the pork, discarding the marinade. Thread the meat and vegetables alternately on to 8 skewers. Spray lightly with oil.

3 Barbecue, grill or griddle the skewers for 15-20 mins, turning regularly until cooked through.

4 Strip the leaves from the remaining thyme sprigs and stir into the remaining maple syrup. Brush on to the skewers and continue to cook for a further 5 mins until shiny and nicely browned. Serve with leafy salad and a chilled glass of the remaining cider.

Whether you’re looking for large or small outdoor kitchen ideas, the best pizza ovens will inject a little pizzeria magic to your backyard. Bestselling Ooni pizza ovens are The One for authentic stone-baked Neapolitan-style pizza at speed, plus flatbreads, salmon, vegetables and steaks. Or there’s the slick Gozney Dome S1 – it’s foolproof and reaches temperatures over 500°C so you can cook a 16-inch pizza in 60 seconds. You can also go to town with pizza oven accessories such as trivets, pizza peels and pellets that add smoky, fruity or other flavours.

Serves 4 • Prepare 10 mins + resting • Cook time depends on pizza oven

Ingredients

500g Waitrose Sun-Dried Tomato & Chilli Bread Mix

250g tub essential Waitrose Italian Ricotta

230g bunch Waitrose British Asparagus, halved lengthways

1 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp fresh Waitrose Green Pesto with Basil

1 Place the bread mix in a large bowl, setting aside a handful for dusting the surface. Make a well in the centre, add 250ml lukewarm water then bring together to make a slightly sticky dough.

2 Knead the dough vigorously for 5 mins until it becomes smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 4 evenly sized balls then roll out to make 26 x 12cm ovals. Dust your pizza peel with a small amount of the reserved bread mix and lay two of the dough portions on it. Spoon the ricotta on to the pizza bases then place the asparagus on top. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and leave to rise for 10 mins.

3 Fire up the pizza oven, aiming for 500ºC on the stone baking board inside. Slide the pizzas off the peel and into your pizza oven. Heat until the base is cooked through and the asparagus is tender. Dot over the pesto and finish with a good grinding of black pepper. Repeat with other dough portions.

Kamado-style cooking, influenced by Japanese grilling techniques going back more than 4,000 years, has inspired a slew of clever kamado-style grills. There’s the hugely popular Big Green Egg, which allows you to cook over a wood fire, adding unmatched flavour to your meal. If space permits, table and shelf additions will allow you to expand your garden kitchen, with plenty of exterior kitchen ideas for your outside space.  

Serves 4 • Prepare 15 mins • Cook 25-45 mins

Ingredients

650g sweet potatoes

2 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients Tikka Curry Paste

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

4 tbsp natural yogurt

195g can essential Waitrose Sweetcorn, drained

1 ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and diced

6 salad onions, chopped

1 Light the barbecue. Scrub the sweet potatoes and cut into 1cm slices. Mix the curry paste, half the lemon juice, sunflower oil and mint together in a large bowl. Stir in the yogurt and season.

2 Add the sweet potatoes to the curry paste mixture and mix well until coated. Arrange the sweet potato slices on the hot barbecue and cook for 20-25 mins, turning regularly, until tender. 

3 Make the salsa by combining the remaining ingredients and serve with the potatoes. 

All recipes from Waitrose