Summer Evenings with our La Hacienda Murcia Chimenea

You know you’re a proper grown up right when you have ‘nice’ garden furniture? Well, since buying our first ‘posh’ set of outdoor garden seating at the end of last summer (making the most of the sales!), we’ve been looking forward to using it this year. Along with our (kinda) swanky new seating, I was excited to update our garden look further when Debenhams (who have lots of lovely garden furniture and accessories right now) gave us the opportunity to try out their La Hacienda Murcia Chimenea. 

I’d always fancied one of these- both for cooking bits and pieces on, and also for the added warmth when the sun goes down but you still want to sit outside with friends and have a few drinks, or read a book once the children are in bed. If I close my eyes we could almost be in the med, and not South East London.

The weather lately hasn’t been on our side (hello, wet June), so we’ve been trying to make the most of it and grabbing opportunities when we can to road-test our new chimenea. It arrived in pieces in a large box, and I must admit that I was daunted at first with the task of putting it together. I needn’t have worried though- I nailed the whole thing within 20 minutes and it was ready to go. 

The chimenea feels sturdy, on very supportive legs, and has handles at the side for easy lifting (never pick up using these once lit though, hot hot hot!), and it isn’t actually too heavy, meaning I could easily carry it in and out of our garage when we wanted to use it. 

It comes with a removable griddle, making cooking and placing food on and off easy (we’ve tried cooking flat breads, roasting tomatoes and chicken strips), and it also means it’s a dream to clean once you’ve finished. 

The chimenea is lit in a similar way to a standard BBQ- either with special easy-light logs, or with charcoal (which we used). The removable lid at the top of the chimenea means that smoke is contained and let out in a controlled way, and therefore you’re not totally smoked-out whilst supping on your GnT. 

I was worried that the lightweight steel would mean that it was flimsy, but actually it seems pretty hardwearing, and like anything, if you look after it I can’t foresee a problem with it rusting. We keep ours in our garage, but you can buy a cover for it if necessary. 

If the weather continues to pick up, I’m looking forward to letting the children toast marshmallows on it one evening before bed. However, because of how hot the chimenea can get, I think it’s something that we’ll tend to use more in the evening once the children are tucked up, as for safety reasons I wouldn’t want to have it lit whilst they’re playing outside without being with them at all times, which isn’t always practical (loo stops, drink refills etc 😉 )

All in all I’m really chuffed with our lovely new chimenea having always fancied one, and in a totally shallow way it looks GREAT on our decking area- proper grown up status achieved! 

Do you have a chimenea?

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.