I've become a real fan of making my own charcoal for the barbeque - as a chef, I love cooking over embers and using charcoal so it's something I always wanted to try. I first started experimenting during lockdown last year, out the back of my shed, using totara. My first results were great, and cooking with charcoal that you have made yourself is very satisfying.

Charcoal isn't just burnt wood, it's wood that has been heated to extreme temperatures and become carbonised. It needs to be enclosed for this process because oxygen must be limited, so you'll see in the video that I made mine in a repurposed 44 gallon drum with a lid.

This ancient practice produces a fuel that is light as a feather, and very compact as it produces almost twice the heat of wood. Barbeque heaven!