Should You Stop Using a Pizza Oven in Autumn?

Autumn is upon us, leaves are falling and garden furniture is finding its way back into the garage or shed.  But should the pizza oven be closed down until next spring too?

The answer, quite simply, is no.  Although you won’t wish to be outside cooking in inclement weather, there are plenty of delightful occasions to be arranged outside, involving both cooking and eating outdoors.  Of course you may need a hat, coat and possibly a scarf, but remember that there will be some heat provided by the woodfired oven when you get the fire fully lit, so don’t go overboard with the winter woollies.

The sight of the oven fire ablaze in autumn is a true pleasure, providing a mesmeric effect and also making the oven even more of a social hub than in summer.  Just get prepared with what you wish to cook, maybe do a little more conveying from the indoor kitchen to the outdoor oven and enjoy almost a woodfired autumn picnic in your outdoor space.  Alternatively, cook outdoors and take the treats indoors when it’s time to dine.

Of course, what you want to cook in the woodfired cookery way at this time of year might be very different.  I love to turn to comfort foods, such as flavoursome chills, warming local fayre like Lancashire hotpot, beautifully baked jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings and mouthwatering warm puddings, from bread and butter pudding to sticky toffee.

If you love curries, this is the time to get those spices at the ready and really experiment with using your Valoriani woodfired oven as a curry kitchen and ‘tandoori-style’ oven!  You will gain a depth of flavour you cannot acquire in your indoor oven, so get creative.  The same is true for Moroccan tagine food, which will again be warming at this time of year and suit the season perfectly if you use squash, spinach and kale.

Stay traditional, if you wish, and turn to baked pastas, maybe switching up your favourite lasagne recipes, or cannelloni favourites with different ingredient options between the pasta sheets or rolls.

Sunday roasts should also be back on the table, so get that lamb, pork or beef joint, or plump whole chicken, into the woodfired oven and cook lots of delicious roast vegetables and astounding ‘roasties’ beside your chosen meat.  A traditional Sunday lunch eaten outdoors, on a sunny autumnal day, should be a memory-filled occasion.

When you think of it like this, there’s absolutely no reason to cover up the Valoriani ready-to-go Fornino oven, or shut the door on the Valoriani oven you had built into your own specially designed surround.  You don’t need to forget about it for several months.  Get the maximum value out of your investment by turning it into a woodfired oven for all seasons, simply by diving into your recipe book and adapting methods to suit cooking with wood.

Of course you can protect the oven, if you need to do so, by covering it with a tarpaulin or other protective cover but there’s no need to completely put it into hibernation.  

Just check the weather reports and aim to cook on days with decent weather and you can soon take your love of cooking on an autumn al fresco adventure.

If you need any more help or inspiration, please call us on 07743 847647.

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Editors notes

Orchard Ovens is the domestic and commercial pizza oven supplier in the UK of Valoriani, based in Reggello, Tuscany - the manufacturer of Italy's hugely respected Valoriani pizza ovens, known as the Maserati of pizza ovens and the kings of clay. These ovens are made from superb refractory clay - cotto clay - found in the family's quarry and unique, thanks to having just the right alumina. This allows Valoriani ovens to heat up quickly and retain heat superbly, bring huge advantages to homeowners, as well as restaurant owners, hotels, pubs, mobile caterers, pizzerias, takeaways and more.

Orchard Ovens supplies some of Britain's best-known restaurants and chefs, whilst it is also a specialist creator of outdoor kitchens and wood-fired oven builds for the rich and famous, as well as everyday homeowners wishing to add value to their home and enjoy an outdoor lifestyle to the full.