FAQ's

We recommend going to the Top Ups and Kindling Section of the website, here you can build your own small package of Kiln Dried Birch, Olive Wood, not forgetting the Log Barn Natural Firelighters and Kiln Dried Kindling. If you have a recently felled tree, you can burn it but make sure it is well seasoned. Seasoning the wood (making it dry) take between 1-2 years if doing it at home. Keep off the floor and under cover. If you don't have time, that's where we come in. We sell Kiln Dried Hardwood, as it lasts longer and creates less smoke than seasoned wood, due to the lower moisture content.

Our 28cm length Safety Matches are designed to allow you to hold the match at length and be able to light your fire with the full length of the match being able to get into the fire and light the firelighter, therefore reducing the chance of injury to yourself. The box can be stored away ready for the next time you light your fire. Our 28cm long safety matches are also fantastic for lighting candles when as they are so long they will allow you to light multiple candles in one go. They are popular in restaurants for lighting those hard to reach grills. You can even take them camping!

Here is some useful things to know when buying your wood. There are two types of volumes to consider when buying wood: 1) Stacked volume 2) Loose filled volume Facts: 1) Stacked volume takes up less space when stacked. ie crates 2) Loose filled volume has more air gaps between the pieces of wood. ie bulk bags In a bulk 1m3 bag there are about 28 nets. In a 1.2m3 bulk bag there are around 33 nets. In a 1.3m3 bulk bag there are around 36 nets.

These are really simple to use. First lay a bed of kindling, place a single natural firelighter on top. Lay 3-4 pieces of kindling over the top in a "tippi" shape and place two small logs over the top of the kindling. Light the natural firelighter and away you go! If you are lighting a stove or fireplace on a cold day, it may help if you use 2 or 3 natural firelighters to help warm the flue quickly, as a warm flue will draw properly once warm. If lighting charcoal or a fire pit when cooking outside, or a wood fired oven using a compressed beech log, then use 3 firelighters, as this will get your fire up to temperature quickly. This is the same for burning smokeless fuel, get the fire as hot as possible at the start so that the flue warms up!

The first thing is to get the fire very hot, as quick as possible. To do this, build the fire up, putting logs onto the kindling fire, rather than making a large pile at the start and stay with the fire. By being with the fire, you can see the flames rise as the logs set on fire and can add more. Remember to wear professional heat proof gloves. Then when you start to get lots of embers, move them towards the back of the Pizza oven, creating a nice hot base clear from ash. Sometimes people like to cook for a longer time over a few hours, if doing this push the embers to the side of the pizza oven, so that you can restock the fire in between cooking to keep the heat up. Closing the door also helps the embers stay and increases the heat inside.

The minimal spend is £130 for free delivery on pallet deliveries. Small DPD orders are free delivery over £50.

London is a smoke control area, this means that you can burn wood in an approved appliance. These are typically know as Defra stoves, Defra approved stoves and Smoke Exempt Stoves. These stoves have been sent for testing and have an efficiency of over 65%, therefore they burn the particulates created. Sometimes a manufacturer may describe the stove as clean burning, this isn't to be confused with being approved and is a sales term, so always ask if the stove is approved for burning before buying any stove if you live in a smoke control area. One unknown fact is that there are no laws against having a bonfire, but there are laws for the nuisance they can cause. For example danger to traffic if you allow the smoke to drift across the road and become a danger to traffic. A bonfire must happen frequently to be considered a nuisance. So you can own a Fire Pit, or Pizza oven and burn logs on those and buying kiln dried logs to use will help, as these are very low in moisture and the amount of smoke created when burning them is vastly reduced, compared to burning seasoned logs. You are not allowed to burn house hold waste (not that you would want to!) Please see this link on the DEFRA website for further information and to search for smoke exempt appliances: https://smokecontrol.defra.gov.uk/appliances.php

We recommend using firelighters as this gives a constant source of heat to light the kindling, using news paper crates a quick flash of heat, which can cause your stove or fireplace to smoke. Remember at the start of the fire it is important to warm the flue, a warm flue will draw properly and using firelighters and kindling to do this is the first step. Once you have a kindling fire going then add smaller logs, let these set on fire and once you have some embers, then add on your larger log sizes.

We source all of our olive wood from the Mediterranean. Olive farmers chop down the old olive trees as their productivity declines, leaving the productive roots to produce plentiful new growth or planting new trees to replace those that have died or become unproductive. Each year thousands of olive trees are left to decompose naturally releasing their stored carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Utilising these old trees as a source of fuel has a carbon-neutral effect on the environment.

Apart from being carbon neutral; olive wood is very dense meaning that it burns for longer than other hardwood species such as birch and oak. By using olive wood in combination with other hardwood species you will reduce our overall spend on wood. Olive wood also produces a wonderful aroma and burns with a beautiful bright flame.

Place 3 pieces of kindling on the grate, then add 2-3 firelighters on top and a good handful of kindling onto the grate, then sprinkle a layer of smokeless coal around the kindling and on top of the kindling, leaving some kindling showing in the middle. Light the firelighters and ensure the vents on your stove are fully open. Once the fire has taken you can add more fuel to create a deep fire bed and adjust the vent until you achieve your desired burning rate. Leaving the vents fully open until the coals are glowing red. To prolong the burn, or to achieve over night burning, close the primary air vent, so that all the air intake is coming through the secondary and if you have one, your tertiary air vent. If burning on an open fireplace the process is the same except you will need to use a little more kindling at the beginning to set on fire, this is to allow the flue to be warmed more first from the kindling fire, remember that a warm flue draws properly, so the kindling fire is also being used to warm the flue up.

Medical research has shown that families who use solid fuels, such as smokeless coal, are less likely to suffer from hay fever, asthma and eczema. The use of the chimney draws fresh air through the house and removes “polluted” air; thus creating a better ventilated home. With smokeless coal also producing less harmful emissions than other types of fuel they produce less pollution and are kinder to the environment.

Smokeless coal refers to natural or manufactured coal products that do not give off tarry or other hydrocarbon vapours when heated below their point of ignition. Anthracite is a naturally-occurring smokeless fuel which has a long burn time and a high heat output. It can, however, be difficult to light and burns with a subdued flame, so many fire-owners choose other options. Manufactured smokeless coals contain anthracite and a mix of other fuels. Our smokeless coal has been developed to combine the long fire life of anthracite with the bright flame and easy-lighting qualities of house coal, and can be used on an open fire cast iron insert, and in multi-fuel stoves.

Seasoned logs are naturally dried outside and will only reach a moisture content that matches the ambient atmosphere. The moisture content in your house is lower than that of the outside world. Leaving the seasoned logs in a well-ventilated inside storage area will allow more moisture to be removed and you will end up with a log that burns better, for longer and produces more heat and less smoke.

Freshly-chopped wood has between 40-60% moisture content depending on the species. When burning wet or green wood the majority of the energy released is wasted evaporating the water in the wood rather than heating your house. Wet wood produces more smoke than seasoned wood and can leave harmful creosote deposits on your chimney or flue pipe. Creosote is formed when wood smoke condenses and attaches itself to the lining of a chimney before it exits the top of pipe. You should get your chimney swept regularly, twice a year, to remove excess creosote deposits.

Seasoning is the process of reducing the natural moisture content in wood, resulting in less smoke and a more uniform combustion when used as firewood. Seasoning is the traditional method for drying wood and can take between 6-9 months. The logs are stacked on a raised foundation in a clean, cool, dry and shady area. Air flow through the stack is the key to removing moisture through evaporation.

Your Log Store needs to be on level place as there will be a lot of weight in it and it needs to be stable. Your log store should be placed where it can get plenty of air flow and some warmth, so somewhere the sun can get to it. Avoid a dark damp place that is shaded from the sun and wind. You log store is designed to allow air flow through it so face it away from the prevailing rain direction. If you are putting your log store against a wall this is fine, try and pick a wall that doesn't tend to have driving rain against it. But if this is the case then the logs will evaporate the surface moisture on them. It also needs to be in a place that you can get to easily to get a basket of logs on a cold night.

Use at least two firelighters and 5-8 pieces of kindling to generate enough heat to warm your flue. Once the kindling is burning add a couple of smaller kiln-dried logs - as these burn and create a layer of embers you can add a couple of larger logs. Reloading time will depend on the draw and size of your fireplace or wood burning stove - normally you will need to reload every 45 minutes or so.

Kiln-dried logs are the best fuel to burn in your wood burning stove because they contain less moisture than green or seasoned logs. This means that they produce more heat and burn for longer making them more economical than other types of firewood. Kiln-dried logs will heat your room faster, burn with a brighter flame and produce less smoke than seasoned or green logs helping to minimise the build-up of harmful deposits on your chimney or lining system.