We were very impressed with the Tiki Fire Pit’s heating performance. While standing five feet away from the pit, we were still able to significantly feel the warmth. Even at a greater distance, we could still feel it, even though it wasn't as strong. Overall, we found the heat to be evenly distributed and to have a nice feel. A good mixture of wood can also help get your fire started. Fast-burning woods such as birch and hazel are excellent choices for lighting your fire and can usually be bought in kindling or bark form. Hazel is also unlikely to spit sparks. You can get a variety of designs, including coffee tables, dining tables and high-top tables; they’re almost always powered by gas or electric, but you can get wood-burning ones, too. We list brands to buy in our garden furniture buying guide.

If you want something to keep you warm while relaxing in your garden but don’t fancy a fire pit, here are some other outdoor heating options to try. Chimineas Originating from South America, chimineas consist of a round container where the fuel is burned, topped with a chimney. They are easy to maintain and keep clean, radiate heat brilliantly, and create a centerpiece for your garden that is sure to impress. We found the assembly to be a very easy process, taking us about five minutes in total. However, it's worth noting that we had a hard time lighting the pellets at first, which was a bit of a trial-and-error process. Once lit, we could feel the warmth from the fire about two feet away but felt like we needed to be a little closer while sitting. We also loved the design and felt like the diamond cutouts added a unique touch. Overall, this is a great smaller option to take on camping trips, and we love the affordable price. But if you want a traditional fire pit for friends and family to gather around and smell the campfire, you may want to go with a different option. This artsy centrepiece is part of Aldi's garden shop range. It features a modern chrome-plated geometric design and stone-effect finish. We continue to be impressed by this fire pit's appearance and features. We love that it consistently puts out a very small amount of smoke. We also found it very easy to clean out and store this unit during the winter months and otherwise didn't note any changes in its looks or performance.

However most fire pits will give you a full 360-degree view and allow you to make a larger fire. Patio heaters Camping pits: compact and portable, these fire pits are designed to be taken outdoors for safe, cosy campfires on the go.

This low-standing, steel fire pit will provide 360 degrees of wood-burning fire. It has three legs, as well as handles, so it can easily be manoeuvred around the garden and you can cook food over it if you want. Built to sit directly on an existing surface, a tabletop fire pit is great if you're looking for something small and portable. If you fancy having a homemade pizza while you relax around your fire pit, here are the best pizza ovens . In terms of design, the fire pit has a plain, but clean and stylish, appearance. However, to keep it looking like new, you will need to protect it with a fire pit cover when not in use, otherwise, rust will develop on the screen (although we found that the rest of the fire pit still looked great). Overall, the unit offers a simple, yet effective, design at a great value, and is an essential addition to any outdoor space. These fire pits are usually log-fuelled, and you can even burn certain wood chips to flavour your food. However, it's worth bearing in mind that they can produce a lot of smoke from the meat or oil drippings, so they need to be cleaned frequently.Fortunately, if you're looking to save money, some of the more affordable materials are durable , so you won’t need to keep replacing it each year. We were able to assemble this unit in approximately one minute. No tools were required, and we only had to attach the bottom piece to the main unit to set it all up. We found that the handles and weight made it easy to move around the yard, but it's not the best option for bringing to a tailgate or on camping trips. On the plus side, we found this fire pit to be very sturdily built. In fact, while testing the fire pit, wind speeds reached around 30 mph, and, unlike our patio furniture, this fire pit did not move with the wind. Avoid damp wood. It's likely to smoke heavily, and burning wet logs will produce far more PM than dry logs, making it much worse for the environment. In fact, since 1 May 2021, wood with higher than 20% moisture content in bundles of up to 2 cubic metres should not be sold in England, but can still be sold in the rest of the UK. Chimineas are front-loading, freestanding fireplaces with a round bottom and a vertical chimney. Typically they're made of clay, cast iron or steel and come in a variety of sizes – opt for a model that you can cook on, too. Gas patio heaters are one of the worst in terms of energy efficiency and the amount of CO2 emissions they emit. They are also pretty pricey.

This gas fire pit also comes with a glass shield which can assist with keeping the wind at bay and also for safety purposes. Generally speaking, the larger the pit, the more heat it will give off, although other factors can change this, including what materials it's made of and the fuel you use to power it. We were able to assemble the unit in around 10 minutes. Although there were no instructions, each part was clearly labeled, and we only had to place the various included parts, such as the grill grate and screen, into the main unit. There are a number of different styles of fire pits available in the UK, each one with its own look, advantages and disadvantages. A portable fire pit will typically be small- to medium-sized and might come with a grill to cook on. Always try to use a safety screen to prevent getting burnt by flying sparks.Don’t make your pit too small or too big. Too small and the fire won’t get started; too big and it can get out of control. The average size is 0.9-1.2 metres wide.