River Cottage bites Clay oven build

[surfingspider]

I stumbled upon this last night whilst watching river cottage bites on channel4. It is all about making a clay oven at the river cottage site. I actually went on this course when I was thinking about making my own. It is a very simple oven construction with no insulation, but what it does give you is a great idea of how to make a basic clay oven. Defiantly worth a watch.



www.channel4.com/programmes/river-cottage-bites/episode-guide/series-1/episode-31

[cannyfradock]

Brilliant video....A great insight .....and help to anybody considering building their own clay oven.

Many thanks

Terry

[clivey]

This makes a big project look so easy and an ideal starter oven to see if we use it or if it's just a fad.

thanks

[clivey]

having watched the other River Cottage video as well.
www.rivercottage.net/shop/product/build-and-bake/
It looks like they are using standard house hold bricks for the bed, is this realy ok to use for my first oven?
if the oven is well used then we will do another in a year or so

[surfingspider]

I think if you use really old house bricks they are fine. the type the actually made out of clay not modern bricks which are basically coloured concrete.

[cannyfradock]

clivey

As surfing spider posted, the best bricks to use other than fire-bricks for the hearth are the old reclaimed clay bricks. Some members have used old storage heater bricks...I have used clay pavers...and other members have used quarry tiles. Some concern was voiced about using quarry tiles but the members using them have said they perform well with no problems.

The only contradiction to using this is a chap called Richard Scadding from the Welsh Borders www.earthovens.co.uk/ who builds clay ovens using concrete pavers as his cooking hearth. Concrete pavers is not something I would use, but I have seen his oven at the Abergavenny food festival at it works well.

Terry