Friends sharing an outdoor meal at a table with wine glasses and plates of food at sunset

Changing the way we BBQ at Tapnell Farm

Some of the best moments of a countryside stay are the simplest.

Long evenings outside. Something good cooking. A cold drink within reach. Nowhere you need to be.

The BBQ is very much part of that.

So when this year’s hot, dry weather made us think carefully about fire safety across the farm, we didn’t want the answer to simply be no more BBQs.

Instead, we found a better way to do them.

Ninja Woodfire outdoor grill on a wooden deck beneath a timber shelter, overlooking green countryside.

Two people enjoying an outdoor barbecue meal at a wooden picnic table in a countryside field at sunset.

Why we've gone electric

We’ve now switched from charcoal to electric BBQs across many of our places to stay at Tapnell Farm.

It’s something we’d been thinking about for a while. Moving towards electric makes sense alongside our wider environmental approach at the farm, where we generate renewable electricity through our solar panels and are always looking for practical ways to tread a little lighter.

But this year gave us another, much more immediate reason to make the change.

The fire at nearby Headon Warren, following a long spell of hot and exceptionally dry weather, was a powerful reminder of how vulnerable our countryside can become. When the ground is tinder dry and the wind picks up, a spark or naked flame can have consequences far beyond where it started.

Being surrounded by countryside is one of the things that makes staying at Tapnell so special. It also means we have a responsibility to look after it – and the guests, team and wildlife within it.

So, where our accommodation doesn't have a suitable concrete area for a charcoal BBQ, we've taken away the flames and gone electric.

Close-up of a hand opening the ash drawer on a black pellet stove.

And actually, they’re rather good

Our new Ninja Woodfire Pro XL Electric BBQ Grills & Smokers aren't just a replacement for what was there before. They're an upgrade.

You can still throw on the burgers and sausages, grill your veg and settle in for a proper BBQ. But you can also smoke, air fry and roast – opening up a lot more possibilities for eating outside.

Breakfast on the deck. Crispy chips for hungry children. A roast chicken for a long, lazy dinner. Or simply a few burgers after a day exploring the Island.

And if you love the smoky flavour that comes with a traditional BBQ, you don't have to lose that either. The Woodfire technology uses real wood pellets to add that familiar smoky flavour to your food, and we sell pellets in our Guest Hub ready for your stay.

Geodesic dome eco lodges with outdoor picnic table and parasols in a sunny field at Tapnell Farm

The ritual of cooking outside

So you still get the ritual of cooking outside. The smells. The gathering around. The inevitable debate over who has BBQ duties.

Just in a way that feels better suited to the landscape around us.

Staying with us? You can find everything you need to know about using your electric BBQ in the Ninja Woodfire Pro XL guide. The guide shows the BBQ with its cooking thermometer attached; we keep these safely in the Guest Hub for you to borrow if you need one during your stay.

Finding new ways to do things

At Tapnell we notice when something could be better. Find a practical way to do it. And, if possible, make the experience better at the same time.

Because the important bits haven't changed.

Dinner outside after a day exploring. Bare feet on the grass. Watching the light disappear over the farm. Staying out for just one more drink because nobody really wants to go inside yet.

Same Tapnell evenings. Just a different way to cook dinner.

Canvas glamping tent with an electric barbecue and deck chairs in a wooded campsite.

Where we've made the switch

You'll now find electric BBQs at our Safari Tents, Eco Pods, Wood Cabins, Modulogs, Geo Domes, Wendy House, Poachers Perch, Chalets and Little Lodge.

Our other cottages and houses have suitable concrete areas where charcoal BBQs can be used safely, so you'll still find traditional BBQs there.

It isn't about getting rid of charcoal everywhere for the sake of it. It's about choosing what works best – and most safely – for each little corner of the farm.

Friends eating outdoors at a picnic table under a large parasol beside a barbecue in a countryside field at sunset.

One change leading to another

Of course, switching to electric left us with a collection of charcoal BBQs that still have plenty of life in them.

Rather than letting them go to waste, we'll be selling them on and donating 50% of the money raised to charity.

We'll share more about where the money is going soon.

For us, the whole thing sums up the way we like to approach change at Tapnell.