Advice for your logs and burning a perfect fire...

Looking after your logs

Once you've received your logs, get them into a dry environment as fast as you can. Stacking some near your fire on is a great idea, and storing the rest in a garage or shed will help keep the seasoned wood dry and away from damp... essential to ensure that your wood burns well when you need it to!

Starting the perfect fire

There's a bit of science involved in starting a fire. Important factors are often overlooked, and lead a fire built with even the best dry wood burning out quickly!

The main problems are mainly to due with lack of patience! Plan the fire carefully from the ground up, and it will start fast and burn well.

Here's a mini-guide to getting it right...

1. Stacking

Stack your fire well. You need to bear in mind that the fire needs a very hot core, and will burn from the inside-out. Therefore you need to plan your fire from the start to burn hot and fast in the bottom-center first.

Generally, this initial core consists of kindling, which can be anything from small, thin pieces of wood to scrumpled up newspaper. Kindling is anything which essentially burns fast.

Next, around the kindling, we want some small, dry firewood. Remember: fires need oxygen to burn well, so tightly packing this all in won't work so well—leaving gaps is essential to allow oxygen to circulate. The fire will draw oxygen in from the room as it needs it, so let the core of the fire breathe well.

Place the smaller firewood around the kindling—build a structure which covers but doesn't smother.

One of the most time-honoured and efficient methods is the 'teepee' stack, but it's not always possible in smaller fireplaces.

Once you have the smaller wood around the kindling, you can layer several larger pieces over the top... remembering to let it all breathe!

2. Starting the fire

Importantly, open the flue. This allows air in to your nice loosely-stacked fire.

Now we have our 'core' of kindling, the idea is to burn the fire from within—the kindling will burn and set the small wood going, which in turn will heat the larger wood above.

So, start with the kindling... light the kindling with a match or long-handled lighter. Gently blowing at this point will help oxygenate and stoke the flame. If you've built the fire well, the kindling should be enough to get it going well.

3. Keeping it going

Once the core is established and burning, new wood can be placed on top regularly. As the new wood burns and crumbles to embers, it becomes the new core, and a cycle begins.

Never smother the fire with too much wood, but watch for the consumption of the larger pieces as they fall into the core, and replenish the outer layer.

Basically you are feeding the core at the middle-bottom of the fire, and as with any living thing, you will start to learn when the core is getting 'hungry'. Maintaining a flame is important but not essential, as a very hot core will re-ignite new wood on top and establish new flames.

Enjoy your fire!

How to order...

You can order by phone or place an order request from our website—either way, details can be found on our contact page.

* Free delivery within 5 miles of Shrewsbury town centre