A Chef, a Charcoal Maker, and the Flavour of the Forest

When Michelin-starred Chef David Taylor first met the team at Whittle & Flame, he wasn’t expecting a story. He was looking for fire – clean, hot and reliable. But what he found was something deeper: a quiet revolution in how we burn wood.

Hidden in the woodlands of Oxfordshire, Whittle & Flame aren’t your average charcoal producers. They call themselves a wood distillery. Their process is part science, part stewardship – refining single-species hardwoods from nearby forests into beautiful, clean-burning lump wood charcoal.

The sad reality is that rainforest wood easily ends up in charcoals. Against the backdrop of illegal deforestation and exploitative labour practices, traceability becomes a vital tool in ethical charcoal. By using Whittle & Fame, each batch is traceable, each burn consistent, and each species – beech, ash, sycamore – brings its own subtle nuance to the fire.

As David listened to their story, a new idea began to form. Charcoal isn’t just a fuel. It’s an ingredient – and one that with a terroir all of its own. It was a shift in thinking that reshaped how we cook at Hampton Manor.

We’ve always cared about sourcing: the origins of our meat, the stories behind our wine, the soil behind our veg. Now, thanks to Whittle & Flame, we’re thinking just as carefully about the fire that brings it all together.

This newfound appreciation has naturally led us to Big Green Egg, the cult ceramic barbecue brand trusted by chefs around the world. Their charcoal range is also a celebration of purity and provenance – 100% hardwood, sustainably sourced, with no chemical additives.

Like Whittle & Flame, they see charcoal not just as a utility, but as a culinary medium. Their different lump wood options – from Canadian maple to eucalyptus to American oak and hickory – each offer something distinct. Thie hickory delivers bold, smoky richness. Eucalyptus burns clean and hot with minimal ash. And the maple adds subtle sweetness to meats and vegetables alike. With this wood, chefs can begin to layer flavour from the ground up – starting not with seasoning, but the with fire itself.

Hampton Manor is proud to be in partnership with Big Green Egg, a brand all of our chef’s trust. You can view the full suite at the Midlands dealership in Henley-in-Arden, The Garden Furniture Centre. The iconic ceramic barbecues feature across our outdoor kitchens and event spaces, marking a new era in our exploration of cooking with fire. But this isn’t just about equipment – it’s about experience. Alongside this partnership, we’ve launched a series of immersive cookery classes that celebrate the craft of wood-fire cooking.

Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a weekend enthusiast, these classes will teach you how to unlock the full potential of charcoal as an ingredient: how different woods shape flavour, how to control temperature with instinct, not dials, and how to coax depth and nuance from even the simplest ingredients.

Led by our chefs and inspired by our woodland surroundings, these sessions are about more than recipes – they’re about reconnecting with a slower, more elemental way of cooking. The kind that begins not in the kitchen, but with a spark, a flame and piece of well—chosen wood.

Together with Big Green Egg, we’re building a new relationship with fire – one rooted in sustainability, storytelling, and the pursuit of flavour. Because sometimes, the most powerful ingredients are the ones where you can’t pinpoint the taste – you just feel them, in the warmth of the flame and the care behind it.