The seeds of The Oxford Charcoal Company
The Oxford Charcoal Company have perfected charcoal making in Oxfordshire. Matt, tells us what it’s like to be in his black-dusted shoes.
When I started my life as a charcoal maker, things were very different. I’d stumble out of my front door into one of Oxfordshire’s most beautiful ancient woodlands, armed with not much more than a chainsaw, a sharp axe and a box of matches. I’d start to cut, split and carefully stack the timber I’d spent the previous winter felling. Within a few hours, buoyed on by a chorus of Spring bird song, I’d be ready to light my fire.
The crackle of a raging fire would echo through the forest; the process of controlling the burn, of gently encouraging the alchemy of wood to coal, had begun. With luck it would be no more than 18 or 20 hours until the transformation had completed, and I’d be able to leave it to cool.
That’s a lot of time to think.
Mastering the craft from first principles taught me more about this dark art than I could have imagined, and soon my head was full of ideas of how this slightly thankless and sleep depriving process could be tamed for a modern world.
I soon understood the effect of time and temperature on the qualities of the resultant charcoal, how different species of trees could change the character of the burn. The speed, the smell, and eventually the flavour the charcoal imparted to the grill became like old acquaintances. I guess I’m still one of a very few who can look at and smell a lump of charcoal and tell you what tree it came from.
Nowadays, we’ve fed all of this knowledge into kilns which largely know what they’re supposed to be doing. They cook the charcoal to the exact temperature I’d have been aiming for in the woods.
Instead of releasing dense clouds of wood smoke produced in the process straight to atmosphere, we harness that unburnt fuel and use it to fire our furnace. We have more than doubled our efficiency making at least twice as much charcoal from our timber resource than was possible in a traditional burn.
…the Earth has breathed a sigh of relief, as this process has reduced our harmful emissions by around 80%.
We can keep 12 single species charcoals in stock all year round, and if everything behaves, we can make well over a tonne of coal every day. We send our product all over the country to discerning and delighted recipients, we even export to a few European countries.
We have 8 full time charcoal makers now, working sensible shifts and sharing the burden of an unstoppable process that runs 24 hours a day.
And I, well, I can go to bed.
The Oxford Charcoal Company create Gourmet Charcoal and use various types of wood from British Woodlands to make a variety of different charcoal flavours. For example, Birch charcoal is perfect for when you’re cooking either Beef or Lamb on your BBQ and offers a subtly sweet flavour which balances well with the flavours in the meat. This charcoal not only boasts incredible flavours, but is also additive free and comes from Sustainable British Forests. Foodchain has a network of incredible producers who they give chefs easy access to.
