Date 4 September 2027 (1 Day)

Price £140

Maximum number of places 10

Book Please contact Dan Watson to book a place, email dan@dwwp.co.uk or phone 07970 116515

Course Details

During this one-day practical introduction to charcoal and biochar, there will be demonstrations of a variety of different methods for producing charcoal, for barbecues, and biochar, for soil conditioning.

You will be guided through burns in a barrel, mini ring kiln and retort and we’ll discuss the pros and cons of each method.

A hands-on course, it will include unloading and bagging charcoal as well as loading and burning wood to make charcoal. We’ll also discuss the history of charcoal and its uses, sighting of kilns and retorts, wood types, seasoning and much more.

Participants will take away a bag of charcoal at the end of the course.

Catering:

For all courses, a hearty, healthy lunch is provided (please let your tutor know of any dietary requirements when booking), along with tea, coffee and water. Breakfast and evening meal is self-catered, with firewood and charcoal-based cooking available.

We also provide firewood, brew-kit, washing up and cooking facilities, crockery and cutlery. 

Guests should bring; barbecue food or pans for cooking on a fire for breakfast and evening meals.

Facilities:

Facilities include covered workshop spaces, an undercover outdoor cooking set-up, communal dining area, comfortable compost toilet, plenty of loo roll, and handwashing.  A good stone track leads to the wood where there is space to park, please keep speed under 10mph.

Tutor Bios

Dan Watson @dwwoodlandproducts

Dan’s experience of Charcoal burning began in the 1990’s. Coppicing to provide timber for the kilns he also makes hazel hurdles, sells hedging stakes for hedge-laying as well as sawmilling and timber framing. He is a bowl carver and continues to take commissions for outdoor furniture, sculptural features and bespoke rustic fencing.

Dan is the North of England agent for woodlands.co.uk (woodland sellers for conservation and leisure) and is the owner/manager of Ellekers Wood, a plantation on ancient woodland site and venue for this course.

James Hookway

 James developed an interest in biochar, initially to improve his garden in 2010 when he wanted to produce it himself rather than buying imported charcoal. He started small then quickly realised that he needed to increase production volumes, so developed his retort design. 

 Following the lauch of the prototype retort at the Bodgers Ball and Alan Waters “Charfest”, he designed and sold various models. He has now sold plans to build the retort to most countries around the world. Settling on a stainless-steel version in the main, he has also designed a brick and mud version and a brick and concrete version to make bamboo and coconut charcoal in equatorial areas and Venezuela. In 2020 James created a design for a mild-steel version and designed a flame-top kiln for making biochar. He has demonstrated around the UK and Europe.

 James also has experience of making charcoal using the traditional method of an earth burn, here in the UK and Europe.