Some introductions are a pleasure to make. This is one of them.
We’re delighted to welcome Blackdown Charcoal to the House of Charcoal family. Based in Devon’s Blackdown Hills, Ali and Kelly Gregory make small batches of Grown in Britain certified charcoal from locally sourced British hardwoods.
Their mixed charcoal is a superb all-rounder. But the story starts long before the first bag was packed.
From young saplings to a new beginning
Some of Ali’s earliest memories are of running through fields of young saplings, around 35 years ago. Those saplings are now a woodland that needs careful management and a big part of why Blackdown exists.
Founded in 2026, the business grew from Ali and Kelly’s decision to leave corporate careers behind and build something around three things they care deeply about: health, family and fire.
For them, that means eating well, bringing their small woodland back to life and finding every opportunity to cook over an open flame.
It’s a family business in every sense. Their two young children are already involved: one has ambitions in horse logging, the other in tree surgery. Both, naturally, are self-certified charcoal experts.
The woodland sets the pace
Blackdown’s approach starts with what the woodland can sustainably provide.
Careful management and coppicing shape the wood available, with different species coming through in cycles. That influences what Ali and Kelly make, rather than expecting the woodland to supply the same thing endlessly.
Their mixed charcoal brings together locally sourced hardwoods for versatile cooking performance. Grown in Britain certification adds a clear, traceable British supply chain.
Knowing your fuel means knowing where it began. In this case, among trees Ali remembers when they were rather smaller.
Care in every bag
Ask Ali what makes their charcoal special and his answer starts with the people who will cook with it.
“We think it’s the love we put into it.”
As they pack each bag, Ali and Kelly imagine someone opening it, lighting the fire and cooking something good.
That care runs through production, too. Using a high-efficiency retort, they make their charcoal in small batches, giving each batch the time it needs. Purity takes priority over speed.
For them, the work is about more than getting another bag out of the door. It’s about what happens when that bag reaches your grill.
What does Blackdown charcoal bring to the cook?
Blackdown Mixed Charcoal is a versatile all-rounder, combining quick lighting with even heat and a sustained burn. It’s equally at home with midweek grilling or something more leisurely on Sunday.
Its smoke profile is subtle, allowing carefully sourced meat, fish and vegetables to lead the way.
This brings us to something Ali thinks is often misunderstood: how much flavour different charcoal species contribute.
He explains that high-purity charcoal retains only small amounts of the volatile compounds associated with wood smoke. The differences between species matter chiefly for how the charcoal performs—how readily it lights, the heat it produces and how long it burns.
Density is an important part of that behaviour. Choosing your charcoal is therefore about matching the fuel to the cooking job, rather than expecting every species to deliver a strong, distinctive smoky flavour.
If you want a deeper smoke character, add smoking chunks chosen to suit the food. The charcoal supplies the heat; the chunks give you another way to season the cook.
Give the fuel the same thought as the food
Ali’s advice for anyone buying charcoal is straightforward: give British charcoal a try, and apply the same care to choosing your fuel as you do to sourcing your ingredients.
We’re very much with him on that.
You’ve thought about the butcher, the vegetables and what’s going into the pot. The ingredient beneath them deserves a little attention, too.
And what’s on their fire?
For the children, it’s sausages from the local organic farm. An entirely reasonable answer.
For Ali and Kelly, the favourite is a chilli cooked in a cast-iron Dutch oven. There’s something particularly satisfying, they say, about taking a familiar kitchen dish outside and cooking it over fire.
A reminder that good charcoal isn’t reserved for steaks and summer barbecues. Sometimes its best work happens beneath a pot, with supper quietly bubbling away.
Welcome to the House
Blackdown Mixed Charcoal is available in 5kg bags: small-batch British charcoal, made by a family who care about the woodland it comes from and the food you’ll cook over it.
We’re delighted to have Ali and Kelly in the House. We think you’ll enjoy getting to know their charcoal.
Know your fuel. Back British Charcoal.
