For many years Val produced charcoal on a small scale using local timber. As his understanding grew, so did his awareness of how charcoal is produced around the world — and the environmental impact that can come with it.
That realisation led to a search for a better way.
The answer was modern retort technology — a process that captures and burns the gases released during charcoal production rather than allowing them to escape into the atmosphere.
Val joined forces with engineer Steve Kitchener to bring this approach into practice. Together they developed the equipment and process that now produces Ouse Valley Charcoal beside the River Great Ouse in Harrold.
What began as a passion for making better charcoal has become a small artisanal business rooted in the landscape of the Ouse Valley.
