The summer might seem like a long way off, what with the current sub-zero temperatures, but one leading expert has given kitchen users something to look forward. Writing for The Move Channel, Catherine Deshayes has detailed how households can take the indoors to the outdoors when it comes to cooking and entertaining in the fine weather. Among her suggestions is the installation of a dedicated work surface and kitchen sink, perhaps on a covered terrace, to add to the essential appliances that might go alongside that staple of al fresco gastronomy, the barbeque. The writer even goes so far as to offer some environmentally-conscious ways to preserve energy and reduce the consumption of important resources. Proper orientation is key when planning an outdoor kitchen. A house absorbs heat during the day and radiates it back to its surroundings in the late afternoon and early evening, the prime time for outdoor dining, Ms Deshayes says. Another key way to maintain a kitchens green credentials is to install an In-Sink-Eratorfood waste disposer unit, which reduces the impact that kitchen waste can have when it enters the drainage system.