Charles Bentley deluxe 2-burner gas barbecue review

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Available from:
Amazon (£89.99)
Robert Dyas (£99.99)

The Charles Bentley 2-burner deluxe gas barbecue was surprisingly easy and quick to put together (you only need a regular Phillips head screwdriver) despite the instructions being confusing at times. The main cooking components are well-engineered, but the overall feel was a touch flimsy.

You also need to fit your own hose and regulator, which is difficult and feels dangerous – it's beyond the call of the average user. Although relatively lightweight and manoeuvrable, the grill is especially short, and the lack of folding shelves could hinder storage.

Once you've got the temperamental ignition to work, the barbecue will heat up in around 20 minutes. But, frustratingly, it won’t retain its heat very well and is generally hard to adjust accurately.

The grill itself is a decent size, but much like the flimsy temperature gauge, the small steel cooling shelf feels more style over substance. The solid enamel-coated steel cooking grates are a slight saving grace, performing well while being simple to remove and pleasingly dishwasher friendly.

In terms of cooking, the Charles Bentley was inconsistent, with sporadic hot spots and flaming across the grill, resulting in unpleasant smoke. Unusually, it cooked a range of barbecue items (halloumi, burgers, kebabs and sausages) quickly, but didn't easily adapt to different temperatures – everything cooked in 15 minutes, when there should have been some variation. An especially low hood would also restrict your availability to venture away from cooking anything other than the usual suspects.

By no means the priciest model, this simple and somewhat intuitive grill was truly let down by uneven and difficult to control temperatures, resulting in disappointing final results. It would certainly do the job for most day-to-day grilling, but won’t inspire confidence or provide consistency.

Star ratings:

Assembly 3/5 (50 mins)
Ease of use 2/5
Cooking results 2/5
Value for money 2.5/5

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Specifications:

Height: 101cm
Width: 96.5cm
Depth: 58.5cm
Material: steel, cast iron, aluminium
Hose & regulator: included
Gas type: clip-on propane
Dishwasher safe: yes (grill grate)

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This review was last updated in June 2019. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.