Published 2026-05-17 by James Maxwell

The best way to spend a May weekend in the garden starts with getting the right kit in place before the sun arrives. We’ve tracked prices across UK retailers this month to find where the value sits — and where it doesn’t — across outdoor cooking, garden furniture, and audio.

The single most impactful purchase for a May garden upgrade is a gas BBQ or outdoor pizza oven. A gas setup gets you cooking within 20 minutes of stepping outside, with no charcoal faff and no waiting for the coals to die down before the kids can run around. Pair that with decent seating and you’ve covered 80% of what makes a garden weekend actually work.

The two cooking options worth your attention right now sit at very different price points. The Weber Spirit 3-Burner Gas BBQ starts at £600 across 2 UK retailers, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data. The Ooni Koda 16 Gas Pizza Oven is currently available from £449, below its £499 RRP, at 2 UK retailers, again per Shopping.co.uk price tracking data. They solve different problems, and most gardens are better served by the BBQ first, the pizza oven second.

For seating, the St Tropez Grey Corner Sofa Set from Home Garden Direct starts at £564.99 across 4 UK retailers. Note that Home Garden Direct ships direct with a 1–2 week lead time, so if you want it for the late-May bank holiday, order this week.

Outdoor cooking: BBQ

The Weber Spirit 3-Burner Gas BBQ is the all-rounder. It handles burgers, chicken, fish, and vegetables across three independent burners, each with Snap-Jet one-hand ignition per Weber’s product specs. The porcelain-enamelled cast-iron grates retain heat well, and the stainless Flavorizer bars manage drips without flare-ups. Weber backs it with a 10-year limited warranty, which is rare at this price bracket and changes the value calculation over time.

One practical note: a standard 13kg patio gas bottle gives you roughly 12–15 full family cooks, per Weber’s own guidance. That’s a full summer of weekly use from a single bottle. The Weber is available from B&Q and Tradepoint at £600 at the time of writing, Currys and John Lewis also carry the Weber range and offer assembly options if you’d rather not spend a Saturday afternoon with a spanner.

Outdoor cooking: Pizza oven

The Ooni Koda 16 is the pizza specialist. Per Tom’s Guide’s full review (tomsguide.com/reviews/ooni-koda-16), it’s the best outdoor pizza oven for entertaining currently available. The 16-inch cooking surface reaches approximately 500°C in around 20 minutes, and a pizza cooks in 60 seconds at full temperature. The L-shaped burner heats the left and back of the stone hottest, rotate your pizzas every 20 seconds or so and you’ll avoid any scorching on one side.

At £449 from Fenwick UK or £499 from Currys, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data, the Koda 16 is a significant outlay for a single-purpose appliance. It earns that money if your household makes pizza regularly and you’re entertaining. If you’re not sure, the Casa Mia Bravo 12-inch Gas Pizza Oven starts at £114.99 across 3 UK retailers (B&Q, eBay Partner Network, Robert Dyas) and gives you the gas pizza oven experience on a smaller 12-inch surface. It’s the sensible entry point before committing to the Ooni.

Per Gardeners’ World’s coverage of outdoor cooking trends, gas ovens beat wood-fired alternatives for weekend convenience, no sourcing logs, no smoke management, and a consistent temperature every time.

Garden furniture

The St Tropez Grey Corner Sofa Set is weather-resistant and designed to stay outside through a UK summer. At £564.99 from Debenhams (the lowest price across its 4 UK retailers at the time of writing, per Shopping.co.uk price tracking data), it’s a solid mid-range option. The upper end of its price range hits £695.99, so checking which retailer has it in stock at the lower price is worth doing before you click through.

Outdoor audio

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) starts from £449 across 6 UK retailers and brings Dolby Atmos sound to a covered patio or garden room. It is not weatherproof, so it needs a roof over it, but for a properly covered outdoor space, it’s the compact audio pick. See our [Sonos Beam Gen 2 value analysis] for full detail on whether it’s worth the premium over a Bluetooth speaker.

Weber has held its position as the benchmark for gas BBQs for good reason. The 10-year warranty on the Spirit range is a concrete differentiator, no other brand at £600 offers that level of cover. The build quality on the cast-aluminium cookbox justifies the price against cheaper alternatives that rust within two seasons.

Ooni has become the dominant name in outdoor pizza ovens since the Koda range launched. The Koda 16 sits at the top of their gas lineup, and per Tom’s Guide it’s the best in class overall. Ooni sells direct, but also through John Lewis and Lakeland, though at the time of writing, the best UK price of £449 is at Fenwick UK, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data.

Casa Mia is worth watching if you’re budget-conscious. The Bravo 12-inch oven at £114.99 from B&Q is the lowest-cost route into gas pizza cooking. It won’t match the Ooni’s temperature performance or cooking surface, but for a household testing the waters, it removes the risk of spending £449 on something that ends up in the shed.

Home Garden Direct ships the St Tropez furniture range direct, and the Grey Corner Sofa Set appears across Debenhams, B&Q, Robert Dyas, and Wilko. Price varies by up to £131 across those four retailers, so comparing before buying is straightforward and worth the two minutes.

Right now, for most of these products. The Ooni Koda 16 is currently £50 below its £499 RRP, at £449 from Fenwick UK, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data, and that gap may close as summer demand builds. Ooni products do not follow the same aggressive seasonal discount pattern as, say, garden furniture, so waiting for a sale risks paying more, not less.

The Weber Spirit at £600 is at its standard price across both retailers. Weber’s pricing is historically stable; the brand rarely discounts deeply outside of Black Friday. If you’re planning to buy before June, there’s no strong case for waiting.

For furniture, the calculation is different. Garden sets do tend to see end-of-season discounts in August and September, but buying in May means you actually get the use of it. A £100 saving in September on a set you needed in May isn’t a saving, it’s a missed summer.

The one product where timing matters most is the St Tropez sofa set. With a 1–2 week delivery lead time from Home Garden Direct, ordering after mid-May risks missing the late-May bank holiday entirely.

Explore all outdoor and garden offers on Shopping.co.uk

At £449, the Ooni Koda 16 is currently £50 below its standard RRP, making this the best entry price we’ve tracked for it this season, per Shopping.co.uk price tracking data, though the Weber Spirit at £600 remains the smarter first purchase for most households given its versatility across all cooking types.

**Best place to buy (Ooni Koda 16):** Fenwick UK, currently the cheapest at £449, a full £50 below the Currys price of £499 at the time of writing.

**vs. Casa Mia Bravo:** The Casa Mia at £114.99 is £334 cheaper than the Ooni Koda 16, and it makes sense as a trial run, but the 12-inch surface and lower temperature ceiling mean it’s a different product, not just a cheaper version of the same thing.

Our take: Buy the Weber first if you don’t own a BBQ; add the Ooni Koda 16 once you’re committed to outdoor entertaining, and order the St Tropez sofa set this week if you want it before the bank holiday.

Is the Ooni Koda 16 worth £449?

Yes, if pizza is a regular fixture in your household and you’re entertaining. Per Tom’s Guide, it’s the best outdoor pizza oven available, and at £449 it’s currently below its £499 RRP. If you’re unsure, start with the Casa Mia Bravo at £114.99 from B&Q.

Weber Spirit vs Ooni Koda 16: which should I buy first?

The Weber Spirit is the better first purchase for most gardens. It cooks everything, burgers, chicken, vegetables, across three burners with a 10-year warranty. The Ooni is a pizza specialist and works best as a second appliance once you have a BBQ in place.

How long does the St Tropez Corner Sofa Set take to deliver?

Home Garden Direct ships direct with a 1–2 week lead time, per retailer information at the time of writing. Order by mid-May to have it in place for the late-May bank holiday weekend.

Can I use the Sonos Beam Gen 2 outside?

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is not weatherproof and should only be used in a covered outdoor space such as a pergola, veranda, or garden room. It is not suitable for open-air placement.