Making Newspaper Fire Logs

When making paper logs for fuel from newspapers, don't bother purchasing a commercial machine. In my experience they don't work very well. (I gave mine away!) All I do now, is:

• Tear and soak the newspaper in the usual way. Squeeze it into a largish ball.

• Wrap it in an old tea towel or half a discarded T-shirt. Twist the end of the towel until it is the shape of a Christmas pudding.

• Leave the end tightly twisted and place it on a paving slab. Place another heavy paving slab on the top and leave for about an hour (longer is better).

• Unwrap it and leave the log to dry.

• (Of course, you can make multiples in one go and are only limited by the number of tea towels and heavy weights you possess.

Cheers. Hope this works for you, too.

By Barry Westley from West Midlands, England