From Bustling Rajasthan to Shropshire Hills
Kadai has two beautiful homes, communities and landscapes that continue to inspire us to take life outdoors.
From the Beginning
Kadai began with a journey. In 1990, our founder, Christo McKinnon-Wood, travelled through India by motorbike and discovered a country that stayed with him, one shaped by skilled craftspeople, vibrant culture, and a raw beauty that sits alongside chaos. He knew it was somewhere he would return to, and over time that connection became the foundation of Kadai.
Our Heritage
For centuries, kadais were used across India to cook over live fire, serving curries and generous feasts at weddings, festivals and family gatherings.
The bowls would be filled with spices, locally grown vegetables and fresh ingredients, while the fire burned on the ground beneath them. These large cooking vessels often became the centre of the celebration, bringing people together around food. Made by hand from recycled metal and welded by artisans, each one carried its own character, shaped by the hands that made it.
We will always recognise and stay true to those roots. Kadai may now be a British brand, run from the rolling hills of Shropshire, but its story begins in Rajasthan. The traditional craftsmanship behind these bowls, and the role they played in everyday life and celebration, still matter deeply to us.
From India to England
Years later, on a cold evening on the rooftop of Christo’s hotel during one of his buying trips for our sister company, Wilstone, an idea took shape. With friends and hotel staff gathered around, he lit a fire inside a Kadai bowl to keep everyone warm and the conversation going long into the night. That was the first time a Kadai was adapted into the modern fire pit, and the beginning of the design that would later become the UK’s first barbecue fire pit combination.
More than two decades ago, after returning to England, Christo was in the garden on a sunny afternoon with his family when he decided to place a grill over the Kadai fire pit and use it as a barbecue. That simple idea turned a traditional cooking bowl into something brilliantly versatile for our gardens: a fire pit for slower evenings, and a barbecue for proper live fire cooking.
Where we are today
Today, Kadai remains a small family-run business based in Shropshire, still embodying a hands-on spirit. Over the years, the range has grown to include more than 70 accessories and eight barbecue fire pit combinations, each one still handcrafted by the same artisanal workshops in Rajasthan.
Designed and developed by our founder, Kadai today is a testament to his creativity and his love of well-made products. It is all made possible by a dedicated team that began with just two people and has grown to thirty. As well as continued support from people like you that who have followed and continued to help us pioneer handcrafted products that bring people together and celebrate the great outdoors.
Celebrating 20 Years
Celebrate 20 years of Kadai, two decades of fire, food, and friendship. Discover our story from a single Indian fire bowl to a global live fire cooking community.
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