A REDDITCH company, which produce outdoor kettles, was visited by film crews from the television documentary series How It's Made.

Steve Belcher from Ghillie Kettle Company, based in Weights Lane, said he was shocked after he was asked if the company would like to demonstrate how the kettles are produced for the show by senior director François Senécal Tremblay.

The director had come across the product whilst in another country and after finding out where it was produced he contacted the business.

Mr Belcher said: “He asked if I was interested, I sent some pictures and things went quiet, then, just before Christmas, he came back to me.

“I am shocked; we are only a small company.”

The kettles do not use regular fuel to boil but instead combustible materials including twigs, pine-cones and small sticks to produce energy.

A team visited the firm on Tuesday, February 10 where they recorded footage throughout the day.
Mr Belcher added: “It's an experience for all of us. He was a very good director he knew exactly what he was doing. I can’t wait to see it.”

Mr Belcher alongside his wife Maggie, Alan Smith and Nicky Bray manufacture around 1,000 kettles every month and they are sent around the world to countries including North and South America, Japan and Australia as well as Europe.


Inspiration for the kettles came from the Ghillies’ of Western Ireland, where during the 1800s they heated kettles of water by the riverside.The idea was advanced in New Zealand and was the design was further improved in England.

For more information visit ghillie-kettle.co.uk.