Eternal flames: 11 of the best — and most realistic — fake fireplaces

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire." It's such an evocative opening line, from the Nat King Cole classic. You can picture dancing flames and imagine the crackle of logs whenever The Christmas Song comes on the radio. In a version updated for 2022 the "folks dressed up like Eskimos" would have been sent from the local council to check the wood is kiln-dried and the coals smokeless.

In January 2022 new wood-burners and multifuel stoves in Great Britain and Northern Ireland were strictly regulated to meet energy efficiency targets and cut greenhouse emissions. This May, to help meet air pollution targets, wet wood was outlawed — all firewood must now have a moisture content of 20 per cent or less. Sale of house coal will