Man Cave

It may be a space that is overwhelmed by outsize speakers, overstuffed lazy boy chairs; a beer fridge and a television the size of the wall, but it’s a place of refuge, says Carol O’Callaghan.

WHAT is it about men and fire? Is there a dormant portion of the male brain that prevents them from heating up a saucepan of soup, but is miraculously ignited into action at the sight of a barbecue flame?

It’s usually accompanied by the sudden belief that they can conjure up a perfectly cooked meal even without the heat controls that cooking on charcoal presents as a challenge to the most accomplished of cooks.