Gwyneth Paltrow says building a wood-burning oven was the "best thing" she has ever done.

The 38-year-old actress - who lives with husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, and the couple's children, Apple, seven, and five-year-old Moses, in London - explained constructing the device in the back garden of her home has revolutionised her cookery skills.

She revealed in her GOOP newsletter: "As a home cook, one of the best things I've ever done was to build a wood burning oven in the back yard. I use this thing all the time, especially now that it is spring."

While the 'Country Strong' star loves conjuring up tasty treats in her wood-burning oven, she also enjoys fried food, which she says is her biggest culinary weakness.

Gwyneth recently explained: "Fried food is my weakness. I don't have a sweet tooth. You could fry a cockroach in batter and basically I'd eat it."

The blonde beauty's love of frying also inspired her to buy a deep fat fryer for her home, which she uses to cook calorie-laden meals for herself and the children.

She said: "I do have a deep fat fryer. And I love it. I deep fry a lot of French fries, the good style, like double fried. Fried zucchini, I make fish fingers for the kids, fried chicken."