Why our Agas are top of the range
AS THE Aga celebrates its 100th birthday, Lindsay Nicholson, the former editor of Good Housekeeping magazine, says the iconic range cooker is simply a middle-class ornament and not worth its four-figure cost (Femail). We have to disagree. We run a B&B and prepare gourmet dinners for our guests. Our oil-fired Aga is on 24/7 as it’s our only means of cooking. There is nothing you can’t cook with it, from stews to souffles and even toast. do you want a steak? With an iron frying pan, it’s cooked to perfection! In autumn, winter and spring, our Aga keeps the kitchen and breakfast room warm. We can also dry washing in front of it overnight, which saves using the tumble dryer. There is no oven cleaning — anything spilt is burnt off, with the smell going up the chimney. JEFFREY & CAROLINE BOWDEN,
Haughley, Suffolk.
I HAVE to speak up for the kitchen range. I light my 65-year-old, coal-fired Rayburn in October and use it until May. It heats my home, with the help of two radiators, gives constant hot water and dries clothes. Sadly, its life is coming to an end and I need a more modern system to move with the times, but I’ll always have fond memories of my multitasker.
SUE ATKINS, Alton, Hants.
MY OIL-FIRED range cooker supplies hot water, central heating and a means of cooking. Within half an hour of turning it on, I can be cooking dinner. Oil prices have varied over the years, but the monthly direct debit to the oil supplier and the electricity bill comes to around £120.
EVELYN GREEN, Fareham, Hants.
My 55-YEAR-OLd oil-fired Aga is my best friend. The temperature is controlled easily and it cooks brilliantly without fail. It heats the water and a cast iron radiator, dries the washing and folding clothes on the two top hobs reduces the chore of ironing. Coming down in the early morning to a warm kitchen in an old house dating back 400 years is a comfortable joy.
JANE WARNER, Capel, Surrey.
YES, an Aga is a luxury, but I love mine to bits and would hate to be without it.
It guzzles oil, but prompts me to book its next service by cooling down at the end of April. I turn it off for summer. Come autumn, it’s fired up again and my electric oven is mothballed. In the winter, the Aga is always there, warm, welcoming and surrounded by snoozing cats. The bottom oven acts like a slow cooker: the toughest, cheapest cut of meat will turn into a succulent, mouthwatering dish if left overnight. The top oven is ideal for roasting and baking and the hot plates are always hot. Something simmering, a bottle of wine warming, the kitchen cosy. My Aga is truly the heart of the house.