Aga Love

There is one thing I will definitely miss when we eventually move home again, and that is the Aga.

It almost makes me wish it was miserably cold in Sydney for 10 months of the year, just so I could justify shipping one back with us. Almost.

Last night I spent a few educational hours at the Derby Aga Shop's cooking workshop. A mix of Aga inheritors (like me), brand new nervous Aga owners (who had just spent the equivalent of a new car on an oven) and die-hard Aga fanatics, we learned how to cook a fried egg directly on the hotplate and many other Aga miracles. James, a freelance Aga instructor (now, who even knew such a career existed?), had us enthralled with a foolproof way of cooking fluffy basmati rice - in the simmering oven - and a fat free full English breakfast. And we all enjoyed tasting the results - freshly baked bread, a leg of lamb, pizza, apricot brioche pudding... and the list goes on...

And as a result I am even more devoted than ever - and the proud owner of a Aga baking tray and rack that will never fit into my oven in Sydney, but I am sure will pay for itself with 6 months of roast dinners and full English breakfasts.

When I first started looking at country cottages with Aga ovens, I thought they looked quaint, but that I would never actually use it for cooking - far too dangerous and uncontrollable. An enormous cast iron stove with two small ovens and two enormous lidded iron hobs, no dials or controls... hardly state-of-the-art! And it is on all the time, running on kerosene - weird.

Now I love it for it's ability to create warmth in the kitchen (and heat our hot water system at the same time), miraculous laundry drying capabilities (stack wet washing on top of the hobs, rotate every now and then, and no need for a dryer!) and the way it cooks a baked potato to perfection. The kids love sitting around it in the various nooks and crannies - and it is surprisingly not dangerous with little ones (as long as they don't try to climb inside).

And although they look small, the ovens are a tardis within - I could fit 8 pans in them if I needed to, or actually had that many pans. Very simple - top oven very hot (for grilling and roasting), bottom oven not very hot (for simmering and stewing). Left hob very hot (for boiling), right hob not so hot (for simmering). And you never have to wait for it to heat up.

Here's a handy valentines hint from James - run a hot bath for your loved one, and pop a towel in the simmering oven for when they get out. Apparently if you want to get lucky, it is a sure-fire winner - are you reading this, Jason?

Getting an Aga is like taking up a hobby or collecting frogs - your friends will never run out of ideas for birthday presents, as there is an array of expensive kitchen accessories and Aga-branded domestic goddess apparel.

As I type a beef casserole is spending the day in the simmering oven. Bon appetite!