The wife would also not have an oven without advanced auto clean

An aga will do that. In fact if you put a pie in it and forget about it the whole pie pretty much disappears after a while.

I have a 2 door, oil fired one – it is the only cooker in the house. We moved in about a year ago now.

We had a bit of a learning curve with it, thought about redoing the kitchen to accommodate a conventional oven but it has never happened.

The hot plates on mine are hot enough to stir fry on, you start to learn where different heat zones are and move pans around to suit. Top oven makes fantastic roasts, bottom oven is superb for slow cooking (and did our Christmas Cake in it this year!). The kitchen is lovely and warm all the time, and the heat rises and heats upstairs pretty well too.

I turned it off for a bit in summer and used the BBQ outside instead! I think when we re-do the kitchen properly we will perhaps get a double hob or something put in for summer use, but my wife has declared that should we move (or just redo that kitchen) she wants a 3 oven version as non-negotiable now 😉

I will never own a house without one and ours boils a kettle in less than a minute, the reason people have problems is that many were crap solid fuel conversions – john wray North Yorkshire knows how to do a proper oil conversion.

I’ve always been advised to just avoid conversions – and tbh there are enough oil ones around that you can.

Yep, self cleaning – when it’s serviced just get the dustpan out and sweep out. Plus because they’ve not a window, you don’t care.

Many people are converting their coal and oil Agas to electric – but a conversion that allows you to run it on a timer so saving running costs.
I think as part of the conversion the companies massively increase the insulation which saves more money but you then lose some of the warmth that escapes into the kitchen.

Oh and make sure you get some proper pots and pans. Heavy basterd things not super lightweight gas stove stuff. It will make a massive difference. The better and more even contact with the hot plates the better

Many people are converting their coal and oil Agas to electric – but a conversion that allows you to run it on a timer so saving running costs.

Pointless IMO, if it’s not on all the time save your money and just buy a normal cooker.

Had them in the last two houses, loved them but they are expensive. We did not have second ovens or hot plates and always boiled a kettle on ours. We both loved cooking on them and proper cooking has taken a fall since. Both were in big kitchens, can imagine in a medium room would easily become too warm. Make great dryers of all wet kit and laundry.

great for reviving poorly newborn lambs but probably the main reason british cuisine has the reputation it does…
I don’t know anyone who has one without having a proper cooker too.

Today, mine has done breakfast for four, lunch for twelve, tea for two and then a nice dinner for two. It’s going to be making some bread shortly, as well. Oh, and it’s kept the kitchen and dining room nice and warm while we had guests, and has also dried out a load of the children’s clothes, and has sorted the hot water.

🙂

As others have said, though, they’re at their best if you’re at home a lot (I WFH and family are at home too) and if you make the most of using the heat. We do a lot of slow cooking in ours, and I can’t remember the last time I bought bread.

Bliss

– especially with drying and ironing* thrown in (*no need)