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By Beverley Nielsen | Liz and Tony live only eight minutes from the M25 and not far from Sevenoaks in Kent. But approaching by a meandering oak-lined lane, you nevertheless feel you’re entering a beautiful hidden oasis, calm and tranquil.
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Meandering oak-lined lane: on route to Liz and Tony's home | Liz single-handedly managed a major extension which took 15 months to complete, doubling the size of their home and adding two additional large bedrooms with en suite bathrooms.
“It took 18 months to get our proposals through Sevenoaks planning,” she says, “as the house is in a Conservation Area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
“Tony’s mother and father had owned the house and raised Tony here as a young man. But with the passing of time Tony’s mum was getting a bit too old to live here on her own and so she decided to put the house on the market. We were living in Tonbridge and after some consideration we thought, ‘why don’t we buy it?’ So we did. We continued living in Tonbridge while the building work was going on.”
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Keeping it in the family: Liz and Tony's home | Liz and Tony have found it a wonderfully friendly place with a very active village life. “There’s always a fete, garden party, or some horticultural show. We celebrated the Battle of Trafalgar and the village hall was decked out with nautical flags and looked superb. Tony even joined in dancing the hornpipe, which was very impressive!”
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Stirs the passion: the 3-Oven Aga in Claret | “My Aga went into our new kitchen a year ago. I wanted a kitchen area which was almost part of the garden, so that when family or friends sit outside in the garden when I’m cooking at the Aga I can still be part of the conversation.
“I was planning on putting a 2-oven Aga in because there wasn’t space for anything larger, but then I found out that there’s a 3-oven model which is the same size and not very much more expensive. I had an Aga before and used to cook in the roasting and simmering ovens all the time, so I didn’t think I was missing an oven with a different temperature range. But I now find that I use the baking oven a great deal.
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Summer dining: Liz and Tony's garden terrace | “I’m passionate about Agas. They’re always on, always easy to cook on and don’t need cleaning. They keep the house lovely and warm in winter. I like cooking everything, but I don’t bake, partly because I’d eat anything I baked. The simmering oven is marvellous because nothing ever spoils in it. I do find I use the top plates quite a bit as there’s so much room for lots of pans and I’m always cooking casseroles in the baking oven.
“In the summer we like to eat chicken breasts placed in a baking dish with peeled and quartered potatoes with quartered lemon and chopped thyme. Cover the dish with foil and place in the lower part of the roasting oven for half and hour. This is lovely with green salad served with a bottle and wine, family and friends in the garden.”
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