Girl by the Aga
A blog by Laura James
-
19 November 2008 19:08
When I wrote about someone taking their Aga to France with them, I presumed it was a one-off and found the idea delightfully quirky.
I was wrong - as proven by the many letters I got this morning on the subject of Agas that emigrate.
William Dees wrote to tell me that in 1992 his Aga made its way from the UK to the South of France and has lived there happily ever since. This time the Aga was shipped whole, rather than in bits, and William had to get the local rugby team to help move it into place - as you'll see from the pictures, they managed this with relative ease.
Each summer a friend visits William and his wife for a holiday. The gentleman in question happens to be an Aga engineer, so while he's there he also gives the Aga its annual service. Sounds like the perfect house guest!
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
17 November 2008 16:54
My Aga is feeling rather overworked as I've been recipe testing all weekend. The children, though, are thrilled by the development and our au pair, who is French, has declared English food as good as that from across the Channel, which is hugely flattering.
Actually, there's a bit of a French theme today as I opened a very funny letter from a lady called Anna, who moved from Devon to France a few years ago. Her husband had always wanted to live there, so she agreed to the move on the proviso that she could take her beloved Aga with her. Men were duly dispatched to take the Aga to pieces and they travelled across on the ferry to re-assemble it in its new home.
Anna was thrilled that the Aga was so at home in another country and set about showing it off to her new neighbours, explaining how the world's best cooker actually comes from England. A week or so after the move, Anna was wandering around Paris when she noticed the Aga shop. She kicked herself, she tells me, when she realised that she could have bought a brand new Aga in France and sold her house here for more money. Just goes to show - there are Aga shops where you'd least expect them.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
14 November 2008 13:54
I'm off to do a radio interview this morning, which is rather nice. I'm going to be talking about Aga, of course, and encouraging people to tell us about their Aga memories. I really enjoy going to radio studios - I find the technology completely fascinating, the vast desks full of buttons and sliders seem intricate and exciting and the idea that you can reach so many people is thrilling.
Whenever I talk about the Aga on a radio programme I'm usually inundated with emails from listeners, telling me the bits I've missed out. They'll write saying that I forgot to say that bread from an Aga tastes divine or that a Sunday roast isn't the same if it's cooked in a conventional cooker. Or they tell me that I forgot the bit about reviving lambs or how puppies are deprived unless their owner has an Aga for them to sunggle in front of.
So, I'm sitting here trying to remember everyone's favourite thing about the Aga. My personal feeling is that the sheer simplicity of an Aga is difficult to beat. There are no knobs and dials to worry about and, unless you truly forget you've put something into one of the ovens, the food always does come out tasting utterly delicious.
One of the other guests on the show today is someone who teaches a pole dancing exercise class. While I'm confident I can convert her to Aga cooking, I can't see that she'll ever be able to change my mind about yoga being the best form of exercise.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
13 November 2008 13:53
I've had another morning at the kitchen table, opening letters from Aga owners from all over the country. The vast majority of those I receive are handwritten in proper ink, which I find really charming and delightful. I feel as if I've stepped back in time and love the fact there are still so many people who do things properly.
In this day and age of instant communication, it seems to me that the letters we leave behind will form a valuable social history for those who come after us.
So far today - as well as the usual Aga pictures - I've received some lovely poems, which I hope to publish here once I can obtain the writers' permissions. I've also had lots of pictures of dogs, cats and children in front of the Aga, but although I've heard lots of stories, I've yet to see a picture of a lamb being revived in the warming oven. So if there are any photographs out there, I'd love to see them.
I've also heard from a number of ladies who reliably inform me that if they were forced to choose, they'd keep the Aga rather than their husbands.
Interestingly, most of these came from the West Country, so I think the men there perhaps need to pull their socks up a bit.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
11 November 2008 16:17
Kitchen decor is a dogs dinner!
Over the years I've forgotten many things I've popped into the Aga and we've seen all manner of carbonised foods, such as pizza and baked potatoes. My children have often suggested we enter our burnt offerings for the Turner Prize. I have never, however, had a memory lapse that's produced any serious consequences.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for the parents-in-law of Lyndi from Wiltshire. She wrote me a delightful note with a tale that will strike fear into the heart of any forgetful Aga owner.
The story begins one summer a few years ago. Lyndi's parents-in-law visited the cash and carry and returned with a mountain of tinned dog food, only to be confronted with the dilemma of where to store it all. The Aga had been switched off for the summer, so they decided the four ovens of the Aga would provide a perfect storage solution until the winter.
Sadly, they forgot all about the dog food and - as the weather got cooler and the nights drew in - they decided to relight the Aga. I'm sure, dear reader, you can see where this is going.
Lyndi's parents-in-law retired to bed, happy that all was well in the kitchen and no doubt looking forward to an Aga-cooked breakfast the next morning. This, though, was not to be.
In the middle of the night, they were awoken by a huge explosion. The Aga doors were blown off their hinges and found embedded in the walls and the entire kitchen was covered from floor to ceiling in roasted dog food and shattered tins. I'm reliably informed that the smell was truly disgusting.
The kitchen required complete refurbishment. Not so the Aga, though - the doors were put back in place and still it goes on not much worse for wear.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
10 November 2008 14:39
I have just received the funniest letter from David and Elizabeth in Devon. They're the proud owners of an old Aga named Agnes. As well as drying clothes, warming cats, heating water, reviving chickens and keeping the kitchen warm, Agnes also ensures that the couple's two tortoises do not need to hibernate in the winter.
The tortoises, which the couple inherited from an elderly lady, were originally called Little and Large, but Elizabeth thought this far too dull - so they were duly re-christened Lettuce and Marge.
As you can see from the pictures, the cute reptiles are particularly keen to get as close to the Aga as possible.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
07 November 2008 15:19
The campaign to track down Agas is hotting up. And staff in the Aga shops in Kidderminster, Cirencester and Cardiff have come up with a unique way of hunting out elusive cookers in their areas. Inspired by those wild west wanted posters we're all familiar with, they're placing ads like the one pictured and offering a reward for any Aga successfully tracked down.
And it's working - Aga owners are flocking to sign up at www.agawanted.com. Anyone - from anywhere in the world - can register their Aga at the new site, as well as at www.thisismyaga.co.uk .Alternatively, you can email me with your stories and pictures.
I think it's unlikely we'll be seeing any other wild west behaviour in the saloons of Kidderminster or Cardiff and I don't believe there'll be any tumbleweed making its way down the High Street in Cirencester, but I do think lots of rewards will be handed out.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
06 November 2008 14:09
Social history and abiding memories
I'm a little late writing today's entry as I came down to a huge postbag full of letters from owners of old Agas. After making a cup of tea, with water boiled on my own rather elderly Aga, I set about opening the first 50 items of correspondence.
By the time my husband wandered into the kitchen he found me laughing uproariously. When he came back 20 minutes later he found me with tears streaming down my face.
The letters are a world away from dry accounts of Aga purchases - they're so much more than that. In a time when the only mail one seems to receive are bills or junk, I feel hugely privileged to be sent letters documenting decades of social and personal history.
I put aside for later the one about a man who routinely lost his false teeth while pouring coke into his Aga as I know my boys will find it hysterical funny.
I was hugely moved by a letter from a couple who, because they'd been in the army and RAF during the war and had a small child, accrued enough points to be allowed to build their own house. Their one extravagance was an Aga, which cost £110. Their memories of stepping over the threshold into their new house more than 56 years ago is still fresh today.
I've read tales of an Aga that 'sulks' when guests arrive, an Aga on the port side of a boat whose weight is balanced by a 100-gallon water tank on the other. I've read of Agas in grand historic houses and tiny terraced cottages, of pheasant chicks, lambs, kittens and puppies being brought back to life in warming ovens around the country, and a 100-year-old housekeeper who - like the ancient Aga she re-lights with huge skill - is still going strong.
Many people have written to tell me about the enduring and warm relationships they have with their Aga engineers - indeed one lady told me of an engineer who came out on Christmas morning.
I've opened less than half of this morning's batch of letters and after lunch I intend to hit the rest. Please, please keep them coming.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
05 November 2008 11:39
I had an interesting but rather disturbing phone call from a terribly nice lady the other day. A huge Aga fan, she told me that she read this blog every day and had also recommended it to her aunt Lottie, who is 85 on Tuesday.
One of those terribly resourceful silver surfers we often hear about, Aunt Lottie went on to Google and typed in Girl by the Aga. Sadly, what happened next is not for the faint-hearted, so if you're of a nervous disposition look away now.
Aunt Lottie clicked on the first site that appeared in the search listing and was horrified to see a large number of naked girls cavorting in the most energetic fashion. Poor Lottie was horrified and immediately phoned her niece, who in turn repeated the search process getting the same very naughty results.
So, Aunt Lottie's niece then rang me to alert me to the problem. After much discussion in the office, we decided it was probably too tricky to change the name of the blog, but instead ask that you make absolutely sure you click on the search listing that has my name in it. Don't click on the one that's headed Aga Uncovered because you certainly won't find tales from the simmering plate there.
As Aunt Lottie's niece reported, there was no one there that looked like me, most of the ladies involved were in various stages of undress and there wasn't much cooking going on!
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
04 November 2008 10:36
Hot from the postbag is this charming letter from Philip Dudden.
My father Richard - ever the master of delegation - has asked me to write to you having seen an article in The Daily Telegraph asking for information about 50-plus year-old Agas still in use.
Father's late aunt, Eadie, installed an Aga in 1939; apparently it cost £68. That Aga is still in its original, anthracite-consuming condition; still in full-time use, but now looked after by Eadie's 'baby' brother, Ken, who's now 93 or 94 years old.
The farmhouse is, I gather, something of a timepiece and I wouldn't be surprised if the Aga's installation was about the only 'improvement' made in the 20th century. The interior, incidentally, was used earlier this year for an episode of the TV programme Casualty.
Marketing and promotions are nothing new to Aga! Aunt Eadie earned herself a free set of cookware by introducing a new customer - her sister, my grandmother, Winnie. Grandmother's Aga was installed in 1940 at Manor Farm. Grandfather was disgusted that the price had then risen to £70!
This Aga replaced a Stanley range and when my grandmother arrived at Manor Farm, as a new bride in 1921, she found beaten earth on the floor of the kitchen covered in locally grown rush. The rushes were thrown out once a year each spring. And if you'd known my grandmother, you wouldn't be surprised to learn that the rushes didn't last long - the floor was promptly flagged.
The grandparents retired in about 1949, moving three cottages (then knocked into one) that my grandfather had inherited through his great great-grandfather. Needless to say, they installed a new Aga.
But grandmother's Manor Farm Aga hadn't seen the last of us. It was uprooted in 1951 and installed at the new marital home and farm of my parents, Richard and Elizabeth. It later moved within the farmhouse and was converted to diesel-oil.
The promotional pans didn't end with Eadie. My grandmother earned herself a set when another sister, Louise, bought an Aga - presumably in 1940/41.
So Agas were the centre of my life (the only warm spot in the house) from its outset in 1952. And they weren't just used for normal things - [we would also] stuff the lower oven floor with hay and plonk the odd sickly lamb there to revive (door left open, of course!)
My mother read novels late into the night, leant over the right-hand cover. Mother's read novels were easily identifiable - they'd become 'loose leaf' with the melting of their glued spines.
Agas followed me about, too. We bought a very smart, dark royal blue one for £2,500 in 1978 (grandfather would have been apoplectic). Then, having moved from Somerset to Cornwall, we 'inherited' a swanky red number at Tresaddern Farm, St Columb. Not able to leave well alone, we moved it to an adjacent, former store room to form a new kitchen.
You might think that I should now, in my fourth floor flat, be well removed from Agas and weak-necked lambs in bottom ovens, but you can't keep a good Aga down: I'm now toying with installing a Little Wenlock Aga stove.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
03 November 2008 11:57
I'm having a lovely morning going through my emails, many of which concern ancient Agas still providing sterling service after more than 50 years. The stories that come with these cookers are both extraordinary and amusing.
Last year Tom Shea, from Northampton, began converting an old building to be turned into a day nursery. His idea was to teach very young children about good food and involve them in growing, harvesting and preparing their own organic food. He was in for a huge surprise, though, as he set about renovating the building. He thought the previous owner had died, but it turned out she was alive and well and living a few miles away from his holiday cottage in Norfolk.
He, of course, went to see her and - over numerous cups of tea - learned the many secrets of the building.
It was a worthwhile trip - Tom learned of a secret room, a 17th century well, an antique fireplace and - you've guessed it - an ancient Aga. As you can see from the pictures, Tom and his team wasted no time in uncovering it and are now looking forward to finding out more about its history.
Don't forget to let us know if you have an Aga story. You can do so by emailing me here.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
03 November 2008 10:29
Hot on the trail of the oldest working Aga
Good news - The Daily Telegraph has stepped in to help with our Aga search. Adam Edwards - one of my favourite journalists - has written a beautiful, lyrical piece on searching for the oldest working Aga.
Tracing its history from the 1920s through the Second World War to the present day, Adam's huge affection for the Aga comes shining through.
There are exciting prizes to be won, too, for the oldest Aga found by the end of the year - including a brand new programmable Aga. An interesting, unusual or downright odd Aga story could also win you £1,000-worth of Aga cookware.
So, if you think there may be an ancient Aga hiding out somewhere in your house - believe me it does happen every so often - then get looking for it now.
I'll be posting updates here regularly, so check back and see what unusual anecdotes have been unearthed.
And don't worry if you didn't get The Daily Telegraph on Saturday (November 1) - you can find out more about how to enter the competition and read the story online by clicking here
So put the kettle on, make a nice cup of tea and settle in to take a trip through 80 years of fascinating Aga history.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (4) | Email to a friend
-
31 October 2008 17:54
Star of stage, screen and kitchen
I often get letters about Agas appearing in all sorts of strange places and some are almost unbelievable. For example, many years ago Agas used to be standard on trains of the Iraq national railway and there's even an Aga at the South Pole, perfect for keeping those explorers lovely and warm.
The Aga also features highly in TV and radio programmes and in many and varied films. Hannibal Lecter had an Aga in Hannibal the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs. There was an Aga in Practical Magic , the popular film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. The Holiday, with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law, featured an Aga, which was, for me at least, the highlight of this rather predictable movie.
There was an Aga in the ITV drama Cold Feet (it belonged to Jenny and Pete and I seem to remember he got to keep it when they split up). Emerdale, of course, has had lots of Agas and Rayburns throughout the years and rarely an episode of Midsommer Murders goes by without an Aga appearing - often splattered with the blood of the latest victim to die in bizarre circumstances in the village which must have England's lowest life expectancy rates.
The Aga features too in The Archers. It was installed in the kitchen of Doris and Dan Archer's home at Brookfield, was inherited by Phil and his wife Jill and was then taken on by David and Ruth. The producers decided to install a real Aga in the studio as they found they couldn't re-create authentic sound effects any other way.
There was also an Aga in the stage version of The Moustetrap. Actually, it's easy to see why the Aga has become a star of stage and screen - it's good looking, hard working and stylish and so has all the qualities you'd expect from a screen god or goddess.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
29 October 2008 11:02
It's not often something as humble as the wooden spoon finds itself in the spotlight, but that's exactly what happened today. A panel of 33 of the most important people in the food world - including Jamie Oliver, Prue Leith and Raymond Blanc - have voted this unsung hero as the most useful kitchen gadget of all time.
Those clever people at Divertimenti, which is an Aga company, already know this -it's why they have more than 20 wooden spoons on their shelves.
Mainly made from beech or olive wood, there's one for every job - they even have one that measures a huge 50cm, perfect for those cooking for an enormous crowd. Actually, they also stock a silicone one, which while not technically a wooden spoon, does a brilliant job.
It's rather thrilling that the wooden spoon is finally getting the recognition it deserves. I suppose in sporting terms you could say it has won promotion to the premier league. Not bad for something that has historically been awarded to the also-rans that come last in a tournament.
Also on the list of kitchen must-haves are a plane grater, KitchenAid Mixer, stick blender and the Magimix, all of which are stocked by Divertimenti.
So, if you were stuck for Christmas gift ideas you now have the answer. If you're feeling frugal you can nevertheless buy something owned by all the top chefs and it'll only cost you a couple of pounds.
If, however, you're looking for something a little grander or more glamorous, then both Divertimenti and Aga have Christmas catalogues out right now.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
27 October 2008 15:29
Janet Street-Porter's interview with Paul O'Grady in this month's Marie Claire makes interesting reading. As well as learning that O'Grady has the largest Aga Street-Porter has ever seen, we also learn that it replaced a Rayburn which he gave to Julian Clary.
As Agas and Rayburns have always been made from recycled materials, it's nice to see that Paul O'Grady has embraced the recycling principle. It's rather nice to hear about people swapping, trading, bartering and giving things away - it's good for the planet leave all involved feeling a warm glow of happiness.
The whole thing set me thinking about other things well-known people might gratefully receive. Sarah Palin - she of the $150,000 wardrobe - might benefit from a copy of India Knight's new literary offering; The Thrift Book, which promises to teach the reader how to live well and spend less.
Perhaps Doctor Who David Tennant could lend the Tardis to Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand, who could then travel back in time and decide to leave a nice, polite, call-me-back kind of message for Andrew Sachs.
Julia Roberts, a well-known knitter, might like to rustle up a few sweaters for the cast of Hollyoaks as apparently their habit of wandering around in midriff-skimming t-shirts in sub-zero temperatures has caused us all to follow suit and thus turn our thermostats up a few degrees. Julia would be doing a huge service to the actors and possibly saving the planet in the process.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
24 October 2008 16:43
Jam, Jerusalem and err, melons.
In line with the rest of the world, things at Aga have been pretty tough in the past few weeks. While, in true British style, everyone keeps a stiff upper lip and a nose to the grindstone, news of financial downturn and general global woes have left us all feeling a little less sunny than usual.
So we were mightily cheered up by a video clip that made its way on to our computer screens. Created by iBall - the people who make financial matters understandable to the masses - the clip features one Camilla Goodwinston-Hurley of the Chipping cum Bicester chapter the Cheltenham WI.
While she slowly strips off for yet another WI calendar, she extols the virtues of her beloved Aga, describing it as dependable, constantly working and part of the family. As I type this in front of my own Aga, I feel a certain kinship with the delightful Mrs G-H.
Now times are tough, we Aga owners need to stick together and spread the word about the world's best cooker. One day, I hope to meet the lovely Camilla; we could swap recipes, share stories of wet dogs and Rugby boots and I'm rather hoping that in exchange for my butternut squash recipe she might let me into the secret of how she keeps her melons so perky.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
24 October 2008 16:40
Since the middle of this week I've had a huge number of calls from people wanting to talk about Russia. While I hugely appreciate Russian literature, the architecture of Red Square and the odd glass of vodka, I felt entirely unqualified to answer the callers' questions as they all related to Russian oil. Not, I have to say, a subject I know a huge amount about.
Odd, I thought, until I read the feature to which they referred. It ran in The Times on Wednesday. Its author, Richard Morrison, threw Aga owners across the country into a panic about oil from the East. The thrust of the article, if you haven't seen it, is that there's a rumour that Russian oil is too dirty or sulphurous for an Aga to swallow.
Could this be possible, I wondered. So, in true Nancy Drew style, I set out to find out. I tracked down Robert Wine, BP's delightful spokesman who told me the whole thing was utter nonsense. Apparently, it doesn't matter where oil originates from because by the time it's been refined, it has to come up to a certain grade and therefore any oil you buy for motoring or domestic use will be of the correct sales spec and perfectly appropriate for the job.
So, will your Aga run happily on Russian oil, the man from BP he say Da.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
13 October 2008 15:18
There was great excitement at Aga on Friday when the Princess Royal paid a visit to the factory and showroom at Telford in Shropshire. The Princess, who owns a pillar box red Aga, was presented with a commemorative plate and some cookware to match her Aga.
It was a very exciting day for eight-year-old Abigail Hudson, who presented the Princess with a posy. Abigail - whose father, Darryl, works for Aga - had a brilliant day and said: "I was very nervous and excited. She was really lovely. It was like talking to someone I've known for a long time."
The Princess also took a tour of the factory and was introduced to around 150 staff, expressing a particular interest in sustainable and renewable energy - specifically carbon-neutral wood-burning stoves, Aga's more efficient range cookers and its new solar panel technology.
The Aga has long been the cooker of choice for the establishment and it was a real treat for everyone to meet a royal Aga-owner in person.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
02 October 2008 16:48
Do you ever feel like you've simply had enough? It sometimes feels impossible to get anything done because technology has got in the way. Booking cinema tickets has become a frustrating experience - requiring voice recognition software - banking requires you to remember a number of tricky passwords and PIN numbers and everything has become so much more complicated.
Yesterday, I had the misfortune of trying to pay my phone bill using an automated service. I failed and had to repeatedly press zero to get a human to take my money. I had an hour on the phone to a computer repair company and ended up no better off than I was in the first place.
Sometimes I crave simplicity. I miss the days when everything we did required some kind of human interaction. It's a lonely and soulless way to live, connecting only with machines.
This is why I was really excited to be involved with Aga's Local Life campaign. I got to talk to lots of farmers, fishmongers, butchers, bakers and even the odd chocolate artist. The Local Life events, which are taking place around the country have been hugely well attended, which makes me believe that there are a lot of people out there who feel the way I do.
After a day at work, which seems to get more technologically challenging each day. I'm thrilled to cook supper on a cooker that has no knobs, dials or buttons to confuse me. I love the fact that my Aga is hot in all the right places and requires no effort on my part. Nothing goes wrong, it doesn't challenge me in any way; it just cooks nicely, whatever I put in. Bliss.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
01 October 2008 09:27
I actually get rather irritated by people saying that the Aga isn't green. This simply isn't true. Comparing an Aga to a conventional slot-in cooker is rather like comparing a family car to a vehicle that works for its living.
The Aga isn't simply a cooker; it does so much more. So far today - it's four in the afternoon now - my Aga has dried my son's rugby kit, made breakfast for four, lunch for six and supper is currently bubbling away in the simmering oven. It's done all this while providing endless cups of tea, and if not sympathy, then certainly a restorative warmth. Try getting a soulless conventional cooker to do all this.
Plus, after one of the worst summers on record, while our non-Aga owning friends caved in and put the heating on, we held firm and simply retreated to the kitchen when things got a little chilly.
'An Aga is not a cooker it's a way of life' is a phrase I've heard more times than I can count. And it's true. I would give up anything before I gave up my Aga. I also firmly believe that without it I'd spend lots of money on electricity. We do have a tumble drier, but use it rarely and I don't use the myriad small electrical appliances my non-Aga owning friends do.
My coffee is made in a stove-top pot. I don't trust and would never own a microwave. My sandwiches are toasted on the Aga, often while there's dough proving at the back. So all in all, without the Aga, life in my house would be a lot poorer indeed.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
29 September 2008 10:08
On Saturday, I went to the Aga Local Life event at the Aga Shop in Holt and it made me realise how lucky I am to live in an area with so many great food producers. I've always known the Aga Shop was the hub of the community - my daughters and I even learned to knit there a few years ago - but it was never so apparent as it was this weekend.
I ran into a number of people I haven't seen for ages, which was lovely, including my friend Sarah and her daughter Megan (pictured). Sarah's mum was also there. They were all watching chicken from the local farm shop, Back to the Garden, being cooked by Aga Demonstrator Chrissie Hill. As my boys chatted to Megan, I realised that their generation is growing up with a real interest in well-produced food, which can only be a good thing.
Chrissie also cooked food from the North Norfolk Fish Company, P&S Butchers, Groveland Butchers and Bembo's greengrocers and everyone got to taste lots of local produce. Around 150 people attended the event - I've never seen the Aga Shop so packed - and staff from the shop seemed rightly proud to have done their bit for local life.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
-
26 September 2008 12:24
There are few places in the world I'd rather be than sitting happily by my Aga drinking a large mug of tea or, after six, a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Invariably my sausage dog, Smudge, will perch on one knee and one of the Bengal kittens will sit on the other.
Sadly, tea drinking doesn't pay the bills, and while much of my work is actually done in the kitchen, I have to occasionally leave and go out into the cold.
Much of my time is spent writing, which is lovely and agonising in equal parts. When it goes well, it's like ballet, and words simply dance on to the page. When it goes badly it's desperate and there are few things as bleak as staring at a blank document on the screen, willing the words to come.
I've now got a new job, too, which frankly is my dream role. I've been appointed as Aga's Brand Ambassador, which sounds rather grand, but actually involves talking a lot - for which I'm eminently qualified - abut Agas, one of my favourite things.
One of the things I'm going to be doing is tracking down interesting Aga stories, so if you use an Aga in an interesting way, have funny tales or an ancient Aga you'd like to know more about then please get in touch. You can email me content@aga-web.co.uk and I'll get back to you.
I'm hoping that once I've collected anecdotes, ephemera and pictures I'll be writing up the stories and posting them here. So, all contributions would be very gratefully received.
Posted by Laura James | View Comments (0) | Email to a friend
my account
Login
Forgotten Password
Not yet registered?
- recipes
- videos
- cookery doctor
