By Mark David

I have always said that my Aga is almost human - switch it off and it has no love; it's cold and unwelcoming.

Fond  memories

When I go back to my childhood and our big warm kitchen in Yorkshire, I see my dad stoking and riddling and my mum cooking all the time.

No wonder the word love is so appropriate; there was never a shortage in our house.

Help  from  the  Aga

I remember vividly a painful love affair, which ended unhappily. I had bolted home from London to hole up and mope. Mum cooked a fabulous cheese soufflé with crispy bacon and served it with a simple salad from the garden. I felt so much better!

When my dad died, mum came down to Suffolk to be near us, bought a small house and decided her kitchen was too small for an Aga. I wasn't having any of this. "You have never been without an Aga throughout your married life," I said indignantly. "Why be without one now when you are living alone?"

It was ordered immediately and provided her with much-needed warmth, both physically and emotionally, when she most needed it.

Cheese Soufflé recipe

Here's my wife's recipe for a fabulous cheese soufflé. It cooks beautifully in the roasting oven, but mind it doesn't hit the roof.

Annie's  Cheddar  Soufflé

(Serves 4 with a salad)

What  do  I  need?

8oz strong Cheddar cheese, grated
1 tbsp Parmesan, grated
6 large free-range eggs
1oz butter
Enough flour to make a wet paste
7 fl oz milk
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp mustard
Nutmeg and lots of seasoning

What  do  I  do?

Liberally grease a 4-pint soufflé dish with butter and dust the buttered surfaces with either breadcrumbs or grated Parmesan. This creates a non-stick surface.  

Melt the butter over the simmering ring or a low gas heat.

Add flour gradually enough to make a wet paste and cook gently on the simmering plate for about a minute, stirring well.

Add the milk slowly & beat out the lumps.

Add the cheese and melt, then add the horseradish and mustard. Season well, including nutmeg.

Remove from heat and rest for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, separate the eggs, and add the yolks to the mixture off the heat. Whisk the egg whites until they form a soft peak.

Fold 2 tablespoons of egg white into the sauce, then fold the remaining cheese mixture into the whisked egg white carefully (don't overdo this, a few lumps of egg white do no harm).

Fill the soufflé dish and place on the grid shelf on the floor of the Aga roasting oven (or in an oven pre-heated to 200ºC) and cook for 23 minutes.

Eat immediately - after a few minutes this delicious soufflé will start to sink!

Mark David runs The Cooking Experience cookery school at Hadleigh in Suffolk. For more information, phone 01473 827568 or visit
The Cooking Experience online.