Blender Offer!!

Selected AGA kMix Blenders will be reduced by £20 from £109.99 to £89.99 from Saturday 1st September until 30th September.

Recipe of the Month

Autumn is upon us and you know what that means apples!!

September's Recipe of the Month is Baked British Bramleys.

 

The recipe coincides perfectly with the start of the Bramley apple season and demonstrates beautifully the positive benefits of cooking with cast iron.

These must be one of the easiest puddings to make and they taste delicious with lashings of custard or cream.  Choose apples of about the same size so they cook evenly and are ready at the same time.

Serves 6

6 Bramley apples

50g (1¾ oz) butter, softened

75g (2¾ oz) brown sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

1 orange, grated zest and juice

50g (1¾ oz) large golden sultanas

50g (1¾ oz) raisins

50g (1¾ oz) glacé cherries, quartered

50g (1¾ oz) dried apricots, chopped

25g (1 oz) almonds, chopped

150ml (¼ pint) water

Method

Wash and core the apples.  Score the skin around the middle of each apple and if necessary trim the base so they sit level.  Place the apples into an ovenproof dish. I used the AGA cast iron medium baker which was a perfect fit.

Cream the butter and sugar together with the spice and grated orange zest.  Stir in the orange juice, sultanas, raisins, cherries, apricots and almonds.  Pack this mixture into the apples and pour the water into the base of the dish.

2 oven AGA:  Place the dish on the oven grid shelf set on the floor of the roasting oven and cook for about 30-40 minutes, or until the apples are soft.  Baste occasionally.

3 and 4 oven AGA:  Place the dish in the centre of the baking oven and cook for about 40-45 minutes, or until the apples are soft.  Baste occasionally.

Serve with custard or cream.

Rayburn and conventional cooking:  Bake at 180°C (350°F), fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4 for 35-45 minutes or until the apples are soft.  Baste occasionally.

Product of the Month

Product of the Month for September: AGA Cast Iron Baking Dishes.

These beautiful cast iron baking dishes are available in a variety of sizes and colours.

Buy in September to receive 25% off.

The promotion starts on Saturday 1st September and runs until Saturday 30th September.

Ask in store for details.

Sara Danesin Medio - Masterchef Finalist

Sara Danesin Medio from Masterchef will be at Country Warmth cooking up a storm on Wednesday 17th October.

We are delighted to welcome her to our upstairs cookery school and can't wait to see what delicious treats she prepares.

The event is limited to 35 people so please book soon!

Tickets are £25 per person and includes light refreshments.

Pre-booking only.

Colour & Interior Design in the Home

We welcome Victoria from Victoria Rose Interiors to our showroom on Wednesday 3rd October.

Victoria will use her experience as a Farrow and Ball consultant to provide top tips on how to paint your home and how colour can transform a room.

Soft furnishings specialist Claire Hudson will assist Victoria in creating stunning interior designs specifically for your home.

Fifteen minute slots are available from 6.30pm onwards. Light refershments will be served.

£10 per person and pre booking only. Call us for details.

Egton Show

Well we hitched up the show trailer and headed up to Egton for the last of the summer shows.

On arrival at the show field we found the usual scene of tractors pulling exhibitors on to the ground, however there was hope, the sun was shining and with a fresh breeze we looked set for a dry day.

Our stand was comfortably located between the judges luncheon tent and Wrights traditional candy floss and brandy snaps stall. We thought we had had an early start leaving home at 6.00 am but our sweet toothed neighbours left at 4.45 am.

By 9 am we had already heard 'My AGA is over 50 years old and still going strong' along with the 'Now how much are AGA's these days'.

Egton is one of the most traditional shows in North Yorkshire and we love our pilgrimage to the purple heather clad moors.

Apparently there are over 120 stand holders on a waiting list to attend this little show and we can see why.

 

This will have been our 25th year of attending, and one of the few where the wellies were actually put away in the boot of the car before the day was over!

Some of the photos taken show the local hunt and beagle pack in the parade ring, the vintage vehicles on parade, some of the showing classes.

A clutch of Shetlands- we wondered what the collective noun was for Shetland Ponies. We came up with a Shed Load of Shetlands!

Finally an amazing sunset as we drove home after a full and fun day spreading the word of AGA and associated wares!

Our Life on a Trade Stand!

We have been out and about over the last three weeks attending local agricultural shows. Herewith the diary of a trade stand holder, summer 2012.

Driffield Show

The familiar rain sodden picture greeted us on the morning of Driffield Show. However sometimes the clouds can be misleading. By 10am the sun was making a strenuous effort to peep through and a brisk breeze was drying the ground up nicely. 

As one of the (if not THE) biggest one-day shows, Driffield was not going to succumb to the wet weather conditions. With a chalky well-drained show field the organisers gave everybody a much-needed opportunity to exhibit their wares.

These 'wares' were quiet diverse in their make up. From willow weaving and bread milling to terrier racing, gun dog training, falconry and polo. These events were successfully shown to the delight of many (including us!). We met old customers and new and passed much time reminiscing about the benefits of having a cast iron heat storage cooker at the heart of the home. Our good friend Bev Madden of Mrs Madden Makes was also there displaying her lovely aprons and other house wares. These aprons can be custom made to suit personal requirements and they make a great gift.

A great day was had by all and we even managed to pack every thing away in the dry, ready for Malton Show.

Malton Show

Now we were being spoilt! A warm and sunny day bought the crowds out in the lovely setting of Scampston Park. We were lucky enough to enjoy the livestock parade, a vintage tractor parade, the sheep dog trials and a myriad of horse showing classes. There were rows of vintage farm machinery, all of them in working order, so much so that by the end of the day even our heartbeat’s had synchronised with the 'chug chug chug' of the steam engines located opposite our stand. We met the lovely ladies from the regional W I and we are hoping to link up with them for some future events at our upstairs cookery school. Watch our web site for further developments.

 Ryedale Show

Probably our favourite show of the summer, Ryedale show is always well attended and stylishly run. Our stand drew many admirers and several small children wanting to make a 'house' out of it. A successful day was had by all!

Now back to the shop to sell some AGA’s!

Mrs M at Driffiend Show

Here are a few photos of our lovely stand at Driffield Show. The Mrs Madden aprons made it very colourful indeed!