Festive Opening Hours

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
 
Christmas Eve 9am - 12 noon
Christmas Day Closed
Boxing Day Closed
27th Dec Closed
28th Dec Bank Holiday Closed

29th Dec Open 10am-4pm
30th Dec Open 10am -4pm
New Year's Eve Open 9am-12noon

New Year's Day Closed
2nd Jan Open 9.30am-4pm
4th Jan Business hours as usual 

In addition, on some days we will operate an emergency call out service for customers who have purchased an AGA from us or that are on our regular reminder service list.

Velvet Pastry for Mince Pies

This perfect pastry recipe comes from Richard at Rayburn.


Ingredients:
450g plain flour
200g butter
85g vegetable fat
Grated rind of 1 large orange
Chilled orange juice
Milk for sticking lids on pies
Mince meat for filling
Icing sugar to sprinkle on the top

Method:
Sift the flour and rub the fat in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the grated rind and bind with the juice.
If making in a food processor go gently as it is easy to over process.
Chill before using for 30 minutes.
The mixture is very rich, and is best handled as little as possible.
Roll and cut out 24 x 5cm lids first. Then cut out 24 x 7cm bases, re-rolling as necessary.
Grease and line the tins then add just enough mincemeat before topping with the lids, using milk to stick them on. Brush with milk and make a small slit in each pie.
Bake for 20-30 minutes on the grid shelf on the floor of the main oven at 200C / 400F or gas mark 6 until golden.
The pastry is wonderfully crumbly, so you can freeze the pies raw in the tins and then when hard store them in the bags or boxes. They are then quick to bake from frozen as required.

Richard's Velvet Pastry for Mince Pies
• 450g (1lb) plain flour
• 200g (7oz) butter
• 85g (3oz) vegetable fat
• Grated rind of 1 large orange
• Chilled orange juice
Sift the flour and rub the fat in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the grated rind and bind with the juice. If making in a food processor go gently as it is easy to over-process. Chill before using for 30 minutes. The mixture is very rich, and is best handled as little as possible. Roll and cut out 24 x 5cm (2¼ inch) lids first. Then cut out 24 x 7cm (3 inch) bases, re-rolling as necessary. Grease and line the tins then add just enough mincemeat before topping with the lids, using milk to stick them securely on. Brush with milk and make a small slit in each pie. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes on the grid shelf on the floor of the Main Oven at 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, until golden. The pastry is wonderfully crumbly, so I usually freeze the pies raw in the tins and then when hard store them in bags or boxes. They are then quick to bake from frozen as required.
- See more at: http://www.rayburn-web.co.uk/rayburn-owner/rayburn-recipes/occasions/richards-velvet-pastry-for-mince-pies#sthash.Y6LBFqeW.dpu

 

Richard's Velvet Pastry for Mince Pies
• 450g (1lb) plain flour
• 200g (7oz) butter
• 85g (3oz) vegetable fat
• Grated rind of 1 large orange
• Chilled orange juice
Sift the flour and rub the fat in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the grated rind and bind with the juice. If making in a food processor go gently as it is easy to over-process. Chill before using for 30 minutes. The mixture is very rich, and is best handled as little as possible. Roll and cut out 24 x 5cm (2¼ inch) lids first. Then cut out 24 x 7cm (3 inch) bases, re-rolling as necessary. Grease and line the tins then add just enough mincemeat before topping with the lids, using milk to stick them securely on. Brush with milk and make a small slit in each pie. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes on the grid shelf on the floor of the Main Oven at 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, until golden. The pastry is wonderfully crumbly, so I usually freeze the pies raw in the tins and then when hard store them in bags or boxes. They are then quick to bake from frozen as required.
- See more at: http://www.rayburn-web.co.uk/rayburn-owner/rayburn-recipes/occasions/richards-velvet-pastry-for-mince-pies#sthash.CbsFjAtO.dpuf

Richard's Velvet Pastry for Mince Pies
• 450g (1lb) plain flour
• 200g (7oz) butter
• 85g (3oz) vegetable fat
• Grated rind of 1 large orange
• Chilled orange juice
Sift the flour and rub the fat in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the grated rind and bind with the juice. If making in a food processor go gently as it is easy to over-process. Chill before using for 30 minutes. The mixture is very rich, and is best handled as little as possible. Roll and cut out 24 x 5cm (2¼ inch) lids first. Then cut out 24 x 7cm (3 inch) bases, re-rolling as necessary. Grease and line the tins then add just enough mincemeat before topping with the lids, using milk to stick them securely on. Brush with milk and make a small slit in each pie. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes on the grid shelf on the floor of the Main Oven at 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, until golden. The pastry is wonderfully crumbly, so I usually freeze the pies raw in the tins and then when hard store them in bags or boxes. They are then quick to bake from frozen as required.
- See more at: http://www.rayburn-web.co.uk/rayburn-owner/rayburn-recipes/occasions/richards-velvet-pastry-for-mince-pies#sthash.CbsFjAtO.dpuf

The Perfect AGA Christmas

With less than three weeks until Christmas Day, we have all you need to take the stress out of creating a triumphant festive feast this year.

Cookery Tip: You can fit up to a 13kg (28lb) turkey in the AGA oven!

When it comes to entertaining using the right cookware ensures you get the most from your cooker.

Pop by our showroom to buy everything from roasting tins to bake-o-glide, stainless steal pans and chopping boards. 

Cookery Tip: Make and freeze your mince pies and bread and cranberry sauces ahead of the big day. Take a look at our favourite seasonal recipes HERE.

You can also watch as Simon Brown shows us how to make the most of AGA cookware during the busy festive period HERE.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any AGA queries ahead of the big day! Happy cooking and happy Christmas.

Festive Entertaining

We had a super day at our Festive Entertaining demonstration with 20 customers enjoying a full on Christmas menu cooked on our four oven AGA in the upstairs showroom.

Alison showed us how to make a light pear and blue cheese salad served with sherry jelly cubes and crusty bread. The jelly cubes added an unusual twist to an ideal starter for Christmas dinner.

Then Alison cooked a boneless gammon joint in a broth of lemongrass, chilli, ginger, onions, carrots, cinnamon and star anise. This gave a lovely seasonal flavour to the gammon which then went on to be roasted in the top oven. Alison then blended mango, ginger, soy sauce and orange juice into a delicious salsa that was a perfect compliment to the ham.

The turkey for this demonstration was a turkey breast joint that we stuffed with ricotta, courgette and Parmesan. This made it very easy to serve up for 20 people and left us with no waste at all! So not only did it taste lovely but also was a practical alternative to a whole bird.

We served the meat up with a plethora of vegetables including roasted carrots and parsnips with a pomegranate and orange glaze, braised sprouts and chorizo and almond pangrattato and a sausage and bramley apple stuffing and of course AGA roast potatoes. To garnish was Claire's special ciabatta bread sauce with clotted cream.

Puddings were delicious clementine possets with campari syrup and cinnamon palmiers. These little dishes were a mixture of smooth rich possets to which the campari syrup brought a stylish tangy contrast. Claire also made her traditional Christmas pudding along with a whiskey cream. So you can imagine by the end of lunch we were all rather well fed and watered!

AGA City60

Want an AGA but don't have the space? That's where the City60 comes in! The new AGA City60 means that everyone - wherever they live and whatever kitchen space they have available will be able to find an AGA that fits perfectly.

Here's our lovely baby pink AGA in our showroom and a miniature AGA oven shaped biscuit tin in rose pink!

Please contact us for details.

Great Trade-In Deals

We have another fantastic offer from AGA saving you up to £1000! Please contact us for further details.

Welcoming Neptune to York

We are thrilled to welcome Neptune to York. Serving the city of York, Ryedale and North Yorkshire, the stunning new showrooms are conveniently located on the A64 between York and Malton.

We are lucky enough to have one of the new generation Dual Control AGA's on display in one of the kitchens. Both products compliment each other in appearance and quality.

Our picture shows Hayley, Neptune's kitchen designer with Michael and a pearl ashes electric Dual Control 3 oven AGA.

Pop along to Neptune to see exquisite kitchens and beautiful furniture in these spacious new showrooms.

They have a special Christmas shopping event on 3rd December that is sure to be a great evening with everything from beautiful table decorations to clever gift wrapping ideas. Join them for a glass of mulled wine and mince pies or visit their website for further details.

Autumn Dinner Parties

We had a super Autumn Dinner Parties cookery demonstration recently at our Malton showroom.

Our guests were treated to delicious homemade brownies served with freshly brewed tea and coffee.

Alison and Claire then got to work with making curried lentil apple and parsnip soup, which made good use of seasonal produce and when served with freshly baked soda bread was a meal in itself!

The other starter was a delicious butternut, carrot and goats cheese tartlet, made with the finest light walnut and Parmesan pastry.

The two main courses were a warming and richly Mediterranean flavoured braised pork with chorizo and black olives, along with a more delicate dish of Parmesan partridge breasts wrapped in crispy ham.

For pudding we enjoyed apple Charlotte with a toffee sauce and exotic pineapple and star anise tarte tatin served with a lovely homemade candied pecan ice cream.

A full demonstration, which in the end provided a very full luncheon!

Our next demonstration is Christmas Entertaining on Wednesday 25th November. This is now full, however please contact us if you would like details of our new cookery demonstration programme for 2016.

Pumpkin Pie

Carving a pumpkin for Halloween? Here's a great recipe for leftover pumpkin flesh!

 

Ingredients 

500g Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry thawed 

350g pumpkin flesh cut into pieces

85g golden caster sugar

55g maple syrup 

284ml double cream

1tsp vanilla extract

3 free range large eggs 

Topping 

55g butter

115g walnuts, chopped

115g light brown Muscovado sugar  

Cooking Method

Place the pumpkin flesh into an AGA half size roasting tin. Cover with foil. 

2,3 and 4 oven AGA: slide the tin into the oven grid shelf placed on the third runners down in the roasting oven. Cook for 15-30 minutes until soft. 

Meanwhile roll out the pastry and use to line a large AGA ceramic flan dish.

Place in the refrigerator to rest. 

When the pumpkin is cooked cool a little. Then place with the other filling ingredients in an AGA kMix blender and whizz together until well mixed. 

Carefully pour the filling into the pastry case. Cook the pumpkin pie direct on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold plain shelf slid on the second runners down. Bake for about 40 minutes until set. 

Whilst the pie is cooking melt the butter and stir in the sugar and chopped nuts. After 30 minutes baking time, remove the pie from the oven, scatter over the nut mixture, spreading lightly with a palette knife and return to the roasting oven for a final 10 minutes. 

Cool before serving with maple syrup and double cream. 

Rayburn Autumn Promotion

Save up to £700 on selected Rayburn models this autumn. Please contact us for details. Terms and conditions apply.

 

Chocolate Mousse

Did you know it's National Chocolate week?

Here's an indulgent chocolate mousse recipe - perfect to satisfy any sweet cravings!

Ingredients
200g good quality dark chocolate
100ml double cream
3 eggs, seperated
40g caster sugar
1-2 tbsp brandy or rum

Makes 6x150ml cups or ramekins

Method
Place the chocolate and cream into a bowl and melt on the back of the AGA or on the Warming Plate (4 oven). Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Let it cool for a couple of minutes then stir in the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites until a soft peak stage then whisk in the sugar a teaspoon at a time until glossy. Loosen the chocolate mixture with a spoonful of the meringue. Then fold in the rest of the meringue and the brandy or rum. Pour into ramekins or espresso cofferr cups and chill until set - about 2 or 3 hours.

Enjoy!

Miss AGA & her Jack Russell Gérard

Miss AGA and her jack russell Gerard cook in musical harmony around their AGA!

Another lovely little video for a Friday afternoon...!

www.missagaonline.com

Autumn Offers

Receive up to £1,500 FREE KitchenAid appliances PLUS up to £500 of AGA Cookshop vouchers when you buy selected AGA cookers.

Please contact us for full details.

We are Recruiting!

We are looking for a permanent Saturday sales consultant (6.5 hours) to work in our attractive AGA showroom.

The job involves showing customers what makes an AGA cooker so special. In addition you will advise customers on all things AGA!

We are looking for a confident and friendly person that has excellent communication skills and is eager to learn, with a previous background in sales / customer service.

Being an AGA owner or having experience of cooking on an AGA would be a bonus, however full training will be given.

Please send your CV to Michael@countrywarmth.co.uk or drop your CV into the shop marked for the attention of Michael.

The Complete AGA Cookbook

Whether you are an AGA devotee or have never cooked on an AGA before, Mary Berry and Lucy Young's new AGA cookbook is just what you need by your side.

It's 30 years since AGA first approached Mary Berry about producing The AGA Book and 15 years since she followed it up with Mary Berry's New AGA Cookbook- now she has combined, improved, updated and revamped those books with Lucy to produce The Complete AGA Cookbook, which deserves its place on all 21st century kitchen shelves!

There have been many new trends in cooking in the intervening years, and a plethora of new ingredients, and Mary explores them adding new recipes, adapting many ideas to the AGA way of cooking.

As Mary herself says, an AGA rapidly becomes the centre attraction of the kitchen, acting as a warm focus for family, friends and animals. And cooking on an AGA is a joy: it's spacious ovens produce perfectly cooked dishes, time after time. But they haven't forgotten those who cook on conventional cookers and instructions are supplied on each recipe.

Complete with all the AGA user information, Mary and Lucy help you get the most out of your AGA as they guide you through time and energy saving tips, from melting chocolate on the back of the AGA, to cooking drop scones on the Boiling Plate and slow roasting overnight in your Simmering Oven.

A few recipes will be familiar (adapted old favourites, which she just couldn't bear to leave out) but, whether new or old, all have been cooked to perfection in the AGA, showing how versatile it really it!

Price £25 and available from Country Warmth.

Oaty Chocolate Mocha

Mmm chocolate and coffee... two of our favourite things! Here is a yummy oaty mocha recipe from AGA to celebrate International Coffee Day. Enjoy!

Ingredients 
1/2 tsp coffee granules
1 heaped tbsp drinking chocolate
2 tbsp oats
300ml semi-skimmed milk

Place the coffee, chocolate, oats and half the milk in a small pan and bring to the boil.

Transfer to a blender with the remaining milk and puree until smooth.

Poor into a tall glass and serve. 

Gerard the patriotic pooch!

Could Gerard be the most patriotic Jack Russell ever? You can now follow Miss AGA and Gerard's adventures in this video series...

We are thinking about training our Shetland pony up as a rival act!

AGA Festival 2015

We made the trip down to London last weekend for the inaugural AGA Festival. Held at the handsome rooms of the Royal Geographical Society, the Festival was a celebration of everything AGA.

We were all welcomed to the event by William Magrath, AGA Chief Executive.

Following on from William's opening speech, was an interview with Lucy Young. Lucy is Mary Berry's right hand girl and together with Mary has just written a new AGA cook book. Entitled the complete new AGA cook book, this will be the AGA bible that will replace the now out of print original AGA book.

Lucy made us laugh with tales of kitchen disasters and made us marvel at the energy of her boss, 80 years young Mary! It became apparent that Mary and Lucy's success is due in no small part to the diligence in tasting recipes over and over again. We are all looking forward to getting the new book in the shop. Please contact us if you would like to order a copy!

Next on stage was Kathryn Ireland from the USA. Kathryn has had a colourful career in Los Angeles as an interior designer, property developer and film / video producer. She is an official Brand Ambassador for AGA and has been responsible for introducing many Hollywood celebrities to the joys of owning an AGA. She clearly has a passion for life and inspired us all to tackle life's challenges head on. She showed us some of her lovely new textile designs. From USA we then moved to China. Daniel Wong the AGA Sales Manager for China introduced us to Coco. Coco is the AGA Brand Ambassador for China. She is a food writer, blogger, chef and the 'go to' baking lady of China! Apparently following on from the Great British Bake Off, there is a phenomenal interest in baking in China. All the would be Mary Berry's of the Far East are desperate to bake the best cakes and of course, the dear AGA can do this job exceedingly well!! Coco also pointed out that the AGA makes an awesome Peking Duck!

Next on stage was Olivia Wollenberg. Olivia is just 26 and had passed up a career in neuro science to concentrate on her own business of bringing truly healthy food to the high street. Through her brand Livia's Kitchen, she is set to change the composition of sugary snack food. Look out for her products and try them yourself if you can.

To close the morning session, we heard about new cookware products from Caroline Smith and some lucky folks won vouchers to spend on AGA cookware. We all enjoyed a splendid lunch of aubergine moussaka or fish served with rice salad and new potatoes followed by chocolate tart and fresh fruit salad. The sun was still shinning heartily and allowed us all to eat outside on the terrace.

In the afternoon we were treated to various presentations covering the history of both the AGA cooker and the AGA company, interviews with Daisy Lowe and Amy Wilcock plus helpful tips and advice from Dawn Roads and Richard Maggs (the AGA cookery doctor).

William closed the afternoon not only looking back over the last few years, but by looking forward to the next few years and left us all considering what we might expect from AGA. 

Bakeware Offers

Buy one piece of AGA non-stick Bakeware and get a second piece absolutely free!

 

*The lowest priced piece is free.

Thinking of buying a new AGA?

We have some fantastic offers that significantly reduce the cost of purchasing an AGA 

15% Off any AGA Cooker* plus £500 trade in or £2,000 trade in against the purchase of a Dual Control or Total Control AGA

These savings are for Friday 4th and Saturday 5th September ONLY! 

Please contact Ian on 01653 695699 or 07824 698828 to discuss your requirements.

Sophie Allport

These lovely Hob Covers are great for keeping your prized AGA clean and scratch-free. They are also effective at keeping the heat it. The ideal gift for the all AGA loving friends and family and perfect in any country kitchen!

Protect your hands from hot pans with a lovely pair of heat resistant Double Oven Gloves.
The reverse of the glove and inside each hand pocket there is a special heat resistant fabric. There is also a handy loop in the middle of the glove so you can hang it up in the kitchen. 

Please pop in to the shop or call us to order your Sophie Allport items. We are happy to send items by post!

Egton Show

We finally put the show trailer away this weekend following the last of the summer agricultural shows.

Last Wednesday saw blustery grey skies dawn on the beautiful hillside show field in the village of Egton near Whitby. Luckily for us, the threat of rain never materialised. We had a most successful day meeting customers old and new. We had taken the pink AGA City60 which drew plenty of admirers along with an aqua two oven gas AGA. Also popular were a range of hob hats, we had plenty to choose from with animal designs from Sophie Allport and the best selling range of AGA Cookshop dog textiles.

We were thrilled to see Fairly Scrumptious, the gluten free fair trade cake company at Egton, especially as they were wearing Bev Maddens super aprons!

Whilst we have finished the local show circuit, we will still be taking some of our lovely AGA cookers out on tour so keep watching our news and events page for details. 

AGA Cookery Demonstrations

We have a great line up of cookery demonstrations taking place over the next few months! 

Beginners Guide to AGA Cooking
Tuesday 15th September

There really is nothing like seeing the AGA in action. You'll be amazed at just how much it can do. An AGA demonstration offers a great way to learn more about the cooker, meet AGA owners and importantly, taste the food it has to offer!
 
This demonstration is free, however places fill quickly so please call us to book your place.

Autumn Dinner Parties
Thursday 22nd October.
Price £39

Autumn food conjures up lots of comfort food, hearty stews and warming desserts. We aim to put a more elegant twist on old favourites using all the wonderful seasonal specialties available whether it be meat, fish, vegetarian or game to name a few. By definition a time of harvest and plenty and a great time to entertain.

Festive Entertaining 
Wednesday 25th November
Price £45

Once again Christmas is looming - but think how nice it would be to have some new ideas or traditional favourites to impress your family and friends. Whether you are planning a grand or intimate Christmas, come along and find advice on how to cook your turkey or goose along with suggestions for more contemporary festive alternatives as well as the well loved favourites.

Paid demonstrations start at 10.30am and include freshly brewed coffee and tea on arrival with homemade biscuits from 10am. The demonstrations will continue until around 1pm and all the food cooked will be presented for you to enjoy as an informal lunch. Complimentary wine and cold drinks will also be served.