A cast iron range cooker heats from solid cast iron plates and ovens that hold and radiate heat steadily, rather than an element cycling on and off. That gives a gentler, more enveloping heat that many cooks find kinder to food, particularly for roasting, baking and slow cooking. Some range cookers — Everhot, ESSE, Heritage and Rayburn among them — use heat-storage technology and are always warm. Others, like Lacanche, are precision cooking instruments that heat on demand rather than staying warm continuously. Both are a different cooking experience from a standard oven, and each suits a different way of cooking and living.

Prices vary a great deal by brand, size and specification. A compact 60cm Everhot starts from £7,850, and the smallest 70cm Lacanche models start from £4,920, while larger multi-oven cookers with induction hobs can cost £18,000 or more. Because every cooker is built to order — size, colour, fuel type and trim all affect the final price — the best way to get an accurate figure for the model you have in mind is to visit our showroom or give us a call.

It depends on the type. Heat-storage cookers such as Everhot, ESSE, Heritage and Rayburn are always on, but modern models are engineered for low consumption — typically 75–90 kWh a week using ECO mode overnight — and work well alongside solar panels and smart tariffs. Professional-style cookers such as Lacanche only draw energy when you're actually cooking, so there's no standing cost at all, though you lose the constant background warmth a heat-storage cooker gives your kitchen. Your real running cost depends on your model, your energy tariff and how you cook, so give us a call and we'll work through the actual numbers for the brand you're considering.

Cast iron range cookers come in electric heat-storage (Everhot, ESSE), oil or gas heat-storage (Heritage, Rayburn), electric induction, gas, LPG, dual fuel and, on some brands, wood. Heat-storage models — whether electric, oil or gas — give constant, gentle background warmth. Professional gas, dual-fuel or induction models such as Lacanche heat on demand with instant precision and no standing consumption. Oil and gas central-heating models can also power your radiators and hot water. The right choice depends on your existing supply, your kitchen layout and how you like to cook — it's exactly the kind of question our team talks through with every visitor.

Some can. Central-heating range cookers, such as Rayburn and Heritage models, are designed with integrated boilers that can run your radiators and domestic hot water as well as cook. Everhot, ESSE and Lacanche are cooking-only appliances: Everhot and ESSE give background warmth to the kitchen but don't connect to your heating system, and Lacanche generates no background heat at all since it only draws energy while cooking. If whole-home heating is part of what you're after, it's worth telling us early so we can point you to the right brand and model.

Decades, generally speaking — cast iron range cookers are built to be a lifetime purchase rather than a ten-year appliance. Lacanche cookers are hand-assembled in Burgundy and typically last 30 years or more, backed by a 36-month warranty from delivery. Everhot cookers are similarly built to last a lifetime, with owners often running the same cooker for decades with just routine care. With sensible use and the odd bit of care, a good cast iron range cooker genuinely does become a permanent fixture in the home.

Yes, in most cases. Gas, dual-fuel, oil and wood-fired models all need installation by a suitably qualified engineer — Gas Safe registered for gas or LPG, OFTEC registered for oil, or HETAS registered for wood-fired models. Lacanche always requires professional installation, regardless of fuel type. On a gas or oil Rayburn, an oil Heritage, or an ESSE wood-fired cooker, that same engineer fits and certifies the flue to safely vent combustion gases outside, and on the Rayburn or Heritage central heating models, also ties the boiler into your existing pipework, radiators and hot water cylinder — a bigger job than simply positioning a standalone cooker. Everhot and ESSE electric cookers are the exception — the simplest of the heat-storage cookers to install, needing only one, two or three standard 13-amp sockets, with no rewiring, flue or specialist engineer required. Weight is worth planning for too on some models, though Everhot's lightest models start at around 250kg and rarely need floor reinforcement. Confirm your electrical provision or engineer requirements with us early so your kitchen build can be planned around it.

Start by measuring the available width between your worktops. Everhot is available in 60, 90, 100, 110, 120, 150 and 160cm widths, with the 120i the most popular all-rounder. Lacanche ranges from 700mm compact models up to 2205mm, with the 1000mm Cluny and Macon the most popular sizes. Size also determines how many ovens, hobs and extras you get, so it's worth thinking about how you cook — daily family meals, serious entertaining, or something in between — alongside the available space.

Most models are straightforward to keep clean. Vitreous enamel surfaces wipe down easily with a damp, soapy cloth once cool — avoid abrasive cleaners, which can dull the finish. On heat-storage ovens such as Everhot, food residue tends not to bake on in the way it can in a conventional oven, because the heat stays steady rather than fluctuating. Hot plates and simmer plates on both Everhot and Lacanche just need regular wiping. We'll talk you through the best cleaning routine for your specific model when your cooker is delivered and installed.

It depends on the cooker. Everhot, ESSE, Heritage and Rayburn are all heat-storage cookers designed to be left on, though on most models every zone — ovens, hot plate, simmer plate — can still be turned off or down independently, and an overnight eco setting drops the temperature to save energy. A Lacanche is the opposite: it only uses energy when switched on and cooking, so there's no need, or benefit, to leaving it running. Which suits you better really comes down to whether you want that constant background warmth in the kitchen or prefer to heat only when you cook.

Not as much as people expect. Everhot's induction ('i') models let you turn the heat-storage side off entirely in summer and cook solely on the induction hob, which generates no background heat at all — and ECO mode can reduce output on any model. A Lacanche never has this issue, since it heats up only while you're actually cooking and produces no standing warmth. Most owners of both brands find their kitchen perfectly comfortable year-round.

They're a significant upfront cost, but many owners see them as one of the best investments they make in their home. Both Everhot and Lacanche are built to last decades — Lacanche cookers are typically expected to last 30 years or more, and Everhot can be relocated if you move house, so the initial outlay isn't a one-house-only cost. Add low running costs, minimal maintenance, and a look that tends to hold its value, and the lifetime cost of ownership compares favourably with replacing a cheaper cooker every few years.

Not as a rule. A refurbished cooker is a used range cooker that's been stripped down, cleaned and rebuilt with new parts, and it isn't something we specialise in — our focus is fitting the right new cooker for your kitchen, built to the exact spec and colour you want, with a full manufacturer warranty behind it. From time to time a showroom model becomes available once it's been on display, but this is occasional rather than regular stock, so if you're specifically after reconditioned or secondhand, we'd rather be upfront that we're not the best route in. Do get in touch if you'd like to check what, if anything, we currently have.

This isn't something we get involved in, and generally we'd steer you away from it. Fuel conversions are specialist work, carried out by independent engineers rather than as part of what we offer, and electric heat-storage cookers such as Everhot or induction Lacanche models can't be converted to another fuel at all, since the technology is built around that power source. It's far simpler, and usually cheaper in the long run, to choose the right fuel type for your home before you order — talk to us early and we'll help you get that decision right from the outset.

Yes. We know regular hours don't always suit a busy schedule, so we offer private showroom visits by prior arrangement outside our normal 10am–4pm hours. It's the same unhurried, no-pressure experience — you'll get our full attention to look at colours, discuss models and ask questions, just at a time that works better for you. Get in touch to arrange a time.

The steady, radiant heat of a cast iron range cooker particularly suits roasting, slow-cooked stews and casseroles, and baking — a joint of meat comes out evenly cooked with a good crust rather than dried out at the edges, and bread and cakes rise and colour consistently because the oven temperature doesn't fluctuate the way a standard oven's does. That doesn't rule out everyday cooking, though; quick meals, hob work and weeknight dinners are all just as achievable. It's simply that slow, steady cooking is where these cookers genuinely outperform a conventional oven, and it's part of why so many owners end up cooking differently once they have one.

Yes, with the same common-sense precautions you'd take with any cooker. Because heat-storage models stay warm continuously, surfaces can remain hot even when nothing is cooking, so it's worth teaching children early on which parts of the cooker to keep clear of, in the same way you would with a wood burner or open fire. All these cookers come with hotplate lids as standard, which help by covering the hot surface when it's not in active use, and induction zones on some models add a further layer of safety since the surface itself doesn't heat up the way a cast iron plate does. Beyond that, normal kitchen safety practice — clearing spills, keeping flammable materials away from the hob — applies just as it would to any cooker.

We don't work to a strict boundary, but delivery and installation are priced with our usual area in mind — Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and London. If you're further afield, give us a ring to discuss what's possible and what it would cost, as we're not against travelling further for the right cooker.

Every customer's kitchen, budget and way of cooking is different, so there isn't a single right answer — it depends on whether you want constant background warmth or on-demand heat, whether central heating matters to you, and how much you're looking to spend. Rather than work from a list of features, please call us or visit the showroom and we'll talk through your kitchen and cooking habits properly before pointing you toward the right brand.

Running costs and features aside, a heat-storage cooker becomes part of the home in a way an on-demand cooker doesn't — it's warm when you walk into the kitchen first thing, it takes the chill off the room in winter, and cooking happens around it rather than starting it up specially. An on-demand cooker like a Lacanche is precise and instant by comparison, but has no presence in the room when it's switched off. Which one suits you is really a question about how you want your kitchen to feel, not just how you want it to cook.

Lacanche is the clear choice here. It only uses energy when it's switched on and cooking, so there's no background warmth and no standing running cost — unlike Everhot, ESSE, Heritage and Rayburn, which are all heat-storage cookers to some degree. If everything else about a heat-storage cooker appeals to you except the constant warmth, it's worth talking to us so we can weigh up the trade-offs properly.

No, taking away an old cooker isn't part of our delivery service, so you'll need to arrange removal separately. Many customers find the best route is to advertise their existing cooker on eBay or similar sites, since range cookers hold genuine resale value and there's usually a buyer out there for an older model. Please get in touch and we're happy to advise on the best way forward for your specific cooker.

We ask for a 50% deposit when you place your order, with the balance due just before delivery. Because every cooker is built to order, the deposit secures your place in the production schedule and confirms the exact specification you've chosen — colour, configuration and any options — before it goes into build.

We accept debit card, credit card, BACS transfer and American Express. Let us know your preferred method when you place your order, and we can talk you through the practicalities around deposit and balance payments on a made-to-order cooker. Whichever method suits you, the same 50% deposit and pre-delivery balance arrangement applies.

Yes, within reason — you can amend your order, such as changing colour or specification, up to 7 days after it's been placed. After that point the cooker will usually already be scheduled into production, so changes become harder to accommodate. If you think you might need to adjust anything, it's worth letting us know as early as possible rather than waiting.

This very rarely happens, but if you do need to cancel, your deposit is refundable less an administration charge. Because cookers are built to order specifically for you, cancelling later in the process is more complicated than earlier on, so if you have any doubts before ordering, it's worth talking them through with us first rather than after.

No, we don't currently offer finance or a payment plan — cookers are paid for via the deposit and balance arrangement described above. If cost is a concern, it's worth discussing your budget with us directly, as there may be a model or specification that brings the price closer to where you need it to be.

Yes, all prices we quote are VAT inclusive, so the figure you're given is the figure you pay, with no additional VAT to add on top. Delivery costs are quoted the same way, so there shouldn't be any surprises between the price we give you and what actually appears on your invoice.

No, we don't currently offer part-exchange or trade-in on old cookers. Customers often find the best way forward is to advertise their existing cooker on eBay or similar sites rather than trade it in, since it usually holds more value sold on directly than as part of an exchange deal. Please get in touch and we can advise on the best approach for your situation.

No — bespoke sizing isn't available across the board. Each brand offers its own fixed range of widths and configurations, and while there's plenty of choice within that — colour, trim, oven layout, hob type — none of the five brands we sell will build outside their standard published sizes. It's worth measuring your available space carefully and choosing from the sizes each brand actually offers, rather than assuming a custom width can be accommodated.

Warranty claims and repairs are handled by the manufacturer rather than by us directly, since they're the ones who build and support the cooker. If something goes wrong, get in touch and we'll point you toward the right manufacturer contact or service network for your specific brand and model, so you're dealing with the people best placed to sort it.

Honestly, the main downside is the thing that also makes them appealing: they're designed to stay on continuously rather than switching on and off like a normal cooker. That means an ongoing running cost even when you're not actively cooking, and less of the on/off flexibility you'd get with a conventional appliance — though every zone can still be turned down or off independently if you want to reduce that. The ovens also cook with a gentler, more enveloping heat rather than a fierce blast, which suits roasting and slow cooking brilliantly but takes a little adjustment if you're used to blasting something on full heat for ten minutes. None of this is a secret — it's simply the trade-off for a warm kitchen and a different way of cooking, and it isn't the right trade-off for everyone.

An oil-fired Heritage or Rayburn needs an oil supply and tank, a flue, and regular servicing — an oil-fired pressure-jet burner requires servicing every 12 months — all of which add complexity and cost that an electric cooker doesn't have. If you don't already have oil heating, it's a bigger commitment to set up than simply plugging in an electric model. Because the cooker and boiler run on separate burners, a fault on one side won't affect the other, but it does mean there are two burners to maintain rather than one, so servicing and any repairs cover more ground than on a cooking-only cooker.

Yes, honestly — if you rent your home, move house frequently, or want a cooker you can largely ignore for weeks without any running cost, a heat-storage range cooker probably isn't right for you, and even an on-demand model like a Lacanche is a bigger investment than most people want for a short-term kitchen. Range cookers reward people who are settled, cook regularly, and want their kitchen to feel a particular way. If that's not you, a good conventional cooker will likely serve you better and cost far less.

For a small kitchen, the Everhot 60 and the Lacanche Cormatin or Rully are our clear recommendations. The Everhot 60 fits a standard 60cm cooker space and gives you two ovens, a grill and a two-zone hotplate without losing an inch of worktop compared with a normal freestanding cooker, while the Lacanche Cormatin and Rully are 700mm wide and deliver genuine professional performance in a similarly compact footprint. Neither compromises much on capability for the sake of size. Which suits you comes down to whether you want a heat-storage cooker with background warmth (Everhot) or an on-demand model with none (Lacanche).

For a busy family kitchen, the Everhot 120i is our most popular recommendation — three ovens and a 3-zone induction hob give you enough capacity for a full family roast, with the flexibility to run cool in summer. If you'd rather not have background warmth at all, the Lacanche Citeaux offers similarly generous capacity as an on-demand cooker.

If you want the flexibility of induction cooking alongside heat storage, the Everhot 'i' models are hard to beat — the induction hob gives instant, precise heat while the ovens still deliver the enveloping cooking Everhot is known for. ESSE's electric range is worth considering too if you'd like a different specification or price point, and we're always happy to compare the two directly against your kitchen and cooking habits.

Heritage and Rayburn are our two recommendations here, and each has its own qualities, so the right choice comes down to your specific home rather than one being straightforwardly better than the other. Heritage's Standard and Grande models can heat up to 30 radiators, while Rayburn's central heating models run on oil, gas, LPG or HVO across a similarly wide range of boiler outputs. We'd want to know your current heating setup, radiator count and styling preference before recommending one over the other.

Everhot is our clear recommendation if you have or are planning solar panels — its 'Follow the Sun' setting automatically adjusts ECO timings to coincide with sunrise and sunset, and it can draw on a home battery overnight if you have one, genuinely reducing grid electricity use. ESSE's electric range works well for the same reason, since both are heat-storage cookers built around a steady, low electricity draw rather than a big on-demand load.

For serious entertaining, the Lacanche Citeaux or a large Everhot such as the 150i or 160i give you the oven and hob capacity to cook at scale without everything competing for space at once. Lacanche's integrated hob options — chargrill, plancha, extra burners — suit hands-on entertaining where guests get involved in the cooking, while a larger Everhot suits a more traditional big-family-roast style of hosting.

We're genuinely independent — we sell Everhot, ESSE, Heritage, Rayburn and Lacanche side by side, rather than being tied to a single manufacturer, so there's no incentive to steer you toward one brand over another. That independence is backed by real experience: founder and Managing Director Andy McCulloch has 35 years in the range cooker trade and has run the Princes Risborough showroom for over 20 years, and is still hands-on in the business day to day. The aim is to find the cooker that actually suits your kitchen and how you cook, even if that takes more than one visit to work out.

Feedback on Google consistently comes back to two things: how knowledgeable and helpful Andy is in person, and how well the cookers perform once they're installed. Several reviewers specifically mention their Everhot's gentle background warmth, its slow-cooking oven, and how simple it is to run from a single plug socket. A number of customers are repeat buyers — one family has now bought three cookers between different members over the years — and several describe the support before and after the sale as genuinely thorough rather than disappearing once the sale is made. It's the kind of feedback that reflects what we're actually trying to do: take the time to find the right cooker for each person, not just make a sale.

The simplest way to put it: an Everhot is designed to stay on continuously, a Lacanche only heats when you're actively cooking. Everhot is a heat-storage cooker that keeps your kitchen gently warm by default — though every oven, hotplate and simmer plate can be turned off or down independently if you don't want that — and it plugs into a standard socket. A Lacanche is a professional-grade instrument that heats instantly on demand with no background warmth and no standing running cost. Everhot suits someone who wants their kitchen to feel a particular way as much as they want to cook in it; Lacanche suits someone who wants precision and immediacy and doesn't mind a cooker that's cold when it's switched off. Both are exceptionally well built and will last decades — the choice comes down to lifestyle, not quality.

Everhot and ESSE are both electric heat-storage cookers, so on paper they do a similar job — constant background warmth with individually adjustable zones. The two brands approach energy-saving differently, though: Everhot's ECO mode reduces the temperature, typically overnight, so the cooker runs cooler rather than switching off. ESSE's Slumber setting instead keeps the cooker at a low base temperature and brings it back up to full heat when you're ready to cook, so it works more like an on-demand boost from a low resting state than a simple temperature drop. Beyond that, Everhot has been building this specific style of cooker since 1979 and offers seven sizes in 20 colours, while ESSE has a longer overall history (since 1854) and its current range includes 'T' and 'X' hob variants plus a wood-fired option Everhot doesn't offer. In the showroom, it often comes down to which one feels right for your kitchen and budget, since the core technology and day-to-day experience are genuinely similar.

Both are central-heating range cookers combining cooking with hot water and, on larger models, whole-home heating — and both have their own qualities, so there isn't a straightforward winner. Heritage's central heating models run on oil only, hand built to order in Cornwall on a smaller scale, with a range of 20 enamel colours and boilers up to 120,000 Btu on the largest models. Rayburn offers a wider choice of fuel for central heating — oil, natural gas, LPG or HVO — and is part of the AGA Rangemaster group, established for over 75 years. If you don't have an oil supply and want gas or LPG central heating built into your range cooker, Rayburn is the one that can do that; if oil suits your home, both are worth comparing on their other qualities. We'd want to know your current heating setup and radiator count before recommending one over the other.

For a gas or oil Rayburn, oil Heritage, wood-fired ESSE, or Lacanche cooker, professional installation is required, and we can recommend a Gas Safe, OFTEC or HETAS registered engineer depending on the fuel type and your specific cooker. Everhot and ESSE electric cookers are much simpler — they just plug into a standard socket, so there's no specialist engineer to arrange at all. We'll point you toward the right trade for your model when you order, so it's one less thing to organise yourself.

Please contact us straight away so we can inform the manufacturer and get things moving quickly — the sooner we know, the sooner we can arrange a replacement part, repair or exchange as needed. It's rare, given how carefully these cookers are packed and delivered, but if it does happen, don't attempt to use the cooker or arrange anything yourself in the meantime; let us handle it directly with the manufacturer on your behalf.

Yes, we work with kitchen designers, architects and builders all the time. Range cookers are often specified as part of a wider kitchen renovation or new build, so we regularly liaise with the trade to make sure the cooker fits the space, the electrics or gas supply are planned correctly, and the whole project comes together on schedule. If you're a trade professional working on a client's kitchen, get in touch and we can talk through how best to work together.

It depends on your individual circumstances, but the Everhot 60 and the Lacanche Cormatin or Rully are popular choices for anyone moving to a smaller kitchen without wanting to give up a proper range cooker. Both give you genuine range cooker performance — two ovens, decent hob capacity — in a compact 60–70cm footprint, so downsizing your home doesn't have to mean downsizing your cooking. We'd talk through your new kitchen's layout and how you cook before recommending one over the other.

Of course — the last thing we want to do is deliver your cooker when you're not ready for it. We'll hold a confirmed order and coordinate delivery for once your kitchen build is finished, so there's no pressure to have everything ready to a fixed date. Just keep us updated on your progress and we'll plan delivery around your actual timeline rather than the original estimate.

Good quality, heavy-based cookware gets the best results from any range cooker. Cast iron, enamelled cast iron and heavy stainless steel pans retain and distribute heat evenly, which suits both the cast iron hotplate and the heat-storage ovens on brands like Everhot, ESSE, Heritage and Rayburn. Thin or lightweight pans don't perform as well and won't respond the way you'd expect on a solid hotplate. The good news is that the cookware that suits a range cooker best is also, by most measures, the best cookware to own generally — and it will last a lifetime alongside your cooker. Ask our team for recommendations when you visit the showroom.

Yes — most of our brands offer a matching extractor. Everhot's hood is engineered by Westin in Yorkshire and comes in the full range of Everhot colours for a co-ordinated kitchen, while Lacanche offers both freestanding extractors in matching colours and finishes and built-in canopy options that sit seamlessly above the cooker. Getting the ventilation properly sized for your cooker's output matters as much as the look, so it's worth discussing your extractor alongside your cooker order rather than as an afterthought.

It varies by brand, but there's real substance here rather than just marketing. Everhot's factory in the Cotswolds is carbon negative, running on solar energy, biomass heating and hydro power, and the company has planted over 50,000 native trees locally as part of an ongoing rewilding programme. Heat-storage electric cookers generally use less energy than older-style always-on ranges thanks to individually adjustable zones and eco settings, and several models work well alongside solar panels and home batteries. If sustainability is a priority for you, it's worth raising directly so we can point you to the brand and model that best matches what you're looking for.

It's worth checking with your insurer, particularly if you're adding an oil tank or a gas supply where there wasn't one before, or if the cooker itself represents a significant increase in the value of your kitchen appliances. Most standard buildings and contents policies won't need changes for a straightforward electric cooker, but oil storage tanks in particular are sometimes subject to specific insurer requirements. We can't advise on insurance directly, but it's a sensible call to make before installation day rather than after.

Yes — we regularly hold cookery demonstrations in the showroom for brands including Everhot, where you can watch the cooker in action, taste the results, and ask questions in a relaxed setting. Lacanche also run occasional Q&A events to help you understand the full range of options. It's consistently one of the best ways to understand what a heat-storage or on-demand cooker is actually like to live with, rather than judging from a spec sheet. Ask us about upcoming dates when you get in touch or visit the showroom.

It depends on the brand and size. Everhot's lightest models start at around 250kg and rarely need floor reinforcement, and the same is generally true across these brands for a standard kitchen floor — but larger multi-oven models, particularly in cast iron rather than steel, can be considerably heavier. Rather than guess, it's worth confirming the exact weight of the model you're considering with us, especially if you have an older floor, a raised or suspended floor, or are installing upstairs rather than at ground level.

Everhot is an all-electric heat-storage cooker, hand built in Gloucestershire and running from standard 13-amp sockets — one, two or three depending on the model — rather than any specialist electrical supply. Every oven and hotplate can be adjusted or switched off independently, so you're not locked into running the whole cooker at full power — a flexibility that sets it apart from older-style "always full-on" heat-storage cookers. It comes in seven sizes (60 to 160), a choice of traditional cast iron or induction hob, 20 enamel colours, and Wi-Fi control with a programmable ECO mode as standard. See the full Everhot range for sizes and pricing.

No. Because it runs entirely on electricity, an Everhot doesn't need a flue, gas connection or any specialist supply — just a standard socket. That makes it considerably simpler and cheaper to install than a gas, oil or wood-fired range cooker, and gives you far more flexibility over where in the kitchen it can go, since there's no external wall or ventilation run to plan around.

Using ECO mode overnight, the smaller Everhot 60, 90i and 100i typically consume around 75 kWh a week, and larger models such as the 120i and 150i use around 90 kWh a week. Actual running cost depends on your energy tariff, and owners with solar panels, a home battery or a smart tariff can bring their consumption down further still — Everhot's "Follow the Sun" setting automatically shifts ECO timings to match sunrise and sunset for exactly this reason. See our Everhot and renewables page for more on running one alongside solar.

Very. Everhot ovens and hotplates are individually calibrated and adjustable in fine increments, so you can set precisely the temperature a dish needs rather than working around a handful of fixed settings. Because the heat is stored and radiated steadily rather than cycling on and off like a conventional element, the temperature you set is also the temperature you actually get throughout cooking — one of the reasons owners often say their results are more consistent than on a standard oven.

Yes — this is one of the real advantages of choosing an Everhot. Although it's a substantial, solidly built appliance, it can be relocated to a new kitchen by a specialist team, so the investment isn't tied to one house. If you ever do move, get in touch and we can talk you through what's involved in having your Everhot relocated.

No. As an all-electric cooker with no gas connection, flue or moving mechanical parts to maintain, an Everhot doesn't require the annual servicing that gas, oil or wood-fired range cookers need. Beyond routine cleaning of the enamel and hotplate surfaces, there's very little ongoing maintenance — one of the reasons owners describe them as close to maintenance-free.

Most Everhot sizes come in two versions. The 'Plus' has a traditional cast iron hot plate and simmer plate. The 'i' replaces the hot plate with a built-in induction hob for instant, precise hob control alongside the heat-storage ovens. The induction version is popular in particular because you can turn the cast iron side off entirely in summer and cook solely on the induction hob, which generates no background heat at all — giving you more control over how warm the kitchen feels through the year. Our team can talk through which suits your cooking style when you visit the showroom.

Everhot offers 20 enamel colours across the range, each hand-finished, plus a chrome trim pack as an option on most sizes. Colours are genuinely hard to judge accurately from a screen or brochure, so we keep at least one enamel door in every available colour in our Princes Risborough showroom, where you can see how each one looks in natural light and hold it against your own kitchen samples before deciding.

Everhot cookers are made to order and hand built at their factory in Gloucestershire, so lead times move around with demand — as a guide, it's typically around 12 weeks at present, with Everhot Stoves and Heaters available faster, in around 2–4 weeks. We confirm the current lead time when you order, and we'll hold a confirmed order while your kitchen is being fitted — flag your build timeline to us early so we can plan around it.

As your local authorised retailer, Everhot arranges delivery through a specialist two-person team who position the cooker carefully in your kitchen. In our delivery area, this typically costs £420–£480 depending on the model — a modest addition to a cooker built to last decades. Because Everhot can also be relocated if you move house, that delivery cost may only ever need to be paid once.

Yes — Everhot is one of the more solar-compatible range cookers you can buy, because it was originally designed to run from a trickle feed of electricity rather than a big on-demand load. The "Follow the Sun" setting automatically adjusts ECO timings to coincide with sunrise and sunset, and if you also have a home battery, your Everhot can draw on stored solar energy overnight. See our page on Everhot and renewables for real owner case studies.

Every Everhot comes with a 2-year warranty on the complete appliance, and a longer 5-year warranty on the electric elements themselves, reflecting how central they are to the cooker's performance. As with any warranty, it covers manufacturing defects rather than wear and tear or accidental damage, and holds provided the cooker is installed correctly. We can talk you through exactly what's covered when you order.

The thing new owners most often need to adjust to is the cast iron hotplate, which behaves differently from a gas burner — it doesn't respond instantly, so quick temperature changes take more planning than you might be used to. Some people also find the running cost a surprise if they haven't budgeted for a cooker that's on all the time, even with ECO mode overnight. Most owners tell us these adjustments take a couple of weeks at most, but an Everhot doesn't suit someone who wants to cook occasionally and switch off completely in between.

Very quiet overall — an Everhot has no burner or flue, so the ovens and cast iron hotplate run silently. Induction ('i') models do have a small cooling fan, though, which comes on automatically when the induction hob is being used heavily alongside the cast iron side, similar to the fan in most electronic equipment that needs to shed heat. It's a background hum rather than anything intrusive, and it only runs when needed rather than continuously.

Lacanche cookers are handcrafted in Burgundy, France, using an entirely different approach from heat-storage brands like Everhot, ESSE, Heritage and Rayburn: rather than staying warm continuously, a Lacanche heats only when it's switched on and cooking, giving it professional-grade precision and immediacy. Every cooker is made to order, with an almost unlimited combination of size, hob type, oven configuration, enamel colour and trim finish, so no two are quite alike. See the full Lacanche range for sizes and starting prices.

Since 1796. Lacanche was founded in a 15th-century forge in the village of Lacanche in Burgundy's Côte d'Or, and every cooker still leaves the same foundry today — over 230 years of unbroken tradition. Each enamel colour is still applied by hand in three coats and baked at 850°C, and every range is hand-assembled by skilled artisans, which is part of why the cookers are built to last a lifetime rather than a decade or two.

No, and this is the single biggest difference to understand before buying one. Unlike a heat-storage cooker such as Everhot, ESSE, Heritage or Rayburn, a Lacanche uses energy only when it's switched on and being used to cook — there's no background warmth to the room, but no standing running cost either. If you like the idea of a constantly warm kitchen, that's worth discussing with us before you choose, as it may point you towards a heat-storage model instead, or a combination of appliances.

Lacanche ranges from 700mm right up to 2205mm wide. The Cormatin and Rully, both 700mm, suit kitchens where space is tight but you still want genuine professional performance. The Cluny and Macon, both 1000mm, are the most popular all-round sizes, and larger models such as the Citeaux, at over 1.5 metres, suit serious entertaining. Measuring your available space carefully, and thinking honestly about how much cooking capacity you actually need, are the best starting points — our team can talk through the options.

Classic features traditional knobs and handles, a timeless aesthetic and a signature hand-rail across the front of the cooker. Modern offers a sleeker, more contemporary look with the same underlying performance. Both are available across the full size range and in every colour, so the choice comes down entirely to which look suits your kitchen — it has no bearing on cooking performance, hob options or configuration.

Lacanche is available in mains gas, LPG, dual fuel and full induction electric configurations. If you don't have a mains gas supply, an LPG or full induction model gives you every performance benefit without one, so lack of gas doesn't rule Lacanche out. It's worth confirming your fuel supply early in the process, since it shapes several of the decisions that follow, including hob and oven choice.

32 enamel colours, plus stainless steel and a bespoke colour-matching service if you have something particular in mind. Each colour is hand-applied in three coats and baked at 850°C for depth and durability. As with any enamel finish, screens genuinely don't do the colours justice, so we keep a full set of enamel samples in our showroom for you to see in natural light and hold against your own kitchen samples.

Five options: brass, chrome, chrome matt, nickel and stainless steel. The trim has a significant effect on the overall look of the cooker and pairs differently with different enamel colours, so it's genuinely worth seeing combinations in person before deciding — something our showroom is set up for, with trims and colours displayed together.

Because every Lacanche is made to order in Burgundy, lead times vary by size and specification — typically several months rather than weeks. We'll confirm the current lead time for your chosen model when you order, and we'll hold a confirmed order while your kitchen build is underway — discuss your installation timeline with us early in the process.

Every Lacanche range cooker comes with a 36-month warranty from the date of delivery, reflecting the build quality that goes into every cooker hand-assembled in Burgundy. Combined with a typical lifespan of 30 years or more, most owners find the cost per year of ownership considerably lower than the upfront price might suggest.

Yes. A Lacanche requires installation by a qualified engineer, covering the gas connection (where relevant), electrical requirements and ventilation for your specific model and fuel type. We can advise on exactly what your chosen configuration needs — raise installation early so your kitchen design and build programme can be planned around it.

Lacanche counts a number of well-known chefs, cooks and food writers among its owners, including Raymond Blanc, Simon Rogan, Jean-Christophe Novelli, Kevin Woodford and Rose Prince, along with Delia's Canary Catering. That said, the vast majority of Lacanche owners are simply passionate home cooks rather than professionals — the cooker is built to professional standards, but it's just as at home in a family kitchen.

No — that's one of the more common misconceptions. While Lacanche is genuinely used by professional and highly skilled cooks, most of our customers are enthusiastic home cooks who simply want the performance, precision and build quality of a professional-grade cooker in their own kitchen. The controls are intuitive rather than complicated, using familiar gas and electric layouts, just with more power and precision behind them.

Prices start from £4,920 for the smallest 70cm Cormatin and rise with size, hob and oven configuration, colour and trim — larger, more heavily specified models cost considerably more. Because every Lacanche is built to order, the best way to get an accurate price for what you have in mind is to get in touch or visit our showroom, where we'll talk through the full specification with you.

No — delivery is included in the price of the cooker itself rather than charged separately, so the figure we quote you already covers getting your cooker safely into your kitchen. It's one less thing to think about when budgeting for a Lacanche compared with some of our other brands.

Because a Lacanche only heats when you're using it, you lose the constant background warmth that heat-storage cooker owners often love — if you're switching from an Everhot, Heritage or similar, that's a real change, not just a running-cost difference. It's also a genuine investment, with plenty of options to work through when specifying one, which some people find takes longer to decide on than they expected. Neither is a flaw exactly, but they're worth knowing before you fall for how a Lacanche looks in the showroom.

Not as a strict requirement — because it isn't a latent-heat cooker running continuously like a heat-storage model, an annual service isn't essential for it to keep working correctly. That said, it's built for serious daily use, and many owners choose to have it looked at periodically once the initial 3-year warranty has expired, with a paid service option and an extended warranty available for extra peace of mind. As with any gas appliance in the home, having it checked now and then by a Gas Safe registered engineer is generally good practice, even if it isn't mandatory.

Not noticeably — because a Lacanche only runs while you're actively cooking, there's no continuous burner or fan noise in the background the way there might be with a central heating range. Gas burners have electric ignition rather than a standing pilot light, so there's no constant hiss or flame sound when the hob isn't in use. Electric fan ovens make the same gentle fan noise you'd expect from any oven, and induction models are silent aside from the usual hum you get from any induction hob.

ESSE has been hand-building range cookers in Barnoldswick, Lancashire, since 1854, and the current electric range is built around independently controlled ovens, a cast iron hotplate and an induction hob combined on the same cooker — so you get the traditional hotplate for slow, steady cooking alongside instant induction heat when you need fast, precise control. Every electric model runs flue-free from ordinary sockets and drops into a low-power "slumber" mode rather than staying at full temperature around the clock. See the full ESSE range for current models and pricing.

Both the T and X versions of the ESSE range share the same twin-oven layout, full-width grill and slow-cook oven. The T pairs a single induction zone with a cast iron hotplate topped with round lids, while the X gives you three induction zones alongside a larger cast iron plate with square lids, aimed at owners who entertain more or want extra hob space. The PRO versions of each — the 1000 T PRO and 1000 X PRO — add roughly 40% more oven capacity in the same footprint, and the five-oven 1600 T and 1600 X sit at the top of the range for the most serious cooking and entertaining. Which suits you depends on how much of your cooking is hob-based versus oven-based, and how much capacity you actually need — worth talking through with our team against your usual cooking routine.

The electric range cookers don't — they run entirely on standard sockets (one on the smallest model, two on the larger sizes) with no flue, gas connection or specialist wiring required. ESSE's wood-fired range cookers are the exception: because they burn wood, they need a proper flue system to safely carry combustion gases outside, the same as any wood-burning stove.

From its low-power slumber setting, an ESSE oven typically reaches full roasting temperature in around 15 minutes, and the cast iron hotplate gets up to searing heat in a similar time. The induction zones, where fitted, are instant, giving you the traditional heat-retaining cooking of a range alongside the quick response of a conventional hob when you need it.

ESSE range cookers purchased through an authorised ESSE Specialist, which we are, come with a 2-year warranty covering defects in manufacture, provided the cooker is installed correctly. As with most enamel appliances, the warranty doesn't cover wear and tear or enamel damage caused by impact or spillage — we can talk you through what's included when you order.

Yes. ESSE's best-known wood-fired model is the Ironheart, a combined stove and range cooker with a near 50-litre oven, a "dog bone" hotplate that takes up to six pans, and the option to cook straight in the firebox as well as on the hob. Alongside it sit the smaller Bakeheart and Warmheart stoves, plus the newer 1000 W range. All give you a genuine off-grid cooking and heating option, though — unlike the electric range — they do need a flue and a suitable hearth.

The electric range spans 600mm, 1000mm and 1600mm widths, each available in 10 colours, so there's a genuine option whether you're fitting a compact kitchen or a large family one. The wood-fired cookers come in a choice of Matt Anthracite or Matt Black. As with any enamel finish, it's worth seeing the actual colour in our showroom rather than relying on a screen.

Prices start from around £6,825 for the compact 600 T and rise to around £19,000 for the largest five-oven 1600 X, with the 1000mm and PRO models in between and the wood-fired Ironheart from around £6,000. Get in touch or visit the showroom for an accurate price on the model and specification you have in mind.

ESSE cookers are currently running a lead time of around 10 to 12 weeks. As with any made-to-order cooker, we'll confirm the exact figure for your specific model when you order, and we can hold a confirmed order while your kitchen build catches up, so it needn't hold up the rest of your project.

Delivery for an ESSE in our area costs £360 including VAT, covering careful positioning of the cooker in your kitchen by the ESSE delivery team. It's a modest addition on top of the cooker price and worth factoring into your overall budget alongside installation, particularly if you're planning your kitchen costs in detail.

ESSE's model range has changed over the years, so if you've seen an older induction model recommended somewhere, it may no longer be what's currently available — it's worth checking the current line-up with us rather than assuming an older review still applies. Beyond that, the same trade-offs apply as with any heat-storage cooker: it's on continuously, and the cast iron hotplate cooks differently from a normal gas or electric hob.

No — as an all-electric range, an ESSE runs silently in normal use, with no burner, flue or fan noise to speak of. Induction models on the X and PRO ranges produce the same faint hum you'd get from any induction hob when a pan is on, but nothing beyond that. Wood-fired models like the Ironheart are a little different, with the gentle sound of the fire itself, similar to any wood-burning stove.

Heritage cookers are hand built to order in Liskeard, Cornwall, drawing on the design of the original 19th-century Cornish Range. Every model combines cast iron and heavy-section steel with a high level of insulation, so the ovens hold their heat well and the cooker responds quickly when you turn it up or down. Heritage is particularly known for its central heating and hot water capability — see the full Heritage range for sizes and pricing.

Every Heritage Range Cooker is hand built to order at the company's workshop in Liskeard, Cornwall, using British-sourced components wherever possible. Heritage has been building range cookers there for around two decades, growing out of a heating business with roots in the late 1970s. That small-batch, made-to-order approach is part of why lead times run longer than off-the-shelf appliances, but it also means each cooker can be specified precisely to your kitchen. See the full Heritage range for the current models.

Yes, on the models built for it. The Uno, the smallest Heritage, can supply hot water and heat 2 to 5 radiators; larger Duette models on the Compact and Standard ranges scale up to around 10 and 30 radiators respectively, with boilers rated up to 120,000 Btu. Cooking-only versions without a boiler are also available across every size, so it's not an either/or decision forced on you by the model you like the look of.

From cold, the hotplate is typically cooking within 10–20 minutes depending on model, with the oven reaching roasting temperature around 10 minutes after that. In cold weather the cooker can be left on continuous mode for constant background warmth, or switched to timed mode, or turned down to a lower oven temperature, in milder weather to cut fuel use without losing the instant readiness of a traditional range.

No — insulation and build quality keep them notably quiet for a pressure-jet range cooker, with owners more often describing a soft "purring" sound than anything intrusive. Heritage also offers a flexible duct option that makes the cooker room-sealed, which quietens it further and allows a standard cooker hood to be fitted above it rather than relying on the cooker's own extraction.

Yes. Every Heritage size, from the single-oven Uno up to the four- or five-oven Grande, is available as a cooking-only model as well as with a hot water or full central heating boiler. It's a genuine choice rather than a compromise — the cooking performance is the same either way.

Heritage cookers run on oil or electricity. Oil models use a quiet pressure-jet burner and can be specified with a boiler for hot water, central heating, or both; electric models give you the same cast iron build and insulation without any flue or fuel supply to plan for. Which suits you depends mainly on whether you want the cooker to double as your home's heat source.

Oil-fired models start from £8,650 for the Uno, rising through the Compact (from £9,800) and Standard (from £11,250) to the Grande (from £15,900). Electric models run close behind, from £9,400 for the Compact up to £15,400 for the Grande. Boiler options, colour and trim all affect the final price, so it's worth talking through your exact specification with us.

Heritage offers 20 vibrant enamel colours in total. The eight standard colours are Black, Pewter, Grey, Pearl, Cream, Jade, Fir Green and Royal Blue — firm favourites that work well with most kitchens. The 12 special colours add more of a statement: Aubergine, Red, Coral, Sunflower, Sage, Pistachio, Peacock, Rose Pink, Slate Blue, Wedgwood, Duck Egg and White. We keep all 20 enamel samples in our showroom, so you can see exactly how each one looks in natural light before deciding, which makes all the difference over judging it from a screen.

A Heritage Range Cooker comes with a 1-year warranty on labour, alongside a 2-year warranty on parts and, where a boiler is fitted with a magnetic system filter, a 5-year warranty on that boiler. As with any warranty, it covers manufacturing defects rather than wear and tear, misuse or damage from improper installation. We can talk you through exactly what's covered for your specific model when you order.

Heritage cookers are currently running a lead time of around 10 to 12 weeks, reflecting the fact that each one is hand built to order in Cornwall. We'll confirm the exact figure for your specification when you order, and can hold a confirmed order while your kitchen build is finished.

Delivery for a Heritage in our area costs £600 including VAT, covering careful delivery and positioning of the cooker in your kitchen. Given the weight and size of these cookers, professional delivery is well worth the modest additional cost, and the Heritage delivery team knows exactly how to get them safely into place.

Because every Heritage is hand built to order rather than mass-produced, lead times run longer than a shelf-stocked appliance. Servicing is straightforward, though — any OFTEC-registered engineer can carry out the work on an oil-fired model, so you're not tied to a single specialist network. The boilers on oil-fired models are non-condensing, so on their own they're not as efficient as a modern condensing boiler used purely for heating — though that's balanced against having cooking, hot water and heating all handled by one appliance rather than two separate ones. None of this makes Heritage a poor choice, but it's worth knowing you're buying into a specialist brand rather than a mass-market one.

Rayburn and AGA are both part of the same company, but Rayburn is built specifically around central heating and hot water alongside cooking, with a wider choice of fuel types. Rayburn's range spans a fully electric cooking-only model through to full central heating ranges running on oil, gas or HVO — see the Rayburn range for the current line-up.

Rayburn offers oil, natural gas, LPG and HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) central heating models, plus a fully electric cooking-only model, the Rayburn Ranger. The Rayburn Heatranger has HVO-compatible burners, making the appliance eco-friendly, carbon-free and future ready, with a simple, optional HVO kit that can be fitted when you're ready to switch from standard heating oil to HVO. Oil and gas models vent through a conventional flue. Which fuel suits you best usually comes down to what's already supplying your home — mains gas is the simplest if you have it, LPG or oil are the common choices without one, and HVO is worth a look if lowering your carbon footprint matters to you. See the full Rayburn range for the current models.

Oil (pressure jet) and gas Rayburns are serviced every 12 months. Regular servicing matters more on a central heating range than a cooking-only model, since it's also responsible for your hot water and, on some models, your whole-house heating. Keeping to this schedule is usually also a condition of your warranty, so it's worth building the cost into your running costs from the outset rather than treating it as optional.

Yes — the Rayburn Ranger is a cooking-only, all-electric model with two heat-storage ovens plus a separate warming oven, a full-width grill, a cast iron hotplate with boil and simmer settings, and a two-zone induction hob. It gives you Rayburn's classic retro styling and cast iron build without any gas connection, oil tank or flue to plan for.

Most Rayburn models with a burner depend on electricity to run the ignition and controls, so they'll stop working during a power cut and need resetting once power returns — the same as most modern oil or gas boilers. The electric Ranger is naturally in the same position, since it relies on mains power for everything it does. None of this is unusual for a modern range cooker.

Yes, but only as the fully electric Ranger. Rayburn doesn't offer a cooking-only version of its oil or gas models — those are built around the central heating boiler — so if you want Rayburn's cast iron cooking without taking on a heating commitment, the electric Ranger is the model to look at. It gives you the same classic styling and radiant-heat ovens as the central heating versions, just without any boiler, flue or fuel supply to plan for.

Yes — the Rayburn Heatranger has HVO-compatible burners, making the appliance eco-friendly, carbon-free and future ready. A simple, optional HVO kit can be fitted when you're ready to switch from standard heating oil to HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), a renewable alternative that can significantly cut the carbon footprint of an oil-fired range without changing how the cooker performs. Worth raising early if lowering your carbon footprint is part of why you're considering a Rayburn.

Rayburn range cookers carry a 3-year warranty on parts and 1 year on labour as standard, covering manufacturing defects when the cooker is installed and serviced correctly. As with any range cooker, ongoing servicing — every 12 months for oil and gas models — is usually a condition of keeping full cover, so it's worth building that into your running costs from the start.

Rayburn offers 16 enamel colours across the Heatranger, 308K, 480AG and 480AL models: Aubergine, Black, Blush, British Racing Green, Cream, Dark Blue, Dartmouth Blue, Dove, Duck Egg Blue, Linen, Olivine, Pearl Ashes, Pewter, Salcombe Blue, Slate and White. Cream, Black, Dark Blue and White are included as standard, with an additional charge applying to the rest. The electric Ranger has its own separate range of eight colourways — Midnight, Slate, Mist, Linen, Olivine, Sunshine, Marmalade and Tomato — with black side panels on every colour. Come and see the full colour range in our showroom, where you can view them in natural light against your own kitchen samples.

Rayburn cookers are currently running a lead time of around 8 to 10 weeks. We'll confirm the exact figure for your specific model and fuel type when you order, and can hold a confirmed order while your kitchen installation catches up, so you're not left waiting once everything else is ready.

Delivery for a Rayburn in our area costs £550 including VAT, covering careful delivery and positioning of the cooker in your kitchen ready for installation. As with our other brands, professional installation is a separate step arranged once the cooker is in place, so it's worth planning both into your kitchen timeline.

Rayburn's central heating models have two separate burners — one for the boiler, one for the cooker — so a fault on one side doesn't affect the other, but it does mean two burners to maintain rather than one, and servicing covers more ground than on a cooking-only appliance. The electric Ranger is a different proposition altogether: its cast iron side gives background warmth to the kitchen much like other heat-storage cookers, but there's no boiler at all, so it won't connect to radiators or provide whole-home central heating the way the oil and gas models do. Across the range, sizes and configurations are also more fixed than with a fully made-to-order brand, so there's less scope to build a completely bespoke specification.

Oil and gas Rayburn models run on burners, which produce some background operating noise as with any combustion appliance — correct installation and regular servicing help keep this to a minimum. The fully electric Ranger works quite differently: with no burner or flue at all, it's silent in operation, aside from the usual sound of an induction hob.

No. On central heating models, the boiler and the cooker run on independent burners, so you can cook without the heating running, or vice versa, without one affecting the other's performance. In practice, that means you can still cook and have hot water through the summer with the central heating turned off, and equally run the heating overnight without the ovens or hotplate being on.