The Blake & Bull blog

A clean result!

Julia deserves a ⭐ for her efforts! Her 18 year old rayburn range cooker now looks as though it's in the first flush of youth! Thank you for the review of our cleaning kit Julia!

"Very pleased with cleaning kit, instructions gave me the confidence to tackle my very dirty Rayburn range cooker, it looks great and well cared for now. Thank you!"

Save some cash and turn off the tumble dryer!

Did you know that drying laundry using a rack on your range cooker can save you over £400 a year when compared to using a tumble dryer?

Thank you Tracey for your ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review!  ( One of 185 for the combination Full Monty set! )

"Just inherited a range cooker and I am slowly buying things for it - my husband wasn't convinced of its merits. However, he loves its drying capability so I suggested we bought a drying rack. 'OK' he said...then he ordered the full monty! We've not been disappointed. Super fast delivery, easy to assemble and stacks of washing dried. We were particularly impressed with the rubber feet (it's the little things that make the difference) which means the enamel won't get scratched."

NOV 2018

The Best Way to make Roast Potatoes in your Range Cooker!

I have a feeling this post may be contentious but this is, without doubt, the best way to make roast potatoes in your cooker. My cooking style can best be described as 'experimental' as I have no time for 'grams of this' or '30 seconds of that'. If it feels right do it! 

This roast potato recipe will give you crunchy crispy skinned roasties that explode into delicious soft whiteness when you bite into them! If you'd like to see a review from one of our wonderful gang on Facebook then > click here! <.

1. Cut some (work out how many you think you might need...then double it. You can never have too many roasties!) medium sized potatoes in half lengthways. Some people have favourite brands and types of potato but I've never managed to taste any difference once they are roasted, any white potatoes will do I reckon! 
2. Put your roasting tin on a level surface and pour in your oil until it completely covers the base in a nice thick layer. The best oil to use is cold pressed British rapeseed oil (I like Fussells best) but olive oil will do too. I don't rate goose and duck fat on roasties, even at Christmas. You get a lovely light golden finish with rapeseed or olive oil. 
3. Bring a large pan to the boil and add a tablespoon of salt to the water. Plonk your potato halves in and leave them there for just over 8 minutes. 
4. Pop your roasting tin, with oil already in it, into the roasting oven of your cooker to pre heat. Pop it on your oven rack in the middle setting. 
5. While your potatoes are boiling mix together the following ingredients in a bowl. Freshly ground black pepper (lots!), a good teaspoon of salt (himalayan pink salt is best), a good teaspoon of onion granules (crucial this one) and a small teaspoon of granulated sugar. I don't use flour, roast potatoes should be about flavour! 
6. Drain your potatoes with a colander when done and before they can steam off too much sprinkle your seasoning mixture over them as you shake the colander. The aim is to simultaneously damage the potatoes slightly and thoroughly season them. 
7. Grab your roasting pan out of the oven. The oil should be smoking hot! Using tongs carefully pickup each potato and add it to the hot oil. Turn them once or twice so every surface of the potato is covered in hot oil. Be careful please! This may feel slightly laborious but it is crucial and worth it! 
8. Place the roasting tin back in the oven on the middle shelf again and set a timer for 10 minutes.
9. Turn the potatoes every 10 minutes for the first hour and once or twice more after that until the potatoes are a deep golden brown. Exact timings are impossible but 90-120 minutes should do the job. Keep an eye on them and take them out when they look like you want them to! 
10. Allow the potatoes to stand for at least 10 minutes before serving and don't cover them with gravy, you'll waste the crunch!

To my mind these roasties taste just as good if not better when reheated so if you have a big roast to do then cook them in advance and heat them up for 15minutes when you need them. This is particularly useful on Christmas day! 

Like this recipe? Check out our guide to Christmas on your range cooker for more of the same!

Lisa Loves her Liners!

Thank you so much to Lisa for sharing this pic to go with your review! Chuffed to bits here! You can achieve the same look by fitting one of our lid liners replacement kits.

"I received my new lid liners last week and they were fitted last night after my service and switch on, so impressed, my range cooker looks like new, thank you, oh and love the sweets!!! ...I have already ordered other products from you and if I need anything else you will be where I order any of my range cooker replacement items." 

Adventures with Naan! Katy's 'Curry cooking on a range' journey begins!

Some recipes call for yoghurt some for milk. Strong bread flour is favoured by most, but a few go rogue and opt for plain. Purists use a mix of Chakki Atta and plain flour. Ghee is indulgent and ‘authentic’, but popular opinion says plain old melted salted butter is good too! A sprinkle of Nigella Seed is enough for many, oozing garlic butter or chilli infused ghee gets others going! How do you cook your Naan? Here is my first attempt! Recipe here.

I took the lead from a basic yogurt and Yeast recipe with this first Naan trial, as part of my exploration into curries and range cookers. I have before made a ‘quick’ dough using baking soda to achieve the bubbly appearance and rise in my Naan, but felt they weren’t as fluffy as they could be…

I am a maximalist, so I plumped for ghee as well as Nigella, Sesame, Fennel, and Cumin as a seed topping. Just a smidge of all 4. I also popped  2 dry chilli into the warming ghee to infuse it and add a kick that I knew the Blake & Bull boys would appreciate. Go with the flow on this, make them your own!

Seed alternatives could be garlic & butter, mustard or poppy seed. Or ground spices to make a sweeter one? Maybe cinnamon and clove?

Have a look at the recipe here, let's get cooking! Mix together a couple tablespoons of the warm water with the sugar and yeast. Let this sit until it bubbles, whilst this is happening there is plenty to do!

Put you’re flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix together. Melt your ghee gently in a pan and have it ready with the remainder of the warm water. If you want seeds through your dough, then add them now too. A teaspoon or so will suffice, toasted lightly first.

Add the yoghurt to the yeast mixture, then the ghee, pour over the flour and mix. Go on to add the water. You will have a very wet sticky ‘dough’. More of a paste! Knead this for 5 or so mins until it starts to retain it's shape more, and is less paste-like. 

Set to prove for an hour and a half, .. it should double in size. Mine didn’t, I think that Blake & Bull H&Q was a little chilly! The better the prove, the better the characteristic bubbles later..

Knock the dough back, and divide into 8 pieces,.. Roll on a floured surface and pull into a teardrop shape. Take your seasoned liner and place on the simmering spot. If you have an 'Electrikit' cooker set one of your hotplates to 4!

Place your Naan on the liner, turn when the first bubbles appear on one side (let the bubbles firm up a bit). You will get colour quickly, and you can flip to colour all sides. Don’t be afraid to go dark!

I then transferred mine to the oven, on one of our cast iron baking sheets to keep warm, I also found that they needed a bit of cooking through.

I put the seeds and chilli in the additional ghee as it warmed, poured this over the naan, then seasoned to taste. The Blake & Bull Boys then gobbled them up! 

Things that I found tricky - The wetness of the dough, although I think the yogurt adds so much to the mix that I wouldn’t remove it. I found that because my prove wasn’t a triumph, the breads were a little flatter than I had liked.

What I found out - Cooking on the hotplate is fun and quick, and definitely gave an authentic darkness to the Naan! The dried chilli warmed in the ghee gave a really nice chilli taste and warmth, not chilli heat. And I liked the fennel A LOT! I think they offset the rich ghee too.

Please let me know how you get on! Katy x

HO HO HO Hound dog! 12 Pets of Christmas

Here is Blake & Bull pup Alf as a 'HO HO HO Hound dog!' 😂 Alf would like to invite your furry & feathered friends to get festive and enter our '12 pets of Christmas' competition!

Entries please to katy@blakeandbull.co.uk by December 6th 2018 12pm

❄︎ Your Pup/pet must be by your range cooker in the photo

❆ Your range cooker & or your pup/pet must be festive!

❄︎ 12 pics will be featured in the 12 days up until Christmas day and will receive a Christmas scented wax melt by Blake & Bull!

❆ The most festive pupalicious snap will win a Full Monty Textiles set by the new year! Worth £69 & a wax melt!

❄︎ Voted for in-house at Blake & Bull HQ

❄︎ Files in high res Jpeg please!

★NEW★ Grab Polly, there are some new kettles to 'put on'! ☕️

We have added three new kettles to our collection, now comprising of 5! Whether you want for a whistler, covet cast iron, simply want stainless, or enjoy a bit of enamel we have the kettle for you and your range cooker! 

★NEW★ This traditionally styled farmhouse 2-litre kettle in stainless steel, is suitable for ALL hob types including induction and Aga range cookers. It has a wide encapsulated base for secure constant boiling! 

★NEW★ This whistling wonder is available in black and ivory vitreous enamel. The black is classic and complements any kitchen. Suitable for ALL hob types including induction and Aga range cookers. The handle is soft black silicone that stays cool and that looks understated. The whistle is built in so you cannot lose it! With a 2-litre capacity, you can fill 5-6 standard mugs (350ml). BREW UP! 

Far flung cookers, how far from 'home' have they travelled?!

At Blake & Bull, we want to find out where the farthest flung range cooker is! How far has yours travelled from its birthplace in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, England?! Brent e-mailed us to share his 2 beauties! 

Brent hunted down his 2 range cookers finding them eventually in Michigan. His fully restored '94 range cooker is a treasured part of his home, as you can see by this gorgeous scene! I love all the coloured pans, so neatly stored and fun! Working hard through the winter months, the 2 oven range is only turned off when summer makes it just too hot in the kitchen, ...

.. then the electric 60 cooker is deployed! Kitchen dreams are made here! And some dream meals by the looks of it! Thank you Brent for letting us have a nosy! 

4,484 Miles travelled!

Badge removed digitally as it is a trademark. 

Please do join our mailing list to receive early bird Christmas offers, for mailing list customers ONLY!

Join our mailing list for early bird Christmas offers and new lines..can you spot one of our NEW stock surprises here?.. 

We have lots of festive tips, treats, and new stock lines to share with you very soon! Make sure that you are in the know by signing up. We will be running EXCLUSIVE early bird offers strictly for mailing list subscribers only, as a way of saying thank you for all your ongoing support and custom over the last year - THANK YOU!

Blake & Bull start their search for the furthest flung range cooker! 🌍

We'd love to find the most far-flung cooker! 🌎 How far has yours travelled from its birthplace in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, England?!

Which range cooker is the most northerly in the U.K? Where is the furthest cooker from Blake and Bull HQ? How far flung is your oven?! ...

Shawna sent us this pic all the way from Virginia, USA "We have an old farm in VA and when we remodelled the circa 1760 kitchen we knew a range cooker would be a great fit!"

If you own a range cooker 'over the water' we would love to hear from you! katy@blakeandbull.co.uk OR post here!