When talking to those unfamiliar with Aga range cookers I sometimes get a bemused look. They want to know what the appeal is, why do we love them so much?
I've come to the conclusion that it is quality. Aga range cookers do their job of course, they cook wonderful food. It's the quality we respond to though. The strength and weight of the cast iron, the dependable warmth, the enormous resilience of enamel and the longevity of design. It all seems so simple but was thought through so carefully so many decades ago.
The door hinges have no complicated springs to go wrong, simple cast iron pins dropped straight into the cast iron front. All you may need are new washers every few years (buy yours here). The door catch is similarly simple but will last decades, maybe even centuries. No moving parts, just a door heavy enough to sit on it's catch. Maybe you need a new door seal or insulating liner? These parts are easily replaceable. Careful thought again by designer now long gone, what a legacy.
Why do we prize quality? Why do we prize that gap between how good something needs to be and how good we choose to make it?
It's a signal. To others about who we are and to ourselves about who we want to be. To buy, use and care for an Aga range cooker demonstrates a long term approach. It shows that we value the care, intelligence and judgement of those who made these cookers. These are desirable qualities to which everyone responds positively.
When we see an Aga range cooker, in it's original form or carefully re-enamelled and converted to electricity by Blake & Bull, we recognise the quality.
Selling and working with these cookers then sets us a challenge. We must live up to the standard set by those who conceived Aga range cookers so long ago. This is why our vans are smart and new. It's why our showroom is beautiful and filled with antiques. It's why our team are well paid (we're a real living wage employer). We aim so very high in all we do, Aga range cookers demand it.
