The Esse 900.

She's here!!

Our Esse 900 is in our kitchen, all plumbed in and looking mighty fine.

But I guess her once upon a time story began almost 11 years ago when we first moved here. Way back then was when my farmer boy started talking about her. But I wasn't ready. Adding another fire to the house meant more work, more dirt and dust and that the cooking process would be slower and less exact. I just wasn't ready.

But as time went on I could see the merits of using wood as a fuel when we live on 20 acres of forest (self sufficiency and all that), I could see that slow is often a good thing and I was ready to take the next step with our cooking. Apparently a wood cooker cooks like nothing else on earth. And to be honest, I love the look of those big, English ovens and wanted one of them in my kitchen.

And so began the research process. The hours on the Internet, the showroom visits and the quizzing of anyone who had ever owned or used a wood fired cooker.

Eventually we decided on the Esse 900 because she has a huge firebox, she has a reputation for being fabulous for cooking, she could push hot water to radiators and heat the rest of our house and is very efficient and clean burning.

So after a three day installation. After two plumbers turning up at eight every morning and not leaving until six. After ladders and piles of tools and mess and drop sheets. After a massive headache from the first firing and the chemical burning. After issues with air in the pipes. We finally fired her up and started cooking.

Farmer Bren's sourdough went in first. On the floor of the top oven. Oh my.

We've since made soup, apple cake and banana cake.

And the results so far have been AMAZING!!!!!

The very same recipes we have been using for years taste better, moister, richer.

And the puppy is pretty happy with his new spot next to the cooker too.

I guess the only problem is the ugly rubber pipes feeding boiling water into the radiators in all the bedrooms and bathrooms. In my head I had imagined they would be copper pipes or something equally industrial. But they are not. They are ugly and squishy and they move as the water moves.

But I have a plan.

And as you crafters know, there's nothing as exciting as a brand new crafty plan.

Knit, knit, knit, knit..............
Cook, cook, cook, cook..............

How about you?
What have you been cooking lately?
What do you cook on?
Do you dream of your ideal cooker?
Are you hatching a crafty plan?

Bye! x