some of you will know that my cooker broke on 7th September...
as i knew that September would be very busy i decided to be super organised and write up proper meal plans. my good intentions were thrawted as on day 2 the oven knob (valve) failed on my oven and although the jacket potatoes were done, i could not turn off the gas. eventually the flame did go out but the gas didn't which was a little scary. once the oven cools down the gas should turn itself off but i didn't want to risk that safety feature also being defunct so i called on my neighbour, a retired plumber, to double check that i had turned off the gas supply and disconnected the cooker corrrectly.
so the next stage in the saga was to find someone to repair it. this proved difficult as we couldn't find anyone to touch it and all the advice was that it would be better & cheaper for us to purchase a new oven. the oven had had a good innings but i still prefer to repair and felt like it should have been able to give us more years service but alas i had to accept this was not to be.
once a new purchase was required we set about looking for something suitable. now our kitchen is small, and by small i do mean small, we are talking the size of some folks utility room, really at 6ft by 8ft . we manage well but have only had the space for a 50cm wide cooker up till now. so we jiggled a few things round, as much as you can in a wee space and decided to go for a more sensible sized oven.
my husband loves to cook so we toyed with,(well he toyed with and i humoured him for a while), purchasing a range cooker. we did lots of research on all types of cookers and costings but eventually sense prevailed and the most affordable option of a british made 60cm wide cooker was chosen.
it took us a while to make our decision and we were without a cooker for 38 days in the end.
So after many bbq's, salads and toasted sandwiches (we have a machine which makes these) we finally took delivery on day 38 of a new cooker.
the first thing i made was apple muffins, using some apples from our youngish apple tree.
the recipe is an old favourite taken from this 1954 edition of good housekeeping which i thrifted many years ago.
this new oven has glass door and a light, yes a light! i cannot tell you how exciting i found this much to the amusement of my friends. this light is a revelation to me as i can check on food without having to open the door.
i am really pleased with it and i can tell you that being without an oven has really made me apprecite how much we take for one for granted.
on another note did anyone see the programme on the history and building of the national grid on BBC4 last night? a reminder of this feat of engineering is good to also be aware of as we switch on lights, cook, surf the internet...
and the apple muffin recipe ...
if you click ion the photo it will enlarge ... and the missing bit reads 'bake in hot oven for 20 - 25 minutes'.
they are really delicious and perfect for popping into a lunch box.
now.... back to my baking!
G x
38 days? wow. That is amazing.
And those muffins look amazing too.. I can almost smell them from here!
Posted by: Monica | October 27, 2010 at 13:08
Gorgeous muffins! The one good thing about being without a cooker is just how much you appreciate it when you get one again - and the feeling lasts for ages!
P.S. I have just been on your website to order two brooches!
Have a great day and enjoy your cooking.
Helen x
Posted by: Helen | October 27, 2010 at 13:24
mmm...can almost smell then through the screen...mmm... Thank you, Ginny :o) ((HUGS))
Posted by: Tracy | October 27, 2010 at 13:27
mmmm delicious. we coped with no oven and only one hob for a while. we ate a lot of microwaved food...... when we got our new cooker I was just like you - desperate to bake. enjoy xxxxx
Posted by: driftwood | October 27, 2010 at 15:33
It is amazing how long one can survive without an oven. We went six weeks (feeding a family of six) on little more than a camping stove when our kitchen was refitted.
Posted by: Gina | October 27, 2010 at 18:57
Hi Ginny,
38 days with no cooker, impressive! I'm not so sure I could manage that long, especially being unable to do something as simple as grill toast or use the hob.
Posted by: Liz | October 28, 2010 at 23:23
Those look so good!
Posted by: Felicity | November 21, 2010 at 23:37