Last night saw the launch of a host of new AGA Rangemaster products, including the innovative AGA Dual Control and the fantastically contemporary Rangemaster Hi-Lite.

AGA Rangemaster Chief Executive William McGrath addresses the invited guests

Guest of honour Mary Berry gave a fascinating and insightful talk about life in the kitchen, why an AGA is part of the family and curiously hatching a one-legged duck!

The talk – which was enjoyed by guests including many journalists and opinion-formers – saw Mary reflect about how the AGA cooker is so simple to use “it takes the thinking out of cooking”.

The event was held at the Violin Factory in south London, a house featured on TV’s Grand Designs, and it was the perfect backdrop for the contemporary cookers on show.

The Rangemaster Hi-Lite was really attention grabbing, particularly as it was shown in a corner of the house used as a home cinema, the dark space showing off the Hi-Lite’s illuminated features perfectly.

Mary Berry poses with the Dior-inspired model between takes

The AGA Dual Control and the new look AGA were equally crowd pleasing, with the latter photographed with a stunning model wearing a vintage-look Dior-inspired dress and accessories.

The model in a Dior-inspired dress with the new look AGA cooker

All in all, the products received a fitting launch, guests had a great time and everyone left just that little bit more in love with Mary…

Whenever I feel Lord AGA would benefit from a health kick, I whip him up something that is both tasty and good for him, such as seared salmon on a bed of risotto.

And now I’ve learned that one of America’s foremost dieticians is using the new AGA Total Control to help spread the word about the benefits of a healthy diet.

Ruth Lahmayer Chipps – a leading health and nutrition expert, as well as a TV presenter and producer – has taken delivery of a fully programmable AGA Total Control and plans to use it in educational videos and live television broadcasts with US outlets.

Something of a go-to authority on healthy eating, Ruth has made hundreds of media appearances, from New York to Los Angeles, on network and cable newscasts. She provides nutrition expertise and live cooking demonstrations.

The cream AGA Total Control is at the heart of what Ruth describes as a ‘living healthy kitchen’ being developed at her home in Minnesota and her husband, Jeremy, who is from the UK, is keen to recreate the kind of dishes he grew up with in Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire.

Ruth says: “Our new kitchen is being built around the cream AGA cooker, which provides a soft, old-world palate for our chef-approved kitchen which combines both a modern and a retro-look. The kitchen sits beneath large concrete panels covered by grassy soil with a sun-pipe streaming golden light on the AGA. It includes salvaged Victorian-era oak millwork and trim from a local church.

“Jeremy can’t wait to taste the luscious Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and juicy sliced roast beef, lamb or venison. His hope is that other cooks in America will discover the joys of cooking with an AGA cooker.”

That’s on the cards because Ruth’s company – Lahmayer & Associates – provides nutrition and wellness communications services, including healthy cooking programmes with chefs. She plans to incorporate a wide variety of fresh vegetables cooked perfectly thanks to the AGA cooker’s gentle radiant heat which locks in flavours and seals in goodness.

You can watch a short video of the arrival of the AGA Total Control at the Chipps’ home here and learn more about the living healthy kitchen project here

I had a wonderful evening at Stratford-upon-Avon racecourse, which hosted the grand final of the AGA Ladies’ Open Point-to-Point Championship.

Winners That’s Rhythm and Page Fuller put in a fine leap at the water jump

That’s Rhythm and Page Fuller with Geoffrey Deacon, left, and groom Katie Lyons

That’s Rhythm with rider Page Fuller, and Geoffrey Deacon, left and groom Katie Lyons with owner Richard Fuller, right

 

The cooker is hugely popular in Europe, in Scandanavia, in Australia and New Zealand and is becoming ever better known in Canada and the United States.

But now AGA Rangemaster – the company behind the AGA itself and a huge range of conventional cookers – is also setting its sights on China, where there is a growing trend away from cooking on small stoves towards Western-style kitchens that are much more the heart of the home.

And the company’s ambitions for increased sales in China have been thrown into the business spotlight through a major TV special shown by respected international broadcaster CNN.

The piece – part of the CNN Marketplace Europe feature – includes an interview with AGA Rangemaster Chief Executive William McGrath and focuses on the company’s plans to be at the vanguard of the move in China toward larger kitchens designed for family life and entertaining.

The CNN Marketplace Europe feature is now available to view here

And right now there’s another great reason to pop in. As part of the Chelsea Fringe alongside the 2013 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the store on London’s Brompton Road has gone green.

Close to 100 plants – all edible and grown in Britain – have been installed for two massive window displays as part of this year’s Chelsea Fringe festival.

The Fringe runs until June 8th at different venues and settings across London. It’s all about gardens and gardening and Divertimenti is taking part with its edible landscape, including a smart Rosle barbeque filled with fennel and three different varieties of mint and four hanging basket colanders suspended from the ceiling.

On Saturday May 25th, Debora Robertson – Associate Food Editor at Red magazine and author of Gifts from the Garden – will be on hand for a free demonstration at Divertimenti.

She’ll be demonstrating how to create fabulous goodies for the home with plants from the garden. On tap, will be a pizza-inspired hanging basket, muffins fresh from the AGA range cooker, a chili wreath, body scrub and soap.

The event runs from 11am-1pm and is free and open to the public.

That’s why I’m thrilled that AGA has joined forces with Divertimenti to launch a challenging quest to get a real flavour of the cooks and cuisines that make London one of the world’s great food hotspots.

The World in One City project is part of Divertimenti’s year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary and provides an opportunity to highlight how London is the world’s culinary capital.

Together, AGA and Divertimenti are celebrating London’s food scene with a series of recipes and videos.

The videos showcase 50 different cuisines with a signature recipe and feature professional chefs, teachers from the Divertimenti Cookery School in London’s Marylebone High Street and the staff who help make Divertimenti such a popular cookware emporium.

You can watch the videos and view the recipes at www.agalondon.co.uk and www.divertimentififty.co.uk 

Among the highlights are Flan de Heuvo from Spain, beef and coriander Chinese dumplings, vegetarian Khachapuri from Georgia and red velvet cupcakes (above) from the southern states of America.

And the quest goes on because food writer James McIntosh has joined the project, seeking out international chefs and restaurants in London. He watches them demonstrate how their dishes are prepared before he heads back to the cookery theatre at Divertimenti to recreate each one on an AGA cooker.

Mary just keeps upping the ante in terms of her evening dresses at such red carpet events.

Picture by BAFTA/ Richard Kendal

Just when you think she couldn’t look any more glamorous, she turns up in something new and even more elegant.

And there’s more great news for fans of Mary.

After picking up the award for best features, Mary revealed that next year she will be getting her own TV show.

It’s going to be called Mary Berry Cooks and is scheduled to be on our screens next spring, she said.

I love looking through vintage AGA advertising and seeing how the brand has evolved over the years.

It’s great, then, to see that today – just as was the case 80 years ago – AGA adverts are still innovative, still highly creative and still winning awards.

The latest saw AGA win Client of the Year at the prestigious Roses Creative Awards in Manchester, organised by The Drum magazine for the advertising industry.

The award was in recognition of AGA’s willingness to take a leap of faith with its advertising and the work done on its behalf by Cogent Elliott.

With this in mind I’ve invited lots of people over for lunch in the garden on Sunday. Lord AGA was last seen muttering darkly about rain and mudbaths, but I am determinedly cheerful.

In my mind at least spring has finally sprung. And what says spring as neatly and deliciously as lamb?

So, that is exactly what I will be serving my guests. Hopefully it will be at a table on the lawn, but failing that it’ll be in the kitchen in front of the AGA.

Here is my all time favourite lamb dish…

Moroccan Harissa Lamb and Couscous

Ingredients (serves 6)

2 kg (41/2 lb) leg of lamb
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 rounded tsp Harissa paste
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
Black pepper

For the couscous

250g (9oz) quick couscous
Vegetable stock, boiling
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
Juice of 2 lemons
85g (3oz) chopped parsley
55g (2oz) pine nuts, toasted in a dry frying pan
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
Black pepper

Method

With a sharp knife cut the leg of lamb into diamonds, entering the meat to a depth of about 5 mm (1/4 inch). Make up a paste with the crushed garlic, Harissa, cumin, paprika, salt and black pepper.

Smear this paste all over the leg of lamb and place in a large plastic bag and marinade in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the leg of lamb from the plastic bag and place in the AGA half-size roasting tin, lined with Bake-O-Glide.

Slide the tin into the roasting oven on the third set of runners down and roast for 30-45 minutes until browned. Then transfer to the simmering oven, lowest set of runners down, for 4-5 hours to slow cook. (It can even be left to cook longer if more convenient for you!) Alternatively the lamb can be cooked in the roasting or baking oven when on slumber.

Remove the meat from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Serve with couscous and flatbreads for a feast.

To make the couscous

Make up the couscous quantity according to the packet instructions. Place the couscous into a bowl and pour over the boiling stock, add the oil and salt leave to fluff up, then stir with a fork to separate. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients, then add to the couscous and serve.

It’s a brilliant campaign which encourages people to invite their friends for breakfast and get them to make a donation to a brilliant charity.

I’ve decided to do a grown-up breakfast on Saturday, with the children acting as waiting staff. I shall be cooking up delicious smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

Follow the recipe below, if you’d like to have a go too.

Best-ever Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients (serves 4)

6 large organic eggs
50ml of double cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
15g butter
2 tbsp chopped smoked salmon

Method

I’m pretty sure wars have started over the perfect texture for scrambled eggs. I like mine to be slightly wet and a little runny, whereas my children like them to be much more formed and almost omelette-like in texture.

Whatever your preference, it’s important to use the best possible ingredients. The best eggs are definitely home-grown. At last count we had almost two dozen chickens, who seem to be prolific egg producers.vBut these days supermarkets, too, offer a decent range of eggs. It is, though, a matter of buying well.

The real secret to perfect scrambled eggs is to make sure you use the right pan. AGA CookShop sells an excellent cast-aluminium pan, which gives me perfect results every time.

Beat together the eggs and cream. Add the black pepper and a pinch of salt.

Melt the butter in a pan on the simmering plate and add the egg mixture. Sprinkle over the salmon and cook until the eggs are almost cooked. Remove from the heat and allow them to continue to cook in the pan. After a minute or so, serve with hot buttered toast.

Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation raises funds to improve the quality of life for children in hospitals and hospices throughout the UK. Since it began in 2003 it has helped 83 children’s hospitals and hospices and has give out grants totalling more than £1.52 million!

You’ll find more information here.

This is extraordinary when you consider they did this each carrying a pink replica AGA cooker, weighing just under a staggering 70lb!

I have to say I watched the marathon from the edge of my seat and was amazed and moved by the stories of those running it.

In fact, I was so inspired that I – who has never even managed to run for a bus – am considering it as a real possibility for next year.

Lord AGA and the children viewed this with some mirth and suffice to say were not hugely supportive!

Anyway, back to those who have actually managed it – Pete and Paul have done an amazing job and we at AGA are hugely proud of them.

Of course, no one completes such a challenge simply for fun and they did it to raise money for the Afganistan Trust.

It’s not too late to donate, so if you wish to help them reach their target then you can donate here.

You may have read about Pete’s quest to complete the Virgin London Marathon pulling an AGA cooker.

Sadly this wasn’t to be. However, in true British fashion, Pete remained unbowed and came up with an ingenious Plan B.

This involved running the London marathon not pulling, but carrying an AGA cooker. Of course, it’s not a full-size cast-iron AGA, but it is nevertheless quite a challenge.

Weighing in at just under 70lb, this pink model AGA cooker is slightly smaller than the real thing, but provides Pete with a marathon challenge. These cute pink cookers were designed as decorative items for children’s bedrooms and were created for AGA in France.

Previously he has run the London Marathon carrying a washing machine and a fridge.

This year, to make the whole thing just a little more challenging, Pete has roped in his support runner and childhood friend Paul Milson to run alongside him also carrying a replica AGA.

Former Para Pete – who is running to raise funds for the Afghanistan Trust – expects to finish the marathon within about six hours and hopes his efforts will boost the trust’s funds by around £10,000.

For anyone who wants to track Pete’s progress, his number is 54468. Pete has set up a Just Giving page where donations can be made.