Have you ever bought furniture for your home and, when faced with a choice, gone for the cheaper option? Only to find that within a few years it needs replacing or has literally fallen apart? As my grandfather used to say “Buy cheap, buy twice” and sadly it is so often true, which is why our carefully curated furniture range has evolved, based not just on design, but also with quality and sustainability in mind.

The Bruntland Commission of the United Nations states that “Sustainability involves meeting the needs of the...

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A new way of life brings new challenges within every home, the first one being we are now nearly all working from home as well as homeschooling our children at various levels. So although the challenges that this brings us is specific to each family; the one we all experience is how we can re-organise our home and minds to accommodate all the varying needs throughout the day -  a quiet room for meetings or calls, a school classroom and a home office; whilst not forgetting the overlying requirement for organisation, planning and experiencing much-needed downtime.

From a design perspective, we...

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One area of our business that is not often talked about is designing and installing spaces for businesses – in the past couple of years one of the most rewarding kitchen projects we undertook was with the lovely Jim and Lucy Fisher at Exeter Cookery School.

Set in an 1830’s warehouse down on Exeter Quay, this business has gone from strength to strength and offers a variety of courses from French cooking, Jim and Lucy’s background to breadmaking and Festive treats.

The Kitchen Brief

When we were asked to come and discuss their requirements the first thing on our mind was what a...

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Gaggenau appliance: Teppan Yaki and combi steam oven

Temperature: 180°C/100% humidity
160°C Teppan Yaki

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for: 4 servings
Approx 600g white fish fillets or loin, skinned, cut into portion sized pieces
Sea salt
1 large onion, finely chopped
100 -125g soft chorizo, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 tbsp olive oil
250g cherry tomatoes
Salt and black pepper
2 -3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Preparation:
Preheat the Teppan Yaki at 160°C and the combi-steam oven at 180°C/100° humidity. Lightly
grease a solid tray and sprinkle with sea salt, place...

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Gaggenau appliance:  Combi steam oven

Settings: 180°C full surface grill level 2 + humidity

Cooking time: 10 - 12 minutes depending on fish size

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for: 8 servings

8 salmon fillets, skin removed
Sea salt and ground black pepper

Crust

50g unsalted butter
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped

Red pepper sauce
1 tbsp oil
2 red peppers, deseeded and finely
chopped
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
170ml double cream
175g unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped chives

Preparation:
Line the solid tray with baking parchment and place the fish on top, season well.

Make the crust by melting the butter in a small pan, add...

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A delicious Meat Recipe from Gaggenau

Gaggenau appliance: Oven with gastronorm roaster

Settings: 190°C gastronorm roaster

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for: 4 servings

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 rashers streaky bacon, finely sliced
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 200g baby onions, peeled
• 8 chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 200g baby mushrooms
• 300ml dry white wine
• Few sprigs fresh thyme
• Handful fresh parsley chopped
• 100ml double cream

Preparation:

Place the gastronorm roaster on the pull out drawer system with the separate heating element plugged into the socket at the back of the oven. Preheat the oven on roaster function at 190°C.

Add the oil, bacon and onions and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Add the chicken and brown on...

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Gaggenau appliance: Combi steam oven or oven

Settings: 160°C/80% humidity or 160°C hot air

Cooking time: 90-120 minutes

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for: 4 servings

2 tbsp olive oil
550g lean lamb, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
750ml hot lamb stock
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
75g ready to eat dried apricots
75g ready to eat dried prunes
25g ground almonds
3 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Preparation:
Preheat the combi steam oven at 160°C/80% humidity. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole, add...

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Last week Mark and Alex headed up to London to be hosted by Gaggenau; not only was the dinner unique and exquisite in its offering, but so was the location!

Their chef for the night was a very talented chef called Martin, his concept is simple -  host a group of 16 people in stunning and unique locations. He shops for his food on the day of the event, ensuring the freshest food available.

Mark, Alex and the other guests experienced an Argentinian...

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Whilst many of us were celebrating The Royal Wedding and sporting events around the country with friends and family, bulthaup were hosting their infamous furniture show in Milan... Cooking as a way of Communicating.

If you are not familiar with the bulthaup b3 kitchen living, this brand provides multi-functional kitchen living spaces. Utilising authentic materials, craftsmanship and design that makes focusing on what really matters possible.

Two new systems were presented in Milan this weekend: A reinterpretation of the bulthaup b3 island, which focuses more than ever on communication and togetherness. And b.architecture, a whole-room concept that facilitates a creative system to reflect your...

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