Hurrah for Richie of LT Electrical. After Friday’s debacle with the not-quite-installers and then today speaking to an electrician but discovering he could come round until early next week, I tried a couple more of the hits from the Checkatrade website and gladly accepted the offer of a visit to assess the site this evening. He took a look and, since it was such a small job, offered to do it there and then (so we did have everything we needed and will get a certificate in the post in a few days to say so).

Anyway, I’m delighted that the new cooking machine is in place and working. We went for an AEG model with induction hobs. We got a standalone induction hob a few years ago and it works well but was a bit on the noisy side. With the new cooker, it works just as quickly and is a lot quieter too – a little more noise than the old ceramic hob but not enough to notice over bubbling food and the sound of the dehumidifier we normally run when cooking to stop the walls streaming with moisture.

It doesn’t have the licking flames of gas so I won’t be able to blacken peppers and other tricks on the stove top but it has been years since I’ve had that opportunity anyway. However, induction technology is very efficient so, while it is a bit early to give a full review, we’re now cooking after the initial false start. Pun intended!