13th January 2020 In news, Tips & Guides By Matthew Rhodes

Glass Cleaning Hack: How to clean your stove glass.

All good quality stoves are manufactured with air-wash technology, meaning the glass stays very clear for long periods. That being said, even if you are burning good quality wood fuel at optimum temperatures, It is inevitable that some small amount of build-up on the glass will occur. There is also the occasional time that a log will touch the glass leading to marks on the glass.

Using the vast array of glass cleaning products available it is relatively easy to clean your glass. These can set you back a few pennies and are perfect for cleaning stubborn stains on the glass.

However, there is one method to clean the glass on your wood burning stove that we tell our customers about which may come as a surprise; it certainly did to me.

Rather than using the stove glass cleaning products you’ve purchased, simply use the wood ash within the stove to clean the glass! Yes, that’s right the ash byproduct from burning wood in your stove can be used to clean the glass.

We’d heard about this trick and for a long time, doubted it’s effectiveness. However a few years ago when we tried it, we couldn’t believe how well it worked.

So, if you’re wondering how to clean your stove glass and want excellent results whilst saving a bit of money, then it’s definitely worth giving this a go.

Here is a quick run-through of what we refer to as the ‘glass cleaning hack’.

Top Tip

Always leave plenty of ash inside the firebox of your wood burning stove as this will help to retain heat and also reflect it back into the fire. This helps to bring the stove up to temperature more quickly and results in a much cleaner burn.

The glass on the wood burner has a slight haze and some spots of ash.

You will need some warm water and some paper towels/ tissue or newspaper.

Dip the paper into the warm water.

Then dip the paper into the bed of ash in the wood burner, until you have a good amount stuck to the paper.

Clean the glass using the damp ash.

This will create a layer of wet ash on the stove glass.

Now use a dry paper towel to remove all of the wet ash on the glass.

This will result in crystal clear glass.

We’ve cleaned our glass, now it’s time to get the wood burner going.

Beautiful!

We are committed to providing long lasting value for our customers, so will be looking to post more tips, tricks and general advice in the future.

Keeps your eyes peeled for more content like this and stay cosy!

18th December 2019 In Around the fireplace, news By Matthew Rhodes

6 Top Tips For Enjoying The Fireplace This Christmas

During Christmas the fireplace is often the main focal point of the home. It’s a place to spend precious moments with friends and family, reminiscing and creating new memories that will last a lifetime.

Cherish the moments this Christmas and use our helpful tips to make the time you spend in front of the fireplace, even more magical this Christmas.

Hot Drinks

A hot drink in front of a warm fire is one of life’s simple comforts and yet it can invoke a feeling of contentment that many travel long distances to obtain.

Make sure you’re fully stocked with your preference of hot drinks for Christmas and enhance your fireplace experiences with the added warmth and cosiness they bring.

Warm Blankets

Throws and blankets are a great way to make your living room even more comfortable.

Whether used for extra warmth or simply to add an additional feeling of luxury to the room, they are a great way of reinforcing the happiness and warmth we yearn for during the holidays.

Thick Woollen Socks

Thick woollen socks have seen a rise in popularity over the last five years and the demand around Christmas sees search volumes increase by 100% compared to other months of the year.

They make a fantastic Christmas gift and make time spent near the fireplace really feel like a special experience.

Candles

Dim the lights and experience the majestic radiance of candlelight. The natural light of the flame compliments the fire and really makes for a homely experience.

There are lots of scented Christmas candles available, many of which can bring forth feelings of nostalgia and enhance fireplace activities.

Board Games

Often left gathering dust or a newly opened gift on Christmas day, board games are a great way to bring the family together. The experience is even better if played in front of the fireplace.

Reading

Reading by the fireplace can be one of the most relaxing things you can do this winter. Get stuck into your favourite fiction author, finish that biography you’ve been meaning to all year. Or even better read a book to your children or grandchildren. The moments and time we make for our family is far more valuable than the gifts we buy them.

beef stew on the log burner charnwood island 1

10th December 2019 In news, Stove Cooking Recipes By Matthew Rhodes

Lets Cook – Log Burner Beef Stew!

It was great to see how well our first instalment of cooking on the log burner was received.

This is our second instalment, and this time we decided to cook one of my all-time favourite winter meals, beef stew with carrots and potatoes. We cooked on the Charnwood Island 1 multi-fuel stove using the new Charnwood Cooking Plate.

Although we used the cooking plate, the same can be achieved by using a cast iron trivet and a good thick-bottomed dish. Our cast iron enamelled pan was purchased a few years ago for around £30.

We tried a fantastic recipe from onceuponachef.com and added our own little twist to personalise. The beauty of a stew is you can pretty much throw any old vegetables into it and still get a fantastic result. If you have a go at this one, please send us your results.

There are no definitive origin stories for the humble stew, as it is one of the most ancient of cooked dishes. Even though we used a modern stove and a purpose-built cooking plate, there was definitely something primordial about cooking this stew with wood fire.

Here’s how we cooked our stew:

Ingredients

1.5kg boneless beef (well-marbled), cut into 1-2 inch pieces
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
7 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
8 mushrooms, chopped in half
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tsp sugar
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into one-inch chunks on a diagonal
Half a kilo of small white potatoes, cut in half
Fresh chopped parsley, for serving

Log Burner Preparation

Get your log burner going. Kindling, firelighters, matches. Once the wood stove is hot enough, it’s time to add a couple of good sized logs.

While these are burning away nicely, you can start preparing your stew.

Stew Preparation

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the cooking pot and place on the cooking plate to heat.

Chop the onions, mushrooms, carrots and potatoes and peel, crush and chop the garlic.

Slice the beef into 1 to 2 inch pieces.

The Cook

Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Sear the meat in batches, turning regularly, for about 5 minutes per batch and add one tablespoon of olive oil extra for each batch.

To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning.

Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.

Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more.

Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the wine, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil.

Cover the pot with a lid and braise for 2 hours, checking regularly to ensure it doesn’t boil over. You may need to add more logs in this time to maintain the heat.

Remove the pot from the stove and add the carrots, mushrooms and potatoes.

Cover and place back on the stove for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender.

Fish out the bay leaf and discard, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

stew on the island 1 charnwood log burner

The Result!

An absolutely scrumptious, hearty stew which is rich in flavour and has beef that just melts in your mouth.

Garnish with some fresh parsley and some fresh bread. Magnifico!

We will be cooking a lot more dishes on and in our stoves so keep an eye out for our posts!

If this has inspired you to try this at home you can tag @ignitestoves on facebook or instagram.

onceuponachef.com is a fantastic recipe website created by Jenn Segal, a classically trained chef and author.

You can follow her on Instagram or Facebook to for more inspired dishes like this one.

We will be following her closely, looking for further inspiration for delicious dishes we can cook on our stoves.

Keep an eye out for future dishes and please tag us If you give this a try at home @ignitestoves on facebook or instagram.

19th November 2019 In Alternative Fuel Reviews, news, Tips & Guides By Matthew Rhodes

What can you burn in a wood stove? Coffee Logs?

We often call them wood burners or log burners, however, log burners and multi-fuel stoves can be compatible with a wide variety of fuels, some of which are ingenious in their creation.

One such innovative idea we recently came across is Bio-Bean’s Coffee Logs. As a coffee lover who does enjoy an Americano (plain coffee) from Starbucks almost every day, much to my wife’s exasperation, the idea of using the waste coffee grounds stuck a chord with me.

Recycled from waste coffee grounds and made into small logs, this alternative is ideal for wood burning and multi-fuel stoves. Bio-Bean claims the coffee logs have a high net calorific value and low moisture content and state that the coffee logs (when burned) generate 80% fewer emissions than if the grounds had gone to the landfill.

We loved this idea, so we reached out for some samples to try them at home and in the showroom see how they compare with wood burning.

Bio-bean states the logs burn 20% hotter than kiln-dried wood and burn slower per kg than kiln-dried logs. We don’t doubt any scientific data; however, we thought it best to test the coffee logs in real-world conditions and rate the coffee logs qualitatively, giving you an idea of how we feel the coffee logs compare against kiln-dried or well-seasoned wood.

Sensation0

The overall experience of using these logs was fantastic. A natural coffee aroma to the logs, an odourless burn and no chance of splinters when handling. Top marks!

Longevity0

We found that they are quite long-lasting, however, we used six coffee logs in 3 hours to maintain the heat in the front of our showroom to a comparable heat produced with Ash or Birch logs. We felt that they are not quite as long-lasting as the kiln-dried logs we use, with one sizeable kiln-dried log lasting longer; however, the wood was more significant in mass than the two coffee logs.

Heat0

The heat output is excellent, considering the size of the logs. We kept the front of our showroom nice and warm and found the stove was easily maintained at optimum temperature once the coffee logs were burning. We felt it was roughly the same temperature as when we burn kiln-dried wood (on the same air control settings).

Value0

We feel that they have excellent heat output, have good longevity and overall pleasant user experience. The monetary value of these we estimate to be somewhat higher per kg than wood; however, the real value of these logs is in the knowledge that their use is positively impacting the environment and for that, they work very well!

Flame Picture0

When the logs combust, they produce a flame that rivals that of fire created by good woodfuel. In comparison to wood, however, we can usually place a log on the glowing embers within the wood burner, and it will combust quite quickly, whereas with the coffee logs we found smouldered away unless you applied a flame to them.

In Conclusion

These Eco-friendly logs are a fantastic alternative to wood fuel, and continued growth of their use will only positively impact the environment. They meet high expectations and in certain areas are likely better than certain species of wood.

We found that burning the logs with wood worked well, so these can work great as an addition to wood fuel, as well as an alternative.

Wood from well-managed woodlands have benefits to the environment as do Coffee Logs; however, in the hunt for positive, high-impact alternatives, solutions like this might be the future of home heating.

Overall Rating0

Find out more

To find out more about Coffee logs and when to buy them you can visit www.bio-bean.com

5th November 2019 In news, Tips & Guides By Matthew Rhodes

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Stove Aficionado

If you have a friend or family member who has a log burner or multi-fuel stove in their home and you’re wondering what to get them for Christmas, then you are in the right place.

Here is our list of accessories and gadgets that all stove aficionados will love to own.

Toasting Fork

Log Burner… Check. Logs to burn… Check. Toasting fork to cook bread or crumpts on your log burner… Check!

This accessory is perfect for toasting bread and crumpets but can be used for toasting pretty much anything. We stock Charnwood toasting forks in our showroom which come with a magnetic holder to hold the fork in place. This will work with most stoves, however it’s best to ask our advice before purchasing.

Buy in our showroom – £36

Kindling Cracker

I can personally vouch for this one! Last year I purchased this as a gift for my Wife who didn’t like using an axe to chop our logs to kindling. It was meant as a bit of a joke, but she said it was one of her favourite Christmas presents! You simply put your log into the top of the device and use a lump hammer to hit the log through the splitter. You need a lot less force than a traditional axe and remove the potential of chopping your finger off.

Unfortunately, we do not sell these, but they are available to buy on Amazon here.

Buy on Amazon – £110

Cooking Plate

There is a bit of a food theme going on here and I wonder why. Whenever there is anything food related in our office, everyone wants to get involved.

This ingenious accessory is great for anyone who has a log burner with a rear flue system (5” or 6”). It is the ultimate addition for anyone looking to utilise their wood stove for cooking a large variety of dishes. The cooking plate turns the top of the stove into a cooking surface and depending on the size of the stove the plate will fit anywhere between one to four pans. Perfect for a stew, casserole and even the mulled wine at Christmas.

Buy in our showroom – £150 – £175

Stove Fan

Stove fans have become one of the most popular accessories for the log burner. Designed to assist the natural convection of the log burner, they sit atop the stove and are powered just by the heat from the stove itself using some higidy jim pokery (we think this is the technical term). They generate additional air currents to help spread the heat into the room more efficiently.

We use them at home ourselves and I can say that they do work well at heating larger spaces.

Buy in our showroom – From £55

Pie Iron

This is no joke, if you know someone who loves their stove and loves food, then this could be the perfect gift idea. You simply put slices of bread in the pie iron along with your favourite filling, close the pie iron and rest it inside your log burner to create the perfect snack for a cosy evening.

Our favourite is Cheese, Ham and Marmite!

Buy in our showroom – £25

29th October 2019 In news, Tips & Guides By Matthew Rhodes

Why is my log burner smoking when lighting?

Are you having issues with your log burner? Is smoke coming into your room when you light the log burner? There is likely a straightforward solution to overcome the problem.

There could be many reasons for smoke coming back into your room, including fuel or chimney faults, however, in our experience the most common is the flue not being hot enough to overcome pockets of cold air that can occur in a flue.

As the temperature drops during this time of year, cold air can sometimes become trapped in the flue. If the rising smoke hits a cold pocket, it can sometimes be forced back down, essentially making your flue system work in reverse.

Here is a quick guide to help you solve this particular issue.

First of all, make sure you have any air controls fully open.

Stack your kindling high in a Jenga game fashion. We usually would place firelighters at the bottom of the kindling stack, however, instead of putting your firelighters at the bottom of the stack, rest them on top of the kindling stack.

By igniting these higher up, you will warm the flue quicker, and start drawing the hot air and smoke up the chimney.

To get the fire going faster, you can leave the door slightly ajar for a few minutes; this will force more air into the flue, creating a better draw.

As the firelighters burn they may drop down to the bottom of the kindling tower, don’t worry, this is fine.

If this has worked, then your kindling should start burning nicely and without any further problems.

If you are still having problems, then it may be best to speak with an experienced and qualified installer or arrange a chimney inspection with a local reputable chimney sweep.

Top Tip

To help in the future, you should leave your log burner air vents open when not in use so that there is always air movement within the chimney, and this can help prevent any air blockages.

1. Kindling Tower with firelights placed at the top.

2. Kindling tower burning well after 5 minutes

12th October 2019 In news, Stove Cooking Recipes By Daniel Gibbs

Lets Cook – Log Burner Baked Potatoes!

If you’re already using your log burner for heating your home, then it will be worth using that heat for cooking food also. This will save on gas or electric and can produce some delicious results.

We’ve recently been experimenting with cooking a baked potato on our new Charnwood Aire Log Burner, and the results were amazing!

The ancient Incas were the first to cultivate the potato somewhere between 8,000 and 5,000 BC. Although the modern log burner was a long way off from being invented, the Incas would cook in makeshift ovens made from stone and earth. Having now tried cooking a potato in a log burner, we think the Incan methods for baking the grand old spud were probably the best, as well as the first.

Here’s how we cooked ours.

Ingredients

1 x Large baking potato

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 x knob of salted butter

1 x sprig of rosemary

Log Burner Preparation

Get your log burner going. Kindling, firelighters, matches. Once the wood stove is hot enough, it’s time to add a good size log.

Once this has reduced down to hot embers and ash, add another log while you are preparing the potato.

Spud preparation

Make sure you poke plenty of holes in the potato so that it cooks through. Rub the potato with the olive oil and sprinkle your salt, pepper and rosemary over. Give the potato a good rub all around with the seasoning. Wrap the spud in plenty of thick tinfoil.

The Cook

In we go. Place the potato in the hot ashes. If you have fireplace tools, then scoop some of the ashes and small embers from the bottom of the stove and cover the potato.

Now we are cooking.

Leave the potato in the log burner for one hour. Check to see if the potato is cooked to your likeness, if not return and check every 10 minutes.

The Result!

Voila! Our potato is cooked through, piping hot with crispy skin and a soft centre. A knob of butter, some salt and pepper and you have a spud that even Sir Walter Raleigh would have been jealous of.

We will be cooking a lot more dishes on and in our stoves so keep an eye out for our posts!

If this has inspired you to try this at home you can tag @ignitestoves on facebook or instagram.

9th October 2019 In Company News, news By Matthew Rhodes

Ignite Stoves & Fires Joins National Alliance

Press Release: Local retailer joins national alliance

Local stove and fireplace retailer, Ignite Stoves & Fires, is among the first in a group of independent retailers to become members of the Stove Industry Alliance (SIA) as part of its new retail scheme.READ MORE

13th September 2019 In news, Tips & Guides By Daniel Gibbs

Are you Ready to Burn for the New Heating Season?

The kids are back at school and Autumn is almost upon us. The first breath of cold wind in September Ignites that vision of getting cosy in front of your log burner with a mug of hot chocolate. It’s the time of year in which many of you with a wood burning stove needs to start thinking about stocking up your wood fuel supplies.READ MORE

8th November 2018 In Around the fireplace By Daniel Gibbs

Hearth and Home

The hearth has for a long time been regarded as the heart of the home. Offering warmth, security and a place to cook. In fact, in recent years discoveries were made that suggested hearths were used some 300,000 years ago by an early human species. We often talk with customers (especially men) about how the thought of fire conjures up feelings of prehistoric life. We try to imagine hunting in the bleak wilderness, returning back to our tribe with our hard earned prize to then enjoying the warmth and comfort of the fire. Safe in the knowledge that with food, water, shelter and warmth survival is likely. Fortunately, today we have Netflix and central heating. READ MORE