Aga Launches Local Life

Iconic British cooker inspires Britons to support their local food producers

Aga Rangemaster, maker of the famous cooker, today launches a UK wide campaign to help raise awareness of the benefits of buying and eating locally produced food and drink.  Aga’s Local Life campaign runs for the whole of September and includes events in 50 Aga shops across the country, joining up the best of British regional food with the world’s most loved cooker.  To kick off the month-long campaign, Aga Rangemaster CEO William McGrath today attended the Adlington event, and picked up some lamb cookery tips from Andrew Neill, co-owner of Grundy & Neill Organic Butcher and Delicatessen.

From master bakers and sausage makers - to duck and farm shops, and honey makers, Aga has partnered with some of the best UK local food producers, inviting each into the local Aga shop to showcase their produce and hold interactive events.  The programme of events varies from store to store, but includes activities such as master classes by local producers, Aga cooking demonstrations using local product, farmers’ markets, and a myriad of other events.

Local Life will celebrate our local food heroes, showcase the finest produce, and inspire nearby residents to share in the growing passion for fresh local ingredients.  Events are open to the public and food tastings will be a central element, with recipes specially designed for each event using local produce.  Aga wants to give local food producers a platform to talk about the efforts to which they go to ensure the very highest standards in their produce.  For the Aga shop teams, Local Life offers a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate how the best local ingredients taste even better when prepared using the cast iron radiant heat of the world’s best cooker. A special booklet containing recipes, tips and pictures along with a directory of all producers will be published in early October.

John Dabb, Head of UK Marketing for Aga, said:  “Supporting local food producers has never been more relevant and Aga believes passionately in the importance of local food and the role of the artisan producer.  For Local Life, we have been fortunate enough to work with some of the country’s finest food producers and we want people to understand the benefits of eating locally produced food: improved diet, understanding food provenance, reduced travel miles and packaging, and stimulating the local economy.”

Supporting local producers is something that Aga has been committed to for over six decades.  In 1949, four years after the end of the Second World War, Britain resolved that it would never again be at the mercy of naval blockades and farming moved to the forefront of the national agenda.  It was then that Aga embarked on a mission to communicate the importance of supporting local food producers to the British public and worked with a team of photographers to create Farming Families, a booklet that served as a revealing portrait of changing rural British life.  Sixty years on, in a rapidly changing world, the importance of nurturing local life remains as relevant to Aga and the public as ever.

Those interested finding out more about Local Life events are invited to visit the Local Life website http://www.aga-web.co.uk/locallife or contact a local Aga shop. 

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Notes to Editors

Today’s modern Aga is very different to older Agas, with a wide choice of fuel types and configurations available. Over 50% of all Agas sold today are programmable using the Aga Intelligent Management System (AIMS), reducing running costs by up to 30% and ensuring that they fit the lifestyle of today’s consumer.

The multifunctional nature of the Aga means that it’s so much more than just a cooker. It warms the kitchen and home beyond, and eliminates the need for appliances such as kettles, toasters, tumble driers, cooker hoods, and more. By replacing all of these, an Aga needn’t cost any more to run than a conventional cooker home. What’s more, an Aga owner can avoid buying as much as £5000 worth of electrical appliances during the life of their Aga.

Aga is the original recycled product, and are almost completely recyclable. You’ll never find an Aga in a landfill site.  Since the very first Aga was made more than 80 years ago, 70% of each Aga has been made from previously used material.  Car gearboxes, guttering, old machinery, cookers, door fittings, drain covers, lamp-posts and much more can all be found in the world’s most famous cooker.

The Aga is renowned for its longevity; it keeps cooking for years – some say a lifetime – and puts the durable into consumer durable. Typically people buy 3-4 cookers during their lifetime, whereas with an Aga, one will more than suffice. Such longevity is of real benefit to the environment and, in today’s disposable culture, it’s difficult to think of another product that will give so many years of faultless service. 

Aga is also committed to environmental and ethical projects, and has invested millions in R&D over the last 20 years. 

Every Aga is made in England, in an historic foundry that is a United Nations-designated World Heritage Site.

For further information on local events, please click here to vist the Aga website.

For images, interview opportunities, or general Aga information media only please contact:

Aga UK Press Office
Gabrielle Shaw Communications
Sarah Stringfellow
Email:  sarah@gsc-ltd.co.uk
Tel:  020 7731 8811