Yes, we know that according to the Met Office, June 1st is officially the start of summer. Yes, we’re featuring woodburning stoves… in the summer. Have you ever tried to get a chimney sweep or heating engineer to make a house call after October? June is the BEST time to get your chimney swept or a fire fitted or serviced!

We finally got the new fire in our kitchen installed in April by Burnley-based Acorn Chimney Sweeps – it had been sitting on the hearth for over a year, waiting for our insurance company to give the go-ahead. We were so impressed by their knowledge and level of service that we have booked them in to install a small woodburning stove (or multi-fuel stove to be exact) in a room on the top floor where we spend a lot of time in the evenings. Even in the summer they have a 6-week waiting list.

We’ve been given some basics about regulations and health & safety we need to bear in mind when choosing a stove. Anything that blasts out more than 5kw means we need to have a vent fitted – our house has foot-thick stone walls so that would be a job we’d rather not undertake. There needs to be a gap of at least 6 inches either side of the stove to the fireplace walls and 12 inches of hearth to the front.

We like a plain façade; no fancy, carbuncle-like ‘decoration’. We considered a pot belly stove but decided against it because we like looking at the flames through the glass door and the way light & shadows hit the walls and ceiling in the room. Bearing that in mind – and good looks as well, of course – we’ve made ourselves a short-list. Do you think some of them look like they have a face? Apparently there’s a word for that – pareidolia! 🙂

1. Villager 4kw Puffin multi fuel stove: £434.79, Amazon
2. The Hobbit stove: £475, Salamander Stoves
3. Woodburning stove New Broseley SilverDale 5kw: £345, eBay
4. Aarrow AACOR4 matt black Acorn 4 multifuel stove: £539.00, Direct Stoves
5. Adam AX1 4kw multifuel stove, black: £348, FireplaceWorld