...anyone recommend a good one? My aunt has one & I want to buy her a really good one for Xmas.  I've had a look on amazon & there are quite a few but not many have reviews so thought I'd ask you lot?

I have the The Aga book by Mary Berry,it's the one Aga publish themselves and it covers all the basics plus plenty more.I have a few others but only realy ever refer to that one.I was given it a couple of Christmas's ago along with about 3 other Aga books after we moved in to a new house with an Aga.I'm not the worlds best or most enthusiastic cook but I adore my Aga,as do the dogs!

If your Aunt already has an Aga I'd be surprised of she doesn't already have a Mary Berry cookbook.  It was my favourite and the one I returned to most of all; even if I got recipes from another book I used the MB book to find a comparison to check timings and which oven to use.  MB has updated versions fairly regularly but you might need to sneak a peak at your Aunts cook book shelf :)  I also had a box set of 3 Aga books by Louise Walker that I liked too.

Another present option for an Aga owner is a long set of oven gloves that have protective fabric for the whole length.  The ones that are padded pockets on the end of a bit of thin cotton aren't good enough.  Gauntlets are good too as Aga owners can often be identified by burns up to their elbows!!

When we moved house it was my Aga I missed the most and this house isn't really the right place for one - shame as the dogs love them!!

The Aga Bible by Amy Willcock has some lovely recipies in it, but my absolute fave is my Mary Berry book - every recipe seems to turn out how it is meant to! And they are easy to follow too, but like dogs a babe, I would also be suprised if she doesn't already own a couple of MB books.

I borrowed a book from the library written by Mary Berry's cookery assistant. It was called something like Traditional Farmhouse Recipies and was for people with an Aga or a conventional oven. It has some lovely recipies in and they are easy to follow. I just tried to find it on Amazon but no luck. I think her name might have been Louise something. Sorry I can't be more help.

Found it! Its called Secrets of a Country Kitchen by Lucy Young

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Country-Kitchen-Contemporary-Conventional/dp/0091896754/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224222916&sr=8-1

> Another present option for an Aga owner is a long set of oven gloves that have protective fabric for the whole length.  The ones that are padded pockets on the end of a bit of thin cotton aren't good enough.  Gauntlets are good too as Aga owners can often be identified by burns up to their elbows!!
>

I laughed when I read that! Yes that's me! It's not easy to find oven gloves with long sleeves.I am now going to investigate gauntlets! (what are they by the way?) :)

I saw the MB one but am sure I've seen that on her bookshelf & we don't get up to visit her all that often so might have to rely on asking her hubby.  I have seen the 3 Aga books by Louise Walker & thought about getting them as they look like fun, is one of them Aga Pickles? Are they recipes?  I've also seen a collection of mini books by Richard Maggs - does anyone have those, what are they like?

Where would I find gauntlets?  I've some funny images of what will come up if I google that!! he he xx

Thanks for all you help, knew I could rely on CD!!

I've found these gauntlets on ebay & agacookshop.co.uk but they're not cheap about £18 each & they recommend you buy 2!!! Are they really that much better than a standard oven glove?  I've got a £50 budget for aunt & uncle & would feel really bad only spending £10 on uncle!

I would think you'd only need one,you wouldn't stick both your arms in the back (which is why they need to be so long) just one to bring whatever out then you could use an ordinary one or a folded tea towel on the other hand :) I'd think that was a brilliant present,I may have to ask for one myself! Has she got the toaster?

http://www.agacookshop.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/AgaShop/Products/A1843

That's something I couldn't do without plus trivets(need one either side),you wouldn't need to buy that from the Aga shop.

Thanks for that charlie, I saw the toaster & thought that was a good idea, not a very sexy xmas pressie though! but at least she'll get some use out of them!  Think I'll probably get her one of the gauntlets, maybe the cupcake on, I also like the reindeer pads!

We swear by Mary Berry and have her Xmas book and the New Aga Cookbook. This is the Aga bible (think Delia for aga users!). We also have Aga Easy by Lucy Young, which is a bit more modern (Nigella rather than Delia!).

The Richard Maggs books are more novelties, and I would avoid for the money.

As an aga user, I would always welcome roasting trays and cooking pots as a gift, though they're not exactly sexy or fun. I also get much more excited than I should about things like heat cloths (sort of like a heat resistent teatowel) and aga branded teatowels and oven gloves. I am sad. I admit it.

> not a very sexy xmas pressie though

Not sexy but realy useful,I adore Aga toast :) I've had mine a couple of years now and in that time would have got through at least two electric toasters.I'm sure she'd love a gauntlet,everything Aga is so expensive so make great gifts and as Mark has said we Aga owners get exited over the most seemingly mundane items ;)

> we Aga owners get exited over the most seemingly mundane items ;-)

I've been promised new chef pads for Christmas and I can't wait!
I have a gauntlet and you definitely only need one IMO. I must admit I rarely use mine except when I lose a jacket potato at the back of the oven. I do have scars from burns though. Doh!

> The Richard Maggs books are more novelties, and I would avoid for the money

I agree. They are quite fun to flick through for 5 minutes but aren't particularly useful.

Nothing quite like toast cooked on an Aga.  Crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside mmmmm!

Aga also sell heatproof covers to go over the lids so that you can put your pans to rest on them.  Couldn't be without mine, even though I don't know what they're called :-O  & yes, long oven gloves.

Mary Berry books are my must haves, couldn't live without them as they're so simple even I can cook a decent meal on the Aga ;-)  Sadly we're not lighting our Aga this year due to oil prices (well so far anyway, let's see how long the ban last hee hee) so I have to put up with the most useless electric oven (even my mil commented on how awful it was!)