We are always astounded when we receive enquiries from far flung places, and it’s our mantra to never turn such opportunities down. Our engineers have been all over France, visited Italy and Malaga, and right across America! We’ve sent our Agas off to warm homes in Belgium and Germany, and to the other side of the world in Australia.
Where next?! We’d love to sprinkle the globe with a little more Rural Ranges magic, so no matter how far away you are and how impossible it seems, get in touch! We may just be able to make your Aga dream happen.
Iceland
An Aga in Iceland?!
One of our most memorable projects was supplying this classic cream to Ísafjörður, Iceland, where it is at the heart of the family home on the spit in the fjord, overlooked by the surrounding mountains.
Italy
Lake Lugano
A job we shall forever cherish came as a result of an enquiry from an Italian lady, Melania, who sought our assistance for some maintenance work on her Rayburn and Aga Companion. Melania and her husband were proprietors of the stunning Stella D'Italia on Lake Lugano on the Swiss / Italian border.
Melania hosted us for the most magical week in their hotel. Whilst Steve worked away on the Rayburn, our children and her son played, building memories that will last a lifetime.
Melania was a passionate and talented Italian cook, her Rayburn the heart of the home they had rescued from dereliction. She had a love of travel and dreamt of taking more time to explore the world with her family. Tragically, Melania is no longer with us. Her home and her family will forever live in our hearts and we hope very much one day to return to that magical place, to gaze across the still lake and give thanks for the life of a lady who loved that view and gave so much to those that loved it with her.
Bologna
We receive enquiries from across the UK and well beyond. And whilst we are realistic in the additional expenses travel can entail, we will always endeavour to bring requests to fruition wherever possible. Every now and then that has meant making a work trip, a family trip.
We first spoke to Maria in a pre Covid world when she was struggling to secure regular maintenance for her gas Aga in Bologna, Italy and contemplating converting to a more controllable system to fit in with the year round temperature extremes and her lifestyle, now much calmer than in her earlier years. Fast forward 4 years and in a changed world, we were off on our travels. With no other jobs on this occasion, Maria offered to host us in her central Bologna Bed and Breakfast, enabling her conversion to go ahead at an affordable price and providing a raft load of memories for the bank for us- a definite win win situation for all concerned.
Maria’s Bed and Breakfast was beautiful and her hosting exceptional. Her wonderful family took us for a welcome tour of the city sites and of the best local restaurants and after converting her Aga to the new Electrickit Classic system, we were able to enjoy a fantastic few days exploring the historic sites of Bologna and surrounds.
Bologna is known as the food capital of Italy and it did not disappoint. Mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Proscuitto di Parma, tortellini and tagliatelle al ragu were consumed by the bucket load, the local Pignoletto wine guzzled rather too exuberantly and the many and varied markets ransacked for culinary souvenirs. Outside the city, we headed to Modena and Maranello to the Ferrari Museums and Lamborghini factory tour, at which point the children decide they no longer wanted to take on the family business and instead intend on designing super cars for a living!
Running a small business is about so much more than the balance sheet; the rewards come from the relationships made and experiences gained. It truly is all about the journey.
With eternal gratitude to Maria for some magical memories made.
France
We've been operating in France since 2018, offering our complete range of services on the continent. Post Brexit things are substantially more complex and costly than they once were, so frustratingly we are therefore only able to offer a more limited number of services. Although routine servicing is currently difficult for us to offer, we do still undertake the following across Europe:
Aga refurbishment & repacks
Electric Conversions
Reconditioned Agas
Aga removals and installations
Substantial repairs
Do get in touch whatever your Aga project or dilemma, we are always happy to help and advise. We will always assist in person if we can and if we can't personally visit, to try to find a solution to help you make things happen!
Summer 2024
The summer of 2024 took us to Marne, North West France, to convert a long term customer's Aga from 13Amp Aims to Electrickit.
We first visited back in 2019 to replace a faulty control board but our client had spoken to us for some time about their desire to reduce running costs. An Electrickit conversion was settled upon and we were glad to assist - Electrickit is particularly prized for its reliability and simplicity and therefore an excellent choice for areas where engineers are not so readily available. In this case, both induction for instant hob cooking results and wifi for year round flexibility, were installed. https://www.ruralranges.com/what-is-electrickit-aga....
Our wonderful customers were fantastic hosts and Dan and Nat were treated to a veritable feast of French cuisine before heading on their way.
Looking for a natural stopping point between our 2 jobs in France, we settled upon an Ibis near Versailles - at the Yvelines Velodrome, just a few days ahead of the Olympic Opening Ceremony. The place was a hive of activity and the public podium made for a good photo opportunity! Touristing done with, it was on to conversion number 2.
In this case, our client had purchased a used Aga in the UK and shipped it to his French renovation project. We built the Aga on site, installing a powder coated steel plinth, along with external venting - always a challenge with thick French walls! When we convert to Electrickit or eControl, none of the internal workings are retained. Instead, we treat the Aga merely as a shell in which to install the new controllable system. The wholesale nature of the conversion is key to its efficiency - 5 new elements are installed, along with complete replacement ceramic insulation and new hot plates. In addition, optional wifi and induction upgrades are available. The result- a fully flexible, supremely efficient, modern electric system.
Normandy
Aga Engineers in France are virtually unheard of, which is why we’ve found ourselves making numerous trips to France over the years.
One of our first trips was a very special project which took us to Normandy, where our customer had two immaculately presented rental properties steeped in the history of the local area. We serviced her Aga, and then on a second trip installed a reconditioned Rural Ranges Aga and converted her 4 oven with Electrickit.
We would highly recommend a visit to Tansy’s beautiful ‘Band of Brothers’ properties, just a quick pop across the English Channel.
Spain
When one expat couple relocated from their French Farmhouse to Competa, near Malaga, Spain, their Aga simply had to travel with them.
In in early 2020 all was prepared for us to remove the Aga and pack for the journey to Spain. Then Covid hit. If Covid taught us one thing, it was how to work effectively remotely. So with no other option, and via the power of video calling, we guided them to safely self-dismantle their much loved Aga.
Fast forward 2 years and at last the time for installation was upon us. We got on the plane to Malaga and had a fantastic few days of sunshine and hard work. We are endlessly grateful to our wonderful clientele for the exceptional welcome and hospitality we receive and this trip was no exception.
One couple and their Aga at last reunited.
