Buying & Choosing Your Cooker

The right fuel type depends on what you already have – or are prepared to install – and how you want to use the cooker day-to-day.

• Log wood: best for customers with access to affordable seasoned hardwood, who enjoy the ritual of a wood fire and want genuine carbon neutrality. Requires a lined chimney and a little more daily involvement than other fuels.
• Wood pellet: the most automated of the combustion fuels. Pellets are loaded into a hopper (typically once a day) and the cooker manages itself thermostatically. Also carbon-neutral. Requires a flue.
• Oil: excellent heat output, fast warm-up, and well-suited to properties already on heating oil. Controllable and reliable. Requires a flue or balanced flue; no chimney needed with a balanced flue model.
• Electric: the simplest installation – no chimney, no flue, no fuel delivery. Ideal where a chimney would be difficult or expensive. Running costs are higher per unit of heat than combustion fuels, but control and convenience are excellent.

Our Fuel Guide goes into more detail or call us – choosing the right fuel is one of the first things we talk through with every new customer.

Both configurations deliver the same cooking quality and cast-iron performance. The choice comes down to capacity, heating ambition and kitchen space.

The 3-oven model suits most households well – it provides roasting, baking and warming temperatures simultaneously, fits more easily into a standard kitchen, and is the natural choice if cooking is the primary purpose.

The 5-oven model adds significant capacity for larger households or those who cook for guests regularly. It also provides greater room heating output and is available in the wood/electric hybrid configuration – combining the character of a wood fire with the convenience of electric backup – as well as oil/electric hybrid and fully electric models. Many customers choose the 5-oven model simply because they want the full presence of a larger range cooker as the centrepiece of their kitchen.

If you are undecided, we would suggest visiting an existing customer with each model. Seeing them in a real kitchen often makes the decision straightforward.

Yes. Thornhill range cookers are available through an authorised Dealer network throughout the UK and Europe, and our dealers will be happy to talk you through the options available. Visit our Dealers page for details of your nearest authorised dealer.

Because every Thornhill range cooker is built to order, there is no standard lead time. Every order is different, and the timescale depends on a number of factors, not just the build itself.

Many customers choose to visit a local dealer, arrange to see a Thornhill in a customer’s home, or take time selecting the perfect model, fuel type and enamel colour. Some know exactly what they want from the outset, while others prefer more guidance throughout the process. Site preparation and installation arrangements can also vary from one property to another.

Rather than quoting a generic lead time, we discuss your individual requirements, agree a realistic programme for your order, and keep you informed at every stage. Our aim is to ensure everything is ready for a smooth installation and that your cooker is built exactly to your specification.

Once your order is confirmed, we begin building your cooker to your specification. We will stay in touch throughout and let you know when it is ready for delivery.

If ordering direct from Thornhill Range Cookers, before delivery, we will confirm your installation arrangements and check with you that any site preparation is complete. Our delivery team handles the installation (locating the range cooker in your kitchen or delivering to a garage etc if the site is not ready for the cooker yet) ready for connection by your chosen installer.

If ordering through an authorised Dealer, the Dealer will talk you through the options available and arrange delivery and connection.

After installation, you will receive a full briefing on operating your cooker. We remain available for questions and support – many of our customers tell us that the relationship with Thornhill continues long after delivery.

For international orders, shipped range cookers are delivered to the kerbside in Europe, or the port for Australia and New Zealand. It varies by country, so please contact us for further information for your specific location.

Yes. We can recommend appropriately qualified installers/fitters in your area and are happy to help co-ordinate installation as part of your overall order.

All installations should be carried out by a HETAS, OFTEC or other competent registered professional appropriate to your fuel type. We take installation seriously – it is one of the reasons we are able to include a manufacturer’s warranty with every cooker.