I can’t stress enough how much of a difference a wood burner can make. When I went to bed last night, I closed the door of the living room stove (the heating had been turned off hours beforehand). And, this morning, I was surprised to be met with a red glow when I opened the door again.

After a quick poke of the ashes and the addition of a couple of bits of wood, the fire had burst into life again.

And the heating’s not needed this morning.

Last winter, when a damaged chimney had put the wood burner out of action, our gas bill rocketed. But, with lined chimneys and a second stove, we’ll reverse that trend this winter.

Most important, though, it’s the nicest form of heating.