Rayburns are one of those items that conjure up images of "The Good Life." Many people almost romanticize about a rayburn in the countryside, and while they are wonderful machines, they certainly have their downfalls.

I have grown up with a Rayburn my whole life. I think they are wonderful, and I truly couldn't live without it! I am only used to the solid fuel version, and not the Oil or Gas range.

The Rayburn has many plus sides, the main one being that the cost of wood and coal is extremely cheap compared to electricity, gas and now especially oil, with the souring prices.

In order to stock up on wood though, there is a lot of hard work involved, in collecting the wood, storing it, letting it season, and then cutting it to size and bringing it in as and when it is needed.

This work should not be taken on without plenty of thought.

One point I mentioned was the seasoning of wood, this is where you leave wood to dry out for ideally a year to 18 months. There is no point putting in wet wood, this will not burn properly, and in turn clog up the stove.

Another thing that needs to be considered is the mess. The rayburn constantly produces ash, dust and tar. These things can often put people off, but I feel they are only a small downside to what is an amazing machine.

The plusses of the rayburn are in my opinion are endless! A very attractive prospect is the fact that burning wood is actually carbon neutral! In this day and age, that surely has to be a plus! The way this works is that, as the tree is growing, it breathes in CO2 and releases oxygen, then as the wood is burned, it releases exactly the same amount of CO2 as it took in while it was growing! Now that is amazing!

Another plus is the fact that you are able to cook on the rayburn, using its built in oven and hot plates. This takes some getting used to because you can't just set the temperature and get going, you have to plan in advance, and manage the fire so that the oven fluctuates the way you want. With a little time and practice however, this become second nature.

Our rayburn heats all of our hot water and the whole house, eliminating the need for astronomical electricity bills, and therefore giving a little leftover disposable income.

I could go on about the rayburn all day long. I feel it is amazing, and the benefits certainly outweigh the disadvantages. I certainly hope I have one for the rest of my life!

There really is nothing like sitting round a log fire in the evening!