J had a 7 gas hob range with two ovens, a grill and a plate warmer on land; the boat had 4 gas hobs and an oven which heated the outside as much as the inside when we got it, so that got changed once we were living on board full time.
A south of France summer doesn't encourage many hot dishes, so the oven hadn't been put through its paces until recently, and that is where the shouting started - well, we all know how highly strung chef's are!
J worked on many tried and tested recipes - from quiches to lasagnes, but these burnt offerings appeased none on high, and pleased the skipper even less!
Knowing the French version of customer services as we do, and having purchased the oven in August, but discovered its issues months later, we decided to try to go to the source for solutions, ie the manufacturer.
Stangely this search led us only to the UK distributor, Penguin Eng (
www.penguineng.com).
Having asked for a contact for the manufacturer, Graham at Penguin took plenty of time to run through the possible causes, and kindly sent over a copy of the instructions (which did not come with the oven)...
Let's cut a long story short and say that thanks to Graham's advice, dinner involves less charcoal and more gratin, and when we remember that we didn't even buy the oven through Penguin, we are reminded that some people value future customers - many suppliers in France have a lot to learn.
So, thank you Graham and Penguin Eng Ltd - we look forward to becoming customers as the need arises - and feel free to drop in for a slice of perfectly cooked quiche when you're in town!
