Planning the kitchen jobs before Diwali

Festival cooking is the hardest week of the year for a kitchen. More frying, more hours on the hob, more people in the room. It is also, reliably, when chimneys give up — because the grease that built up over the previous six months finally blocks what little airflow was left.

Do it before, not during

The week before Diwali is our busiest of the year and slots go quickly. More to the point, a chimney deep clean takes ninety minutes and makes a mess; you do not want that happening the day guests arrive.

What is worth combining in one visit

• Chimney deep clean — filters, oil collector, fan blades, and the duct mouth if it has not been done in a year
• Hob or gas stove service — burners cleared and flame re-tuned, so heavy cooking does not blacken your utensils
• Gas pipe check — a soap test on the joints and a look at the hose date, which takes five minutes while the technician is already there
• If the chimney filters are past saving, replacing them now rather than in December

If your rubber gas hose is more than two years old, replace it as part of this visit. It is inexpensive, and the week of heaviest cooking is the worst possible time to discover it has cracked.

Why one visit beats three

Each of these is a separate job with its own charge, but the technician is already in your kitchen with the tools out. Booking them together means one appointment to be home for, and any visit charge applies once rather than three times.

Book early

From about two weeks before the festival, same-day slots stop being reliable. Call us and we will put you in the diary for a day that suits you.