Esse Showroom & Factory Tour
By Reece Toscani - Fireplaceproducts.co.uk
Monday 17th March 2014. Esse Engineering held an open day for their dealers, and I was invited up to have a look around. I had not been to Esse before and was keen to see how these quality British built
stoves were made, from concept through to manufacture. After an almost five hour
drive from Essex up to Barnoldswick, Lancashire I finally arrived at the Esse
Factory.
After a quick meet and greet with the team at Esse we headed into the showroom to take a look at their new Esse 990CHQ Multifuel Central Heating Cooker. This new version of the 990CH has a quench coil fitted inside the boiler meaning that this cooker can now be fitted into a pressurised system, opening up a lot more installation opportunities to new customer base.Next we had a tour around the rest of the cooker showroom looking at all of the other models in the collection. Whilst we have sold Esse cookers for over 10years I haven’t had the opportunity to see them all next to each other before so it makes it a lot easier to compare the models. Another great thing about Esse Cookers is that in 2011 they expanded their enamel range to include 20 different colors , and it was great to be able to see some of the more unusual colors,such as salmon, fern green and saffron.
We also had the opportunity to look at a prototype Ironheart Cooker with some new hotplate options built into the cast ‘dogbone’ hotplate, along with the option to add a BBQ Grill into the firebox. So I very much look forward to those options becoming available later on this year.
Before heading off to the Factory we had a quick chat with Esse’s Steve who was using both the Esse EC4i Electric Induction Cooker and EL13amp Electric Cooker (that can be fitted on a standard 13amp plug) to cook us some lunch. He showed us the induction hob on the EC4i Cooker and demonstrated it by placing a pan of water over one half of the central zone. Then using the touch panel on the cooker set the temperature and before long you could see a crescent of bubbles forming where the heat was being applied to only the half of the water that was sitting on the zone. He then proceeded to place his hand on the other size of the zone that was on, something you most certainly not be able to do on a ceramic hob. Here is another example of the induction hob only heating the pan and not the entire surface area.
We headed into the factory to see where all Esse stoves are made. We walked past the sales office which is located inside the factory for ease of communication between the sales team and the factory floor. Next up was the testing area, where every single gas stove/cooker, oil cooker, and boiler cooker is tested prior to be being packed and despatched out to customers. We then headed off through the factory seeing the cookers being built at various stages, it was great to get a glimpse to see what is actually inside each cooker and how they work. We then proceeded through the enamelling plant room, where all of the components are glazed and then fired in two huge kiln style ovens. After this we saw an Ironheart Deluxe being assembled on the production line which was interesting to see all of the parts separately laid out and then the finished product. We then made our way through the stove production line, past the machine that cuts all the sheet steel and the welding bays where a team of welders were busy building the stoves of the day, which from what I could see were Esse 125 Multifuel Stoves. Lastly we stopped at the Research & Development department to take a look at what the future has in store for Esse Stoves… There are lots of new products in the pipeline, but unfortunately I am unable to say anything more than that, under punishment of death from their national sales director, who was not best pleased with me taking photos every 2minutes. What I will say though is that I am very excited about “One” of their new products, which I think will be a welcome addition to an already sterling line up of products.
As if by magic, we arrived back in the showroom just as lunch was served. Now I am not sure what I was expecting, maybe a couple of sandwiches and a sausage roll, but instead was presented with a banquet fit for a king. Steve had surpassed himself with an outstanding effort. There was tempura king prawns, pork belly with crackling, roast beef and pepper sandwiches, all of which was cooked on the two Esse cookers that morning. I have probably done Steve a huge injustice in my descriptions but here is a photo and I think that speaks for itself:
After possibly the best lunch I have had in a very long time and several return trips to the buffet later we headed upstairs into the Esse Stove Museum. Esse stoves have been made since 1854 and so this year they are celebrating 160years of Esse stoves. The Stove museum features more than 30 models including one of James Smiths very first Esse Stoves dating back to circa 1860. Since then Esse stoves have been at the forefront of design and innovation including the Esse Pioneer Stove which featured a moveable plate in the top of the stove that once the fire was up to temperature could be slide over the flue making the smoke move over a baffle plate providing an area where smoke gasses could be re-burnt above the firebox. Something that many modern stove manufactures claim to be the originator of this idea, but the Pioneer puts them in their place as this was around in circa 1910!
Esse Cookers are custom to being on the grand stage and they made their acting debut alongside Roger Moore in the 1985 James Bond Film; View to a Kill. More recently Esse were approached by ITV to make a new stove that could be used on a TV show that they were making called 71 Degrees North, where by a team of celebrities went to the artic and used the specially designed Campesse Stove and flue system for their heating and cooking. You may also be familiar with the TV program River Cottage which features an Esse Ironheart & CAT Gas Esse Cooker. The Ironheart cooker was a new product developed in 2004 to celebrate 150years of Esse, and is still going strong today.
Last on the tour was the Esse Firestone outdoor oven. This robust and impressively large oven was tried tested and trusted by top chefs at six different restaurants around the country including two Michelin-starred establishments. The British made Esse Firestone is a completely new way to bring together cooking and dining al fresco turning any meal into an occasion. Some of the great design features of this outdoor wood fired oven is that it can be rotated through 360° meaning that if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction and preventing you from lighting it, you can simply turn the oven around. The exterior shell is highly insulated and winter-proof thought we would suggest a cover when it is not in use to help prolong the life-span. The oven is capable of hitting temperatures in excess of 550°C meaning that you can cook a pizza on the oven base in less than 2minutes! Included is a pizza peel, apron and a pair of oven gloves. There are also optional side preparation table’s available if required.In summary I had a great day out at the Esse Factory & Showroom meeting the team and learning more about their new and old products. A big thank you to everyone at Esse for their hospitality, and especially Steve for those prawns!
As if by magic, we arrived back in the showroom just as lunch was served. Now I am not sure what I was expecting, maybe a couple of sandwiches and a sausage roll, but instead was presented with a banquet fit for a king. Steve had surpassed himself with an outstanding effort. There was tempura king prawns, pork belly with crackling, roast beef and pepper sandwiches, all of which was cooked on the two Esse cookers that morning. I have probably done Steve a huge injustice in my descriptions but here is a photo and I think that speaks for itself:
After possibly the best lunch I have had in a very long time and several return trips to the buffet later we headed upstairs into the Esse Stove Museum. Esse stoves have been made since 1854 and so this year they are celebrating 160years of Esse stoves. The Stove museum features more than 30 models including one of James Smiths very first Esse Stoves dating back to circa 1860. Since then Esse stoves have been at the forefront of design and innovation including the Esse Pioneer Stove which featured a moveable plate in the top of the stove that once the fire was up to temperature could be slide over the flue making the smoke move over a baffle plate providing an area where smoke gasses could be re-burnt above the firebox. Something that many modern stove manufactures claim to be the originator of this idea, but the Pioneer puts them in their place as this was around in circa 1910!
Esse were also well
known for their collection of inset stoves, many of which were inspired by the
art deco movement and featured a wide selection of enamel colours. Being in the
museum you can also see the evolution of the use of glass in stoves, something
that we take for granted now-a-days. From the original Mica paper style glass,
on to the thin slips of glass moving up to eventually a full window pane. Also on show in the museum are letters from
some of Esse’s more unique client list, of which include Florence Nightingale
who was so passionate about Esse cookers that in a letter that she wrote to
Esse explained that she would only use Esse cookers in her hospital in
Balaclava. Famous British explorers, Shackleton and Scott also relied on Esse
to provide hot food and warmth on their many expeditions to some of the world’s
coldest and most inhospitable places. A tradition followed on by British
climber Alan Hinkes who used a specially adapted Esse Solo stove to for heating
and to melt snow into drinking water at his base camp in the Himalayan
Mountains.
Esse Cookers are custom to being on the grand stage and they made their acting debut alongside Roger Moore in the 1985 James Bond Film; View to a Kill. More recently Esse were approached by ITV to make a new stove that could be used on a TV show that they were making called 71 Degrees North, where by a team of celebrities went to the artic and used the specially designed Campesse Stove and flue system for their heating and cooking. You may also be familiar with the TV program River Cottage which features an Esse Ironheart & CAT Gas Esse Cooker. The Ironheart cooker was a new product developed in 2004 to celebrate 150years of Esse, and is still going strong today.
Last on the tour was the Esse Firestone outdoor oven. This robust and impressively large oven was tried tested and trusted by top chefs at six different restaurants around the country including two Michelin-starred establishments. The British made Esse Firestone is a completely new way to bring together cooking and dining al fresco turning any meal into an occasion. Some of the great design features of this outdoor wood fired oven is that it can be rotated through 360° meaning that if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction and preventing you from lighting it, you can simply turn the oven around. The exterior shell is highly insulated and winter-proof thought we would suggest a cover when it is not in use to help prolong the life-span. The oven is capable of hitting temperatures in excess of 550°C meaning that you can cook a pizza on the oven base in less than 2minutes! Included is a pizza peel, apron and a pair of oven gloves. There are also optional side preparation table’s available if required.In summary I had a great day out at the Esse Factory & Showroom meeting the team and learning more about their new and old products. A big thank you to everyone at Esse for their hospitality, and especially Steve for those prawns!
