VOLCANIC ASH might be disastrous for aviation but it’s given the makers of the famous Aga cooker the platform to launch a range of cookers under the Pearl Ashes name.

The company says it “moves with the times” introducing colours that are “up-to-date and relevant for today’s home”. What might it be planning next? A blue-black range of cookers reminiscent of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

Pearl Ashes is said to look cool and contemporary in kitchens. Aga Rangemaster say it’s set to become a design classic and a worthy addition to its palette of 10 colours: “Its not only in the aesthetic that Aga cookers remain in tune with the zeitgeist. The vast majority of Aga cookers sold today are fully programmable, meaning they work hard when you need them and sleep when you don’t.”

Pearl Ashes is available on all Aga cast-iron cooker models.