Casserole arrives like royalty

Our Neff double oven (plus ceramic hob) cost a fortune and when we were asked whether we wanted the telescopic extension rails for the oven shelves - at a further £60-plus - we very nearly said no. Which would have been a terrible shame.

Now the pain of writing the enormous cheque has dulled we both feel it was money well spent. The two ovens do exactly what was claimed for them and the hob not only responds as quickly as any gas flame but can be cleaned in 20 secs. Nevertheless the real joy is the way the shelves glide in and out under mere finger pressure even when supporting a full-size Le Creuset filled to the brim with Irish stew. A perfect example of well-studied ergonomics - the science of ensuring an efficient relationship between the worker and his (or her) workplace.

Funny. I only owned one BMW (satisfyingly replaced by a Lexus) and the most memorable detail was the way the windscreen-wiper stalk worked. In a lesser car it would have been simply off and on. But in this case there was a tiny increase in pressure as it was switched. Difficult to explain but a genuine tactile pleasure.