Loyd Hitchmough found a niche in the market when he was looking for a second-hand Aga for his new house. He had major problems tracking one down, so he started Cheshire Cookers to sell reconditioned Agas.

He told The Times:

"I had been to the bank a few times with a few business plans. They were generally motortrade-related, like windscreen repairs, bumper repairs, that sort of thing.

"But I wasn't able to make them work and I didn't get the support of the bank."

This time, he went out with £800 and bought an old Aga, which he taught himself to recondition.

He said:

"A lot of it is commonsense. I learnt from my mistakes and made sure that I didn't make those mistakes again."