Last April, Michael McGinley launched his Stone Cookers brand into the UK market. One year on, he talks to Nicola Hanley about how his heat storage range cookers are shaking up the appliance industry.
For any appliance brand, praise from a celebrity chef is PR gold. So for Stone Cookers, which launched its heat storage range cookers into the UK in 2024, winning over renowned rock-star chef, restaurateur and TV personality Marco Pierre White has been game changing.
“Of all the stoves of this kind ever made, this is without question the greatest,” says White, who was so impressed by Stone Cookers that not only has he become its brand ambassador, but he’s also designed his own Marco Pierre White Signature model and become a shareholder in the business.
The collaboration was a testament to the passion and determination of Stone Cookers' founder and designer Michael McGinley. “I had envisaged that if I was to partner with any brand ambassador, I’d like it to be Marco Pierre White,” he says. “And I think if you focus on something hard enough and you follow the steps that you believe to be right, you can achieve it.”
McGinley, who has dedicated the last 10 years to developing his innovative heat storage range cookers, was initially told that White doesn’t get involved in projects such as his. However, within 15 minutes of seeing a photo of a Stone Cookers appliance, White was sold, McGinley says. “Speaking with Marco, he started from a humble background and he worked hard and when I told him the story of how this cooker came to be, he could relate to it.”
McGinley, who did finance at university before working in heavy construction, spent years travelling around the UK, studying the heat storage range cooker market inside out, looking at how he could revolutionise the sector. “It’s been like climbing a long stepladder for many years,” he says. “It’s taken a lot of time and money to develop a cooker such as this and it’s been done organically from the ground up with no resources to the stage where we’ve now got world-beating products.”
Designed and manufactured in the UK, Stone Cookers’ high-end heat storage range cookers are fully electric, created to blend radiant warmth with modern efficiency. “We’ve taken this appliance category and pushed it forward into the future,” says McGinley. “There’s an air of tradition and heritage about these type of cookers. We’ve updated them for the modern age for people who want the charm and aesthetics of a traditional cooker with an engine that is compatible with modern life. There’s technology in there that’s not been used in this industry before. There’s WiFi compatibility, apps, timers and a custom bluetooth handset. Heat-up times are lightning compared to the competition and efficiency is at its core.”
In just 50 minutes, Stone Cookers’ ovens will get up to temperature, whereas traditional models can take around 10 hours, McGinley says. Another point of difference is its patent-pending stone-lined oven. “It cooks differently, providing a more even distribution of heat versus a cast iron oven and there’s less hot spots. It’s an industry first. We have a pizza mode that takes the oven up to 375°C and cooks a pizza in 90 seconds. I’m not aware of any other appliance that can do that in a domestic setting.”
McGinley describes his appliances as “cookers for all seasons.” Because of the faster heat-up times, users can switch it on as required during the warmer months and it can be controlled remotely using its mobile app, through the custom Bluetooth handset or by hand. Consumers can choose from cast iron hot plates or opt for an induction hob and there’s an array of colours and 3 sizes available.
“From our perspective, there’s not been much innovation in this industry for many, many decades, so we’re by far the most exciting and vibrant thing happening in this industry. The way I see it, we’re taking the appliance category out of the dark ages and into the future and catering for a bigger demographic and broader, more inclusive market because of the features and functionality of the product,” says McGinley. “It’s not just about a room heater and a cooker anymore. It’s about what you can do with it because people live in their kitchens now and it’s a focal point in their homes and lives. It’s about food and striving for something better.”
The company’s manufacturing facility is based in Bedfordshire and it has plans to open a flagship showroom nearby later this year. Products are currently sold direct to consumers but McGinley says he is working on building his UK-wide distribution network, which he hopes to announce imminently, and he also has KBB Birmingham 2026 in his sights. Ultimately, he is looking to “gain a massive foothold of the UK industry and then go to other territories in a few years”.
“I always believed the product would do what it’s doing but it’s staggering the response we've had from the general public and wider industry,” McGinley says. “This was an industry that was crying out to be pulled forward and someone had to do it.”
