Do you installing one in the chimney breast?

That's what I'm thinking, if i can.

What is the thing above the cooker that looks like an extractor???

Its a light... I too thought it was an extractor until the day i moved in 😬

This is really helpful advice. Thank you.
Sadly there is no external wall or window - it goes onto a conservatory - and the hob is directly above the cooker. Looks like the only option is to investigate the chimney - would a general builder be best here or do I need a specialist?
(Thanks for the advise, new doing this solo)

Is the recess an old chimney? I would be getting a builder to investigate the wall, to look at the construction to see if I could utilise any extra space in the kitchen.

Yes a general builder is probably your best bet to start with, but don't agree to anything untill you've had at least 3 quotes and try and look at either previous work, customer referals, pictures, checkatrade etc as there's a lot of so called 'general builders' out there

Hi Melissa,

Jus read through your post and as you said you are getting a new hob (I was pleased you said Induction as this changes the game) you could get a vented Induction Hob.

Most of the main brands sell them - Siemens, Neff & Miele so you are in luck.

You could then pop some nice lighting under the chimney just so you boost light and look at putting in an external vent/other ventilation somewhere else in the room where an external wall is available. Vented hobs are becoming an extremely popular choice due to lack of space and the minimalist living look. They are also a fantastic option when you are limited on space but still need extraction.

Hopefully this gives you a positive less costly (and less messy) option than having to investigate and explore the insides of the chimney.

Charlie @The Kitchen Lady UK

www.thekitchenladyuk.co.uk

Thank you kitchen lady, I have the cooker directly under the hob and from the research I’ve done I do not have enough space under the hob to accommodate it 😢

@Melissa Hannigan Oh that's such a shame, have you been able to get any answers on the chimney since I last commented? Hopefully you will be able to get an extractor recessed up into the chimney.

There's some really compact options around and if ventilating outside isn't an option you could always look at getting an extractor with carbon filter so the air is cleaned, smell free and then recirculated.

Charlie @The Kitchen Lady UK

www.thekitchenladyuk.co.uk

we had the same issue when we moved in to our old house. we unboarded above the cooker and installed a recirculating telescopic extractor into the chimney hole

it had a carbon filter as The Kitchen Lady suggested which was definitely the best option for our space and worked really well (we thought about venting it right up the chimney but it seemed expensive and unnecessary)

being telescopic meant it pulled out over the hob while in use and tucked away in to the recess when not in use.

my husband did the work himself but if you're not confident with that a general builder or possibly a competent kitchen fitter could do the job for you.

i've attached a photo from our old kitchen, its not super clear but you can see how neatly the extractor tucks away

also just a sidenote, make sure the paint you use on the chimney breast is a really good washable one. having walls so close to a hob I learnt that however careful a cook you are, you'll be forever wiping it down!

when we first moved in it was a terrible paint that just could not stay clean, made such a difference after we decorated, I think we used Dulux easycare.

I think you'll find that the only difference between a recirculating and ducted extractor is the addition of a carbon filter for recirculating, the exhaust air still comes out of the top of the extractor and needs to go somewhere ie still up the chimney, so somewhere on the chimney breast you should have a vent with ducting connected to the extractor outlet so the filtered air can recirculate.

The only type of extractor that I've come across that actually vented out the front and had a diverter inside to change from ducted to recirculating was the old visor extractor.

If there is a telescopic extractor that does vent out of the front as well as the top I'd love to know as it would be really useful.

@lifestyle kitchens

interesting point, I have no idea where the vents were on ours, I dont remember it being anything special though. we got advice before fitting and had assurance what we did was fine. I know our chimney was open and 'functional' (i.e. we could have had a working fireplace where cooker was) so perhaps this is why we could have it this way, as it was still able to get air to the top of it?! or maybe because our recess was wider than the extractor we could get air up the sides. OP's recess is narrower so maybe something like we had wouldn't work in this case.

I've had both recirculating and ducted extractors. Not that my hob gets much use, I've not had any kind of vent with recirculating extractors, unless you count the vent in upvc double glazed windows. My kitchen installer said I needed an external wall extractor to comply with building regs, until I pointed out that my hob extractor could be vented through the ceiling and the loft to outside (I live in a bungalow). He assumed I'd use it in recirculating mode, saying that's what most people do.