Launderess,
One also lived in a fashionable part of North London for four years during the nineties, whilst in a live-in relationship with a Greek Cypriot.
One had an AGA rather like Eddie, but (unlike Eddie) ONLY an AGA with no alternative. This was also in a lower ground floor kitchen. Although one did one's best, multi cultural candlelight suppers involving extended family were indeed a challenge.
One can fully understand Eddie's need for an alternative heat source.
This is because (from memory) despite doing one's best to please, one's efforts were either boiling over uncontrollably or barely simmering.
Subtly altering the position of one's (barely accessible) adjustable knob down below was sadly a fruitless exercise, despite many attempts to hit the perfect spot.
There was simply no way I could find of adequately satisfying such many and varied requirements within this situation.
This being the case for the duration of one's stay with this partner, things finally fizzled out between us. I reassert; I think that the main problem was that there was nothing in between. For a successful partnership, one always needs something in between.
One `lived and learned'.