The value of British kitchens and items contained in them has doubled over the last three years, according to leading rural insurer NFU Mutual. The rise is attributed in part to the popularity of television shows such as The Great British Bake Off, which began in 2010 and kick-started the nation’s love affair with baking at home. The data comes from claims submitted to NFU Mutual after fires caused by kitchen equipment.

While the number of claims for kitchen fire damage has fallen every year since 2013, the average claim for this damage has risen year on year in the same period.

The average cost of a claim has risen year on year from £6,698 in 2013 to £10,048 in 2015. The average cost of a claim for the first half of 2016 was £14,694.

Wayne Cooper, high value home specialist at NFU Mutual said:

“What we’re seeing from our data is a sharp increase in the value of people’s kitchen and the items they have in it, while the numbers of claims are actually dropping.

“We’ve seen a lot more claims for high-end range cookers, and brands such as AGA, as the trend towards home cooking and baking sees our clients invest more in their kitchens than ever before.

“While it’s reassuring to see that the rise in numbers of people baking at home has not led to more house fires, I would also urge people to make sure that they value the contents of their kitchen correctly to ensure that if an accident was to occur, they would be properly covered with their insurance.”

Research in 2013 by retail analyst Conlumino revealed that more than three fifths of adults baked at home at least once that year, compared with only a third in 2011.