Muesli and open sandals are so last century. According to a new book about patterns of consumption across the class system, the new descriptor of the Guardian reader is ownership of a wood-burning stove. Of course it won't be true of us all, any more than the muesli tag ever was, but it is true enough to stick. And, just as real muesli is delicious, there is much to be said in this freezing weather for a stove that radiates heat from a renewable resource. Although wood, sadly, isn't always there to burn in towns and cities, and foraging for offcuts of unseasoned pine may occasionally challenge clean-air legislation and clog up the flue, in rural areas dried wood is usually there for the taking. And while the price tag for purchase and particularly the installation can be a barrier, once in, wood-burning stoves are efficient, understated, eco-friendly and, these days, icons of good design. Everything, in short, that we assume about our readers.