Milton man Allan Cooper has swapped the high seas for Highland kitchens to launch his new oven valeting business.

After 40 years in the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy, 59-year-old Allan will offer his professional oven valeting service, Ovenu, to households across the Highlands including Inverness and the surrounding areas.

Allan joins a network of more than 100 franchisees across the UK who have been delivering Ovenu’s environmentally-friendly oven valeting service.

Since 1994 Ovenu have cleaned more than one million ovens, microwaves, and barbeques. Its valeting service involves dismantling key components of an oven such as the door, interior panels, fan and shelves and placing them into design-registered equipment, which uses non-caustic products to clean the oven parts.

The whole process takes around three hours and leaves the oven, hob and exterior in immaculate condition.

Allan moved to Milton four years ago with his family after his successful naval career, which saw him travel twice around the world. Originally from Kent, Allan fell in love with the Highlands after visiting his son who had previously moved to the area.

Allan Cooper said: “Starting my Ovenu business is the perfect way for me to become my own boss and work in the marvellous Highland community. Like a lot of people who come here I absolutely fell in love with the area and the people who live here, so this should be an enjoyable new challenge for me.

“Cleaning the oven is one of the most loathed household chores so I am looking forward to taking the pain out of the job for my customers.”

He added: “I’d like to thank Cath at Invergordon Jobcentre Plus for all her help and advice also H.I.E. Inverness and East Highlands for their help in getting this project off the ground.”

Rik Hellewell, Managing Director of Ovenu, said: “Allan is a good example of someone who has gone through their life with a strong work ethic and has decided now, after a long career, that they want to become their own boss. Ovenu has established an excellent reputation among its customers for high levels of customer service and Allan is a welcome addition to our network of franchisees.”