I know what your saying Ditch, those log burners are so much more efficient, the whole lump heating up in the room. Also you can chuck any old spitting wood, mdf etc.
I have the fire already and the house benefits from using a victorian style insert for future resale. I chose one that has a big burning area, is set well into the room and haas plenty of iron to heat up.
I like the idea of a log burner in my kitchen, if i spend more time at home in the future, then i'll get myself one.
I'll have an exposed steel chimney going up into a high apex ceiling too, so it would really kick out some