If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a home in World of Warcraft, now’s your chance... sort of. Azeroth Homes: Sales + Lettings, the game’s first-ever estate agent, opens its doors in London’s East End this weekend for two days only, bringing Blizzard’s fantasy housing system to life in the real world.

From Friday, 30th of January to Saturday, 31st of January, visitors can wander through a pop-up estate agent on Bethnal Green Road that looks ordinary from the outside but is brimming with Azerothian charm once you step inside.

The immersive space invites fans to explore beautifully designed in-game homes, take part in guided tours, and try their hand at creating their own Player Housing at dedicated PC stations.

Celebrity interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen stars in the launch campaign video, celebrating the joy of personalising a home, whether in Azeroth or in the real world.

Guests can also meet the developers behind the Player Housing system, chat with popular World of Warcraft streamers, and explore themed spaces where virtual property comes to life with all the details you’d expect from your favourite fantasy universe.

This isn’t just a gaming event, it’s a playful commentary on Britain’s obsession with property. As of December 2025, Rightmove remains one of the UK’s top 25 most-visited websites, showing that the nation’s fascination with houses isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Azeroth Homes taps into that cultural love of homeownership while adding a distinctly magical, fantasy twist.

Whether you’re a longtime adventurer, a lapsed hero, or simply curious about the crossover between gaming, design, and property, Azeroth Homes promises a weekend of quirky, immersive fun. The pop-up is open from 10am to 6pm on both Friday 30 and Saturday 31 January 2026 at 133 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 7DG, and admission is free.

• The UK’s top 50 Gastropubs have been announced – and 11 London spots made the list

Some of the world’s most recognisable contemporary artists are backing a major London art auction raising funds for medics in Gaza.

Health Workers 4 Palestine has announced the artist line-up for Seeds of Solidarity, an upcoming art auction taking place as part of its Seeds of Solidarity Gala at The Savoy on 1 February 2026. The auction will raise money for the organisation’s Gaza Medics’ Solidarity Fund, which supports healthcare workers operating under extreme conditions.

Among those donating work is Brian Eno, who will contribute Seeing Through to Sky. The musician and visual artist has a long history of using art to support humanitarian causes, including previous collaborations for War Child. Turner Prize-winning sculptor Sir Antony Gormley, best known for Angel of the North, is also contributing a piece.

They are joined by almost 20 artists in total, including Mona Hatoum, Lisa Brice, Hassan Hajjaj, Caroline Walker, Alison Wilding, Sam Durant and Rana Begum, making the auction one of the most high-profile charity art events announced for next year.

Health Workers 4 Palestine is a global organisation of medical professionals spanning more than 70 cities worldwide, campaigning for the protection of Palestinian healthcare. The Seeds of Solidarity auction aims to bring together artists, collectors and the wider public in support of medics working in Gaza under extreme conditions.

The auction is curated by Zayna Al-Saleh, the British-Palestinian art curator behind the Voices of Palestine auctions, which raised more than $1.4 million between 2024 and 2025. There will also be a performance by the London Arab Orchestra conducted by Maestro Basel Saleh.

The fundraiser comes amid ongoing devastation to Gaza’s healthcare system. More than 1,700 health workers have been killed, while 37 humanitarian aid organisations, including Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières and Save the Children, have been blocked from entering the region. The Solidarity Fund has been co-designed with Gaza medics and provides stipends to doctors, while also funding mobile clinics and the rebuilding of maternity wards.

Health Workers 4 Palestine’s Seeds of Solidarity Gala & Auction takes place on Sunday 1 February 2026, from 5pm, at The Savoy, London. More information and registration to bid are available on the website.

• Burns Night in London: Haggis, ceilidh, whisky and all the best things to do

Back in the day, before TikTok, YouTube, and AI image generators, the best thing you could possibly do on a PC was fire up Microsoft Paint and create an absolute madness. Back in the day, this was true art.

Despite Microsoft Paint still being around, it's hard to imagine it's anywhere as popular as it used to be, which is why the MS Paint Mirror from Drought is an excellent addition for anyone looking to reminisce and look like they were made in the programme.

You can pre-order the throwback mirror now, but the store closes on the 20th April, so if you’re going to order one, then now is the time. Not only is the mirror an amusing throwback tapping deep into nostalgia, but it also looks to be a decent size, meaning it's practical too. The mirror dimensions:

• 47.25 inches tall
• 31.5 inches wide
• 1.25 inches thick
• Mirror surface dimensions: 36 inches x 21.5 inches

Thanks to the size of the mirror, (the MS Paint aesthetic takes up plenty of space), it's meant to be hung on the wall, supported by the two keyholes on the back.

The mirror will cost $395. Pre-orders will be logged from now and until the store closes, and dispatch is intended for 8-12 weeks after the store closes.

There is international shipping, however, the cost of shipping will vary depending on where in the world you’re located. If you’re looking for an interesting piece that will spark conversation and lead to plenty of reminiscing, this mirror will be a welcome addition to anyone’s space.

• If you're looking to keep things old school, then the new Fujifilm instax mini 41 will be right up your street.

Amazon sells a veritable cornucopia of products - from the best budget Amazon buys to products you can spend thousands on. And those deals only get better when sales periods like Cyber Monday kick into gear. Pretty much anything you want, they’ll have it (or a passable version of it, at the very least).

• Amazon: Giant offers on Kindle, iPad, TVs and Gaming

This can get pretty expensive, especially if you have Prime. We all know how easy it is to click ‘Buy Now’ about four thousand times every time you hit the site – and our bank balances are not happy about it.

But do not fear. We’ve scoured the depths of Amazon to find the very best bargains on offer, from Amazon Basics to bigger brands dropping their prices for the seasonal sales. Your wallet will thank us.

Don't have Amazon Prime? Then sign up for 30 days' free now.

Here are some brilliant low-cost Amazon items.

Amazon's Cyber Monday sales highlights

Best cheap Amazon buys

• The best Cyber Monday deals, handpicked by our editors

Get a decent office chair. It's one of the first pieces of advice you'll be told if you start working from home.

We also often hear folks recommended a Herman Miller Aeron. It's the chair you seen most often in fancy offices in movies. There's just one problem. Those chairs cost a fortune.

You don't have to spend £1000 or more to avoid back pain, though.

Our list of the best budget office chairs starts at under £100, and tops out at £150 - a budget that's hopefully manageable, even in these tightest of tight times.

This price bracket is a pretty happy place to be in office chair land. It’s enough to net you proper height adjustment and seat tilt, lumbar support and a solid metal core seat post construction that will take some beating.

One of the key decisions you have to make here is “to mesh or not to mesh?”

A mesh back will help keep you cool and avoid sweating because the back of the chair itself is super-breathable. In this more affordable price bracket, mesh is often a good idea because one of the key alternatives, synthetic leather, can feel sticky and tacky in its lower-cost guises.

However, we have both styles to show below. And one of them is a chair, below £100, we’ve been testing recently right inside Shortlist towers.

If you're in search of an office chair with no budget constraints, we also have a guide to the best office chairs, featuring options ranging from £100 to £1,000.

Best budget office chairs in the UK under £150

• If you have already purchased your desk, then we have the perfect Shortlist for you. We've just updated our best desk accessories guide.
• These are the best desk toys to help make working from home a little more fun
• These are the best coffee table books - awesome reads every single one of them.

When you think about getting kitted out for work, you might consider a new laptop, maybe a monitor and even a business email address. An office chair needs to be among those tier-one buys.

Sitting in a chair that doesn't let you achieve an optimal working position will lead to aches, pains and potentially longer-term injury.

It's not just about lower-back (lumbar) support. You also want an office chair that lets you sit at the right level, so you can look at your laptop screen or monitor without having to bend your neck in a way that will cause strain over time.

We think of these office chairs as splitting into three categories you need to consider. There are the high-profile seats big companies tend to buy for their workforce. They come from brands like Herman Miller and Steelcase, and are fantastic… if you can afford them. Top models often start at around £1000, rising even higher if you opt for extras like leather upholstery and additional seat adjustment.

In the middle ground is where most people should probably shop. These are seats made for ordinary folks like us — for the home office rather than offices of great shining skyscrapers.

Their build will often be a little bit less over-engineered. But does it really matter? If you treat your stuff with even a drop of care, not really.

Gaming chairs are the final category. And we don’t tend to recommend these too often. The quality varies, and the racing seat styling isn’t for everyone. However, one of our favourite office chairs ever, the Herman Miller x Logitech Embody seen below, is technically a gaming chair. There are exceptions to every rule, right?

If you want some more advice on what you should look for when buying an office chair, then head to our handy guide below our shortlist, which is packed with useful buying advice. Happy hunting!

Best office chair UK

How to buy an office chair

5 tips to make sure you get the right office chair for you

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Welcome to the wonderful (and sometimes frustrating) experience of buying an office chair. Making sure you have the best office chair for you is vital as it needs to do a number of things.

It needs to be the right fit for your office (or wherever you want it), it has to be long lasting and, most importantly, comfortable for you. If you are going to be working from home for the foreseeable, then you need to be damn comfy doing it. Here are five things to look out for:

1. Choose the right material

An office chair is often made from a number of key materials. Leather is one of the most popular materials (or leather look, which has been given the brilliant rebrand of vegan leather). This offers extreme comfort and is usually found in executive chairs.

A mesh seat and back is another popular choice, which is the most breathable choice, so if you see yourself sitting down for long periods of them, then this could be a good fit for you.

Then there are fabric-based chairs. These are usually the cheapest, but are simple and, above all, comfortable.

2. Think about the ergonomic features

While the way a chair looks is important, you should also think about how it might feel to sit in it for hours at a time.

An office chair will usually be adjustable to a point and the amount you can adjust it will usually up the price. But there are some essential adjustments you need to be able to make. We recommend looking for a backrest tilt, which will change the angle of the chair and take the pressure off your back.

An adjustable seat is important as you need to make sure that both your feet are on the ground when sitting at a desk. Also look for adjustable height options, and the ability to shift your headrest.

Other things to consider are armrests that help with back support, as well as good lumbar support.

3. Think about the type of chair you want

Yes, it's an office (or at least a makeshift one) but is a huge executive chair really going to fit the look? Maybe, but it might be that a gaming chair fits the vibe of your room better or a swivel chair will help you feel like you’re back in the office. It might be that you’re happy with a fixed chair and that's what you want. Understanding the type of chair you like and that suits your space will help focus your buying.

4. Have a price in mind

We would love a Herman Miller, too, but if your budget doesn't stretch then you have to think realistically about the type of office chair that you want. You can get a decent chair for under £100 if that's what you are looking for – add another hundred to the price and it really does open up your options. You can't spend too much on an office chair, as you’ll be paying for style and brand but just make sure it's what you need before you splash the cash.

5. Ask yourself how lazy you are

If you’re really lazy, then make sure that you go and get a self-assembled chair. It will be a pain to try and fit it into your room, but it does mean that the thing is ready to use right away. If you’re happy to spend a little bit of time putting things together then you’ll find that there are far more office chairs available to you.

• Keen to shake up more of your office set-up? Then check out our list of the best standing desks.
• Want something a bit cheaper? Then head to our best budget office chairs guide.
• Once you have decided on which is the best office chair for you, then head to our best desk accessories guide.
• These are the best coffee table books for your home
• The best desk toys revealed - have some fun while you work.

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that once you've seen one desk lamp, you've seen them all. But these days there's so much variety to choose from and you'll find lamps that are packed with features through to those that are sleek and simplistic.

A good light source is essential if you’re working from home to avoid everything from eye strain and headaches to low productivity and fatigue.

However, in our round-up of the best desk lamps below you'll see there's much more to a desk lamp than just providing light. Some come with added adjustments, others have smart bulbs that change colour and others double as charging docks, Bluetooth speakers and more.

• Working from home? Look after your back with one of the best standing desks
• Upgrading your workspace? Take a look at our guide to finding the best office chair.
• Or, if you're sick of sitting, read our best standing desks list.
• These are the best wake-up lights – the best way to wake up from sleep.

Best desk lamps

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

One of the best Nespresso machines is essential if you love fuss-free coffee. Nespresso machines use small, pre-packaged capsules and high pressure to extract concentrated coffee, which means they do a great job at creating a top-notch, strong brew.

What we love most about Nespresso machines is that there's a vast range of coffee capsules to choose from with flavours to suit every mood. Fancy an intense or syrupy Kazaar? How about a short and punchy Nespresso? Or maybe you’re more a round-and-balanced Livanto kind of coffee drinker? Whatever your preferred coffee, the Nespresso capsule range is extensive, and promises a satisfying start to the day.

But enough about the capsules. Nespresso makes a sophisticated collection of user-friendly machines you can slot them into. But with so many companies, including Krups, De’Longhi and Magimix, fighting for the top spot to provide the ultimate Nespresso coffee machine design, it’s hard to know which Nespresso machine is right for you.

Luckily, we've created this list to the top Nespresso coffee machines, each boasting their own special features. Read on to find out which one of these Best Nespresso Coffee Machines is equipped to make the perfect grande, skinny, sugar-free vanilla flat white first thing in the morning or a simple yet divine, bold hit of espresso after dinner.

• Want to check out the competition? Read our best pod coffee machine list.
• Looking for something more professional? These are the best coffee machines

Best Nespresso machine

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

If you're looking for the best gifts for movie lovers, you're in the right place. In this guide, we've got popcorn treats, special editing boxsets and enviable memberships that are guaranteed to delight the film fan in your life.

It's not easy to find the best gifts for movie lovers. Many of the film buffs we know already have all of the kit they need to watch their favourite flicks – although we have included one of the best 4K Blu-ray players below, just in case. But we think there are still plenty of gift ideas that will level up their home cinema experience, and we've included some smaller and sillier gifts if you're looking for budget present options.

Of course, it helps to know a little bit about the tastes of the film lover in your life before you buy one of the more expensive presents in this list. It would be worth checking they love a good A24 film before getting them a membership or that they're a fan of Kubrick before buying the boxset – but then again who isn't?

With that in mind, here's our pick of the best gifts for movie lovers. And if any big film fans are reading this, do upvote your favourite suggestions.

Best gifts to buy for movie lovers

• Looking for the best Blu-rays? Take a look at our best 4K Blu-ray movies guide.

Additional reporting Hannah Flint

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

Is any drink more tied to a national identity than tea is to the UK? Whether you like a strong cup of English Breakfast, tend to start the day with an Earl Grey or have moved onto caffeine-free herbal infusions, there's a place for tea in all of our hearts. Right?

However, maybe it's time to try something new. We're looking at some of the best, and best-known, tea brands to give you a springboard to explore the wider world of tea. Vote for your favourite to give other readers a steer.

UPDATE:We have added a couple of the most-recognised names in tea to our best tea brands guide, although one you are more likely to know for its tea-infused cold drinks than for its English Breakfast teabags. However, it's proof of which how diverse a drink tea really is.

Recent years have seen our nation’s drinking habits change dramatically. According to a report by Mintel, 37% of 25-34 year-olds drink 5-6 different kinds of tea a month, suggesting variety really is the key of life. A separate study conducted by National Tea Day revealed 80% of brands noted the current ‘health and wellness’ trend as something that has changed our buying habits.

From potent fruit concoctions to punchy black-tea hybrids, these brands have it all in terms of variety, quality and ethical principles. Upvote the one that earns a place in your kitchen cupboard.

• And if you fancy another type of brew, head to our best coffee subscription list.

Best tea: bags and loose-leaf blends

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

In many ways, flowers are the perfect gift; they're nice to look at, you can personalise the type and colour to the person, and they're generally inexpensive. Finding a good place to order them from is another matter (and that's where our best flower delivery shortlist comes in).

Whether you’re showing a loved one how much you really care, or simply want to brighten up the kitchen, here is a selection of the best flower delivery companies. Many offer same or next day delivery, and the trend of 'letterbox' flowers means many of the bouquets can even be posted through your letterbox if you're not in (genius).

And, because flowers are such a personal choice, we've included a range of flower species, colour tones and prices so you're bound to find a bouquet that suits you (or your significant other) in the list below.

Have you used any of these delivery companies? Upvote your favourite to help other readers, and let us know if we’ve missed any fantastic florists.

• If it’s the delivery-to-your-door element you love, check out our best subscription boxes covering everything from alcohol to books.

Best flower delivery service

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

A kettle is an essential for any modern kitchen. If you’re in the market for a new one, you want to make sure it’s up to the task, time and time again. Given our obsession for a brew, the best kettle in the UK will be used at least three times a day - add that up over the lifetime of a kettle and it's obvious that this is one gadget that has to be rather durable.

This is why we’ve spent weeks and weeks putting the best electric kettles on the market through their paces, timing how long they take to boil, negotiating special features and testing their durability, to find the best value options and the kettles that really perform.

Below you can read what we liked and disliked with all the kettles we tested but, for clarity, the best kettle for value was the fast-boiling Russell Hobbs Inspire Kettle. The best kettle overall was the expensive but excellent Dualit Classic.

There are some more great choices in our list but whatever you want from your boiler, you’ll find it here.

Finding the best kettle is nothing without a great cup of whatever you want. We've been extremely busy testing the best tea brands and best coffee brands the world over. And if you want coffee on tap, these best coffee subscription services are ideal. If you are looking for a dedicated machine, then we recently updated our best Nespresso machines guides - there are some great coffee makers to go alongside your kettle purchase.

Award winners: our best kettles revealed

When it comes to the best kettle in the UK for value, this is great budget option, this fast-boil kettle has some nice touches at the price point, including hidden cup measurements inside so you can fill to one cup only, an easily removable limescale filter and stainless steel accents. Also comes in black and white.

If you can afford to pay that bit more this stainless steel kettle is the best overall kettle in the UK we'd recommend. It comes with Whisper Boil technology making it one of the quietest kettles out there. It’s a fast boiler with a non-spill spout and a repairable and replaceable element, meaning it’ll last years.

• the shortlist
• our expert
• The test selection
• how we tested
• test results
• best overall
• best value
• the rest compared
• Feeback

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The ShortList: the kettles we considered

Upvote of downvote to have your say on our shortlist, or scroll down for the expert's view.

Author Bio

Charlotte Thomas

Charlotte Thomas is a former holiday rep and travel agent who has edited three travel magazines. She now writes about health and lifestyle and spends her spare time travelling to the Alps and across the UK looking for trails to run.

The Expert's View

25

Hours tested

34

Products considered

1

Experts Consulted

2

Shortlist best buys

How we selected the kettles to test

You might think your kettle-buying choices are pretty basic. Is the colour going to fit with your kitchen theme? How much does it cost? And how long does it take to boil? If only it were that simple. Kettles these days come packed with features, meaning there’s much more to consider than just the ability to heat water. Particularly if you’re serious about your cuppa.

Manufacturers have cottoned onto Britain’s growing obsession with swanky coffees and teas that stretch beyond builders’. As such, many kettles now offer variable temperature settings designed to help you get that Sencha green tea at the perfect degree without damaging its delicate flavour (that’s 85°C since you ask).

At the mid-to-top-end of the kettle kingdom you’ll find quiet boil features – ideal if that bubbling rocking sound is too much first thing in the morning – stay warm options that keep your water ready to go for an extra 20 minutes (hello meeting room), patented spill-free spouts and hidden one-cup measures. It’s a crazy world of electrical appliances out there.

Also worth taking into account when you’re looking for a new kettle is the material. Plastic kettles are usually cheaper than steel or glass but might not fit with your design aesthetic. Some people also say they find metal and glass kettles give a cleaner water taste, although that may be applicable to those with a more refined palate than ours.

One advantage of plastic kettles, though, is that they’re usually cooler to the touch after boiling. If you have small people in the house or pets who like to slink along the kitchen surface (we’re not judging) this may be a better option.

Whether you can get a matching toaster and other appliances could also be a consideration – collar and cuffs and all that.

If the waiting time for your water to boil is important, you’ll want to look for a kettle marked as rapid or fast boil, this means it’ll have a 3KW element for speedier heating.

You might also want to consider ease of use – kettles with 360-degree rotational bases are just as easy to lift and pour for left and right handers. Markings showing how much water you have inside can be handy if you want to avoid wasting energy by boiling more than you need. And then there’s that pesky blighter: limescale. If the water in your town is hard enough to have Chris Eubank Jr in a fight, a kettle with a removable, washable limescale filter will save you the rather stinky hassle of boiling vinegar to get rid of those hard deposits.

When choosing kettles to test we took into account all of the above as well as the boiling habits of different types of kettle users – the coffee and tea aficionados, the design connoisseurs and those who just want something that heats water and doesn’t go bang within a year.

And we aimed to provide a range of price points, from value options to the more expensive all-singing all-dancing multi-temperature über kettles. We looked at popular offerings from major manufacturers such as Breville, Russell Hobbs, Cusinart, Smeg and DeLonghi and chosen kettles from basic to whizz-bang.

We’ve included steel, glass and plastic models to cover every taste. All come with a minimum one-year warranty and have a 360-degree rotational base so they can be used by left and right handers.

How we tested the kettles

We did away with the labs and trialed the kettles where they’re most likely be used – in a home kitchen with a bit of Jeremy Kyle on in the background. There was a lot of boiling, a lot of timing, many hot beverages consumed and a low-hanging cloud of steam blanketing the room for a few days.

In amongst the coffee breaks (and accompanying biscuits) we looked for a number of features from our kettles. We tested each appliance by boiling a litre of water from cold – enough for around four cups – to see how long it took to reach the desired temperature and whether or not it matched the manufacturer’s claims, if they’d made any.

We did the same test when the kettle was at full capacity because, when you’re about to knock up some pasta, it’s useful to know if you can fit enough water into your kettle for the pan and if you’ve got time to chop your onions before it boils.

Alongside boiling time we were also looking for ease of use. Were the kettles simple to set up straight from the box? Where there were special features, such as variable temperatures, were these intuitive? And, more importantly, were those special features actually useful?

Were they easy to fill? Some kettles have removable lids while others have buttons to press to lift the lid – and could you pour without dribbling, spilling or contorting your wrist? No one wants a sloppy saucer after all.

We were also testing for quality, robustness, durability and noise. While no kettle is going to be completely silent, you probably don’t want one that drowns out Loose Women. (Did we mention we watched a lot of telly with our tea?)

The test results which kettle is best?

Nine of our kettles were ready to plug in straight from the box, although it’s advisable to boil a full kettle of water to remove any dirt or dust from the packaging before you first use it.

The only one that required a bit of thought was theMorphy Richards Brita Filter kettle. It’s hardly flat-pack furniture territory, but the Brita filter needs to be soaked in water before being inserted into a holder in the kettle. It’s straightforward enough, but the instruction manual took some deciphering.

As the Smeg Variable Temperature Kettle is the only one without a speedy 3KW element we were expecting a close race in the great Shortlist boil off, and we weren’t disappointed. Each of these is going to boil enough water for four cups in under three minutes.

The fastest boiler was the Dualit Classic Kettle, heating our cuppas in just two minutes and 17 seconds (although the manufacturer states it should take two minutes 14 with room temperature water).

Only one second behind was the Delonghi ArgentoFlora at two minutes 18 seconds and third fastest was the Swan Nordic kettle at two minutes 23 seconds. You’re not going to have to wait too long for your caffeine hit with any of these kettles, though – the remainder of the fast-boil options all took between two minutes 26 and two minutes 36 to reach boiling point. Even the slowest in our trial, the Smeg, which isn’t advertised as fast-boil, heated the water in less than three minutes, taking two minutes 50 seconds to boil.

Two of our kettles, the Cuisinart Signature Collection Multi-Temp Kettle and the Smeg Variable Temperature Kettle, allow you to choose different temperatures for your beverage. The Cusinart is simple to use, with two buttons marked 85 and 100 degrees and a plus sign allowing you to add 5°C increments all located on the handle.

The temperature of the water is displayed at all times on an LCD screen, so if you want a lower temperature you can hit the off switch when it reaches the appropriate number – although who wants to stand and watch a kettle boil?

The Smeg offers a greater number of temperature options – seven in total from 50°C through to boiling. To choose the temperature required you nudge a small lever on the base and lights corresponding to each option will be illuminated.

The Smeg also has a stay-warm feature, keeping your water heated for an extra 20 minutes – useful if you’re a serial coffee drinker. The only issue here is that the thermometer button to turn on the stay-warm feature needs to be pressed before or during heating – this means if you’ve just boiled your kettle and the phone rings you can’t hit stay-warm and have that hot water waiting when you’ve finished.

All of our kettles were easy to fill and pour, no spillage anywhere. If you have weaker wrists then the plastic kettles – the Breville Flow, Russell Hobbs Inspire and Morphy Richards Brita Filter – are the lightest among our selection, while the Delonghi Argento Flora is the lightest stainless steel kettle. Nothing weighed in at over 2kg though, so all are lighter than your average two-litre bottle of water.

If you’re making tea for one person and want to save energy we liked the fact that the Russell Hobbs and Dualit kettles had markings for one cup. In fact, if being able to see water measurements in general is important to you then the Russell Hobbs Illuminating, Dualit Domus and Dualit Classic all have markings on the front, making them easier to see than those under the handle.

All kettles, with the exception of the Morphy Richards Brita Filter, had removable limescale filters which can be washed under the tap. However, the filter in the Swan Nordic was quite hard to remove and made from fabric, so it probably won’t last as long as some of the others.

All of them seemed durable enough to stand the test of time, with the exception of the Swan Nordic Kettle. Ours was slightly wobbly on its base, meaning it took two or three presses of the on/off switch to turn on at first. While this settled down after a few uses it may mean a couple of knocks could throw this kettle off kilter.

When it came to noise, there were no real screamers, so our ears weren’t overly offended. If you want a quiet kettle, though, the Dualit Classic is the winner – its Whisper technology means it does, actually, sound like a whisper when it boils.

We were also impressed with how quiet the Smeg Variable Temperature Kettle was, although it beeps when it’s turned on and when it’s boiled – a useful notifier if you’re busy doing other things while you wait for it to boil, not so good if you want something as quiet as possible.

Overall winner: our ultimate kettle choice

Dualit 1.7 litre Classic Kettle review, £145.99

Let’s get the obvious out of the way straight off – this is not a cheap kettle. But if you’re able to fork out the extra coin then what you get is attention to detail, quality design and finish, and a fast-boil kettle that’s built to last.

The retro stainless steel styling is, as the name suggests, a design classic. It’s going to look good for years to come. If you want to add a hint of colour, there are five different options for a coloured band around the bottom and on the handle, all in tasteful hues with names like powder, feather and shadow. There are four different varieties of toaster to match, too, including one made specially for buns and teacakes.

The stainless steel limescale filter is much sturdier than most we tested so won’t fray or bend (as cheaper options can) and is easily removed for washing. The hinges on the lid are sturdy beasts made from stainless steel so they won’t break or snap.

This was the fastest boiling kettle we tested and the covered spout makes it pretty much impossible to spill hot liquid even if you try. And it means no dribbly limescale marks either.

It’s quiet, too. So quiet, in fact, it has a Quiet Mark award from the Noise Abatement Society for its patented Whisper Boil technology. While it's not completely silent it never reaches the crescendo most kettles do as they near boiling point.

It has dual water gauges, one in litres (handy for cooks) and one in cups. These are easily able to view on each side of the body, rather than hidden under the handle as many are. And it really will last for years. Whereas cheaper kettles often end up in landfill when the element wears out, the Classic Kettle has a replaceable, repairable heating element.

On the downside, the lack of variable temperature and stay-warm functions may be an issue if you like speciality teas heated to a certain degree. That sturdiness does come with a bit of extra weight, too – this was the second heaviest kettle we tested (although it was still less than 2kg, the average weight of a two-litre bottle of water). The main con really is the price, which makes it an unlikely option for most budgets.

Our choice of the best kettle for value

Russell Hobbs 1.7 litre Inspire Kettle review, £39.99

If you’re looking for a quality kettle without splashing too much cash then the Russell Hobbs Inspire is a solid option. Robust and durable, this plastic kettle comes in three different colours – white, black and red – so it’ll fit in with most kitchen colour schemes. Stainless steel accents make it look classier than many other kettles in this price range and you can get a two- or four-slice toaster to match if you fancy.

The little touches are what makes it stand out for the price. There’s a washable limescale filter that’s really easy to remove, which is particularly handy if you’re in a hard water area. Hidden inside the kettle you’ll also find little plastic markers showing one, two and three cups. This means it’s very easy to get exactly the right amount of water without craning your neck to see the external measurements, which are hidden under the handle. Saves you wasting water and energy as well, innit.

While it doesn’t offer variable temperatures or a stay-warm feature, and we wouldn’t expect them at this price, it does the basics well. It’s fast-boil – the manufacturer claims it can boil a cup in 45 seconds, we found it to be slightly quicker – and it was among the five fastest boilers in our selection.

Easy to fill with a wide removable lid, it was one of the lighter kettles we tested so there’s less chance of breaking your wrist when lifting it if that’s a concern. And it feels as though it could take a bit of a knocking about.

The only thing we weren’t too keen on was the ridged plastic. While the ridges help to camouflage any greasy finger marks they can mean you’ll spend a little bit longer wiping it clean.

Comparing the rest on test

If our test winner and best value options don’t take your fancy, here’s everything you need to know to find your perfect kettle from the rest we tested.

The best kettle for hard water areas

If you have a real issue with limescale or find water that the in your area has a taste you’re not keen on, the Morphy Richards Brita Filter kettle filters water as it boils, ridding it of any impurities and leaving cleaner tasting water. It’s not the best looking kettle out there (it’s very plasticky), but it is fast-boil at a budget price. It’s worth bearing in mind that you will have to replace filters every four weeks, though they’re not too expensive at around £12.50 for three on Amazon, but this is an added cost.

Best for minimalist kitchens

The Swan Nordic Kettle is a great-looking option for less than £50. We really like the clean lines, slate grey rubberised coating and wood effect handle – it’s not actually wood but rubberised coating instead, so it won’t warp and bloat when it comes into contact with water. It was also one of the fastest boilers we tested. It’s basic on the function front, however – the water gauge starts at four cups, the limescale filter is hard to remove and doesn’t seem too durable and it also took a couple of gos to turn it on at first.

Best all-rounder and best quiet kettle tested

We were really impressed by the Breville Flow for the price. It was only just beaten to our best value choice by a very slim whisker. It’s basic but does what it does very well. The plastic body is solid and durable and it was the coolest of our kettles to the touch after boiling, good if you have small children around. The lid is easy to remove and there’s a large space for quick and easy filling, as well as a nice wide easy-pour spout. The limescale filter is super easy to remove and it’s fast-boil to boot. A good choice for a family kitchen.

The best glass kettle for looks

The fast-boil Russell Hobbs Illuminating Kettle stands out for its reassuring glow. Turn the kettle on and the body lights up blue as it boils and you can see the water bubbling and boiling like a lava lamp. There isn’t really any point to this but it’s mesmerising to watch. Nice one-cup marking on the body, too. The downside to glass kettles is that you can see any marks or limescale build up immediately so you might have to descale your kettle more often. Condensation is also visible after boiling, but if that’s a bother you can just ping the lid open for a couple of minutes.

Best for multiple temperatures

If you want to choose your water temperature, theCuisinart Signature Collection Multi-Temp Kettle is a good choice at a not too hefty price – £80, and often available for less. Water temperature is displayed on an LCD screen at all times so you can watch it change as it boils. You select the temperature by pressing an 85 or 100 degree button on the handle, while a plus button allows you to add on to the 85 in 5°C increments. For anything lower than 85 degrees, though, you’ll have to watch the temperature and turn it off manually.

Best for retro kitchens

The Delonghi Argento Flora is a nice retro-look steel kettle that was the second fastest to boil out of those we tested. This is a decent, durable boiler that doesn’t go in for fancy features. What it do go in for, though, are looks. It comes in a number of ice-cream shades including pink, green and blue.

Best travel kettle and one for smaller work spaces

If kitchen counter space is tight a slightly smaller kettle like the Dualit Domus is a good choice. You’re still going to get 1.5 litres – around six cups – out of it but it’s just that bit more compact. It’s also a lovely looking, quality, fast-boil kettle. We really like the dual water gauges in litres and cups, the one-cup mark and the attention to detail – the plug is round to complement the kettle’s design.

Best kettle for Instagram

Yes, it can offer you seven different temperature options and keep your water warm for 20 minutes after boiling, but the real beauty of a Smeg appliance is the design. This kettle looks like it’s been plucked from a 1950s’ Airstream trailer. Get the matching fridge, blender, toaster etc and show off to all your mates. The kettle pings when you turn it on and when it’s boiled – some people might find this irritating but we found it a useful reminder to make our tea.

What did we miss?

Tell us, and we'll feedback to our reviewers so we can include it going forwards.

Now that we are allowed to do far more traveling, finding the best travel mug to join you on your commute is essential.

Not only are travel mugs a great way to keep your hot drink of choice warm for hours, the best reusable cups are also sustainable and far better for the environment.

When you’re on the go and in a rush, it’s easy to pick up a cheap coffee and chuck the cup away when you’re done. But while it might be convenient, it’s also two other things – bad for the environment and bad for your wallet - which is why you need one of the best travel mugs around.

For a start, if you choose wisely, they look great, can be used over and over again, are good for the environment and can even save you money. Even if you don’t make your drink at home and take it with you, many coffee shops now offer a discount if you bring your own cup.

With many of us actually getting back out in the world, there's never been a better time to buy yourself a reusable cup - and we've spent a lot of time brewing brews to try out our picks below.

Here’s our pick of the best travel mugs on the market. Don't forget to upvote your favourite and if you fancy a brew, then head to our best tea brands and best coffee subscriptions guides.

Best travel mugs

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

Gone are the days of having to wait for the ice cream van, or heading to the supermarket to get your fix – the best ice cream makers have been designed so that creating ice cream at home is now incredibly easy to do.

Not only are they convenient (no getting up and going to the shop when you have a craving), they let you create whatever ridiculous flavour combination tickles your fancy. And now, with summer fast approaching, there's never been a better time to up your ice-cream game.

While the best ice cream maker will get more use in the summer, we've found it's a year-long gadget - even in the coldest months there is nothing like whipping up some homemade ice cream and having a treat when in the warm.

And with your own ingredients, you can also create a slightly healthier version of your favourite indulgent treats if you fancy something lighter.

Here’s our guide to the best ice cream makers on the market.

Best ice cream makers

• The ultimate best kitchen gadgets guide

It doesn't matter what time of the year it is, sometimes you just need to find the best fan to keep you cool.

There’s one bit you need to get your head around when buying a fan, though. Few of them actually cool the air. They just blow it around a bit. This has a cooling effect, though, as it helps the sweat evaporate from your skin. And that’s how we, as humans, cool down.

Science lesson over, what do we want from a fan? The main concerns are: will it fit in the space? Will it look good in there? Is it too noisy? And do we want a fanless design to make it safer for wandering infant fingers? That's right, you can buy fanless fans.

Here are some of the best fans to consider. Upvote the one you’d choose. And if you are really hot, then you may want to invest in the best ice cream maker.

Best fans

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

The nights are drawing in, the days are getting colder – Christmas jumper season is well and truly upon us, which means you need to find the best Christmas jumper for you.

Whether you like a kitsch design, something cool and classic or you want to wear your love of pop culture on your sleeve(s), there's a Christmas jumper out there for you.

We've selected the best: from the ridiculous to the stylish, the cool to the downright kitsch, here's every Christmas jumper you could possibly need this Xmas.

If you fancy other guides, then check out our best whisky gifts, best wine gifts and best Christmas baubles lists.

Best Christmas jumpers

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

There are some surprisingly fierce debates around Christmas trees (and the best Christmas baubles and tree decorations to go on it).

Real ones can look nicer, but they shed a lot, and end up having to be unceremoniously dragged out of the house come January.

Fake ones, on the other hand, lack the rustic charm of an authentic tree, but can be easily shoved in the attic again for next year – making them more economical, too.

Some people are fiercely anti-tinsel, decrying it as tacky and tasteless; others see it as an essential part of the festive season.

But however you like your tree, we can agree on one thing: you're going to need some baubles. And from stylish monochrome chicness to kitsch ridiculousness, we've picked the best of the bunch. Now get decorating!

• While you are putting up your decorations, you will want to listen to the best Christmas songs of all time.
• And, these are the best board games to play with your family on Christmas Day

The best baubles for your coolest Christmas tree ever

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

Who would have thought that tuning into the radio would still be a popular pastime in 2021 but. as this best DAB radio guide shows, listening to the radio is still a thriving, wonderful thing - especially now that we are spending a lot more time indoors!

UPDATE: 6Music fans were bereft when Shaun Keaveny announced he was leaving the digital radio station but his successor has been announced and it is none other than Craig Charles. The channel is a firm favourite for us when testing devices for our best DAB radio guide, so we're glad that Charles is taking over the afternoon slot.

The key to the format’s ongoing popularity, like many things, has been digitisation. Even before the rise of the podcast, DAB radio sold a modern audience on the charms of an audio-only experience.

Digital audio broadcasting offers a more robust radio listening experience than classic analogue, with the capacity for way more stations and the potential for superior sound quality.

The only thing is, you’ll need a dedicated DAB radio to take advantage of this digital listening platform. Here are 8 of the best DAB radios currently available.

Looking for an alarm clock? Then our best alarm clocks and best wake up light guides are for you.

Best DAB radio

How to buy a DAB Radio: buying advice

When buying a DAB radio there are a few things you need to consider. The first is a bit of an obvious one but you need to make sure that you can currently get a DAB signal in your household - the majority of the UK now has DAB, but it's worth using the UK Radio postcode searcher to find out.

The second thing to look for is price. While our best DAB Radio guide has radios ranging from £100 to £400, you might be tempted to go a little lower or higher. If this is the case, then always try and go for a make that you know, or one that you know to be trusted in this area.

Ruark Audio has been making radios for a number of years now and are a brand that's been awarded for their products. Likewise Pure - who was one of the first to get into the DAB radio space. These types of brands are trusted for a reason, because they have a history of making great products. Go for a lesser brand and it may be that the device you get doesn't last quite as long as you would like it to.

Don't just look for DAB when looking for a DAM radio, either. Many DAB radios will also come with internet radio. Unlike DAB, this is radio that comes from the web so the radio you buy will have to link up to your Wi-Fi signal, or connected via Ethernet. Internet radio opens up your radio to thousands more stations, beyond what you get with DAB.

Many DAB radios will also have Bluetooth, which means you will be able to play the likes of Spotify through the radio on your phone. Look out for DAB+, too. This is a better quality of DAB that can carry more stations and something that is starting to become more and more apparent in the UK.

While we had a few rare BBQ-ready days of fine warm weather, here's hoping that we will get plenty more. With all of us spending much more time in our homes as well, having the best BBQ in the garden is a must - so nabbing yourself the best barbecue you can is, well, an essential purchase.

Now that we can start to have big(ger) gatherings again, a BBQ is a great way to have people around but also a good reason for everyone to stay outdoors.

If you don’t already have a BBQ, then we’ve done a bit of the leg-work for you so you can get a better idea of which one to spend your hard-earned money on.

It may well be a good idea to buy your BBQ out of season, so check out our best barbecue guide and see if any of these hot things take your fancy.

Once you've done with the grilling, head over to our best craft beer guide. And if you head to the bottom of this article, we offer expert buying advice on the type of BBQ you should be buying, as well as offering up some fantastic BBQ cooking ideas.

Oh, and ass much as you need to sort out your BBQ situation, if you are cooking your food in the middle of a hell hole then you also need to head to our best garden tools guide. In the list you will find a whole host of goodies that will help get your garden into decent shape, and some that will just frankly be very cool to use - a weed burner, anyone?

Best BBQ guide

How to buy the best BBQ

The type of BBQ you are on the lookout for all depends on a number of things, including: size, ease of use, the fuel you want to use.

There’s no point buying a four burner with a mountain of chef accessories if you only have half a small patio and are cooking near your house.

On the flipside, you’ll be disappointed if you but a simple kettle BBQ and are looking to cook for a small army of people.

To help whittle down your buying choices, it’s best to choose the type of fuel you want to cook with.

Here are your options:

Charcoal BBQ

If you are after taste, then charcoal may be the way forward. Charcoal BBQs are messy and tough to maintain. Although firelighters and the like have helped reduce the time needed to prepare the BBQ, you will need to put in at least 20 minutes preparation time to get the coals white hot, and then you will have to make sure that the heat from the BBQ doesn’t instantly charcoal the meat and vegetables you put on it.

Saying that, the taste you get from a coal BBQ is hard to replicate with an electric or gas option.

If you are looking to use charcoal, then maybe also consider a smoker (which will infuse the meat with a smokey taste) or even a pizza oven.

Best charcoal BBQ: Landmann 31421 - Taurus 660

This is a fantastic BBQ with added smoker functionality. You can cook meat for up to 10 people on it and the smoker can be used with different fuels (logs, wood chips) to give your food an intense, American-style BBQ flavour. The main chamber is just the same as a regular BBQ grill with ample room for your BBQ.

Buy the Landmann 31421 - Taurus 660 now

Gas BBQ

One of the most popular BBQ choices, a gas BBQ is really easy to maintain, takes minutes to prepare and acts much like your oven in the home with dials to get the grill to the right heat. One thing to consider with a gas BBQ is the added cost of a gas cylinder. These are readily available from your nearest hardware store but there will be a premium the first time you purchase one - this is because you are effectively paying for a barrel that can be refuelled. When you bring it in to get refilled, the price will be a whole lot cheaper.

There are myriad options for a gas/charcoal hybrid BBQ which is definitely something you should consider.

Best gas BBQ: Weber Genesis II E-310 GBS

This is the ultimate gas BBQ, hence the price. The cast iron cooking gates are coated in porcelain, the ignition is instant and there is plenty of space for utensils and areas to put the meat when you have cooked it.

Buy the Weber Genesis II E-310 GBS now

Electric BBQ

Again, these are like the stoves in your home - easy to use and cook meat fast. The biggest issues here are making sure that you have an electrical outlet for your BBQ, one that is safe from the elements outside.

You can always opt for the extension lead approach but this probably isn’t a good idea in the long term.

The advantages of an electric BBQ are that it is instantly on and you can have varying temperatures on different grills. Electric grills are usually smaller and more portable, too.

Best electric BBQ: Weber Pulse 1000

Price: £449

The Weber Pulse 1000 is one of the smartest BBQs around and has been built for balconies. It uses a lid-on approach to cooking so there’s no unwanted smoke and it uses cast iron gates, which means you get that nice griddle look on the meat and veg you are cooking.

Buy the Weber Pulse 1000 from Weber

Best BBQ Ideas

If you fancy some ideas on how to cook your food on the BBQ, then here they are...

• What the food you bring to a BBQ says about you
• 20 best vegetarian BBQ ideas from top chefs
• How to make BBQ Ribs
• Revealed: 17 best summer BBQ burger recipes
• 8 things you're doing wrong with your barbecue

5 best BBQ tricks, tips and hacks

1. Clean Your Grill In Seconds

The absolute last thing you want to do after one too many icy-cold brewskis and a belly full of sausages, burgers, steaks, chicken thighs and ribs is get to work cleaning your trusty old Weber BBQ. But really, it’s not the break-a-sweat chore it seems. It can easily be done the day after and requires tools that are already in your kitchen. Firstly, scrunch up a large ball of tin foil and scrub the warmed-up bars, before rubbing them with half a lemon or a cloth doused in cider vinegar. Use another ball of foil to bring your metal bars back to their former shiny glory. It’s that simple.

2. Arrange Your Coals Properly

There’s a reason why everything that goes onto your grill comes off it looking blacker than your ex-girlfriend’s heart – you’re coals are a bloody mess, mate. You need to arrange your heat source so that you can cook some meats directly over the coals (direct method), and others using only the atmospheric heat under the lid (indirect method). That pic up there is a pretty decent way of looking at it, really. How to know what meats need what cooking space? Use the rule that anything ready in less than 20 mins can safely go over the coals, and anything more needs the indirect method.

3. Avoid Saucing Too Early

A real simple one this, but one we’re all guilty of. That delicious BBQ sauce you’ve just proudly slathered over your raw meat? Error. Big, fat error. There’s a whole lot of sugar in that there sauce, and sugar burns. Only add it to your meat when you’re approximately 15-20 minutes away from taking it off the heat. That way you’re stopping that sugar burning off and stinking up the flavour.

4. Keep Your Kebabs Juicy

Dry kebabs are a huge F next to your grilling name. Is that what you want? An F? An F for FAIL? No, you do not. The simple way to avoid your meat and veg skewers from losing all their moisture is pretty straightforward, actually – make sure every ingredient is pushed up to another on the stick. Don’t be temped to cram them on though, as that’ll slow down the cooking time and risk burning.

5. Make Your Steaks Scream

If you’re adding beef steaks to the heat and they’re not yelling in pain, you’re moving too fast. Steaks should make that sweet sizzling noise when you slap them down, so you know you’re searing in that moisture and keeping it from weeping out. You know the grill is hotter than hell and ready to go if your hand can only survive two seconds 12cm above the heat.

‘Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade,’ as Rudyard Kipling once pointed out. So if you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to start a love affair with your garden by giving it some TLC and using a selection of the best garden tools.

If you’ve never planted a seed or pulled out a weed, a blooming garden is achievable and with the right tools and it won’t take too much effort either.

We’ve searched high and low to find the most useful and intuitive garden gadgets around. We’ve chosen designs that are ergonomic – to avoid backache – and those that are efficient and time saving – to give you more time to enjoy a G&T afterwards.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro with fingers as green as the Incredible Hulk, or a novice to all things horticulture, these gadgets will make it easy to get your garden looking luscious in lockdown.

Take a closer look at our pick of the best garden tools below to create a fertile looking lawn and get your flowerbeds ready for action.

• These are the best kitchen gadgets to turn you into a cooking pro.

Best garden tools

Best gardening tools: more guides to help with your gardening

We've spent weeks testing some of the best gardening tools - here's a link to some more of our in-depth gardening guides...

Our top choice for a cordless lawnmower

If you are lucky enough to have a lawn, then you will probably have been using it quite a lot during lockdown. We have one and we know they are a git to maintain. That's why we spent hours testing the best cordless lawnmower for our guide. We looked at 14 different cordless lawnmowers and the Stihl RMA 235 Compact cordless lawn mower is without a doubt our best value choice. This is thanks to its low weight, as well as its slim and non-fussy design. This means you can steer it through both long and short grass with ease.

Bring your garden indoors with our top choice of house plant

The humble house plant has had something of a resurgence of late and we've been buying them up and trying our hardest not to kill them. We are big fans, as our best house plants guide shows, of the Opuntia Microdasys Pallida Cactus. Yes, it's expensive but the Mickey Mouse eared cactus will look great in any home and is easy to maintain, too. You only have to water when the top soil has gone dry and in the winter months this equates to around once a month.

Once your garden is done, then get the BBQ on

There is a very good reason you have a garden and, more often than not, it is to entertain. And you can't do better than entertaining with a dam good barbie. When the weather figures out what it is doing, then we recommend the Weber Master-Touch GBS Premium E-5775. This is a fantastic charcoal BBQ that is expensive but is without a doubt one of the best we have ever tested, with its innovative heat system and the overall design of the thing.

The best cordless lawn mower is a must for green-fingered garden enthusiasts. They are also great for the rest of us who simply want to enjoy a neat view while lounging on the patio. Invest in a fast and reliable cordless lithium-ion battery mower and it’s easy to keep your lawn looking lush all year round.

UPDATE: We've been busy in the garden once more and have come up with the best garden tools guide. In it we take a look at 10 garden gadgets that will turn your fingers green with envy. Whether you are looking for something to rid your garden of weeds, or a new sprinkler system the list is for you - once you've picked the best cordless lawnmower for you, that is.

We’ve donned our garden overalls and got to work mowing, lifting, trimming and, quite literally, bending over backwards to find the best cordless lawn mower. With one of these top 10 battery-powered mowers you can glide through the grass in style.

The Stihl RMA 235 Compact cordless lawn mower is our best value choice due to its low weight, slim and fuss-free design, which can be steered effectively to cut a range of tall and short grass.

Bosch's Rotak 37-36 Li Ergo cordless lawn mower is our best overall buy. While not the cheapest lawn mower you can find, we think it has great features to stand you in good stead throughout the seasons.

• Listen to music while gardening with our pick of the best wireless headphones and don't forget to check out our best robot vacuum cleaner guide.

• best buys
• Our expert
• The shortlist
• test selection
• how we tested
• test results
• Best value
• comparing the rest
• One to avoid?

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With a sound power level of just 89db, the Stihl RMA 235 cordless lawn mower was one of the quietest mowers in our round up. It’s a slim design with a cutting width of 33cm, which makes it easy to steer around tight corners and narrow paths. It’s aimed at smaller gardens, but its AK20 36V lithium-ion battery will cut around 200m² of lawn, which makes it an ample choice for medium sized lawns too.

With eight different grip positions, the Bosch Rotak 37-36 Li Ergo is designed to be easy to operate with your left, right or both hands. At 13.2kg, it's one of the lighter models in our test and is good at turning corners and gliding over uneven surfaces. It can cut a range of grass lengths from 20mm through to 70mm. It has recently been superseded by the Bosch Rotak 430 LI Cordless, so you may find it hard to buy at the moment. If this is the case, then the 430 is a more than competent lawnmower with many of the same features as the one we tested.

The expert's view

14

Lawnmowers considered

2

Best buys

10

Hours of testing

4

Experts consulted

Author Bio

Emily Peck

Emily Peck is a consumer journalist with over 20 years’ experience reviewing everything from bee hives to biscuits. She has written for a range of publications including Wired UK and Ideal Home.

The shortlist: best cordless lawn mower

How we selected the best cordless lawn mowers to test

We decided to test cordless battery-powered lawn mowers as we love the flexibility they give you in large and small gardens alike. Many of the latest models offer power and performance as impressive as petrol or cabled lawn mowers. And unlike petrol alternatives, you don’t need to worry about emissions.

The lack of petrol can make cordless lawn mowers lighter too, and easier to steer around your lawn. And, the part we appreciate most, you do not have to deal with the power cables of a plugged-in mower.

Google “cordless lawn mowers” and you’re spoilt for choice. Stihl, Husqvarna, Hyundai and others sell models that promise to be intuitive, powerful and versatile. A further search on Amazon flags up brands such as Bosch and Flymo. When we looked further afield in DIY stores such as Wickes and B&Q we found less-obvious brands with their own distinct plus points.

We have chosen a selection across the board, 10 popular lawn mowers to suit a range of budgets – from the basic sub-£100 Einhell model from Wickes, to the £510 self-propelling Husqvarna LC 141i with rear wheel drive.

How to buy a cordless mower

To find out what we should be looking for when buying a cordless lawn mower we consulted the experts.

“When I choose a lawn mower I look for a machine that is easy to use and adjust, a good quality cut with, ideally, a mulching option and something that is manoeuvrable and light enough that you don’t need to be a bodybuilder to operate,” says celebrity garden designer and Gardener's Question Time panellist Matthew Wilson.

"I find mowing regularly - twice a week in summer - on a higher setting is much better than scalping the lawn once a week. In dry conditions I switch from collecting the clippings to mulching them back into the lawn to help improve the moisture levels."

Read on to find out how we tested the best cordless lawn mowers.

How we tested the cordless lawn mowers

To get your grass looking flower-show ready, it’s recommended you water it no more than twice a week. "Longer watering once a week is better than for short times, five times a week," says Paul Hicks, product manager at Stihl.

"When it’s really hot, you should allow your grass to grow up to 5cm to make it more resistant to heat, with 3-5.5cm long an acceptable length to avoid scalping the lawn. For best results you should only take a third of the grass length off with each cut as cutting more can damage it."

With this in mind, one of the top priorities in our test was to find a cordless lawn mower that would give us the flexibility to trim just enough off the grass to leave it looking lush for longer. And with the help of self-confessed lawn mower enthusiast and dad-of-two Paul Hutchinson, we got to grips with the latest mowers in a suburban 5 x 9 metre Surrey garden. For each mower, we assessed it on the following criteria:

ERGONOMICS AND DESIGN: As we got the mowers out of the box and set about piecing them together, we noted how user-friendly each was to set up. We took into consideration how fuss-free the handles were to attach to the main body, and how simply the grass catcher compartment fitted. We noted how easy it was to start the machine and manually change the cutting height.

We looked at how comfortable the mowers were to hold and push – self-propelled or hand propelled? And how easy is it to start?

We tested how easy each lawn mower was to steer and noted if it felt heavy and clunky, or smooth and light. How well did it cut the grass, including over the more uneven terrain? How well did it mow when the grass was very dry or a little dewy? And, finally, how noisy did it get?

Battery powered mowers are generally quieter than petrol ones, but some are quieter than others.

We commented on the material the mower is made from. Did it feel luxurious and well put-together or a little cheap? We also considered whether it had height-adjustable handles to suit both tall and shorter users.

We noted how powerful the machine felt and whether it had useful features such as a “grassbox full” indicator to tell you when to change the grass catcher compartment. In our test all the models have safety keys, which is particularly important if you have kids.

BATTERY LIFE: We wanted to know how long the battery would last on average after a single charge. We decided to include a range of mowers in our test run, from 18V to 120V, which indicate cutting power.

Some manufacturers don’t like to give a set figure as to how long the battery lasts as battery life can depend on the grass length you are cutting and how fast or slow you are going, but we tried to pin point manufacturers for a figure where possible.

We took note of any eco modes that save on battery life and whether you can fit two batteries at the same time to mow for longer. We also wanted to know if the battery the machine came with could be used in other tools in that particular manufacturer’s collection. Mowers with indicator lights to tell you how much charge is left earn brownie points too.

CUTTING WIDTH, HEIGHT AND GRASS CONTAINER SIZE: For each model we considered how wide the cutting width was. We noted how many cutting height settings you get on each lawn mower and monitored how easily interchangeable these cutting settings were using the lever.

We also looked at grass cutting box capacities and whether we get a mulching feature – one that shreds the grass cuttings and distributes it directly onto the lawn to help fertilise it.

VALUE FOR MONEY: For each mower we considered the price in comparison to what came in the box and whether we thought it represents good value for money.

We asked how much flexibility the model gave you in terms of cuttings settings available and whether the machine had any stand-out features worth paying extra for.

Cordless lawn mowers reviewed: The results

Every cordless mower tested has highs and lows. You need to find the one with features you’ll find useful. We found the Stihl RMA 235 Compact and Flymo Mighti-Mo 300 the easiest to assemble – both the handlebars and grass bins are very simple to attach. In comparison, the Swift 40V Wide’s handlebars were a little tricky to put together and tighten. We fiddled about for ages.

It took us a while to work out how to assemble the Erbauer ELM18-Li too. The metal has to somehow be stretched to fit over the locking pins. It’s worth considering if you’ll need to disassemble regularly to save space.

The Gtech Cordless Lawnmower 2.0's handlebar cable is a little fiddly to screw on, but once we had it attached all was quickly forgiven.

The majority of the machines in our test took a little exploring before we had mastered the art of starting them quickly – generally speaking a push of the button and clutch of the handle bar starts the mowers. All the lawn mowers in our test also come with safety keys.

We found the Ergoflex handlebar system of the Bosch Rotak 37-36 Li Ergo particularly comfortable. And it offers you eight different grip positions, but we were disappointed with the flimsy feel of the cheaper Einhell GE-CM 18/30 Li.

We found the models with completely hard grass bins such as the Stihl or Bosch models easier to fit onto the main body of the mowers than those with a hard top and fabric lining. The Hyundai HYM120LI510 and Husqvarna LC 141iuse this style of bin.

The Hyundai holds the greatest volume of cuttings thanks to its huge 65L capacity bin. But bear in mind this makes the mower heavier to push as you go. Not that we’re lazy or anything, but we didn’t want to push around a full grass box heavier than a 30 litre capacity, such as those offered by the Stihl RMA 235 and Flymo Mighti-Mo 300.

There’s less variation in handle height adjustment. Most only offer around 25cm of customisation, which you have to manually unscrew and fix to change. If you’re petite you may want to pick a lighter mower such as the Flymo or the Bosch models. But if you’re well built you could take on a heavier designs like the Hyundai HYM120LI510 or Husqvarna LC 141i.

We found the relatively petite Stihl RMA 235 cordless lawn mower very comfortable to push around the lawn, and it weighs just 14kg. The Spear & Jackson and Bosch models impressed when used over rougher terrains with longer weeds too.

If you have a particularly large lawn however, you’ll probably prefer the ‘we mean business’ feel and robust wheels of a sturdier self-propelled lawn mower such the Husqvarna, which weighs a whopping 23kg, or the Hyundai, which weighs 27.4kg. We found ourselves struggling to lift the latter of these to store after use, however, which is worth bearing in mind if your elbow grease reserves only last so long.

Thanks to the good old traditional English summer’s mix of rain and sunshine, the grass was somewhat overgrown when we tested these lawn mowers. The design that offered the best selection of cutting height settings was the Hyundai HYM120LI510, which ranges from 30-90mm in 10 increments.

This was closely followed by theHusqvarna LC 141i, which ranges from 25mm to 75mm, also in 10 steps.

However, we found the Stihl RMA 235 Compact’s five settings between 25mm to 65mm ample. The majority of designs in our test have cutting height adjustable levers well positioned to the side of the main body. But manufacturers miss a trick by not incorporating these into the handles themselves. We found all the levers in our test a little clunky to operate and they all felt a little on the budget side - particularly the Bosch Rotak 37-36 Li Ergo design.

However, the Bosch has the best battery life. It lasts for 90 minutes on a single 140-minute charge. Thanks to its double battery pack, the Spear & Jackson is not a bad shout either, although if we’re being honest we’re not sure we’d want to be mowing for longer than half an hour on a Sunday morning!

The best cordless lawn mower reviewed:

Bosch Rotak 37-36 Li Ergo cordless lawn mower (superseded by the Bosch Rotak 430 LI Cordless)

UPDATED: you may find it difficult to find the Bosch Rotak 37-36 Li Ergo on sale now, as it has been discontinued by Bosch. However, the Bosch Rotak 430 LI Cordless is the latest by Bosch and has many of the same characteristics as the mower we reviewed.

Versatility is what we like most about the Bosch Rotak 37-36 Li Ergo. It’s a good value hand-propelled lawn mower that gives you all the necessary tools for the job including a mulching function.

While at 36V the mower doesn’t have the highest battery power in our test, we felt it gave a satisfyingly powerful mow and its battery can run up to decent 90 minutes on a 140 minute charge. If you’re already a Bosch tool user, you can use its 36V/4.0Ah lithium-ion battery with other Bosch tools from the garden range.

It has a larger than average cutting width size of 37cm, which makes it good for medium sized gardens. You have choice of six different height cut positions, and its grass combs help mow the lawn evenly.

Meanwhile, the rear roller helps give your lawn that regal, striped appearance — we noticed this most with a longer grass-cutting setting. We also found it very effective when mowing right up to the edges - it mounted the flowerbed edge smoothly.

It was one of the simplest models to put together in our test too. The QuickClick handle system makes assembling its Ergoflex handlebar a tool-free job. The mulitple red push buttons make it easy to start, and are a good fit for left and right-handed users. We had a go at mowing one-handed and the body was evenly distributed enough so we felt like we had control.

The mower features a Powerdrive LI + motor system, which claims to make it reliable in use under difficult conditions and its hardened steel blades with ‘innovative airflow technology’ that claims to improve debris collection.

In use, we were impressed that the design didn’t cut out when we used on overgrown and damper areas. While it may not have the highest voltage in our test, we found it to be one of the most robust mowers, and good for use on rougher patches of grass.

The Bosch Rotak 37-36 Li Ergo also has a large grass box with a capacity of up to 40 litres, which is great if you have a large lawn and don’t want to have to faff around stopping to empty the cuttings. On the downside however, it did make it a little heavy after a while. The machine started to feel a little clunky, with the grass box bumping a little as we pushed, so you may want to empty it before you reach its full capacity.

The best value cordless lawn mower reviewed:

Stihl RMA 235 Compact cordless lawn mower, £379.99

Everything about the Stihl RMA 235 Compact is subtle. Its cutting-height adjustment lever sits just above the wheels, its flow optimised blade is well hidden in the body, and at 89db it isn’t very noisy.

It’s light at 14kg too and the 33cm cutting width allows for a smaller frame. What we really like about this design is how easy it is to put together. In particular, its hard plastic grass catcher box was really easy to slot into place, unlike some of the fabric boxes in our test. It is well thought-out too, with vents in the bin that face downward so you don’t get covered in dirt and grass clippings when mowing.

At first glance we could tell the body is made from high-quality material. The plastic housing feels light to push, yet the individual parts feel sturdy and well put together.

The Stihl RMA 235 wheels have a traction and tread pattern, and while they are on the smaller side compared to some of the impressively built mowers we tried, they did make for a nice push. They felt suitably balanced and in proportion to the rest of the mower, unlike some of the larger models tested.

The handlebar has two height settings that need to be manually adjusted and fixed, although we don’t think will give everyone enough of a height difference.

The bar can be folded down, so we could neatly store it in the garage. The only feature we think this mower lacks is a mulching function. But with such an ergonomic design and a good range of cutting height settings, we don’t think it is too much of a loss.

Comparing the rest on test

If the best overall and best value lawn mower don’t seem quite right for your lawn, consider the other eight mowers in our test here.

The Husqvarna LC 141ilooks and feels powerful. It has a large 170mm front and 203 mm rear wheels, and a “Drive” feature that automatically increases the speed when cutting long or damp grass.

It has a wide cutting area of 41cm, which helped us mow faster compared to the slimmer models on test. The battery, however, will only last you 25 minutes on a 2 hour 10 charge. But the company does sell a quick charger that reduces charging time to 40 minutes. The savE mode increases the running time too, although this is best used on shorter grass.

If you have a large lawn, take a look at the self-propelled Hyundai HYM120LI510 120V cordless mower. It has a vast 65 litre cutting collection box and a large 51cm cutting width. This self-propelled machine is quite a beast and has a very sporty look. We enjoyed using the mulching feature and although it will only give you an average of 35 minutes on a single 90-minute charge, we found that plenty.

At 27.4kg however, it is one of the heaviest mowers. Taking it out of the box and storing it back again is a tiring chore.

If you have limited storage, invest in a compact design like the Gtech Cordless Lawnmower 2.0. Although it wasn’t the longest-lasting on test - running for 40 minutes on a 1 hour charge – this mower felt satisfyingly comfortable to grip, its wheels rolled over the grass effectively and its lever felt sturdy when we tried to change between grass cutting heights.

We particularly like the way the handles easily attach to the body for a quick set up, and how it neatly packed away with convenient carry handle and grass box housed on top.

For a time saving solution you could choose the Spear & Jackson S4042X2CR. It comes with two batteries – we were able to use one for up to 55 minutes while the other was on charge. It has RunBoost technology that increases the power during tougher cutting conditions, so we tested it over a rougher and longer grass – while it did the trick, we weren’t too keen on its uncomfortable increase in volume.

If you suffer with a bad back and mobility is an issue, consider Flymo’s Mighti-Mo. At 9.94kg it’s the lightest cordless mower in our test so it’s easy to pick up and store and it claims to cut up to 250m2 on a full 120-minute charge – which is the size of an average tennis court.

While we didn’t get a chance to test this out in Wimbledon, we were impressed by how smooth it was to push around the lawn. The cutting height lever felt a little clunky to adjust, but we found the machine’s narrow 30cm cutting width just the right size for tackling unruly grass weeds around the flower beds.

For a sub-£100 model, try the Einhell GE-CM 18/30 Li cordless lawn mower. While it isn’t the most attractive design in our test, it’s a good option for lawns up to 150 m². Unfortunately, it was our least favourite mower of the 10.

Its flimsy grass box was awkward to attach and the cheap appearance lets it down. But it is light can collect up to 25 litres of grass cuttings at a time.

Pay a little more and you can get your hand on the Swift 40V Wide cordless lawn mower, which gives you a lot more power than the 18V Einhell model.

Although we found the handle tricky to set up, it does fold well and features a lifting handle on its shell, which makes it easy to carry and store.

Like the Spear & Jackson and Gtech models, the Erbauer ELM18-Li reaches its full charge in one hour. While run times vary depending on the grass length and conditions, the Erbauer lawn mower can mow an ample 650m2 on a single charge.

Its design is unique. The battery casing protrudes from the steel deck, which we think makes it look a little dated. But its comfortable handles, quiet brushless motor and power that adjusts to grass conditions make up for this.

Any cordless lawn mowers to avoid?

All the mowers in our test have their USPs and we didn’t think one particular lawn mower was worth avoiding. But if you have the budget we’d recommend investing at least a few hundreds pounds to see you in good stead.

And when you come to buy a cordless mower for your lawn, remember to think about what you expect from it. For example, if you are tall, it’s a good idea to go with larger mower that is height adjustable so you don’t put your back out while you mow.

Or, if you have a very small garden, there’s no point paying extra for a lawn mower with a super-powerful high capacity battery. Likewise, if you have a large garden consider opting for a self-propelled lawn mower with a large cutting width, which will save you time.

Dyson has taken the wrappers off of its latest cordless vacuum cleaner, the Dyson V15 Detect, and it's an impressive piece of kit, using state-of-the-art technology to show you that your house definitely needs a clean.

The Dyson V15 Detect uses lasers to show you just how filthy you are - we aren't judging, it's lockdown and nobody is going to visit your house anyway.

But if you did want to tidy up, then the Dyson V15 Detect is a dust destroyer. The lasers it uses are 'eye-safe' - a green laser light highlights the dirt on the floor, like those machines at the beginning of the Terminator movies looking for humans.

These green LED lights are way more effective than ordinary LEDs, according to Dyson.

The good news is that this is one powerful cordless vacuum that will rid your house of the dust in seconds.

Dyson V15 Detect can, well, detect dust the size of 10 microns (which is pretty bloody small). It'll show you what it's detected on a handy LCD and then it will get rid of it for you.

Couple this with a new anti-tangle High Torque cleaner head which prevent tangling, so it's good for human and put hair, and what you have is one powerful sucker.

The Dyson V15 Detect will be available soon, priced at £599/$699.99 USD. Head to Dyson to sign up for more details.

With a food processor keen cooks can blitz their veg in myriad ways, create crushed ice, even whisk your egg whites up for you. The best food processors have variable speeds and the sharpest slicing discs and slicing blades around. In short: they do a lot.

After considering 50 products, we've spent the the past month, chopping, slicing, kneading, baking and blending using 10 of the best-selling processors from established brands – Magimix, Kenwood, KitchenAid – and more obscure makes such as LINKChef.

But which food processor should you buy? Our in-depth testing is below, but here's an at-a-glance look at our results and which food processor is right for you.

Magimix’s 5200 XL achieved the highest score in tests, despite dropping points for its high price and bulky design, because it can handle pretty much anything you throw at it. The £33.49 Kenwood Compact is our best value choice because what it lacks in style it makes up for in substance, offering great performance at a decent price.

Food processors tested: Best buys

It isn’t the most stylish of food processors but the Kenwood Compact is a pleasant surprise. It made light work of chopping swede, blending smoothies and grating cheese while being small enough for most kitchens and incredibly easy to clean. All of this at one of the lowest prices of the group.

There is no denying Magimix’s dominance. Achieving near-on perfect marks in the majority of tests, the Cuisine 5200XL is a versatile piece of kit from a long-standing master of the food processing industry. Small touches, like a handy storage box and multiple bowls, finished it off nicely.

• Best kettles tested, for every budget

• best buys
• best buys
• the Shortlist
• Our expert
• Test selection
• How we tested
• Test Results
• Best overall
• Best value
• Best value
• Comparing the rest
• One to Avoid

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Best food processors: the Shortlist

The expert's view

50

Products considered

45

Hours of testing

1

Experts consulted

2

Best buys

We have good news. You don't have to spend hundreds of pounds to get a great food processor. There are solid options under £50 from brands like Kenwood and LinkChef.

What do you miss out on? A little style here, some accessory flexibility there. But if you simply want to get your food processing jobs done quickly and reliably, you don't have to spend big on the models used in the kitchens of TV shows.

Read on to discover what paying more offers. We put our 10 food processors through several real-life tests, including the prep of baking, soup-making and cooking flatbreads.

Author Bio

Vicky Woollaston

Victoria Woollaston is a technology and beauty freelancer with more than a decade of experience reviewing and comparing gadgets, appliances and services at MailOnline, Wired, Alphr and Expert Reviews.

How we selected the food processors to test

Finding the best food processor in the UK wasn't easy as not all food processors are created equal. Some only chop, others blend, knead, slice and dice. Some weigh more than a small child, others can be packed away in a cupboard. Some are so expensive you buy them on credit, others cost less than a magazine subscription.

To guarantee we were putting the best food processors to the test, we scoured online reviews to build a shortlist of 50 of the highest-rated, most popular food processors across Amazon, Robert Dyas, Argos and John Lewis. As there is a wide variety of machine types – from blenders to blender mixers and choppers – each offering slight variations on features, we included any product labelled as a food processor.

The rationale is this will include machines with enough features to satisfy most people’s needs, even if one type performed better at some tasks (i.e blending) than others. We also devised tasks that would cover a wide range of uses to make sure all the machines’ strengths, and weaknesses, were tested.

From this list of 50, we narrowed down the top-rated processors from individual brands; selected the highest-scoring model from each; and handpicked our top 10 based on features and price. Our feature criteria was that each machine should easily fit on a countertop and have the capacity to chop, blend and knead dough – the three jobs likely to be most popular among people looking for the best food processor.

Machines built to blend, for example, have the capacity to chop and knead dough, and even choppers can blend. We also wanted to cover a range of prices, from low-end to mid-range and premium.

The types of slicing, dicing and grating attachments varied wildly. Some machines offered multiple slice sizes, shredders, whisks and spatulas whereas others didn’t offer attachments at all. This wasn’t, therefore, used as part of our selection criteria in an attempt to create a more level playing field. We have highlighted where machines offer these extras, and tested them where appropriate.

The final top 10 list shows where the machines rank based on the scores from all tests. However, we also ranked how the top 10 looks when the scores from the attachment tests have been removed. The top and bottom two food processors remained in the same positions.

There was a little bit of movement among the middle machines but the scores didn’t jump wildly enough to make a significant difference to the order of things. Ultimately, when choosing the best food processor, it will come down to what you need it to do and we’ve detailed it all to help you make this choice.

Food processors: how we tested

Each of the food processors were scored out of 10 for price, capacity, power, the number of speeds, and their size and weight. They were also judged on how easy they were to use and clean, and their design. The cheapest model, the LINKChef Mini Chopper, achieved a price score of 10, for example. The Magimix, scored 10 for having the highest total capacity, but lost points for being the heaviest.

The food processors were then individually tested for their chopping, blending and kneading prowess. For the chopping tests, hazelnuts were placed in the largest capacity bowl and processed on the lowest power setting for a minute. As the nuts were chopped, noise readings were taken using an app.

Next up, swede was chopped using the same bowl and blade. We chose Swede because of how difficult it is to cut with a knife. We chopped onions, as these are a popular hard food item used in recipes, and parsley as a soft food item. The bowls and blades were cleaned and dried after every trial and we weighed each food item to make the tests consistent.

This process was repeated to test the attachments. We sliced and grated hard food (potatoes and carrots) followed by soft food (bananas and cheese) and placed all the chopped, sliced and grated items into bowls.

The name of each machine was written on the underside of the bowls and they were judged blindly before being scored from best to worst. We were looking for an even consistency across the tests; no lumps of food or stalks leftover, no squashed cheese or banana left in the processor and so on.

Chopped vegetables were boiled and then blended in each machine to make soup. If machines offered a separate blending pitcher, these were used. If they didn’t, the main bowl and blade was used. The same amount of liquid and veg were blended in each machine for two minutes and the soup was again transferred to bowls for blind judging.

This time we were looking for soup that wasn’t too thick or thin and had a smooth consistency. Following the soup test, the chopped banana was combined with raspberries, strawberries and orange juice in each processor to make smoothies. Like with the soup, we were looking for a smooth finish that was easy to drink and had retained the vibrant colour of the fruit.

The final tests involved using each processor to mix chocolate and pear muffin mix, and make dough for flatbreads. If a plastic dough blade was available, this was used. If it wasn’t the main metal blade was used.

We scored each machine on how well it combined the ingredients, as well as blindly judging the final baked result.

For the muffins we were looking for the pear to be evenly chopped and an even spread of chocolate chips as well as a light and fluffy texture. The muffins were all processed and baked at the same time. Similarly, the dough was processed at the same time to avoid a change in room temperature skewing the results. The total scores from all 25 food and specification tests were combined to reveal the winners and losers.

Food processor reviews: The test results

Across our tests, the Magimix Cuisine 5200XL rarely faltered; scoring either full marks or coming in the top three in almost every category. This was the case even when the slicing and grating scores were omitted. It was also one of the quietest machines.

Following a close second was the KitchenAid 2.1L. It looks similar to the Magimix, albeit it in a more compact design, and matches its rival in terms of how quiet it is. It performed particularly well for kneading, slicing, and chopping onions but its smoothie and soup were poor.

In third place was the Ninja Smart Screen food processor. It is the only machine in the top three to include a dedicated food processor and separate blending jug, and it scored just a point behind the KitchenAid. The touchscreen is a nice break from buttons and dials and it certainly looks the part, although is noisy.

Whereas its rivals are tall, fourth place Kenwood Compact has a wider, more ugly design. But what it lacks in style it makes up for in substance. It performed fantastically well at chopping and blending. In fact, it handled the swede better than any other processor and outperformed blenders that are almost 14 times the price when making soups and smoothies.

In the middle of the pack is the Tefal DoubleForce Compact. It was the best at slicing potatoes and was almost as good as the Ninja at chopping nuts. It placed top three for combining the muffin mix and dough but the rest of its mid-range scores match its mid-range price.

With its pastel colour look, the Fearne by Swan processor's design is understated. And it was one of the quietest machines on test, next to the Magimixand KitchenAid. It’s a heavy machine and performed poorly across multiple trials including chopping onions and nuts, combining the muffin mix and blending the smoothie and soup. It was the only machine to feature full lumps of banana, and potato after blending.

Approaching the bottom of the pile is the LINKChef Mini Chopper. Despite this position, credit has to be given to LINKChef. For such a small, cheap, food processor, it more than held its own against its expensive rivals. It ranked seventh overall because it doesn’t have any attachments, effectively scoring zero in these tests. However, when the scores involving attachments were removed, the LINKChef outperformed every machine bar the Magimix and KitchenAid.

In a similar boat to the LINKChef in terms of a lack of attachments was the Vitamix Ascent 2500i. But unlike the LINKChef the Vitamix didn’t perform as well in the rest of the tests. It’s a blender at heart, with tools that can be used for food processing and, despite its eye-watering £549 price tag, didn’t even score top marks for blending. It came behind the half-the-price Ninja for soups and smoothies.

One of the cheapest food processors on the list, the Tower failed to chop the swede, simply cutting into the slices before giving up. Similarly, it didn’t have the power to mix the muffins, leaving the ingredients in-tact. A small silver lining is that it is fantastic at grating and looks stylish.

This is our favourite food processor:

Magimix Cuisine 5200XL, £399.99

It’s a beast of a machine, in size, height and weight, and this makes the Magimix 5200XL a powerhouse of a food processor. It offers everything you could need a food processor to do, and performs the majority of those tasks with ease. This goes some way towards justifying its £400 price tag.

In our tests, we used the largest capacity bowl on each food processor to keep the results consistent, yet the Magimix additionally offers a small “midi”, and mini bowl with smaller blades. The mini bowl is for small quantities, such as herbs; the midi bowl is recommended for slicing and grating. The large bowl can be used for all of the above but is best used for large quantities.

This bowl choice not only gives the Magimix the highest capacity of the food processors tested, it makes it a highly versatile machine. The ability to stack the bowls and blades on top of each other in the machine also lets you carry out multiple tasks simultaneously. You can complete three separate tasks without having to clean and dry a single bowl between uses.

The downside is that the Magimix doesn’t have a separate blending jug, and while this didn’t dramatically hinder its performance when blending soup (coming in third), its smoothie-making skills left a lot to be desired. Even with its BlenderMix attachment.

Its chopping skills were only beaten by the LINKChef Mini Chopper, and it gave the most consistent slices of potatoes and grated carrots. It was also fantastic at kneading bread, coming only second to the KitchenAid, and all of its many attachments can be stored neatly and easily in a tidy storage box. We didn’t test this particular tool, but it can also be used for whisking eggs and cream.

Where the Magimix lost points was on its size and weight, as the largest, heaviest of the lot. It won’t suit smaller kitchens and we just about managed to get it to fit under our cupboards. Its chunky design certainly makes a statement but seems a bit much when other machines cram in similar motors and features into smaller frames.

The Magimix Cuisine 5200XL is also a little fiddly to use, due to its many moving parts, which adds to the time it takes to clean. If you can afford it, the 5200XL is a worthwhile investment that should last for years to come. If you can’t, it’s worth considering buying one of its older or more compact siblings. They offer the same motor, and similar features meaning they should offer similar performance while in smaller packages. Plus they can cost up to £300 cheaper.

This food processor is the best for value:

Kenwood Compact, £39.99

If style is less important than price when choosing the best food processor, you can’t go wrong with the Kenwood Compact. Any misconceptions we had about this somewhat ugly machine vanished once the tests started. Plus, at £40, the way it performed against its much more expensive rivals was even more impressive.

Its chopping skills, for instance, were second to none, handling both soft and hard food with the same consistency and speed. Despite not having a dedicated blending jug, it scored top marks for making smoothies, ahead of the Ninja and Vitamix, which are both marketed on their blending expertise. Elsewhere, the Kenwood Compact excelled at grating cheese.

As its name suggests, the Kenwood Compactweighs very little and takes up a small amount of space. Its design means it fits easily under or inside cupboards and you don’t have to pull it out to use it.

That said, it’s far from perfect and does have a number of touches that reveal its cheaper price. The safety connection between the bowl and the unit, which is used to stop all of the processors from being used if the bowls aren’t locked into place, is weak. When chopping large, hard items, the bowl had a tendency to move and unlock itself and turn off, meaning we had to hold it in place.

It does offer a decent range of attachments, but the slicing and grating discs in particular need to be swapped in and out of the plastic plate between uses. This is fiddly, time consuming, not to mention a little nerve wracking having to manhandle the sharp corners and blades.

There is also no storage box for these sharp discs, nor do they sit comfortably in the bowl when not being used. The plus side to this is that they’re easier to clean and there are fewer plates and discs to wash.

The cheaper price was also apparent in the other food tests, with the Kenwood Compact achieving average scores for mixing muffins and kneading bread dough. It’s also not the quietest of machines, but then neither is it the loudest.

There is a lot to love about the Kenwood Compact and while, yes, you can get a more consistent performance across the board with a wider range of tools in more expensive models, the performance you get versus the price is brilliant.

Comparing the rest on test

If it’s an all-rounder you’re after; one that ticks many of the Magimix boxes without the hefty size and price, we recommend the KitchenAid 2.1L. It’s our favourite when it comes to design and swaps the Magimix’s storage box for a clever system of being able to store all the attachments within the main bowl when not in use.

It was the quietest machine we tested, was the best at kneading bread, and it sliced bananas and chopped hard foods effortlessly. It fell a little when chopping softer, smaller items and lacked the blending skills of its more expensive rivals but all-in-all it’s a worthy contender against the Magimix, while costing half the price.

At the opposite end of the scale is Amazon best-seller, the LINKChef Mini Chopper. If all you want is a fast and easy way to chop ingredients for sauces and recipes, it’s a fantastic little machine. It doesn’t have any bells and whistles, but this makes it extremely easy to use, easy to clean and easy to store. All for just £19.99. It didn’t perform badly at blending either.

Results from top left: Ninja nuts, Kenwood Compact parsley, Kenwood compact swede, Haden nuts, Vitamix parsley, Tower swede

The best of the blenders award goes to the Ninja Smart Screen food processor. It uses a so-called FreshVac system that sucks oxygen out of the cups and pitcher before blending to help maintain the goodness and vibrancy of the fruit and vegetables. This may seem like a gimmick but the proof is in the pudding. The touchscreen additionally makes it easy to switch between tasks. It’s not cheap but it outperformed its closest blending rival, the Vitamix, in nearly every like-for-like category.

Ninja's nuts, from our testing

Speaking of the Vitamix, we had high hopes given its price and the swathes of positive online reviews yet found it to be lacking. It was strong at blending, but not as strong as the Ninja, plus it’s not as attractive and compact as its nearest rival.

The Vitamix is easier to clean, and the smaller sizes of its blending cups make it easy to transport smoothies and soups to work, but at this price we would struggle to justify buying it just for that. We found the digital timer a fantastic addition, but rarely used all 10 of its speed settings.

In a sea of monochrome food processors, the pastel colours, cursive font and chrome detailing makes the Fearne by Swan range, endorsed by presenter Fearne Cotton, standout. If design is key when choosing a food processor, this is the one for you. Sadly, the performance made it also stand out for the wrong reasons. Large slices of banana in smoothies and lumps of veg in soups are far from ideal. It sat at the bottom end of the pile for chopping, kneading bread and mixing muffins.

The Tefal DoubleForce was similarly mid-range in terms of performance, but at a lower price. As the tests were carried out blind, this price didn’t influence the results. But with hindsight, it’s a little easier to forgive the Tefal’s misgivings given its cost. The best way to describe the Tefal is jack of all trades, master of none, and if you want a machine to carry out most of the popular food prep tasks without paying through the nose for them, it’s a decent candidate.

While the Magimix excelled in almost every test, the Tower T18004 struggled. It looks the part from a distance, but feels cheap up close and was the second loudest machine we tested, behind the Haden. For all but two of the tests – grating cheese and carrots – it ranked in the bottom half and it failed to chop the swede or mix the muffins.

Are there any food processors to avoid?

At the very bottom of the pile was the Haden 6-in-1 Champion. Firstly, it’s loud. The loudest machine on test. It’s tall, curved, white design is ugly and cheap-looking, with attachments to match.

We cut ourselves numerous times attempting to swap the slicing and grating blades in and out of the plastic plate, and the main blade wobbled during use and gathered food underneath.

You call those processed nuts, Haden?

If that’s a little too nitpicky for you, the test scores should be enough to convince you of its poor performance. It scored zero, or just a single point for four of the tests, and scored lower than five for the majority of the rest. When blending the smoothie, for example, the liquid managed to split and was almost frothy water by the time it had finished blending.

Very little separated the Haden and the Tower – just 2.6 points to be precise – but the poor design and how difficult the Haden was to use and clean was enough to land it in last place.

You can buy all the throw cushions you like, change the curtains or even rearrange your furniture, but there’s one thing and one thing only that really impacts the mood of a room – the lighting.

If you've never thought about investing in smart lighting before, then taking a look at the best smart lights and lightbulbs to illuminate your home might be a good idea.

Whether you’re trying to concentrate on work or dimming the lights for a night of romance (or, more realistically, Netflix), lighting means everything – and with the advent of smart technology, setting the mood has never been easier.

It's now possible to pick the perfect hue, set timers, add effects and anything else you can imagine, all from an app on your phone.

Here’s our guide to the best smart lights on the market

Best smart lights and lightbulbs

• The best wake up lights revealed - wake up in the most natural way possible.

Finding the best corkscrew may not feel like an essential purchase, but once upgrade you will wonder why the hell you didn't do it sooner.

That's because there are certain kitchen accessories that, after using them, you know you absolutely have to upgrade as soon as you can. The rubbish kitchen that can barely cut a carrot. The blender that doesn't blend at all, leaving everything a lumpy mess. And the humble corkscrew – supposedly a simple way to get that nice bottle of wine open, but more often than not a source of deep frustration.

As soon as you stop using them, however, you instantly forget – until the next time you try and fail to open that bottle or blend that sauce and you're faced with more with frustration and regret.

Well, it doesn't have to be that way. You don't have to live like this! Our guide to the best corkscrews features the high quality, high value models you need in your life.

• Ready for another upgrade? Read our best blender test

Best corkscrews

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

• Upgrade your home office without spending a fortune with the best budget laptops.

• The Shortlist
• The Test Selection
• The Test Results
• The Winners

PreviousNext

10

Standing Desks considered

56

Hours of testing

1

Experts consulted

2

Best Buys

Author Bio

Basil Kronfli

Basil Kronfli is a journalist of ten years’ standing, working across sites like TechRadar, Gizmodo and T3, as well as print titles including Metro, Shortlist and Total Film. He specialises in computing, smartphones and cameras, dabbling in kitchen tech, too.

The Best Standing Desk: The Shortlist

Best standing desk: How we chose the ones to test

There are so many standing desks available right now, that it is something of a daunting task to whittle them down. But that's exactly what we did by considering a handful of options for each price point and even looking at standing desk add-ons to see if they matched the dedicated versions.

We also took a number of factors into consideration - including budget and value for money (these aren't the same thing).

The most expensive standing desk we trialled was around the £500 mark but we also considered a an add-on standing desk option that was under £50.

It is worth noting that the Shortlist above takes into consideration 10 desks - all of which have their plus and minus points. For the sake of this test, we shortlisted the Shortlist to five desks:IKEA Skarsta, Deskmate Standing Desk Converter, Oploft, Jarvis Bamboo Adjustable Standing Desk and the The Varidesk Pro.

Best standing desk: how we tested

Given writing and reviewing is our full-time job, the best way to review the desks was actually do our work on them! This means trialling them all in a standing and sitting position. We also considered the overall size of the desks and whether or not they were built for single monitor or dual monitor displays.

Durability was also a big factor - when moving the desks from their sitting to standing positions, we checked to see how easy this was and if there was any noticeable wear and tear. We gave each desk the same allotted time and took into consideration comfort and one of the biggest factors was ease of use, as well as how easy it was to put together.

Best standing desk: test results

The underdog of this shortlist is the Deskmate, but despite being made of recyclable cardboard, we love what it does and what it stands for. The fact it’s got a stepped design means your keyboard is in a well-suited position for standing and typing with elbows at right angles - similar to the Varidesk. Converting your space back to a sitting desk isn’t particularly elegant, it’s simply a case of picking up the Deskmate and moving it, but if you’re okay with that, then this £29.90 investment is worth every penny, even if we don’t see it as an ideal long-term option.

In our opinion, the Varidesk range isn’t attractive; in fact, it’s pretty ugly, but it’s not designed with looks first, it’s primarily about ergonomics and in that department, it’s our winner.

The Varidesk ProPlus’s build quality can’t be faulted thanks to incredibly solid, robust construction - once you put it down on a surface, it isn’t going anywhere. As for the keyboard tray, it sits below the main portion, putting you in the perfect standing position to type with your arms at a right angle - as with the Deskmate, only better. Its transforming motion is also super smooth - easy up, easy down - and it worked like a dream for a 5’6 and a 6’4 reviewer alike.

The IKEA Skarsta is probably the right choice for an office on a budget in need of something more robust than the Deskmate, while the Jarvis Bamboo Adjustable Standing Desk is the best looking, performing complete desk solution we’ve ever used. It isn’t cheap, but it wouldn’t look out of place in a corner of a photography studio, with the rising motion being so smooth, it could replace a vertical videography slider.

Finally, the Oploft is the best looking small-scale solution available in our opinion, and its build quality and weight were both reassuring. That said, it’s a bit too heavy to be truly portable, so is ideally suited to permanent cubicle use at an office, or home unless you’re comfortable carrying a 12KG slab from room to room.

Best standing desk: overall

While our design winner is without a doubt the Jarvis Bamboo - it’s absolutely beautiful and seeing it go up and down by itself never gets old, if you’re looking for a desk that will guarantee you the best posture, that award goes to the Varidesk ProPlus 48, which, despite being comparatively ugly, left us noticeably more limber after just a few days of use.

Best standing desk: for value

The Deskmate desk converter took us by surprise. This thing is made of cardboard, costs less than £30 and can’t get wet or it will disintegrate, and we always have coffee on our desk - high risk zone! Almost a month in though, and ours is in a great state save for a couple of bumps, and while we wouldn’t use it forever, we’re pretty confident it could see you through at least three months of stand-up working, until you’re ready to upgrade to something more permanent that is.

There are few pleasures quite like making really the best coffee for yourself at home. It’s warming, it’s delicious, it wakes you up, and you get to start your day by throwing a metaphorical middle finger at the Starbucks and Costas of the world. What could be better?

UPDATE:Pret has revealed that it is now offering a coffee subscription service. The first month is free, then you pay £20 a month for as many drinks as you want - it's not just for coffees, either but frappes, teas and other things. Whether this is a good deal or not depends on your liking of Pret coffee and how much you can actually consume in a month. As you will see below - many of the best coffee beans come way under this price and offer more than 20 cups of coffee.

Find a bored coffee nerd out in the wild and they can talk with (or at) you for hours about brewing methods, freshness, storage, temperatures, pressures, and more, but the perfect technique will only get you so far if you don’t have the right beans to apply it all to. That’s where these picks come in.

We’ve risked life, limb, and extreme over-caffeination to test as many of the best coffee beans as we can that were roasted right here in the UK. We’ve mostly stuck to each roaster’s signature or house style to make sure everything’s easily available, but once you find a roaster you like remember to dig deep into their roaster roster and try their other offerings.

We also mostly tested these beans with espresso, so bear in mind that some beans and blends are better suited to the various filter preparation methods - experiment a bit to find what works best for you.v

• The best coffee machines revealed
• We've don the testing and these are the best coffee pod machines.
• Want beans through the door? These are the best coffee subscription services.

Best coffee beans

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

You’ve probably heard of ‘courgetti’ as a perennial culinary favourite for the more health conscious among us but do you know which is the best spiralizer to make it?

Of course, courgettes are not the only vegetable you can put through a spiralizer – carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers and more can all be used to make delicious strips for salads, stir fries or more. You can even use fruit, adding apples, pears or more to breakfasts, desserts, and to decorate baking.

Want to start spiralizing but not sure where to start? Here’s our guide to some the best out there. Upvote the spiralizer you'd put in your shopping basket.

• Want something more upscale? How about one of the best food processors? We tested 10 of them.

Best spiralizer

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

You can buy all the gadgets you want. But sometimes all you really need to excel in the kitchen are good, high quality basics - such as the best kitchen knives.

UPDATED: Once you are finished with our best kitchen knives list, then you may well be interested in our best kitchen gadgets guide. We've hand picked some fantastic new kitchen gadgets that we think will help anyone become a better cook.

Investing in a really good set of kitchen knives is something that will really set you apart from other home chefs. After all, most tasks completed with a knife still have to be done by hand – you can’t get a machine to chop your veg or slice your meat.

Decided to upgrade that blunt, five-year-old set of knives currently languishing on your kitchen worktop? Here’s our list of the best kitchen knives you can get.

Upvote the knife you'd rather have in your kitchen.

• These are the best food processors, tested by our expert
• Keep cool with the best ice cream maker

Best kitchen knives

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

Hand, jug, stand, single-serve. There are many types of blenders at wildly varying prices. Despite them all effectively doing one thing – turning solids into liquids – finding the best blender can be a minefield of conflicting reviews and jargon.

For the past month we've put the blitzing power of 10 of the most popular blenders to the test from brands including Ninja, Nutribullet, Sage, and KitchenAid in an attempt to simplify your choice.

The clear winner, storming ahead in almost every category was the Ninja Blender Duo. Our best value choice is the Nutribullet Magic Bullet. It is cheap and cheerful but does the job as well as, and in some cases better than, its more expensive rivals.

• Want more versatility? Don't miss our best food processor test. If you are looking to use that energy from your smoothie to do some cleaning then our best cordless vacuum cleaner and best robot vacuum cleaner guides.

It may be loud and simple but it does the job better than many of its rivals for a pleasingly low price. For £40 you get a compact, single-serve blender, with a separate cup, that makes light work of smoothies and juices.

The Ninja Blender Duo not only offers great value, with its high-capacity jug and separate single-serve Nutri Ninja cups, it outperformed more expensive models in almost every test and comes with a host of speed settings to suit every occasion.

The expert's view

30

Blenders considered

15

Hours of testing

2

Best buys

1

Experts consulted

Author Bio

Vicky Woollaston

Victoria Woollaston is a technology and beauty freelancer with more than a decade of experience reviewing and comparing gadgets, appliances and services at MailOnline, Wired, Alphr and Expert Reviews.

The shortlist: best blenders

Best blenders: how we selected them

The terms blenders and food processors are used almost interchangeably online, yet they have different pros and cons. The majority of food processors can be seen as "jack of all trades, masters of none". They’re typically good all-rounders, able to handle most kitchen tasks thrown at them, including grating and slicing but aren’t built with one particular task in mind.

If it’s a processor you’re after, check out our test of the best food processors. Blenders, on the other hand, offer less versatility but are designed to excel at a specific set of liquid-based tasks. At their most simple, the best blenders are those with enough capacity to handle multiple fruit and vegetables for smoothies and juices, and that turn those ingredients into smooth liquids quickly and quietly.

In selecting our shortlist of best blenders to test, we automatically discounted hand blenders. Hand blenders have their uses, being most suited to aerating, beating and emulsifying, but they don’t offer the versatility of jug blenders. Little separates stand and jug blenders, divided only by the shape of the container, so we included both in our search, alongside single-serve (also known as smoothie-making) blenders made popular by the likes of Nutribullet.

We began by selecting the 50 highest-rated blenders within these categories from leading homeware sites AO.com, Argos, John Lewis, Currys and Amazon before reading hundreds of customer reviews to pick out the 25 most popular blenders based on real-world use. The highest-scoring models from each individual brand in our list of the top 25 was chosen before we handpicked models based on features and price.

In terms of features, we were looking for blenders with enough capacity and power to make a batch of carrot and coriander soup, a blueberry and banana smoothie, and cucumber and red cabbage juice. We wanted the ability to crush ice too.

Each blender needed to fit comfortably on our kitchen top and within the £200 budget we set. Within this budget, we wanted at least two premium models and two cheaper brands, with the other blenders providing an assortment of options in the mid-range.

This left us with blenders from Ninja, Nutribullet, Smeg, Swan, Sage, Dualit, Russell Hobbs, Tefal, KitchenAid and Wilko ranging from £30 up to £200.

Best blenders: how we tested them

We judged each blender on both quality and quantity across a total of 14 criteria. Half of these scores ranked the blenders based on their specifications and features including price, capacity, the number of speed settings, power, size, weight and colours. The other scores were taken from performance tests, each blender’s design, how loud they are when crushing ice, and how easy they are to use and clean.

The cheapest blender, the £29.99 Russell Hobbs’s Desire Matte Black Jug Blender, achieved the maximum score of 10 for price, for example. But this bargain cost means it has low power and offers few colour options, which law it drop points. The Sage Fresh and Furious excelled at making soup, scoring full marks, but lost nine of these points for being the most expensive.

We began by crushing the same amount of ice in each blender for 30 seconds before tipping the crushed ice into individual plastic cups. The name of each blender was written on the underside of the cups so we couldn’t see which ice came from which machine. We then ranked the samples based on their consistency. This test was repeated to measure the decibel levels of each blender as the ice was thrown around the jug.

For the smoothie test, we added the same amount of milk, bananas and blueberries to each blender and blitzed the ingredients for a minute. These ingredients were chosen because they offered a variety of textures and sizes. The smoothie mixture was poured into labelled cups and judged blind on colour, texture and taste. The individual scores of these three rankings were combined to get the total smoothie score.

This process was repeated for making juice, this time adding blueberries, cucumber and red cabbage to each blender. These ingredients were similarly chosen for their different textures and sizes, but also because of the vibrancy of the red cabbage.

The blended liquid was passed through a cheesecloth into labelled plastic cups and each juice was judged on taste and colour. Again, these scores were combined to get the total juice score.

Finally, a single batch of carrot and coriander soup mixture was divided into 10 and blended in each machine for two minutes. The soup was similarly blind-judged based on texture, colour and taste and the scores were combined. Each model was used on its lowest setting, and for the Ninja model we carried out testing using the jug blender but have also since repeated the tests with its single-serve container for reference.

Best blenders reviews: The test results

In previous appliance group tests, little has separated the best performing models but before we’d even scored the blenders on specifications, one model was a clear winner – the Ninja Blender Duo with AutoIQ. It scored top, or in the top three, for every performance test and in three of the seven specifications rankings.

In second place was the Dualit VortecS blender. It’s lighter than it looks and is surprisingly quiet. This is also impressive given its high power. It performed admirably in most tests but dropped points for being a little confusing to use.

Coming in third was the KitchenAid Artisan. It’s huge and heavy but this affords it a large capacity and high power motor, putting its performance up there with the Ninja and Dualit blenders.

We had expected the Nutribullet to take a podium place, given the brand’s popularity when reading customer reviews. However, its Magic Bullet is the only single-serve blender in the top five, rivalling much more expensive and powerful models for performance and specs, so it still performed well. Its marketing on the box promises a simple, quick blend and that’s exactly what you get.

The most expensive model in our list, the £199.95 Sage Fresh and Furiouscame fifth. It looks similar to the Dualit but is a little sleeker and offers a great range of settings without being too difficult to use. A built-in timer is also a great addition. Sadly, while it nailed some tests, it fell flat in others and we expected more for the price.

Sixth place went to the Wilko Power Plus blender. Despite its name, it lacks some of the power and finesse of the more expensive models but we were impressed with just how well it performed for such a cheap, compact single-serve blender.

Smeg’s retro blender aesthetic is fantastic; its retro design looked great on our worktop and its score was boosted by the range of colours available. Sadly it offers more style than substance and its performance results were wildly inconsistent, knocking it into seventh.

If it was judged purely on its specifications, the Swan Retro Stand blender would have scored higher as it’s light, compact with a large capacity and a good range of colours. Its performance dragged it down to eighth, though, after failing to fully blend basic ingredients.

Tefal’s Blendforce II Glass blender was terrible at crushing ice, the worst on test, but redeemed itself with a decent soup and how easy it was to use, managing to just avoid last place.

With the cheapest blender, Russell Hobbs’s Desire Matte, you get what you pay for. Its black design is inoffensive, and it has a decent capacity but it’s performance was largely poor, sadly affording it our One To Avoid award.

The best blender reviewed:

Ninja Blender Duo with AutoIQblender , £149.99

For a small appliance you’re not likely to use every day, paying £150 for the Ninja Blender Duo may seem a little steep but it’s worth almost every penny. Second only to the KitchenAid Artisan in terms of power, it has enough oomph to be the best blender for crushing ice by quite a distance. It was the only blender to completely turn the cubes to a consistent slush and did so quickly with one of the lowest sound levels of the lot.

It made the smoothest, freshest tasting smoothie without any lumps, and its juice was delicious, albeit lacking some of the vibrancy in colour of the juices produced by the Sage and Dualit blenders. Similarly, its soup was almost perfect. The only thing that separated it from the top-scoring Sage model was a single lump of carrot found at the bottom of the Ninja soup.

This fantastic performance was undoubtedly due to the Ninja’s blender jug having the largest capacity on test, coupled with having a tall, six-blade design – a unique feature of the brand. For reference, we performed each of these tests using the accompanying Nutri Ninja blender and it more than held its own. Its performance wasn’t as good as the Ninja’s jug blender but regularly ranked in the top three places when compared to its rivals.

The trade-off for this performance, and the reason the Ninja Blender Duo is only almost perfect is that it’s not the easiest of blenders to use and it’s a chunky, heavy piece of kit. Its AutoIQ feature determines which container –the jug or the single-serve – is attached and highlights the most appropriate settings.

For example, when the juice ingredients were added to the single-serve blender, the Low, Med, High and Pulse settings lit up, as did the Puree button. The Frozen Drinks/Smoothies button did not, neither did the two dedicated Nutri Blend buttons, which provide more power to the jug blender when its attached.

Once an option has been selected, the technology will automatically run the pulse, pause and blend patterns needed for the particular drink or food you’re making. While this sounds easy, and it does produce great results, knowing which button to press in the first place isn’t always straightforward and takes some getting used to. Other blenders simply have a dial with numbers that correspond to the amount of power, and these are easier to control.

On the plus side, Ninja’s system does have a timer, and it gives you a wider range of options meaning you can be much more precise and tailor the type of blend to the recipe, rather than just blitzing the food and hoping for the best.

Elsewhere, the Ninja lacks the style of some of its rivals. Its chunky and heavy design suits its industrial-style performance. You also have to store the extra jug and cups when they’re not in use, and they’re not small either. This means the Ninja Blender Duo may not suit smaller homes or where space is at a premium. But if you have the room, we’d sacrifice a little style for the power and versatility.

The best blender for value reviewed:

Nutribullet Magic Bullet, £40

Buy a Ninja Blender Duo and you’re paying a slight premium for its versatility and power. But if you’re not interested in bells and whistles, and just want a blender that does the job without breaking the bank, we highly recommend the Nutribullet Magic Bullet. For almost a quarter of the price of the Ninja, you get an easier to use, more compact single-serve blender without sacrificing too much on power and performance.

Its small size and low weight mean it can easily be stored in a cupboard when not in use or will tuck in tidily on your worktop between a kettle and toaster. It doesn’t have a power button on the blender itself. Instead, you press and hold the jug in place for the desired length of time. Alternatively, you can achieve a pulsing motion by pressing and releasing the jug multiple times.

If you want hands-free blending, before turning the Magic Bullet on press and twist the jug to lock it in place. Turn the power and the blades will rotate automatically until you untwist the jug or turn it off at the mains. We liked this ease of use but can imagine the lack of varying speed options, and the hands-on nature of the Magic Bullet may soon feel restrictive if you’re planning to make a variety of meals or drinks.

In all the performance rankings, with the exception of the ice crush test, the Nutribullet scored in the top half of the table. It made an above average smoothie, a tasty soup and a vibrant juice. In fact, it ranked top for the taste of its smoothie, but dropped points for having a thicker, lumpier consistency than some of its rivals. It has a limited capacity – the smallest on test – and while this didn’t seem to impact its performance with softer ingredients, the Nutribullet struggled to effectively crush ice, leaving large lumps. This may also be a downside if you want a blender to batch cook for the week.

The Nutribullet’s closest rival in our group test, in terms of design and functionality, is the Wilko Power Plus blender. The two models look almost identical, spare some branding differences, and the Wilko blender is a fiver cheaper, but it’s incredibly noisy and doesn’t offer pulsing features. Both come with two spare cups. If space, or money is tight, we recommend getting the Nutribullet over its larger rivals and paying the extra compared to the Wilko model will give you better results.

Comparing the rest on test

With the second largest capacity of the group, a wide range of settings and its flat (as opposed to Ninja’s tall) six-pronged blade, the Dualit VortecS got the closest to the Ninja in terms of performance, albeit still 12 points off. It came second only to the Nutribullet for how quiet it is, which is impressive given its hefty motor, and it made a great juice. Dualit has crammed a lot of tech and power into a narrow frame, meaning the VortecS would be comfortable addition to most homes.

Undoubtedly the most striking looking blender of the group, the KitchenAid Artisan is large and heavy, and is seemingly designed to stand out rather than blend in. Excuse the pun. Its highly powerful motor made it great for crushing ice, coming second only to the Ninja, and it’s smoothie was almost up there with Ninja’s taste and consistency. This was all done with relatively little noise, too. The KitchenAid lost points for a lacklustre juice and for leaving lumps in the soup.

Proving price doesn’t always match performance, the Sage Fresh and the Furious fell short of cheaper models, sitting in the middle of the pack. It excelled at both the smoothie and soup tasks, and offers the most speed settings without being overly complicated.

Its timer is a welcomed addition too. However, its juice mixture had large pieces of cabbage and cucumber left in it, it was one of the loudest machines and came second only to KitchenAid’s Artisan in terms of its large size and weight.

It may be the loudest blender in the list, with a capacity only marginally larger than the Nutribullet, but the Wilko blender is still a decent choice. It does the job if you don’t want anything fancy and for £35 you get a compact single-serve blender with spare cups. It lost points for its lack of colour and speed options and it made an awful soup.

How the Smeg BLF01BLUK 50s-styleblender could be so wildly inconsistent confounds us. In the smoothie and ice crushing tests, the Smeg was brilliant, achieving a score of nine and eight respectively. Yet put juice ingredients in, or attempt to make a soup, and you wouldn’t know it was the same blender. Both tests lacked taste and had poor consistencies. For its price we’d also expect more power. We did like the measuring cup in the top of the lid, though.

The Swan Retro Stand blender completely failed in making juice, only managing to cut the very bottom layer of ingredients and leaving the rest intact. Its smoothie didn’t fare much better, the ice wasn’t crushed and its soup was lumpy, although the overall consistency of the vegetables that were blended was good. It gained points for being a good looking, compact, quiet machine. Similar to the Smeg model, the Swan Retro Stand blender offers more style over substance. But unlike Smeg, its price is not sky-high.

Tefal’s Blendforce II Glass scored largely down the middle in the majority of tests, which matches its mid-range price. The blender wasn’t overly loud and it has a large capacity, offering a decent range of speed settings. It fell into last place, however, for making a terrible soup and smoothie and failing to crush the ice at all, merely cutting a few shards off the cubes.

Any blenders to avoid?

Russell Hobbs’s Desire Matte Black Jug Blender is cheap, and it shows. It’s a fairly chunky machine without the power that accompanies some of its other, similarly large rivals, namely the KitchenAid Artisan, and this meant it struggled with many of the performance tests. Its juice ranked among the worst, as did its ability to crush ice.

A couple of silver linings. You do get a large capacity for the price, and its smoothie was one of the smoothest and tastiest we made, so it’s not all bad, but we can’t recommend this machine when others which aren’t that much more expensive – the Nutribullet and Wilko – and do a significantly better job.

It's the New Year, so what better time to invest in a juicer and kick off that health, er, kick? Supermarkets are filled with pre-packed juices, but we all know fresh is best. Invest in one of the best juicers and not only can you guarantee the tastiest juice around, you can get creative with your combinations. Blueberry, pineapple and kale? Done.

If you’ve never bought a juicer before, it can be tricky to know which type is right for you. There are fast and slow designs, plus ones that look great but require more cleaning than others. It's also worth bearing in mind that there are juicers and then there are food processors and smoothie makers – all do a slightly different thing with a slightly different result.

Fortunately, we’ve put 10 of the best juicers through their paces, spending weeks peeling, chopping and blitzing fruit and veg.

You can read our in-depth reviews below and how we came to our best juicer conclusion. But, after much testing, the L'Equip 215 XL juicer is our best value pick and Philips Avance Collection MicroMasticating juicer our favourite overall. Kuvings EVO820 Evolution Cold Press Juicer came a close second – the only reason we haven’t chosen it as our top pick is its £500 price.

• These are the best blenders around right now
• The best hand mixer revealed
• Want the best food processor? Then this guide is for you

In terms of delivering bang for buck, the L'Equip 215 XL Juicer is our best choice – it balances consistently efficient juicing with a price tag of just over £100. It is a great buy for juicers newbies and enthusiasts alike. Plus it’s a cinch to put together and take apart.

The best juicer tested was the Philips HR1947/31 Avance Collection MicroMasticating, chosen because of its minimal pulp waste, compact worktop footprint, effortless assembly and ability to tackle a range of fruit and vegetables. It’s still something of an investment but if you want a juicer that continually delivers, and won’t end up gathering dust, it’s worth it.

• best buys
• The shortlist
• Test selection
• How we tested
• Test results
• Best overall
• Best value
• The rest compared
• One to avoid

PreviousNext

The shortlist: Best juicers reviewed

The expert's view

36

Oranges juiced

29

Hours of testing

18

Products considered

2

Best buys

There are three important questions to ask when thinking about buying a juicer. Do you want a "fast" or "slow" extraction model? How much space do you have to spare? And are you willing to pay a bit more for convenience and easier cleaning?

Even low-cost juicers can do the job well, if you choose carefully. It's one of the benefits of a genre of kitchen gadget that is now fairly mature, rather than part of a trendy fad.

Author Bio

Rachel Ogden

Rachel Ogden is a freelance journalist specialising in testing small appliances, from coffee machines to slow cookers and everything in-between. Her kitchen has been a temporary home to multiple juicers over the years, meaning she has used, cleaned, assembled and disassembled more than most people, and juiced a vast amount of fruit, vegetables and nuts.

Best juicers: how we selected

Every brand under the sun used to make a juicer. That variety has narrowed with the rise of smoothie makers and pro-style blenders. The market now mostly consists of models that tend to be more than £100, but produce a high yield with less maintenance, and affordable ‘fast’ juicers with few bells and whistles.

Slow juicers (also known as cold press juicers, or masticating as they ‘chew’ the ingredients to extract more juice) have risen in popularity. Fast, or centrifugal, juicers (where ingredients are shredded, spun and strained) often have to emphasise their time-saving qualities, such as rapid juicing and reduced food prep.

For these tests, we’ve tried to select a varied mixture of fast and slow juicers, at a range of prices. Our cheapest is a budget-friendly sub-£50 VonShefcentrifugal model. There are 10 different manufacturers, ranging from specialist juicer makers that you may not be familiar with, such as Kuvings and L'Equip, to companies that mainly make small kitchen appliances, such as Dualit and Magimix. There are also companies that offer a range of other products, such as Philips and Panasonic.

Juicing at home is the best way to maximise your drink’s vitamins and nutrients but no amount of tasty fresh OJ will lure you into making it if a machine is messy or difficult to use, assemble and clean. We prioritised designs that are easy to take apart and put back together (you’ll still find older juicer models available that are like 3D jigsaw puzzles), can be cleaned in a couple of minutes or are dishwasher-safe and come with useful features, such as non-drip stoppers and different settings for different produce.

We also chose models that would minimise food prep time with wider feed chutes (so you can juice a whole apple without chopping for example) or a large pulp bin (for reduced emptying during weekend juicing sessions), and those that have more than one speed, so can adapt to soft and hard textures.

Accessories were also a plus point. We looked for brushes to help with clean-up afterwards, recipe books (to inspire you to get the most out of your juicer), lidded juice jugs (so you don’t have to juice every day and can store a few days’ worth in the fridge) and different strainers (for making thicker juice, coulis or even frozen fruity desserts).

At the more expensive end of the market, performance tends to be fairly consistent. If you have a couple of hundred pounds to spend, the chances of buying a poor-performing juicer are low. At this price, the buying decision will be mostly about features, design and aesthetic. If you keep these machines clean and well-maintained, they should last for years without any major hiccups.

However, for less than £100, quality varieties more and you’re limited to centrifugal designs, Many include more plastic parts than metal, which may be less durable over time and can stain. They’re fine for occasional juicing, or as a first juicer, but may not be suitable for everyday heavy use. Budget colour choices tends to be black, white or silver. Designs are more functional than stylish, and features reduced to a minimum.

Best juicers: how we tested

Assembling a juicer shouldn’t be a special skill so the first thing we were looking for were machines that were quick to slot together, and ideally had lock symbols or arrows on applicable parts. A quick-start guide or separate diagram showing how to assemble the juicer, which you can keep handy until you’re up to speed, was also a plus.

Another feature on our wishlist was clear, concise instructions, as too often manuals can be overwhelmingly wordy. Or, conversely, too brief to get a real sense of what the machine can do.

Each juicer we tested was given four foods to assess its capabilities. These were a hard vegetable (carrot), soft vegetable (spinach leaves), hard fruit (apples) and soft fruit (peeled orange segments). Speeds were adjusted for each where available, and food introduced whole where possible. We then looked at how much juice was produced from each food, how much waste pulp ended up in the bin (including if it contained any unjuiced lumps of the food), and how damp the waste pulp was.

After juicing each food, we also looked inside the machine to see how much waste pulp or food remained in the bin, whether any lumps or clogs were present and if filters looked congested or fairly clear (and so if they would require cleaning in-between different foods or if we could carry on using the machine without any clogs forming).

Following each juicing session, we also marked each juicer on how much mess there was around the machine, from either splashes and spurting while in operation or drips on the worktop in lieu of a resealable spout. More mess equals more clean-up time, so even if a juicer is relatively low maintenance to use, constantly cleaning up around it can be a deterrent to a regular juicing routine.

Finally, we evaluated how easy each model was to take apart and clean after use. A good juicer design shouldn’t have any nooks or crannies that can’t be reached with a cloth or brush when cleaning by hand (and so could become sticky or unhygienic over time), and any seals should be easy to unplug and re-seal.

The best models tend to come with a brush or cleaning tool in the box specifically suited to removing clogs or fibres from that machine, so we awarded extra points to those that made washing by hand as fuss-free as possible.

Entirely dishwasher-safe parts were also a plus. A few of the models we tested still had one or two parts that had to be cleaned by hand and remembering which ones these are when a juicer’s in regular use would be tricky. It’s worth noting that most machines still advise a quick scrub of filters before placing in the dishwasher and that most go on the top rack for reduced wear and tear from the water jets.

Best Juicer Reviews: The test results

The Philips AvanceCollection MicroMasticating juicer scored highly in almost all areas so we’ve chosen it as our best juicer. Ease of cleaning is the clearest positive – its parts only needed a quick rinse to flush out fibres and were all dishwasher-safe.

We also found it very easy to assemble – the parts that come into contact with food all slot together into one unit, which then locks into place on top of the machine. Another slow juicer, the Kuvings EVO820, produced a slightly better yield but, in comparison, took far longer to assemble and disassemble and clean, and took up more room on the worktop.

We tested two other slow juicers. One was the Panasonic MJ-L500, which performed well, except with spinach leaves. It was straightforward to put together but some of its parts weren’t dishwasher safe. We also liked its ability to make frozen desserts.

The other was Smeg’s slow juicer– an efficient machine with a high juice yield that was easy to assemble. It performed especially well with citrus fruit and made short work of leafy greens but as the highest priced model in our selection, this slightly better performance might not be worth the extra expense.

On the fast juicer front, we tested six models – theL’Equip 215 XL, which didn’t look much different than many from the outside but performed exceptionally well, making it our best value choice. We liked everything about it, from the good advice about how best to maintain it and clean it by hand, to the fact that it was also dishwasher safe should you not have time to scrub.

The L’Equip 215 XL faltered a little with spinach leaves and would have benefited from having a cleaning brush in the box, but for the price we felt it delivered on most key points.

Also ranking highly was the Sage Nutri Juicer Cold XL – similar in design but with more control over speeds and an incredibly useful storage jug. More of its parts are constructed from metal, too, ensuring a long lifespan but also increasing its weight – not ideal if you have to move it around the kitchen or in and out of a cupboard.

Our cheapest model in the selection had a similar design – the VonShef 800W juicer. While its build quality meant we had a small leak while testing, it nonetheless made short work of everything but the spinach, which produced a negligible amount of juice.

Our final two were the Dualit Dual Max Juicer and the Magimix Le Duo Plus XL – both relatively compact and elegant centrifugal machines, but both prone to drips from their spouts once the glass or jug had been taken away.

The Dualit model tended to gather pulp in the lid, rather transferring it to the pulp container, while neither performed as well with spinach as they did hard fruit. These were both good, hard-working machines but definitely more suitable for citrus and hard fruit than leafy veg.

Best Juicer overall:

Philips Avance Collection MicroMasticating juicer review, £199.99, Amazon (RRP £295)

Kitchens rarely have space for a one-trick small appliance, so the sheer size of this juicer won us over. It’s compact enough to store at the back of a worktop underneath a wall cabinet and its juice jug and extra filter can be stored inside the waste pulp bin when you’re done. There’s even cord storage around the base of the machine for the generous one-metre cable.

Inside, a long thin auger screw (rather than the chunky ones you’ll find on larger upright slow juicers) crushes fruit, vegetables and nuts in three stages before the juice makes its way to your glass. It then ejects the pulp into a container below. In our tests, it performed brilliantly with every food, processing spinach as easily as citrus and producing minimal, only slightly damp, pulp.

While juicing it was quiet, meaning it’s also a good choice if you’re the first person up in the morning, work unsocial hours or don’t want to disturb a child’s nap time. The juice it produced was consistently great quality, with intense flavours, a good consistency (which can also be thicker with more pulp by switching to the fibre juice filter) and barely any foam. An included recipe book had some ideas for blends to try, although not a huge amount of guidance.

It was prone to was juice surges if food was pushed through too quickly, or if chunks became stuck, and had to be nudged through with the pusher. The feed chute isn’t that wide, so more prep was required than with other machines, and if you were juicing in a hurry, this might prove frustrating. However, the lidded jug does at least mean you can juice ahead of time if this becomes an issue.

Another reason we’ve chosen it as our favourite was that it was incredibly simple to assemble and comes with a separate diagram you can keep to hand until it’s second nature. Taking it apart was mess-free – the non-drip spout clicks to stop splashes of juice on the worktop, plus its pre-clean function leaves the interior fibre-free. It took less than a minute to rinse all the parts, none of which had sharp edges, and they were all dishwasher-safe as well.

Of all the juicers we tested, we felt the Avance Collection MicroMasticating model had the best balance of convenience, easy storage, efficiency and minimal maintenance.

Best juicer for value

L'Equip 215 XL Juicer review, £169.95, Amazon

The L'Equip 215 XL might not have the most exciting name, only has one speed, and it is not the sleekest model in our round-up. But in terms of being a hard-working juicer that’s quick and easy to use, clean and assemble, it fits the bill perfectly.

Some of the reasons we chose it as our best value buy include its large pulp container and wide feed chute. You can juice for as long as you like without stopping to empty it – great for large batches — and it can take small whole apples and carrots (although larger apples can be obstructed by the fin halfway down the chute).

There are some bundled recipes to try, but no juice jug.

We liked that theL'Equip 215 XL's spout didn’t spurt as we juiced, even though its powerful motor processes fruit and veg in a matter of seconds, and that after we were finished, there were no clogs inside the machine – all the pulp made it into the container, with some sticking to the lid.

Juicing the apples produced a clear drink with a small amount of froth and moist, but not soaking, well-processed pulp. We had similar results from carrots, with each one creating about a quarter of a glass of juice with substantial, but quite dry, pulp.

Oranges gave a good yield of about a third of a glass of juice per fruit, with slight froth and damp pulp. We found that trying to ease food through the L'Equip 215 XLslowly translated to the best results, although it was hard to do this with soft citrus. Where it didn’t perform as well as hoped was with the spinach leaves. Even when rolled or juiced with apple, they only produced a small amount of juice. The spinach pulp was minimal but this machine still didn’t feel like the best choice for leafy veg.

Taking the L'Equip 215 XL apart and cleaning up was straightforward. While there’s no brush included for cleaning the mesh filter basket, fibres can be removed quite easily and all the parts are dishwasher-safe. A non-drip spout would improve this juicer, as we disliked having to wipe up splashes as we took it apart.

In terms of size, while the L'Equip 215 XL is not the smallest we reviewed, it’s still more compact than models of a similar design. It can be stored easily. Many of the internal parts are made from stainless steel too, which should result in a longer lifespan.

Overall, the L'Equip 215 XL is good value considering its mostly efficient performance, and an excellent buy if most of what you plan to juice is hard fruit or veg.

Comparing the rest

Best for serious juicing fans

Kuvings EVO820 Evolution Cold Press Juicer, £479.00, Amazon

An incredibly well-designed slow juicer that frankly, could probably squeeze juice out of anything, but there’s no getting around that this is an investment machine. However, it offers more than most: high juice yield and a minimal amount of pulp, a clever feed chute that comes with a flip-gate rather than a fin, which makes juicing whole apples easier, drip-stop spout and wrap-around cleaning brush for effortless maintenance. There’s also an optional citrus attachment, which adds another £30 to the price, but turns it into an efficient reamer.

Best for batch juicing

Sage the Nutri Juicer Cold XL, £299.00, Amazon

Slow juicers might not be the snail-like appliances the name suggests but for those who don’t want to wait around for a cold press, there’s the Sage the Nutri Juicer Cold XL. It's a weighty no-nonsense machine that aims to combine the speed of a centrifugal juicer with the quality of a slow one. In some respects it delivers, producing minimal dry pulp for hard fruit and veg. We would have liked to see more from the softer stuff, considering it has a dedicated speed for it but loved the design otherwise. A large pulp bin and lidded jug with a seal means you can make days’ worth of juice in one go, plus a flexible nozzle gives the option of juicing into a glass.

Best for retro style

Smeg Slow Juicer, £359.99, Amazon

However useful an appliance is, if it lives out on your worktop, why not have something attractive to look at too? That’s the reasoning behind Smeg’s slow juicer, which combines style with a durable juicing machine. Two filters mean you can have drinks with more pulp should you wish to, while a drip-stop spout prevents all that lovely juice dribbling over your surfaces. Plus, unlike many juicers that only come in monochrome, there’s a choice of pastel blue, red or cream instead of the standard black.

Best for versatility

Magimix Le Duo Plus XL Juice Extractor, £179.99, Amazon

Considering its motor comes with a 30-year guarantee, you can be sure the Le Duo Plus XL was just itching to be put through its paces. We especially liked it for its two-cone citrus press, which worked as well for oranges as it did limes (a fruit that can be stubborn to produce juice), the SmoothieMix attachment that makes everything from coulis to baby food and the spatula. It lets you scoop out pulp easily when you are finished juicing. A simple design, quiet motor (though it’s still noisy when juicing) and entirely dishwasher-safe parts also made us score it highly. However, while it produced a good yield from apples and carrots, getting sufficient juice from leafy veg proved tricky.

Best as a first juicer

Dualit Dual-Max Juicer, £59.99, Amazon

Proving a solidly built machine doesn’t need to blow the budget, the Dual-Max is probably one of the best models for someone starting a juicing habit but who isn’t ready to lay out hundreds just to dip a toe in the water. It has two speeds for getting the most from soft and hard fruit and was very fast – so much so, that our juice was always foamy. Fortunately, its juice jug’s separator served to skim most of it off when we poured it out. It was messy to clean up after disassembling it, as pulp gathered in the lid, and you’ll need to buy a separate brush to clear clogs from the metal filter before chucking in the dishwasher. But other than that, there’s a lot to like.

Best for a budget

Vonshef 800W Stainless Steel Juicer, £49.99, Amazon

As the lowest priced juicer in our round-up, we weren’t sure what to expect from this pocket-friendly number. But it was a pleasant surprise. It works almost as well as juicers that cost twice as much, and although there was a tiny leak from the side of the lid (despite it being firmly clamped in place), and a bit more mess during disassembly, these felt like niggles given the price. The build quality is less robust than others we tested but considering you can spend the saving on lots of fruit and veg for juicing, it’s hard to find much fault with it.

Best for frozen desserts

Panasonic MJ-L500 Slow Juicer, £399,00, Amazon

With a fair few parts, it’s a little bit of a puzzle to put this juicer together but persist with the MJ-L500 and your reward can be everything from juice to icy desserts. It will even crunch its way through frozen fruit, turning berries and chunks of fruit into ‘oh I just whipped this up’ sorbet – great for dieters craving a sweet fix as well as healthy puddings for kids. It performed especially well with apples, turning them into slightly foamy yet crisp juice with compacted pulp that was almost dry to the touch, but leafy greens didn’t produce much yield. However, for under £200, there’s a lot of functionality.

Best for families

Braun IdentityCollection Spin Juicer J500, £129.00, Amazon

A good basic juicer that’s noisy but fast, its notable features include an anti-splash spout that doesn't spurt or drip, quick powering up and down, and two speeds for hard and soft fruit. We were able to fit apples into its wide feed chute too, only deferring to the pusher to ease the last few pieces of fruit through. There was quite a lot of foam on top of the juice but a separator in the jug helped to sieve this out. The remaining pulp was fairly dry. Oranges produced a good amount of juice, but wetter pulp. Smaller pieces of food were trickier to juice, and had a habit of spinning away from the filter.

One to avoid?

All juicers have their failings. There isn’t yet a design that does away with food prep altogether, produces a large yield and needs little maintenance. So rather than pinpoint a model to avoid, we’d suggest making sure you buy the juicer that’s right for how you plan to juice and your everyday lifestyle to avoid falling out of love with it.

If you like speedy OJ and apple juice, choose a centrifugal model, or if veggies, soft fruit and nuts is more your thing, go for a slow juicer. And if you think it’ll end up getting relegated to a cupboard, never to see the light of day again, buy one that’s compact enough to have out on the worktop so you’re more likely to use it.

While none of the juicers we tested were especially difficult to clean, some were definitely more straightforward than others, so if you find yourself often short on time, pick one that’s dishwasher-safe or has as few parts as possible.

If you think that the best slow cookers are just for stews and soups, then think again.

From baking cakes to roasting chickens and cooking an entire Full English (or a stack of pancakes!) ready for the next morning, the best slow cookers are more versatile than you can imagine.

For the past month we’ve put this versatility to the test, preparing meals and desserts using 10 of the best-selling slow cookers. They come from established brands like Morphy Richards, Crock-Pot and Russell Hobbs, as well as models from relatively unsung manufacturers including Drew & Cole, Swan and Wilko.

There was a surprise result. The bargain Wilko slow cooker came out victorious. It makes the most moist chicken we’ve ever tasted, while also performing admirably at baking cakes and stews.

Drew & Cole’s Clever Chef is our best value choice because the design, performance and range of options it provides far outweigh its price.

• These are the best food processors around.

Slow cooker best buys

It looks unlike any slow cooker we’ve used but that’s not a criticism. The CleverChef is a slow cooker, frying pan, steamer, and rice cooker in one. We only tested its slow cooking capabilities – for which it came third overall – but if you’re in the market for a slow cooker anyway, spending slightly more will get you this all-singing, all-dancing multicooker, representing fantastic value for money.

In our blind taste tests, the Wilko 3.5L slow cooker made the most delicious roast chicken, plus its chocolate cake and beef stew were so tasty they made the top three. This, coupled with its absolute bargain price, its choice of settings and its size made it a deserving winner.

• best buys
• The shortlist
• Our expert
• Test selection
• How we tested
• test results
• Best overall
• Most versatile
• The rest compared
• One to avoid

PreviousNext

The Shortlist: Best slow cooker

The expert's view

50

Products considered

65

Hours of testing

2

Experts consulted

2

Best buys

Our testing proves you can buy an excellent slow cooker for less than the cost of a Pizza Express bottle of wine. However, there's more to consider. Some of the slow cookers we tested can do more kinds of cooking. And others look much better than our Wilko winners, which matters a lot to some.

Read on to find out how our 10 best slow cookers handle cooking a chicken, baking a chocolate cake and making a classic slow-cooked stew.

Author Bio

Vicky Woollaston

Victoria Woollaston is a technology and beauty freelancer with more than a decade of experience reviewing and comparing gadgets, appliances and services at MailOnline, Wired, Alphr and Expert Reviews.

Best slow cookers: how we selected

Despite the myriad recipes that can be made in a slow cooker, the machines themselves are simple pieces of kit. On paper, little separates the majority of slow cookers in terms of size, temperature settings and design. In reality, however, there can be a vast difference in how one performs compared to a rival.

To create a shortlist of the best slow cookers, we studied customer ratings for 50 models across leading homeware sites Lakeland, Andrew James, AO.com, Argos, Wilko and Amazon.

Any product labelled as a slow cooker was included, which (depending on the site) also pulled in multi-cookers. From this list of 50, we read hundreds of reviews to find the 25 most popular, well-regarded slow cookers based on customer experiences. To narrow the list down to the top 10, we first selected the highest-scoring models from each brand and then handpicked the final models based on features and price.

In terms of features, we looked for slow cookers with at least two temperature settings – high and low – because these are the most common settings used in the majority of slow cooker recipes.

Each slow cooker had to have a minimum capacity of 3.5L because this size can typically create meals to feed a family of four, and is large enough to roast a whole chicken. All of the slow cookers needed to fit comfortably on countertops, too. In terms of price, we wanted at least two budget and two high-end, premium models with the others providing an assortment of options in the mid-range.

This left us with models from Crock-Pot, Swan, Russell Hobbs, Drew & Cole, Tower, Andrew James, Lakeland, Wilko and two Morphy Richards slow cookers – one in the budget category and a mid-range model. The Crock-Pot and Drew & Cole models are classed as multi-cookers so, to level the playing field, we only tested their slow cooking capabilities and comment on their other features purely for reference purposes.

Best slow cookers: how we tested

Across our tests, the slow cookers were ranked out of 10 based on features and performance.

When scoring the best slow cookers for features we assigned points based on price, capacity, the number of temperature settings, their size, weight and colour options. They were also judged on how hot to the touch they got during cooking, how easy they were to use and clean, and their design.

The cheapest model, the Wilko 3.5L slow cooker, achieved a price score of 10, for example but lost points for not offering a range of colour options. The Crock-Pot scored 10 for having the highest capacity but lost points for being the most expensive and largest of the lot.

The slow cookers were then individually tested on their ability to roast a chicken, make a beef stew and bake a chocolate lava cake.

For the roasting challenge, a whole chicken was placed on onions, carrots, garlic and chicken stock and cooked on low for five hours. The stock was removed and the chickens were cooked on high for the final 60 minutes.

Meat from each chicken breast was put into bowls, on the underside of which the name of each slow cooker had been written, and they were blind tasted before being ranked from best to worst. We were looking for a moist texture and strong flavour.

To make the beef stew, we fried the ingredients in the slow cookers to test how well they could brown onions and beef before adding stock and vegetables and cooking on low for eight hours.

The blind tasting process was repeated but this time each bowl was ranked three times – once for sauce, once for meat and veg, and once for overall flavour. When ranking the sauce, we were looking for a vibrant colour and thick consistency.

When ranking the meat and veg, we wanted pieces of tender beef that had been cooked evenly, and soft vegetables that held their shape and hadn’t been overcooked to point of mash. The scores from each were combined to get a total.

When making the chocolate lava cake, we put a chocolate sponge mix in each slow cooker before pouring over a fudge mixture and cooking on high for an hour.

Spoonfuls of the cake were transferred to the labelled bowls and were judged on how well the sponge was cooked, the consistency and amount of fudge sauce, and overall taste.

Feeling hungry?

As a rule, a high temperature on a slow cooker averages around 150-degrees Celcius mark, while a low temperature is in the region of 90-degrees Celcius.

This can, of course, differ by model but it’s fair to assume temperatures are similar because slow cooking recipes tend not to list different cooking times for different models.

If a recipe says it will cook in eight hours on low, for example, the results of whichever slow cooker you use should be similar, or certainly not different enough to warrant a substantial change in timings. In our test, Drew & Cole’s CleverChef was the only slow cooker to show the exact temperature of its high, medium and low settings, and in this instance we left this temperature at whatever its default was.

To test how hot each one was to the touch, we used a thermometer placed on the outside of each slow cooker. The total scores from all 12 food and specification tests were combined to reveal the winners and losers.

Best slow cooker reviews: The results

Topping our list of best slow cookers, beating competition from appliances that cost almost nine times its price, is the Wilko 3.5L slow cooker. It consistently impressed us, cooking food evenly and with ease, and it looks the part.

In second place, we go from the cheapest to the most expensive model in our list – the Crock-Pot 5.6L Family multi-cooker and slow cooker. It’s a beast of a machine, in terms of capacity, size as well as what it’s capable of. Plus it’s incredibly easy to use, despite its vast array of options.

The second of the multi-cookers in our list, Drew & Cole’s CleverChef, took third place for its precision heat settings as well as its unique design and safety features. Its cooking skills didn’t quite match this versatility but it was a well-rounded appliance and it offers far beyond any of the others in this list without an extortionate price tag.

Only one point separated each of the slow cookers in our top four, and Morphy Richards’s Evoke Sear and Stew scored highly for how lightweight and compact it is. It didn’t perform quite as well as our podium places at cooking the food evenly, but wasn’t far off.

Sitting in fifth place, Lakeland’s 3.5L slow cooker fell slightly flat for producing average scores across tests while not offering much in the way of standout features. It’s a mid-range slow cooker for a mid-range price and does the job, just not as well as some of its other rivals on test.

The Tower 3.5L was the most striking of the slow cookers in this list (we reviewed the red model) from a distance. Close up, however, it looks cheaper than it should for its high price. Its overall performance was also lacking, although it did redeem itself by baking the best cake.

The Tower's chocolate lava cake

Approaching the bottom of the pile is the Andrew James Sizzle and Simmer. On paper, having a digital display and delay timer in such a relatively cheap model should have pushed it closer to the top in terms of use, yet these features are unnecessarily confusing.

It was the only slow cooker to burn us when moving it and was average at cooking cake. It did make a cracking stew though; the best of the bunch.

Towards the back of the pack is the Russell Hobbs Chalk Board 3.5L slow cooker. It made a decent stew, a below average chicken and a terrible cake but scored well for its tall design and compact dimensions. This makes it perfect for smaller kitchens. It was also one of the safest on test, not getting too hot to the touch.

Swan’s Retro 3.5L slow cooker is in a similar boat to the Lakeland model. It didn’t do anything particularly well, sitting near the bottom of the pile for how evenly, or not, it cooked the three food items. As much as its ivory pot looks great – and it really does – it is a pain to clean and it quickly looked discoloured.

Finally, we were surprised the Morphy Richards 6.5L Oval slow cooker scored so low considering the much stronger performance of its sister model. This was down to the fact it came last in the stew and chicken taste tests and its design is a little basic. We do have to give it credit, however, for offering the largest capacity on test for such a low price.

The best slow cooker reviewed: Wilko 3.5L slow cooker, £15

The first thing that struck us with the Wilko 3.5Lslow cooker was its ceramic bowl. Typically, ceramic bowls are the reserve of more expensive models because they cost more to manufacture.

They retain and spread the heat more evenly than metal pots. Plus, ceramic pots offer the same, or similar, non-stick properties as coatings found on metal pots without the chemicals.

To find a ceramic pot in a slow cooker that costs just £15 is impressive, and we’re not sure how Wilko makes a profit on these. This addition may go some way into explaining why the slow cooker punches so well above its weight, beating rivals that cost much more.

It is super simple to set up and use and a single dial on the front switches from Off to Low, High or Keep Warm. When the slow cooker is on, a red light above this switch is illuminated. This is far from unique to the Wilko slow cooker – and if you’ve ever used a traditional slow cooker you’ll know this is standard – but it’s worth highlighting when other models in this list aren’t as straightforward, namely the Andrew James model.

Out of the three cooking tests, the Wilko slow cooker achieved top, or close to top marks. Its roast chicken was succulent and full of flavour, scoring maximum points. It came away from the bone easily and was still moist while other models overcooked the chicken until it was dry, such as the CleverChef, or failed to cook it all the way through, as was the case with the Morphy Richards Oval slow cooker. The Wilko model also produced the best tasting cake sponge but dropped a single point because its fudge sauce was thicker, and therefore less molten, than its rivals, particularly the Tower.

The Wilko model’s stew similarly impressed. As with the chicken, it cooked the beef evenly until tender. It pulled apart easily but still held its shape, whereas the beef on the CleverChef was chewy and the Swan Retro’s meat almost melted away and disintegrated into the sauce. The Wilko sauce was decent. It was flavoursome and vibrant, but lacked a little consistency when compared to the winning Andrew James stew. The Wilko stew’s overall taste was also great, again just losing out to Andrew James’.

Onto the negatives. You can’t put the Wilko slow cooker pot in the dishwasher, or at least you’re not advised to. The manufacturer says it is wipe clean only and we can only assume that using it in the dishwasher may cause the pot to crack or for its non-stick properties to deteriorate over time. This makes it a little harder to clean than dishwasher-friendly models.

The design of the Wilko slow cooker isn’t much to look at either. Its metal exterior does get hot during cooking but not as hot as the majority of other similar designs in our test. Its dial and lid knob are made of plastic and look a little cheap, but that’s because they are and there had to be a trade-off somewhere considering this slow cooker’s fantastic performance.

The best slow cooker for versatility reviewed: Drew & Cole’s CleverChef, £59.99

Let’s face it, slow cookers aren’t the most attractive of kitchen appliances. Even those such as Swan’s Retro model which attempt to elevate this aesthetic still fall a little short of being attractive. So it’s refreshing to see Drew & Cole offering a break from the norm with its CleverChef multi-cooker.

Its compact, plastic design could not be further from the metal designs of its rivals. It has a large digital display and hides a large 5L capacity pot inside a streamlined exterior. There’s even room for a handy steaming tray.

This design does give it a slightly space-age feel; poles apart from Swan’s Retro design, and if you prefer the latter the CleverChef may not be for you. If you like your gadgets though, it’s great, plus by housing the pot inside its plastic casing, it got only slightly warm to the touch making it the safest of the machines we tested.

The CleverChef offers a staggering 14 settings – slow cook, stew, steam, roast, poach, rice, soup, pasta, fish, sauté, brown, bread rise, bake, yoghurt – which technically increases to 17 when you consider you can set the slow cook function to cook on low, medium or high. We only tested how well the slow cooking features worked for our test, but having since experimented with its other settings we can confidently say it’s a highly versatile machine.

The downside to this is that it can be tricky to use. The CleverChef, along with the Andrew James model, were the only slow cookers we had to read the manual for before using. The digital display is activated by touch, and you have to press relatively hard to register a press.

Pressing the Menu button repeatedly to scroll through the cooking settings is tedious, especially if the one you want is at the end of the list. The Crock-Pot with its physical buttons and mutiple settings is far more intuitive and user-friendly.

The pay-off is that once we’d got our head around how to use the CleverChef, we were cooking a wide variety of meals with ease. Getting back the time cooking that we’d lost learning how to use it.

The performance of the CleverChef wasn’t bad either. It couldn’t match the cooking skills of the Wilko or Crock-Pot but scored a respectable 8/10 for the chicken, and middle-of-the-road scores for its cake and stew.

Its main flaw, when compared to others in our list, is that its design made it a little too efficient. It cooked all three food items faster than its rivals and without a glass lid this wasn’t easy to spot. This isn’t necessarily a positive because it meant the food dried out quickly. The CleverChef lost points for its chicken because the breast meat was dry. The cake was overcooked and the stew didn’t taste as well-rounded as others because it hadn’t had the time to infuse with flavour.

We have since experimented with different settings to achieve the optimum conditions for each recipe and it has performed better. Plus it comes with a book, and website, full of recipes designed with the CleverChef in mind. If you were already willing to spend around £50 for a slow cooker, it’s definitely worth paying the extra to get such a versatile, futuristic machine.

Comparing the rest on test

Crock-Pot has been a leading name in the slow cooker industry for decades. Its so synonymous with one-pot cooking, slow cookers are often called crock-pots so it’s no wonder the model we tested performed so well. Its digital display is easy to use, as are its delay and countdown timers.

The Crock-Pot 5.6L Family Multi and Slow Cooker cooked succulent chicken and rich stew, scoring 9/10 for both. It dropped points because its cake was a little dry and its price will likely put it out of reach of many. We only tested its slow cooking capabilities but as a multi-cooker it has a huge range of other skills, too.

At the opposite end of the scale price-wise is the Morphy Richards Evoke Sear and Stew. We tested the black and rose gold model and it looks great.

Its metal pot, which helps make the slow cooker so light, feels cheap, as does the large plastic dial. And it performed terribly at roasting a chicken (2/10). That said, it produced the best tasting stew and its cake had a good mix of sponge and sauce.

The Lakeland’s 3.5L model is decidedly mid-range. It has a mid-range price, offers mid-range features and gave a mid-range performance scoring 6/10 for each of the three food tests. At least it’s consistent.

It would have placed higher if the Andrew James model hadn’t made such a great stew, and if it hadn’t been one of the heaviest slow cookers we tested.

Tower’s chocolate lava cake was heavenly; it tasted superb with a great ratio of sponge to sauce. The slow cooker roasted a chicken well, too. But that’s where the successes ended.

With an average score for its watery stew and plastic-looking, cheap design, not to mention being one of the hottest to touch during cooking, the Tower’s performance doesn’t justify its £70 price tag. Especially when the Wilko model, at almost a fifth of the price, beat it in almost every category.

The chalkboard design of the Russell Hobbs Chalk Board 3.5L Slow Cooker slow cooker may have a place in some homes, but we felt it was gimmicky. It’s not easy to write on, especially when the slow cooker is hot, and we just don’t see the point.

The tall design is great, but may also not appeal to everyone. True, it’s great if space is at a premium, but it’s not the easiest to use for roasting a chicken, and with a smaller flat surface area, you can’t cook many muffins in cases, for example.

What Swan’s Retro range offers in style, it lacks in substance. The grey exterior, ivory pot and silver retro dial really do look the part yet, it scored just 2/10 for the stew and cake.

The meat was tough and the sauce weak, and the cake was undercooked. The ivory pot also got dirty and discoloured easily and had to be treated with specialist stain removers. Its affordable price did help us forgive some of these shortcomings but it wasn’t enough for it to rank higher.

Bringing up the rear is the Morphy Richards 6.5L Oval slow cooker, an iconic model from a well-known brand that is consistently a best-seller on Amazon.

Like the Lakeland slow cooker, it doesn’t offer anything in the way of bells and whistles. But where Lakeland’s made decent work of the cooking, this Morphy Richards model came last for the stew and the chicken, and performed only marginally better with the cake.

It was almost as hot to the touch as the Andrew James model and its RRP makes it the most expensive of the traditional slow cookers in this list, without the minerals to back it up.

Any slow cookers to avoid?

We had high hopes for the Andrew James model. A slow cooker with digital features and timers for less than £35?

Consider our interest piqued. Sadly, it let us down. It gets blisteringly hot to the touch and comes with small handles that make moving it without touching the pot difficult.

We burnt ourselves on a couple of occasions. It’s also one of the heaviest on test, adding to these woes.

The digital display is overly complicated – you have to press and hold the dial to turn it on, which is far from obvious – and you only have a limited amount of time to make your temperature and time settings. If you make a mistake or want to change it, you have to turn the slow cooker off and back on again.

When it came to the cooking tests, it performed admirably, achieving a perfect score for the stew and mid-range scores for the chicken and cake. This is why it ranked higher than others yet is still our slow cooker to avoid.

Life is hectic. Family, work and everything in-between, who has time to bake bread? It's a labour of love, after all, and a really good loaf takes time - even in the best breadmaker.

That's why most of us make do with shop-bought loaves. Sub-par sarnies and smashed avocado on floppy, spongy slivers that turn into listless mush after not very long. Stop settling. You can get a meaty, thick slab of crunchy goodness you've sliced yourself to load up or fill to perfection - just get a breadmaker.

Starting at less than £45 for the Cookworks Breadmaker from Argos, buying one of the best breadmakers saves time, energy, and if you make enough loaves, money too. It needn’t cost the earth (although some can), and you’ll never have to deal with mediocre toast ever again.

Not all breadmakers were created equal though. The Panasonic SD-ZX2522 will set you back £239.99 and is our ultimate do-it-all machine. It has the biggest pan and promises the most gluten-free features for celiacs, and includes the most modes of all our machines and is also the quietest too.

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• Our expert
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If all you want is a decent homemade loaf of bread every day or two, you can get it from Cookworks’s Breadmaker. It isn’t perfect. The evenness of the bake makes for a slightly dryer, thicker crust, though if you refine your recipe and opt for a lighter crust setting, it makes a fantastic tasting, fantastic value loaf.

Kenwood’s BM450 breadmaker balances premium design with chrome trimmings, a sizeable loaf tin and plenty of modes and features. While we wouldn’t recommend it for anyone looking to make cake in their breadmaker, for a sensational loaf and the best-looking breadmaker on-test, the BM450 is our choice.

Our expert

40+

Hours of testing

14

Products considered

3

Experts consulted

2

Best buys

If you’ve never used a breadmaker and are wondering how they work, all five of the ones we’ve tested have a core method in common.

You load up the pan with ingredients, usually starting with the liquids - oil and water, followed by the flour and salt, and finally, yeast. Next, put the pan in the breadmaker, let it do its thing, and let your nose guide you back to it when your home smells like a bakery.

Author Bio

Basil Kronfli

Basil Kronfli is a journalist of ten years’ standing, working across sites like TechRadar, Gizmodo and T3, as well as print titles including Metro, Shortlist and Total Film. He specialises in computing, smartphones and cameras, dabbling in kitchen tech, too.

The shortlist: best breadmaker

Best breadmakers: how we selected

The main thing we wanted to do when choosing breadmakers was to test out a spread across a range of prices. That’s why we opted for the affordable Cookworks breadmaker, which costs £39.99, through to the priciest breadmaker of the bunch, Panasonic’s SD-ZX2522, which costs £239.99.

All the breadmakers make different-sized loaves, so we also want to break down the options for singletons tight on time through to families in need of a three or four-person loaf. Their designs are also totally different, and given none of these breadmakers are small, these large appliances will have serious design implications on your kitchen - something we’ve tried to take into account.

Need a gluten-free option? The Panasoni SD-ZX2522 breadmaker has you covered. Want to set the breadmaker to have your loaf ready in 15 hours? Kenwood is the only option that gives you more than can do so.

Best breadmakers: how we tested

Every breadmaker comes with a recipe book and, unsurprisingly, each includes a white loaf recipe. That was the first test - five white loaves using the machine’s suggested recipes.

Some recipes recommend you use skimmed milk powder. This is to prevent fresh milk going sour when the breadmaker’s on a timer of in excess of 12 hours. These generally result in slightly heavier loaves, with the Cookworks and Russell Hobbs default recipes generally being denser than the others.

Once we made the recipes included with the machines, we tested out each breadmaker with our own tried and tested bread recipe which always makes a light, crusty but bouncy loaf, which was a much more even round. The more affordable options fared much better here.

Once we got a feel for each breadmaker’s baking style, we were able to tweak the recipe to better match.

If lightness is the name of the game, then the wetter the dough, the better. Given there’s no hand-kneading required when using one, breadmakers can knead a wetter mixture and make for the most pillowy loaf possible. This rang true of all our machines, including the cost-effective Cookworks, our budget choice.

There are also device-specific highlights. The two priciest breadmakers have compartments to drop ingredients in mid-knead or rise. The Morphy Richards breadmaker also makes an incredibly speedy loaf that actually tastes great - just 90 minutes if you use the Fast Bake mode.

When it comes to cakes, what’s interesting is that the only breadmaker that doesn’t suggest you mix the batter in the mixer makes the best cakes - that’s the Panasonic SD-ZX2522.

Instead, Panasonic suggests you combine the ingredients in a traditional mixer and just use the breadmaker for baking. We would generally avoid making cake with breadmakers if you have an oven. You can’t pre-heat them and they just aren’t as well suited to the nuances needed for a good sponge - but Panasonic’s SD-ZX2522 beat the rest on this front.

We also tested out the dough settings, making pasta from scratch and gave a few speciality breads a go - a fruity quickbread, a gluten-free option and a rye and linseed loaf, for example.

Best breadmakers review: The test results

The easiest tell-tale clue as to which breadmaker made which loaf was the size of the loaf produced. The Kenwood BM450 and Panasonic SD-ZX2522, the most expensive on test, produce the biggest loaves, while the Cookworks Breadmaker produces the smallest loaf. Russell Hobbs's 23620 Compact Fast Breadmaker and theMorphy Richards Homebake fall somewhere between on the size spectrum.

Families of four or five who eat a fair bit of bread would be better off with a bigger machine. If size is your primary concern, the Kenwood BM450 will give you the biggest loaf for your dough.

All the bread machines are big from a kitchen or cupboard space point of view. Unsurprisingly, the Cookworks machine is the smallest, though. While the Panasonic SD-ZX2522 would look most at home in an industrial kitchen, the Kenwood BM450 is our favourite for fitting in a family home from a design and shape point of view.

Onto the loaf tests, and first thing’s first - crust.

Each of our five machines has three crust settings - light, medium and dark, but which matched the colour to the setting the best?

The Kenwood BM450 came first, followed very closely by Panasonic’s SD-ZX2522. The Cookworks Breadmaker darkened the crust too much, and even on medium setting it was thicker on the bottom, making sawing through it a bit of a chore at times.

We were impressed on this front by the Morphy Richards Homebake too, which was about on par with the Kenwood BM450.

As for the meat of the bread, or the crumb (the white part), Panasonic took the lead. It baked a light, bouncy core that complemented the golden, caramel loaf perfectly. Once again, the top spots are dominated by the priciest breadmakers, with Kenwood coming in second. But, in a turn for the books, the Cookworks breadmaker came in third. Once we got through the considerable crust, the meat was a beautiful texture and flavourful.

Side note: when bread cools, heat escapes out and cool air actually passes into the loaf. This air picks up the caramel notes of the crust, and flavours the white inside the loaf. That could be why the darker Cookworks breadmaker actually created such a flavourful loaf, and it’s also why you should wait until your bread cools to slice it - so the maximum crust flavour can be carried into the crumb.

Back to our tests, and it’s time for toast. For this round, we sliced our loaves, toasted them, then loaded them up with peanut butter on one quarter, jam on another, marmite on the third and left the final quarter naked.

Our bigger breadmakers make loaves that are too big for most toasters - so they would be ideal for griddle toasters or grills. Alternatively, you can make a slightly smaller loaf in them, which is what we ended up doing. Or you can slice them horizontally once the loaf is cooled.

As for the results, Kenwood claimed victory here once again. Its loaf produced an evenly toasted slice, and because its crust was so good, it darkened proportionately to the crumb when it crisped up.

If sandwiches are the goal, the bigger breadmakers are definitely the ones for you. Their size means you can get more slices. It’s that simple. Smaller breadmakers' loaves cut into about six to eight slices, larger breadmakers up to 14 slices.

The best breadmaker overall reviewed:

Kenwood BM450, £199 RRP, available from £139

If we could pick any breadmaker to use ourselves and money was no object, we’d go for the Panasonic SD-ZX2522. It has more advanced features and we love geeking-out in the kitchen. That said, if we had to recommend one that balanced price with design, results with ease of use, and loaf size with versatility, the Kenwood BM450 would be it.

For starters, it looks gorgeous. The wraparound stainless steel body, glass top and its unique viewing window light which means you can see what’s going on with your loaf are all excellent highlights.

Then there’s the loaf size. It’s big, perfect for a family of bread eaters or anyone with a freezer that can take a few slices for toasting when needed, so you get home baked bread even when you haven’t been baking.

The Panasonic SD-ZX2522 is much quieter when kneading, and it also features a separate yeast dispenser. If neither of those are vital for you, however, then you can confidently pick up the Kenwood BM450.

The best breadmaker for value reviewed:

Cookworks Breadmaker, £39.99

If you want the most affordable breadmaker on-test, then the Cookworks is it. While your first few bakes from it might not be your finest, once you get comfortable with its nuances, you can get very tasty, light and crusty loaf at a bargain basement price.

Our top tip would be to go beyond the recipe book included with the breadmaker and find some of the excellent suggestions available online - that’s how we were able to get the best from the Cookworks breadmaker.

It’s also the most compact machine in our list, which will make it ideally suited to smaller kitchens. There are dough and jam settings, which do their jobs very well. We’d steer clear of making cake in it, but it's a steal for a quick, cheap and cheerful loaf.

Comparing the rest on test

Unlike most tests, there were no duds when it came to the breadmakers we reviewed. Each machine warranted its price - not least of all because of the stepped size increase that went hand-in-hand with a price increase.

The Russell Hobbs Compact Breadmaker produces a better crust than the Cookworks Breadmaker and, in turn, toast quality is superior. It also features two fast bake settings - 60 minutes and 80 minutes. While the Cookworks breadmaker makes a faster loaf, the 80 minute setting on the Russell Hobbs machine made a better-tasting loaf.

Additionally, the Russell Hobbs machine is the most affordable option with a gluten-free setting, and we were also impressed by how many celiac-friendly recipes were included for the program in the instructions. There are five in total: white bread, rosemary and garlic bread, dill and onion bread, cheese and chive bread and multi seeded bread.

Spend a bit more on the Morphy Richards Home Bake and you get more size and evenness. There aren’t as many gluten-free suggestions in the recipe book, but there is a yoghurt setting, which is absent from more affordable options.

We saw a couple of mixed reviews of the Home Bake online, but couldn’t recreate the bad bakes other users experienced. We’d be happy with its bread every day of the week - perhaps Morphy Richards tweaked the hardware for 2019?

The most expensive breadmaker on-test, the Panasonic SD-ZX2522, features the most accessories, including sourdough-specific tools (2x sourdough cups and a sourdough starter spoon), as well as two kneading blades - a traditional blade and a rye blade for coarser mixes.

It’s also the only bread machine to include a yeast dispenser as well as a nut, fruit or seed dispenser. Why would you need one? If yeast combines with salt or an acid, it can lose its rising power, so keeping them as separated as possible until the mixing and kneading starts is the best way to guarantee a good loaf.

The Panasonic SD-ZX2522 also includes the most comprehensive instructions of the lot - it’s the breadmaker to really sink your teeth into if you’re a baking fiend. Its recipe book is extensive, with delights including a linseed and quinoa loaf, oregano and olive Italian bread and a lemon and poppy seed spelt speciality bread to name a few.

Combined with its quiet operation, there’s no better breadmaker for a refined (or indeed celiac) baker, even if you pay a premium for it.

Things to look out for

First thing’s first - size. If you want a big loaf you have to pay bigger bucks, up to a point. The Kenwood BM450 and Panasonic SD-ZX2522 make similar loaf sizes, and they’re your only options if you’re feeding a family of four or more.

Next up, gluten-free choices. The Cookworks Breadmaker doesn’t have any options for celiacs. Fundamentally, with no gluten, bread will need a different baking preset, so this feature is a must if you think you’ll want to dabble with gluten-free baking. In turn, the Russell Hobbs, Morphy Richards, Kenwood and Panasonic options are the only choices here.

Design - are you going to stick your breadmaker in a cupboard and only pull it out when in need of a loaf? Or, will it take pride of place in your kitchen and be used daily?

The Kenwood BM450 was only breadmaker with a design we loved. That said, the Panasonic SD-ZX2522 has a premium industrial feel, so would look great in a utility room. Meanwhile, the more affordable three look just that - more affordable, and aren’t kitchen showpieces by any stretch of the imagination. But they are more compact so could be kinder to cupboard space.

How long do you need your bread mix to stand before your loaf is baked? Most breadmakers offer a 13-hour delay timer, but the Kenwood BM450 holds things up for as long as 15 hours, so a 7am loaf can be set at 4pm the day before.

Other choices

Here are some other popular options to consider from the world of breadmakers.

Best breadmaker

Kit out your kitchen with the best appliances for cooking, dining and everything in-between, and it's easy to add a touch of Michelin-star style to your home with the best pod coffee machine. Pod, or capsule, coffee machines are particularly clever at creating professional-quality drinks that look like they could have been made by a top barista.

Investing in one of the latest pod coffee machines will not only save you time and money that may have been spent at the local Costa, it opens up a world of flavour and control, right on your doorstep. Serve Nespresso’s limited-edition ‘Long Black Over Ice’ coffee with a biscotti post-dinner at a party, for example, and we guarantee guests will be left suitably impressed.

Unlike filter or bean-to-cup coffee machines, pod coffee machines limit you to a certain brand of coffee. But on the plus side the coffee pod machine is the less messy option. There’ll be no bean grinds to clear out or ground coffee spills over your worktop, but just a simple pod that can be disposed of easily and/or recycled.

To make deciding which model to buy simple, we’ve done the testing and researched the best coffee pod machines. Over the last month, we’ve put the latest designs through their paces and drank a shed load of punchy espressos come rain and iced lattes come shine. We’ve managed to whittle down a list of the best coffee pod machines that create pretty decent coffees, and the least amount of hassle in the process.

The design that came out as our best overall choice was Nespresso Creatista Plus by Sage. We love its professional stylish, digital control panel and temperature precision, which helps create the ideal milk for latte art.

The machine we’ve crown best value for money is the Nescafé Dolce Gusto by De'Longhi Eclipse Touch, which costs £169.99. We think its impressive range of hot and cold drinks and its eye-catching design and functionality are definitely worth highlighting.

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• The best Nespresso machines - find the right one for you

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At £143.99 we’ve marked the Nescafé Dolce Gusto by De'Longhi Eclipse Touch as our best value buy. It ticks a number of boxes providing a powerful 15-bar pump pressure for fast and effective results and offering an impressive range of drinks such as Starbucks-branded cappuccino to Nesquik hot chocolate

Compact and stylish on the kitchen worktop, the 19-bar pressure pump Nespresso Creatista Plus by Sage is simple to use and keep clean. As well as instant touch buttons on its digital display for coffee favourites such as flat white and espresso, its eight milk texture froth settings and 11 milk temperature settings create milk that is ideal for latte art. It’s not the cheapest design on the market, but if you’re serious about joining the Nespresso ‘club’, it’s not a bad place to start.

The expert's view

15

Products considered

20

Hours of testing

1

Experts consulted

2

Best buys

Author Bio

Emily Peck

Emily Peck is a consumer journalist with over 20 years’ experience reviewing everything from bee hives to biscuits. She has written for a range of publications including Wired UK and Ideal Home.

• 15 PRODUCTS CONSIDERED
• 20 HOURS OF TESTING
• 1 EXPERT CONSULTED
• 2 BEST BUYS

Best coffee pod machine

Best pod coffee machines: how we selected

With so many pod coffee machines to choose from, it’s hard to know which coffee ‘club’ to join. Google ‘coffee pod machines’ and there’s an ample number to sift through.

Perhaps - like us - when you think of coffee pod machines Nespresso and its cute and compact capsules spring to mind. And for good reason - the company are like the Apple of the coffee industry, presenting their coffee pods like sweets in user-friendly candy colours that easily indicate the coffee flavour and strength.

Nespresso dominates the coffee pod market. You’ll find a number of well-known appliance brands online - such as Delonghi, Krups and Magimix - that do their best to create a stylish and ergonomic machines to get the best from Nespresso pods.

Each of these designs has its own USP. Some have ergonomically designed milk frothers, others concentrate on providing the perfect eye-opening espresso.

Dig a little deeper, however, and you will find healthy competition online with companies such as Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Lavazza and Tassimo. These sell a good range of ergonomic and versatile coffee pod machines too.

Some of the designs are rather adventurous – the circular Nescafé Dolce Gusto by De'Longhi Eclipse Touch looks like a piece of modern sculpture, for example, while the curvaceous body of Lavazza A Modo Mia Desea stands out from standard boxy coffee machine designs.

When choosing a pod machine to buy it’s worth remembering you’ll be tied into a certain pod brand. So, it’s a good idea to go online and look through the ‘libraries’ of coffee capsules available and think about what you expect from your coffee.

We discovered each brand has its unique range of flavours in tall and short drinks. Some companies have teamed up with well-known coffee houses such as Starbucks and Costa to provide coffee-shop inspired drinks.

Perhaps for you, however, nothing beats the signature scent of illy coffee, or maybe you prefer Lavazza-style? Whatever your preference, however, having some idea of which brand of coffee you enjoy and what type – be it macchiato, flat white, espresso or latte - is a good place to start when you make your choice.

Consider the price of the pods too. Once you buy into a certain brand, there’ll be ongoing costs for the capsules – a pack of 50 original Nespresso Coffee capsules currently costs £23.85 on Amazon, for example.

To ensure a fair test, we’ve picked out 10 of the most popular coffee pod machines online, and paid particular attention to the most popular models on Amazon.co.uk. We chose them for their promise of a delicious drink, quick and easy operation and cleaning-friendly parts. We’ve chosen a range of Nespresso machines as well as those from the leading competitors too.

We were looking to represent a number of prices, designs, functions and variety in the models we have chosen and we were pleasantly surprised by the great mix available. Read on to discover what attributes make for a decent brew.

Best pod coffee machines: how we tested

Buying a coffee machine that makes amazing tasting coffee may be the ultimate aim, but choosing a model that looks good, works with ease and doesn’t take up too much room on your worktop is a bonus.

To sort the wheat from the chaff, we made each coffee machine in our test work hard to impress us over the course of a month, scoring each design on a range of criteria we’ve outlined below.

First up, we assessed each model on its coffee settings and looked to see how many types of drinks the machine could make – from those that simply offered short espressos and tall Americanos, to those with a number of settings for more adventurous drinks such as a flat white.

We wanted to know how vast each range was, or how limiting. We also wanted to know how many types of coffee and flavours we could access in the machine’s capsule range. Dolce Gusto has its own Starbucks flavours for example, while Tassimo champions Costa coffee. We also considered the ongoing cost of the coffee pods and how many came with the machine on purchase.

Next up, we tasted espresso, a lot of it. We wanted to know how well each design faired at making a rich, full-bodied espresso, with that oh-so-desirable thick and dense crema on top. Taste may be subjective, but it’s easy to tell the difference between a good and bad hit of caffeine.

We also thought about the ergonomics and design of each model. We looked at how easy on the eye each machine was, considered how stylish the material and how well it is made and feels to touch.

We asked ourselves how it looked on the worktop – would we want to show it off? Is it clunky and awkward looking, or slim and sleek? Then we explored how well each model was to set up, insert a pod and navigate the controls.

We scored each model on how clever the design, how sharp the navigation and whether it featured any fiddly, and quite frankly annoying, parts that would test our patience - who has time for lengthy instruction manuals anyway? We also took note of the water tank capacity and, where relevant, how big the milk compartments are on each model as this indicates how many coffees you can create in a single fill.

We also monitored speed and overall performance, to find out how fast they perform from the moment a coffee pod is inserted to the moment we were poised to take a sip of espresso. We noted how quickly the water heated up to ensure the coffee was ready to make.

We also thought about how noisy the machine was its size – whether it could be easily housed on a compact worktop or simply stored. We looked for added extras such as jugs, milk frothing wands and options to recycle the pods too. And finally, we thought about how easy each design was to clean.

Best pod coffee machines: test results

Over the last month we whipped up frothy cappuccinos at dawn and concocted smooth espresso martinis at dusk, all in the name of research, and we were pleasantly surprised with the results. What’s reassuring is that if you’re looking to buy a coffee pod machine, you can look outside the Nespresso bubble, as there are quite a few serious contenders for the tastiest coffee drink.

The most versatile machines in our test were those that came with a range of pre-set coffee buttons and included a milk frothing option. Lavazza’s A Modo Mio Desea for example, comes with a One Touch interface that has options for four coffee doses and five milk recipes.

Slip the glass milk mug under the spout and you can prepare coffee and froth milk in one. Very clever.

The Nespresso Lattissima Touch by Delonghi is also a flexible design with six beverage buttons for ristrettos, cappuccinos and more. Its milk-frothing compartment is neatly housed within the design, just to the right of the coffee spout so you don’t have to remove your mug to get the milk ready.

The majority of machines in our test were fast to heat up and had produced a coffee within the one-minute mark, but the Nespresso Creatista Plus Coffee Machine by Sage has a particularly impressive three-second heat up time. The Nespresso VertuoPlus by Magimix had one of the largest water tanks in our test, measuring 1.7 litres, which means less water refills and it can also take up to 10 large capsules before needing to be emptied.

In terms of creamy, dense espressos, we particularly enjoy the smooth flavours of the Lavazza and Illy coffee pods, which both produced delicious, creamy espressos. Lavazza sells a good range of coffees online with varying strengths and you can pick up a box of 16 capsules for a reasonable £4.40.

In contrast, Illy’s IperEspresso capsules will set you back £47.94 for a can of 21 capsules, and Nespresso averages around £19.50 for a pack of assorted original pods. The Nespresso VertuoPlus by Magimix on the other hand has its own unique Vertuo line of pods, which created the thickest and most generous espresso cremas in our test - 50 Vertuo capsules will cost you around £27 online.

Meanwhile, the Dualit Cafe Cin benefits from being able to take Nespresso and Dualit-branded capsules, and even has its own line of tea capsules including Earl grey and green tea. You can pick up a box of 60 dark roast Dualit capsules online for around £13.80.

While the models mentioned above are ideal for espresso coffees, we think the machines that take Dolce Gusto and Tassimo pods are best suited to longer drinks such as tall Americanos and milky lattes.

Considerably cheaper than the Illy and Nespresso pods, a Dolce Gusto Starbucks Americano house blend pack of 12 pods costs £3.99, while Tassimo’s Costa Americano pods cost £4.99 for a pack of 16.

Not that we’re superficial or anything, but looks do matter and the design we’d most like like to show off on the worktop was the Nespresso Creatista Plus coffee machine.

This design benefits from Sage’s signature sturdy, steel styling and its built-in digital display and dial made navigation very easy too.

We also admire the curvaceous ergonomic design of the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea - its slim build measured a compact H28 high x W145.5 x D28cm and its touch interface with ‘acoustic feedback’ that alerts you when your coffees ready was a bonus. In terms of aesthetics these two designs were closely followed by Illy’s iconic red Francis Francis X7.1 IperEspresso and the unique form of the Nescafé Dolce Gustoby De'Longhi Eclipse Touch.

Best pod coffee machine: overall

Nespresso Creatista Plus coffee machine by Sage, £309, johnlewis.com

Nespresso has an impressive range of coffee makers compatible with its pods, but it’s one of the latest models – the Nespresso Creatista Plus Coffee Machine by Sage – that impressed us the most.

This is the machine you’d expect to see George Clooney standing alongside (although sadly he wasn’t) and from the moment you turn it on, the machine oozes authority. Within minutes it had prompted us to dip a water hardness testing strip into the tap water to set it at the ideal range, for example.

The Creatista comes with a free set of Nespresso pods to get you started, but there’s a vast range of flavours that you can experiment with depending on your taste. Choose from the ‘round and balanced’ Livanto espresso for example, or the ‘intense and spicy’ India coffee. Or, choose from an ample selection of decaffeinated options such as the sweet and light Volluto and the ‘powerful and contrasting’ Ristretto.

What’s great about the Creatista is its unique digital display and rotating dial that is easy to follow and guides you through the options – from a 25ml ristretto, to a 40ml espresso and 110ml lungo coffee. The design is tall enough to house a number of cup sizes, and like most Nespresso designs comes with a pop-out cup support and removable drip tray.

What this machine prides itself on however is its ability to froth milk to eight different textures and with 11 milk temperature settings you can tailor the milk to just how you like it – whether you prefer a silky smooth latte or a creamy cappuccino. Being able to froth milk in this way means it’s a good choice if you’re keen to try your hand at latte art. The Nespresso website currently has a tutorial on how to create the perfect ‘Rosetta’ latte design, for example.

The Nespresso Creatista has a 19-bar pressure system, which makes it fast and powerful. Its dial lets you flick through the eight drink options easily providing an instant option for a flat white, café latte, cappuccino, latte macchiatao, ristretto, espresso, lungo or milk frothing. It also comes with a stylish stainless steel barista-style milk jug to enhance its attractive frame.

It’s worth noting Nespresso pods can be recycled in their own recycling bag and handed into your local store that supports CollectPlus – check online for details.

Best pod coffee machine for value:

Nescafé Dolce Gusto by De'Longhi Eclipse Touch, £169.99, amazon.co.uk

The Nescafé Dolce Gusto by De'Longhi Eclipse Touch doesn’t look like your average coffee machine, so we had our reservations about how well a model with such a novelty design would work.

We were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed using the De'Longhi Eclipse Touch however, and by how easy it was to create such a varied range of drinks with one machine. While it’s not a machine you’ll want to buy if you’re after that dense crema an Illy or Nespresso model could provide, it does offers a decent variety of drinks which makes it a versatile option.

It took us a while to work out how to open the enclosed circle design, find out where to place the mug and pod and how to fill the water reservoir, but once we’d mastered the process we couldn’t stop experimenting with different flavours from the Nescafe portfolio of pods.

Starbucks's caramel macchiato was a particular favourite and the 15-bar pump pressure manages to pack quite a punch and provide a decent amount of froth to the drink. The Eclipse Touch comes with a pack of six pods in the box. You’re not limited to coffee either.

Go online and browse the Dolce Gusto range and you’ll find options for hot chocolate, Marrakesh style tea and Citrus Honey black tea.

The touch technology control pad is situated at the top of the machine and lights up when the machine is turned on. Unlike the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Oblo by Krups we tried in our test, there is no manual switch to flick and the Eclipse Touch will stop when the drink has been made.

The pods are easy to extract when you’ve finished your drink, although the spout can drip a little during clean up. On the plus side, the pods can be recycled at a local store – you’ll find details on line, which involves printing a label and dropping them off at a local store that is involved in the scheme.

Pod coffee machines: the rest compared

We’ve pinpointed our favourite overall and best value models in this test of the best coffee pod machine for 2019, but the other eight machines we’ve mentioned in our shortlist are also well worth a try.

The most ergonomic machine that wasted the least amount of milk in operation was the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea. While most machines that froth milk tend to have the steam wand positioned to the side of the design, the Desea includes a built-in whisk that froths milk in the slide-in glass jug.

In order to create a milky coffee you simply pour in your milk, slide the glass jar into position and hit the appropriate button. Slow and smooth on extraction, it was also one of the quietest models in our test.One of the most compact designs in our test was the Francis Francis E&C BT Bluetooth Illy Y5. Measuring just 14.5 x 24 x 28cm, its sleek build features two settings for either espresso or filter-style long coffees.

Its smart Bluetooth function allows you to connect to your device via an app and register for Amazon Dash Replenishment to automatically reorder capsules when running low.

In comparison, the Illy Francis Francis X7.1 is the most iconic design in our test. Inspired by Italian design of 1960s, we think its powerful design - which lights up and gets quite loud when gearing up - is best suited to large open-plan kitchens.

If one shot of espresso just doesn’t cut it first thing, try the Nespresso VertuoPlus by Magimix. Its ‘centrifusion and barcode technology’ adjusts the brewing parameters to each coffee blend and capsule size.

It makes four different sized espressos for 414m full-brew Alto, a 230ml coffee, a 150ml Gran Lungo and a 40ml espresso. Remember that this machine doesn’t take original Nespresso pods and you’ll need to invest in the unique Vertuo line of capsules that comes in a variety of coffee aromas and strengths.

If you’re keen on smooth frothy coffees the Nespresso Lattissima Touch by Delonghi is ideal. It features six buttons for ristretto, cappuccino, latte, espresso, long and hot milk and has a fast heat up time of 25 seconds.

What’s more, its programming mode remembers how much coffee or milk you like in your drink ready for the next time you use it.

For those looking to pay sub £150, the Bosch Tassimo My Way TAS6002GB is a convenient option. It costs 139.99 (or a red hot £69.99 at the time of writing) and gives you access to a host of well-known brands using Tassimo T Discs.

Choose from Kenco Americana Grande, Costa Caramel Latte, Baileys Latte Macchiato and more. While it took a little longer to heat up that some of the Nespresso machines in our test, and and wasn’t as quiet in the process, the smooth and flavoursome drinks it produced were worth the wait. It also comes with a coupon inside the box for £20 off Tassimo coffee on your next purchase.

If you have kids you might want to try the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Oblo by Krups, which costs a reasonable £34.99. While you can use it for caffeinated drinks from the Dolce Gusto offering, kids will love making hot or cold Nesquik chocolate drinks.

In our test, we enlisted the help of 5-year-old Bethany who enjoyed navigating its user-friendly design and enjoyed it so much she even asked for seconds. A grown up will need to assist closely, however, as you’ll need to manually stop the drink dispensing.

If you like you like your drink piping hot, consider the Dualit Café Cin, which features a "temperature boost". The machine will take Nespresso capsules as well as its own-branded, compostable, Dualit capsules, which includes tea options too. It also includes a milk frother that slides in neatly to the right of the main spout.

One to avoid?

Francis Francis E&C BT Bluetooth Illy Y5, £175, amazon.co.uk

The Francis Francis E&C BT Bluetooth Illy Y5 is one of the most intuitive designs we have featured in our test - it pairs with the My Illy Espresso app so you can monitor the machine via your smartphone and automatically order replacement pods when stocks are running low, for example.

What lets it down however, is how noisy it is when producing coffee, so if you’re keen on buying a design that should be seen and not heard, this model is probably not for you.

During the extraction process, the volume definitely got a little shrill. On the plus side, however - and it is a big plus - it arguably produced the best tasting espresso we tried in our test.

The expert's view

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Products considered

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Hours of testing

2

Best buys

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Experts consulted

Portable projectors are the best way for most to get a cinema experience at home. The best portable projectors can throw out a much larger image than any TV at the price, and won’t take over your living room like a full-size projector.

You can bring it out for movie nights, football matches or big days of gaming, and keep it stored in a cupboard the rest of the time.

UPDATED: After testing around 30 portable projectors, we now have a clear winner - as you can see below, we have given you a few options as well, for anyone looking for the best portable projector to go into a kids' bedroom and one that works even when the room is really bright.

The Nebula Mars II is the projector we'd recommend to most. It's portable, fun to use, streams Netflix on its own or through your existing living room kit.

The BenQ GV1 is a great pick for the kids' room, an alternative to a second TV. And if you want to play games or watch movies during the day without worrying about how dark the room is, the Epson EF-100B is the only sensible choice.

Weeks spent using the Mars II have left us with nothing but warm feelings for this projector. It's easy to move around, looks cute, makes setup a doddle and can even produce a cinematic 100-inch image if you cut the light level down in your living room.

While we wouldn't recommend the BenQ GV1 for movie nights or PS4/Xbox One gamers, it is a great way to keep the kids entertained without putting a TV in their bedroom. The image looks surprisingly good considering its low spec and it can stream directly from Netflix and YouTube.

A portable projector is at its best when dealing with situations where a TV just isn't suitable. Outdoors movie screenings, camping holidays and TV-free kids' rooms are a great place for a projector.

If you want to be able to entertain the kids and don't want yet another TV in the house, the BenQ GV1 is a good choice. It lets you play YouTube and Netflix anywhere (that has Wi-Fi), without a cable cluttering things up.

We think the Nebula Mars II is worth the upgrade for an older audience, though. Its image is brighter and sharper, and the projector itself is a joy to use. While the larger models in this test make movies look better than either of these top picks, you may want to consider a "non portable" standard projector if that's your key concern.

Author Bio

Andrew Williams

Andrew Williams has written about tech for a decade. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff.

The shortlist: best portable projector

Best portable projectors: How we selected

What makes a good portable projector? It should be relatively small, have integrated speakers, a battery and be bright enough to avoid you wishing you were just watching your TV instead.

All of our picks had to offer at least two of these core criteria.

We looked through online retailers like Amazon and Currys, and specialists such as ProjectorPoint to find our candidates. It only took 10 minutes to discover quite what a minefield buying a projector is.

Amazon is jam-packed with fairly affordable models from brand most of us don’t know. Lots seem to suggest they are Full HD or 4K resolution, and have the light output of a small star. But look closer and you realise they are very much "SD", with the same resolution as TVs from 20 years ago.

These projectors may have their place, but it’s not in this test. We focused on portable projectors from reasonably well-known brands, as you’re much more likely to be able to get some help if something goes wrong. They also tell you the real specs, or at least ones close to reality.

After making a list of all the manufacturers we trust that sell projectors on Amazon, Currys and other stores, we tracked down their latest models. Many of the portable projectors you’ll find online are several years old. And while their basic performance may be fine, you’re much less likely to get smart features or the most space-efficient designs.

At this point our long list was still quite long. We checked out customer reviews and talked to some other experts in the field to try to cut down this list to the portable projects that you’ll love, rather than tolerate.

After knocking out a fistful of also-rans, we had a shortlist of candidates spanning a whole range of styles. There’s more than one kind of portable projector, you see.

For kids’ bedrooms or camping holidays you may want to consider a lower-cost, smaller projector. These do not tend to have the sharpest or brightest picture around, but you can sling them in a rucksack, set them up easily and avoid spending a small fortune.

The mid-range portable projectors are the sweet spot for most. They can provide a cinema-like image in dark rooms, offer great ease of use and more advanced features like automatic focusing.

We have also included several portable projectors that bridge the gap between mini models and ones you might install in a home cinema. Buy one of these if you want to turn your living room into a part-time cinema, and use your projector almost as often your TV (or perhaps replace your TV entirely).

All of our portable projector picks avoid the biggest headache of older traditional projectors: lamps. Your average projector uses a halogen lamp designed to last for a couple thousand hours, but these have LED light sources designed to last tens of thousands of hours. They should last as long as any TV if you treat them carefully.

Best portable projectors: How we tested

As we have already ruled-out having to deal with bulb life, there are only a couple of other potential headaches to consider. Is the projector easy to setup? And can it produce a good picture far bigger than your TV's without spending hundreds on blackout blinds and painting your walls and ceiling black?

To get to grips with these projectors in the most real-life realistic manner, we tested them at home. First we set the projectors up in a bedroom with a light grey wall, during the day. We did close the curtains to reduce the amount of ambient light, but these seem like the kind of conditions most of you will be able to replicate.

The questions we wanted to answer here: can these projectors output enough light to make YouTube and Netflix videos enjoyable at around 75 inches? Without enough power, the image will look weak and willowy. And you probably won’t want to watch a whole movie like that.

We then tried out all the projectors in a more cinematic scenario, at night projecting onto a 100-inch projector screen. This is the upper limit of some of the projector’s capabilities according to their spec sheets.

Even this test was designed to reflect how you might use this equipment, though. The ceiling was white, not the dark colour you’d ideally have. Why does this matter?

The lighter the colour of the walls, the more reflected light you’ll see. And as we’re projecting onto what is effectively a large piece of white canvas, that light reduces how dark the black parts of an image will look. This doesn’t just affect the blacks, but the entire image.

This is our 100-inch Luxburg projector screen, which lets you get a cinema screen in your living room without rearranging the furniture too much, or drilling a screen into the wall. It has a clever pull-up mechanism. Its simple white canvas also gave us a clear look at each projector's image quality.

We also used a light meter to measure their max light, at 40cm from the source. This told us how much brighter projector X is than projector Y.

These scenarios let us see how easy each projector is to setup. All of them have a “fixed throw” lens, which tells you the distance from a wall or screen it needs to be to achieve, for example, a 100-inch image.

You may want to get the tape measure out to see what size you’ll get from the spot you’ll likely place the projector. There’s another solution, though. We used a heavy duty laptop/projector stand to make sure we could achieve a 100-inch image with each model.

Which stand? Our is the Tiger Laptop Stand, available for around £25 from Amazon. You can find alternatives from companies like Gorilla and Pulse online.

Setup and image quality across two key use cases was the meat of our image quality testing. But we also checked out how easy getting hooked up to Netflix and YouTube was, and performed a rundown test on the projectors that have batteries.

While testing the image quality we also performed a side-by-side comparison of their built-in speakers. As you’ll see, some of these projectors’ speakers are only really there for emergency purposes. Others we’re happy to use whenever the projector’s on, rather than plugging in speakers.

Best portable projectors: Test results

Our best overall portable projector is the Nebula Mars II by Anker. It doesn’t have the very best image quality, isn’t the smallest or the brightest. But it does offer a good balance across the board.

It’s a “720p” projector. It is not 4K like most new TVs or even Full HD, but we still find it sharp enough to make movies and games look great. Its speakers are loud and relatively full-sounding, and you don’t need a totally blacked-out room to make the image enjoyable.

If you have a good TV, its image will likely be technically better than the Nebula Mars II’s, but there’s a real thrill to the truly huge size of picture a mid-range model like this can throw up.

The Mars II also acts as a good middle-size indicator of what you should expect from these projectors. Smaller projectors tend to struggle when the room isn’t completely dark, and look their best when you keep the image size to around 80 inches rather than 100.

The Viewsonic M1+, BenQ GV1 and Asus ZenBeam S2 all fit in this category. They struggle at 100 inches. Larger models, unsurprisingly, performed better in both lighter and darker room tests. They have much greater light output, so look better in a wider variety of conditions.

A teeny-tiny projector just doesn’t cut it if you want a cinema-like effect.

That said, we were also fairly impressed by every projector on test compared to some “pico” models we tested years ago. We would happily use any of the smaller models on a camping holiday, or as a portable alternative to a TV in the kids’ room. Tiny projectors used to be dismally dim, but none of these are.

Here's the brightness readings from out light meter, to give you an empirical look at how bright tiny projectors are compared to the big'uns. We tested using a full-white display at 40cm distance.

• Viewsonic MV1+ — 3146 lux
• BenQ GV1 — 4661 lux
• Asus ZenBeam S2 — 5441 lux
• Nebula Mars 2— 5943 lux
• Asus F1 — 7792 lux, 10698 adjusted (the Asus F1 has a short throw lens, so it was only fair to record a reading at 33cm too)
• Optoma LH160 — 10338 lux
• Epson EF-100 — 22035 lux (11112 at 50% output)

If only the brightest image will do, the Epson EF100 is the projector to go for. It is the only projector in the entire test that can create engaging pictures with the curtains open. It's dazzlingly bright.

It’s not the best for optimised rooms, though. The Optoma LH160 and Asus F1 have the deepest blacks, which keeps the picture looking rich and bold. Asus’s projector also has the shortest throw, which means you get more inches of display for every metre from the screen or wall. To get our 100-inch test image needed to be just 177cm from the screen.This doesn’t put it in the ultra-short throw projector category, but it is a big benefit if your living room isn’t huge.

So is bigger simply better? Not quite. There are some real setup benefits to some of the lower-end projectoers

The Mars Nebula IIhas automatic focusing and even auto keystone correction, which means you can simply turn the projector on, point it at a wall and you’re away.

The BenQ GV1 has a tilting head that lets you point the image upwards without constructing a ramp from bits and bobs you find in the house, and the Viewsonic MV1+ has a full-on swivelling stand. You can point the projector at the ceiling, no problem.

We did notice some bad bits about setting up these two more cheap and cheerful models, though. They have manual focus wheels. You give them a twirl until the image looks its sharpest. But the focus tends to change slightly as you take your finger off, as the construction isn’t sturdy enough. This problem is particularly annoying in the Viewsonic.

Still, we prefer the menu systems of the Viewsonic, BenQ and Nebula to any of the others. Asus, Optoma and Epson use pretty old-school interfaces while the cheaper projectors' software is based on Android. The Asus models can be slow to respond and the Optoma is a bit buggy, which can be a headache when you just want to turn the projector on and start watching.

So what did we find out in this test? You need to adjust your expectations before buying a portable projector. Small ones are perfect for the kids’ room or for camping holidays, but the image just isn’t quite good enough to make you want to use it often at home if you have a good TV.

Larger projectors, even portable ones, are pretty expensive. And most of them don’t have the same level of convenience as petite projectors.

Best portable projector: overall

The Nebula Mars II sits in the projector goldilocks zone. It’s not too big. It’s not too dim. Its speaker is not too quiet and it’s not too complicated. A great experience flourishes in this environment, even if the projector is not the top performer in any one category.

Well, apart from sheer design cuteness. The Mars II looks like a little lunchbox, complete with a carry handle.

It’s very easy to setup because so much of it is automated. The Mars II has auto focusing and keystone correction, which tries to make the picture look perfectly rectangular even if it’s not pointing straight at the wall or projector screen.

You don’t even need a source like a smart TV stick to plug into the Nebula Mars II either. It runs Android, so you can install apps like BBC iPlayer or Netflix and select them from the well laid-out menu system. It’s a breeze.

You can even install games, but not all of these work perfectly. Some need “Google services” missing from the Nebula Mars II, and others need controls that just aren’t present. App support reduces the setup process to almost nil after the first use, though, and we think this projector is lots of fun to use.

Nebula packs in other extras too. Install the companion app on your phone and you can use its touchscreen as a controller for the Mars II, instead of the simple remote.

This projector also has some of the best speakers on test. They’re not weak or too quiet, powerful enough for a movie night without leaving you wishing you had a more powerful set. But you can add other speakers if you like. There’s an audio output and you can connect a wireless speaker over Bluetooth.

But how is its picture? As long as you can control the light level a bit the Nebula Mars IIcan project an engaging image at 70-100 inches. It is far from the brightest projector on test, but has significantly more power than any of the smaller, cheaper models.

As long as you have well-lined curtains or a reasonably well-fitted blackout blind, you can use the Mars II during the day. Just don’t expect too much if you use it during the day with light beaming into the room.

Want the image quality bad bits? The Nebula Mars II is only 720p, not Full HD. We found it sharp enough to make movies look great, but you’ll notice the difference in the interfaces of games. Its lens isn’t the sharpest around either, and colour looks less nuanced than that of the larger projectors.

The rest compared

The Epson EF-100 is the brightest projector by far. It has a laser light source, where the rest use LEDs. The sheer light output per cubic centimetre here is excellent. We used the projector during the day, with the windows open, and it still looked pretty good. It easily outpaces even the Optoma LH160 and Asus F1 in this scenario, with twice the light output.

Its speakers are good too, with a good amount of lower-frequency punch and very good volume. You will hear a bit of distortion at max volume with certain content, though, which is slightly disappointing at the price.

The Epson EF-100 doesn’t have an integrated battery either, so you might argue this isn’t a portable projector at all. But there are some concessions made to make it work better as an on-the-go movie machine. Pull off the back and you’ll find an HDMI extender cable and microUSB, which let you plug in a smart TV stick and keep it inside the EF-100.

Just plug in the main kettle-style power cable and you’re away. While this isn’t the smallest or lightest around at 3.7kg and, it feels right at home in a rucksack.

This is the master of afternoon films. Its lens is very sharp too. But it is not the top performer in blacked-out rooms. Black levels are not super-deep, which you notice all the more in rooms prepped for projector use. Space scenes look a little greyer than we’d like.

The Epson EF-100 also suffers from “screen door” effect. This is where you can see the pixels, because there’s more of a gap between each dot of light that makes up the image. It's made worse by the relatively low 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. We expected at least Full HD at the price.

We were initially a little disappointed by the raised blacks and the visible pixel structure, which makes the picture look more “clinical”. However, we have seen it sold onlines for £699 instead of its £899 RRP. And at that price it’s a great deal for big-screen mid-day viewing, so keep an eye out for a bargain.

The Asus F1 is worth looking at instead if you are after a projector for evening movie-watching. This projector isn’t as bright as the Epsom, but has deeper blacks and a much smoother look to its image.

We watched several scenes from Jordan Peele’s Get Out on the projectors, and the Asus F1 made it look the most cinematic. It was richer, and more engaging.

The Asus F1 is also a good choice if space is limited, as its 0.8 throw ratio lens means it needs less distance to project a huge image. Asus also rates the maximum picture size at a huge 210 inches. Gigantic.

We didn’t find this quite the easiest projector to setup. Its menu system is very slow to scroll through, and there’s just a two-height flip-out stand on the front to get the right angle.

Its speakers aren’t as loud of punchy as the Epson’s, but will do the job in a pinch.

This is our top pick for late-night movies in a near pitch black room. But, again, it’s not the most portable pick around as there’s no integrated battery.

If you’re looking for a serious projector that does have a battery, you need the Optoma LF160. This is a DLP projector with an LED light source just like the Asus F1.

It also beats the Epson EF-100 for black depth, resolution and the character of the image, which is similar to the Asus’s.

The Optoma LF160 ticks all the right boxes for portable use too. It has a battery for up to 2.5 hours’ use away from the adapter and there’s a flap to keep the lens safe when you move it around.

Its 1500 lumens brightness doesn’t hold up nearly as well as the Epson EF-100 in brighter rooms, but does not need a fully blacked out one to look great.

Two parts may make you want to think twice. The Optoma LF160’s speakers are weak. They are too quiet, and don’t have the bass movies deserve. This projector is also quite noisy. The speakers often struggle to compete with the sound of the fans.

However, pair the LF160 with a pair of speakers and you are onto a winner. There’s a 3.5mm audio output you can use to connect to a pair of headphones or wired speakers, or you can use Bluetooth to connect wirelessly.

It’s a big step down in size and cost to our next pick, the £400 Asus Zenbean S2. This thing is tiny but still offers the same resolution as the Nebula Mars II, 1280 x 720 pixels.

It fits a lot into its tiny case too, like an autofocus lens and a 6000mAh battery that lasts for around three hours. The Zenbeam S2 is a bit of a technical tour de force.

It’s not quite perfect in real-world use considering it is not exactly cheap, though. The speakers are poor. They’re thin and nowhere near loud enough.

Despite a claim of 500 lumen brightness, the Zenbeam S2 is not a great fit for brighter rooms either. Still, if you’ll mostly deal with dark rooms, this projector offers the best results you’ll find in the super-tiny projector category. Just look at this thing: it just about fits in the palm of your hand and is only twice the weight of some phones.

It does end up stuck between audiences, though. The ZenBeam S2 doesn’t have the fluffy friendliness of the BenQ GV1 and Mars II, as there’s no app support built in, just a basic service menu that is not that quick to respond.

For all its advanced tech, this Asus projector does not have some of the ease of use features you might want. And as it just has a simple two-height front legs, getting the ZenBeam 2 in just the right position is a bit trickier than the other ultra-portable models.

Still, the Asus ZenBeam S2 is the right choice if you need a tiny projector and want the best image quality possible.

Next up are our two entry-level projectors, the BenQ GV1 and Viewsonic M1+. They are the most affordable of the bunch and as they have 200-300 lumen brightness even by their makers’ estimates, they don’t hold up well at all in well-lit rooms. But that should come as no surprise.

Which is better? That’s a tricky one.

We find the BenQ a little easier to use. It is cute as a button and has a modern smart TV like interface that lets you get up and running quickly. However, it is nowhere near as flexible as the Viewsonic.

There’s a USB-C port on the back to let you connect other devices, like smart TV sticks, but you’ll need an adapter cable. The Viewsonic M1+ has an HDMI socket, microSD and a USB port for ultimate plug-in power. You can attach a games console just as you would with your TV.

The Viewsonic M1+ also has a slightly more flexible stand, which lets you rotate the projector part to just about any angle you like. In use, though, we preferred the BenQ GV1's tilting head. You may only be able to alter the angle by a fistful of degrees, but it feels much more stable doing so.

BenQ’s focusing dial is sturdier too. Both have a manual focusing ring, which you turn to make the picture sharp, but getting the Viewsonic M1+ to its optimal position can be a headache. Even the pressure of your finger on the dial alters the focus.

Which puts out a better picture? The Viewsonic M1+ and BenQ GV1 are 480p projectors, very much “DVD quality” rather than the HD most of us are used to with Netflix and co. Text looks very pixellated and hard to read, but we did find video watchable.

You lose out on all the fine detail of HD-quality video, of those fine lines around people’s eyes, the leaves of background trees and so on. But we have enjoyed watching some YouTube videos on these projectors before bed. Would we watch a full two-hour movie on one? On holiday, absolutely, but we’d likely stick to the TV when at home.

One to avoid?

There are no perfect portable projectors, and no dreadful ones here. As we’ve avoided models that all-but make up specs, you shouldn’t get the sense you’ve been duped as long as you come with the right expectations.

However, if you want to play console games through your projector, we can’t recommend the Viewsonic M1+ and BenQ GV1. They simply don’t have the pixels to make menu systems and interfaces clear enough. 480p resolution may have been fine for the original Xbox and PS2, but these days games are made to suit Full HD and 4K displays, not ones like this.

That said, we tried both with the SNES Classic. For that kind of retro gaming, they are a great fit.

What did we miss?

Tell us, and we'll feedback to our reviewers so we can include it going forwards.

You may think the last thing you need to get comfortable and rested on a night is a piece of tech strapped to your arm or to your bed. But the best sleep trackers are designed to help you keep tabs on how long you sleep and the quality of your rest so you can begin to make changes to your routine for the better.

UPDATED: While the best sleep tracker may well be a dedicated device, the Apple Watch is set to add sleep tracking in Watch OS7. Set for release 'in the Autumn', the software update finally brings the most sought-after feature for Apple Watch since its release in 2015.

Why? Because it’s official: we’re not getting enough sleep. And, according to the sleep experts, this lack of quality rest can have a negative impact on our moods, stress and long-term health.

There are lots of things you can try to improve your sleep, from buying one of the best mattresses to trying CBT to deal with stress, but getting a better understanding of your sleep patterns and your sleep behaviour can be an important first step.

There are lots of fitness trackers and smartwatches with sleep tracking already built-in. But not all sleep tracking tech is created equal. We’ve collected together our favourite devices with sleep tracking smart features, as well as gadgets built solely for sleep, which you don’t wear but strap to your bed or place on your bedside table.

If there’s a device or wearable gadget that helps you track your sleep, and sleep more soundly as a result, then upvote your favourite or let us know in the Shortlist entry box below.

• We recommend two Fitbits in our best sleep trackers list below, but more of the Fitbit range can track your sleep. Check out our guide to the best Fitbit.

Best sleep tracker

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

Finding the best mattress for you may not be the most exciting purchase. In fact, we're pretty sure that when you hand over your cash or your bank details for your next one you'll be wondering whether it's really worth it. Of course, the night time then rolls around and you realise you'd have paid double for the soft, cosy, supportive feel of a brand new sleep experience.

UPDATE: We have added a handy guide to the bottom of this list that focuses on the best ways to keep cool while sleeping in the summer heat. Buying the best mattress for you is one thing but making sure you are comfortable in bed heat-wise is another. Hopefully our expert tips will help.

Although that may sound dreamy, finding the best mattress for you does mean weighing up a lot of different choices. For example, do you need to opt for pocket strung? Foam? Hybrid? There are a lot of choices out there – as well as a lot of bold marketing claims.

Whatever your mattress choice, an upgrade is bound to result in a better night’s sleep, plus, if you invest in one with good support, you'll have fewer aches and pains in the morning. Given the rise of box-fresh designs delivered straight to your door, there’s also no excuse not to upgrade because it's a hassle - now it really doesn't have to be.

That said, the market is crowded. You’ll find everything from those made of natural materials (ideal for regulating your temperature as you slumber) to memory foam marvels. Often touted as a recent innovation, memory foam was actually developed in 1966 for NASA, before making its way into mattresses in the 1980s.

Memory foam is supremely squishy and comfy, but as it retains heat well, it may not suit sleepers who like to stay cool, as well as those who may needed a firmer mattress to keep their back ache-free. With that in mind, head to our list below and choose a new bedfellow. Listed prices are for standard doubles.

Already have a favourite? Give it an upvote.

• Now you have the best mattress, you will also beed to find the best pillow. Sleeping soundly,? Good. Wake up with the best coffee machines

Best mattress

Four ways to keep cool while sleeping

Given how hot it is right now, we all need tips on how to stay cool while sleeping. Lucky, then, that Robert Lancaster Gaye, co-director of Tielle Love Luxury, has some tips:

1. Use cotton sheets

Gaye notes: "Cotton may have a natural beauty and luxe factor 5* hotels love but it’s also one of the most breathable fabrics, cleverly wicking moisture away from the skin... the man-made fibres of polyester won’t repel or absorb moisture, making you more likely too sweat."

2. Swap your duvet

"The higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet," explains Gaye. "For hot summer nights, a good quality 4.5 tog down or luxury microfibre quilt is ideal." Also it's worth getting rid of blankets on the bed.

3. Keep it natural

Natural filled duvets and pillows make for the best night’s sleep because they breathe more easily. Try Tielle Love Luxury’s new Eco Pillow, a hotel quality pillow crafted from recycled plastic bottles and blended with Tencel

, a botanical fibre. They are non-allergenic, machine washable and breathable, thanks to the natural cellulose fibres inside, which keeps you cool and dry whilst you sleep.

4. Avoid late night drinking and eating

"Be carefully with alcohol, caffeine and late night meals," says Gaye, as "they can all take time to digest, disrupting your body’s natural sleep patterns." If you want something before bed, the calming effects of a cup of camomile tea before bed may help initiate sleep.

How To Buy A Mattress: 5 expert tips

1. finding the right mattress for your needs is really important?

Everybody’s body is different and therefore mattress requirements differ from person to person. Finding the right mattress can mean the difference between helping reduce existing problems with the right level of support and making those aches and pains worse by not offering the right level of firmness.

“Mattresses play a massive role in the quality of our sleep given the fact that we spend 7.5 hours a day, 229 hours per month, 1/3 of our lives asleep. Putting it simply: sleep is a prerequisite for life!” notes Joe Molloy, Founding Director of Tielle Love Luxury. “Our general aim is to achieve a minimum of two hours a night in the deepest of our sleep patterns to allow our bodies to recuperate from the day.”

2. Understand what makes a good mattress

“It should provide the correct amount of tension to allow the body to rest,” notes Molloy. According to the founder, the perfect mattress should provide “movement and support in equal measure, making sure shoulders and hips are able to sink into the mattress for maximum all-over support.”

“The unique thing about mattresses is that it isn’t a case of one size fits all. Depending on your body type, the way that you move during your sleep and the amount of support you require, the ideal mattress can vary massively from one person to the next. Unfortunately, there really are no shortcuts for picking the right mattress.” In other words, it’s a case of testing out mattresses relentlessly until you get to know what you’re looking for and what’s comfortable for you.

3. These are the factors you should consider when buying a mattress?

“When choosing a mattress that it is best for us, height, weight and shape should all be factored into making the correct choice,” notes Molloy. “Irrespective of composition, the mattress must comfortably support the entire body and keep the spine as straight as possible. Your hips and shoulders should sink into the mattress whilst waist and lower back are equally supported. Take time to ensure movement during sleep is free and easy.

“Broadly speaking there are three main types of mattress that are currently purchased: continuous coil, pocket sprung and memory foam. All offer support but do so in slightly different ways. The traditional continuous coil type uses a series of coil springs and is the oldest and most traditional form of sprung mattress. The generally more expensive method of pocket sprung mattress uses a large number of independent pocket springs allowing different levels of support in the same bed frame and is particularly good if the weight varies widely between sleeping partners.

“The most recent development of ‘memory foam’ mattresses mould and shape themselves to an individual’s body to offer the necessary support . The downside in my personal view is that they do tend to create more heat and be less breathable and arguably limit freedom of movement. Like everything in life, there are few pros and a few cons to each option,” Molloy notes.

4. Know the difference between a rolled box mattress and shop brought spring mattresses

“The most recent development in mattresses for sale are in the offer of a rolled mattress in a box which expands on opening,” notes Molloy. Examples of these are offerings like the Casper Hybrid and Casper Essential mattresses that come delivered in a compact box and offer extended returns policies after a trial period.

“This is certainly innovative and of course super convenient from a transport point of view, but it does by its very nature severely limit the choice of filling that construction of the mattress allows.”

5. Know your spending limits

In simple terms? According to Molloy, “the short answer is: as much or as little as it takes to get the correct level of support needed.”

“If you wanted a good each way bet, why not choose a slightly firmer mattress in the full knowledge that if you want to soften it a bit at any stage down the line, that extra softness and unashamed luxury can be added after with the purchase of a luxury mattress topper. Go on have your cake and eat it too!”

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

Arm yourself with the best coffee machine and you can give top baristas a run for their money without leaving home – saving you time and money. But with such a variety of models on offer, be it bean-to-cup, ground coffee or capsule designs, deciding which one to invest in can be daunting.

Luckily we’ve done the legwork for you by testing the finest machines available – and nearly drowning in coffee in the process.

We’ve discovered what makes for a great brew, highlighted our favourites and pinpointed precisely what you need to know to pick the perfect model to grace your worktop.

Below you can read what we liked and disliked with all the coffee machines we tested but, for clarity, the best coffee machine for value we tested was the Magimix Nespresso CitiZ. The best coffee machine overall was the Dualit Bean to Go.

• These are the best Nespresso machines
• Tested, the best pod coffee machines
• Look no further: this is the best coffee to go in your cup

Best coffee machines: value and overall

The Magimix Nespresso CitiZ is the best value coffee machine we tested. It is affordable but has a Aeroccino3 milk frother on its side and 19-bar pressure for rich espresso crema. At the time of writing, a quick internet search could find it for just £189.99, which is a total bargain for such a consistently high-performing capsule design.

The Dualit Bean to Go is our best overall coffee machine. This is due to its streamlined design, great tasting espressos and simple to navigate control panel. We found the double shot button – that produces extra strength black coffee – particularly useful on deadline day.

• Fancy another sort of brew? This is the best kettle around

• the shortlist
• the review
• our expert
• Test selection
• how we tested
• test results
• best value
• best overall
• the rest compared
• one to avoid
• Feedback

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Best Coffee Machines: the ShortList

The Expert's View

25

HOURS TESTED

18

PRODUCTS CONSIDERED

1

EXPERTS CONSULTED

2

SHORTLIST BEST BUYS

In our test, the overall winner is the Dualit Bean to Go coffee machine due to its compact body, intuitive design and fresh-tasting coffee.

The best value coffee machine is the Magimix Nespresso CitiZ, chosen for its stylish design, easy to use controls and variety of flavours available. We also gave eight others a spin. Read on to find out which one is best for you.

Author Bio

Emily Peck

Emily Peck is a consumer journalist with over 20 years’ experience reviewing everything from bee hives to biscuits. She has written for a range of publications including Wired UK and Ideal Home.

Best coffee machines: How we selected

Two billion cups of coffee are consumed each day worldwide. It’s no surprise the choice of coffee machines online is vast – from thousand pound all-singing, all-dancing models to coffee makers that are simple but satisfying.

Perhaps you’re the type of person who enjoys the frothy texture and sweetness of a skinny vanilla latte? Or maybe you just want an intense kick of espresso with an impressively smooth crema? Either way, we’ve included a model in our test to cover all bases, catering for a range of tastes, lifestyles and budgets.

Some offer simple filter coffee. Others have pre-set features for a host of styles. We picked from popular models on Amazon and combined them with newly launched machines from respected brands.

First up are the bean-to-cup designs. These are the largest and heaviest machines and take up the most worktop space. They do, however, produce the freshest tasting coffee as they grind whole beans within the appliance. We have picked a varied range of price points in our test from well-known and respected brands including Krups, Jura and Dualit. Although not all do, you will find some of these bean-to-cup machines can take ground coffee too.

We also included a selection of capsule machines. Although they are the easiest to use – you’ll have no ground coffee to contend with or bean waste to clean out – these machines tie you to a certain brand of coffee, such as Nespresso. Some of the capsules are recyclable, but they still generate considerably more waste than traditional designs.

If you’re buying into a capsule model, it’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll need to consider the price of the pods as well as what you pay for the machine.

We also included some ground coffee machines. These make traditional black, espresso coffee – tall and short. We chose designs with and without milk frothing capabilities. Ground coffee machines are not as expensive as bean-to-cup or capsule models, and they don’t tie you into a certain type of coffee. Ground coffee machines also make it easy to refill your coffee cup at your leisure.

Best coffee machines: How we tested

To get an idea of how well the coffee machines performed over the course of a month, we set about grinding beans and attempting to produce latte art like a true barista.

Although we had a varied selection of different machine styles – including bean-to-cup, filter coffee and pod machines – we were keen to discover how each model fared in terms of ease of use, speed and performance. So, for each model, we timed how long it took to set up and make a drink – from getting it out of the box to producing the first cup of coffee.

To measure how much variety was on offer, we noted how many types of coffee each machine can produce, including extras such as hot chocolate and tea.

You’ll be living with the machine on show, day in, day out, so looks do matter. Therefore we rated each design on style as well as substance. That said, no amount of sophisticated bodywork can make up for disappointing functionality and horrible coffee.

For those machines in our test that have specific espresso settings, we timed how long it took to produce a shot of coffee. We then used a fork to assess the thickness of the espresso crema. Likewise, for machines with milk frothing capabilities, we timed how long it took to produce a decent amount of froth for a cappuccino and assessed the thickness.

Over the course of a month, we assessed how easy they were to fill and keep clean, and how much mess they made. For any parts that were dishwasher friendly, we marked the coffee machine up.

In terms of ergonomics, we made a note of how comfortable each machine was to use and also judged each model’s material and finish. In terms of safety, we also wanted to know how hot the reservoirs, compartments and exteriors became.

We also noted how large the water reservoirs are in each design, which ultimately leads to how much coffee it can produce at any one time – the larger the capacity, the less you’ll have to faff around refilling the machine. We were also keen to know what added extras, such as water filters, they include, and whether we think they are value for money.

Finally, we drank a crazy amount of coffee and marked each machine up or down on their ultimate aim – to make a decent cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain.

Best coffee machine reviews: The test results

The good news is there’s a wide variety of machines to suit a range of tastes and budgets. In our test we have featured those that are compact, fast and convenient for a great tasting Americano first thing in the morning.

There are machines that require a little more thought and, as well as offering a wide range of coffee styles and intensities, they let you personalise the settings to suit your taste.

The ground coffee machine we found the easiest to set up was Russell Hobbs’s Luna Copper Accents Coffee Maker. Meanwhile, Dualit’s bean-to-cup design was the easiest to navigate – we were impressed it took just a few minutes to make an espresso straight from the box. Smeg’s Drip Filter was also very simple to set up, although trying to fill the built-in water reservoir was fiddly.

The majority of bean-to-cup machines produced espressos in a couple of minutes and the capsule designs were also surprisingly quick. When using the manual modes on Breville’s One-Touch Coffee House, however, you’ll need to stay close to ensure you switch off the coffee otherwise it will overflow.

When it comes to the best-tasting espresso, we discovered the secret lies in the machines that freshly grind their own beans. In our test we were particularly impressed with the density of cremas in the Jura S8, Dualit and Krups models. The Dualit Bean-to-Go’s double-shot button, which grinds and extracts twice for a stronger, ‘true’ double shot, is particularly satisfying. That said, the variety of pod flavours on offer from Nespresso had our taste buds in a frenzy – we couldn’t get enough of the sweet biscuit notes of Volluto and the velvety aromas of Vanilio.

In terms of how many drinks you can create, the bean-to-cup models offer the most variety. The Jura S8, for example, has up to 15 drinks at the touch of a button and lets you programme the machine to save your favourite coffees to the exact intensity you like.

Meanwhile, the Krups New Barista Age offers up to 17 drinks. Capsule machines also give you flexibility to choose from a number of drinks and coffee strengths – Nescafé Dolce Gusto pods for the Infinissima by Delonghi, for example, come in chai tea latte, flat white, mocha, Marrakesh-style tea pods and more.

As for frothing milk, on some models you need to ensure the steam wand is pointing the right way to avoid spillages. Breville’s One-Touch Coffee House, for example, caught us out, which resulted in a leaky mess on the worksurface.

On the plus side, we particularly like the way the Krups model features a retracting steam wand – you simply fill your cup with the desired amount of milk and it will automatically appear while your coffee is being made to produce a creamy, café-style froth. The steam nozzle rinses itself after each use, too.

Looking for extras? Any of the bean-to-go machines came with PH strips for testing the water hardness in your area, as well as a water filter. Although it is the most expensive machine in our test, we particularly appreciated the starter pack in the Krups model that features a handy jug, measuring spoon and coffee cups – it’s all in the detail, after all.

Best coffee machine for value reviewed:

Magimix Nespresso CitiZ review, £209.99

With few control buttons on the main body, the Magimix Nespresso CitiZ is very easy to set up and use – simply take it out of the box, plug it in, fill the back 1ltr reservoir with water, the control button lights come on and you’re good to go.

Nespresso is to coffee machines what Apple is to smartphones – you won’t need the instructions, but you’ll have to buy into their products to enjoy the best results. We tried a bunch of third-party-made pods, but none of them produced as good a coffee as the Nespresso originals.

Even with the Aeroccino3 milk frother built into the side of the machine, its black, understated body takes up minimal space on the worktop. It features a 19-bar pressure system, which means it draws the full richness and aroma from each pod, and while doing so is surprisingly quiet – we were particularly surprised with how meek the milk frother sounded.

There are two buttons on either side of the machine that indicate which size espresso you’d like, and once you insert the pod and start creating your drink – either tall or short coffee – you can simultaneously froth the milk by simply pressing a button. This can take anything up to two minutes depending on how warm and frothy you’d like the milk.

You will need to keep an eye on how much milk you pour into the frother, however. It took us a while to discover just how much was needed to avoid milk spilling out at the top – things did get a little heated when we found milk leaking out from under the lid on our first attempt. However, this isn’t a problem once you’ve wised up to exactly how much milk you need.

Handy extras include an integrated power-saving mode that ensures the machine turns off after nine or up to 30 minutes, which is handy if you’re in a rush in the morning.

On the downside, you’ll be tied into using Nespresso pods and you’re limited somewhat to shorter drinks rather than long Americano-style cuppas. But if you’re a fan of the delicious flavours on offer, including decaffeinated drinks, you won’t feel limited.

Best coffee machine overall reviewed:

Dualit Bean to Go review, £499

On first view, the Dualit Bean to Go looks ultra stylish and has a compact and sturdy body that won’t feel too bulky on the worktop, even in the smallest of kitchens. All parts are contained within the machine with no fiddly accessories protruding out. Clean lines and slick surfaces all round.

In our test we reviewed a number of bean-to-cup machines, but at £499 this was significantly cheaper than the Jura and Krups models – both over the thousand pound mark – and we were keen to see how it compared.

The Dualit Bean to Go comes with five adjustable grind settings so you can make your coffee as strong as you like. The one-touch buttons let you create espressos, tall coffees and double-shot drinks with ease – ideal for when you need an extra pick me up.

It didn’t take us long to get to grips with the machine. Opening the box, setting up and making a coffee took under three minutes. This is probably due to its built-in thermobloc heating system, which ensures the coffee machine is ready in 40 seconds. The Speed mode also grinds and extracts quicker if you’re pressed for time.

Unlike some bean-to-cup models that have longer hoses for frothing milk, such as the Melitta Solo & Perfect Milk, the steaming wand on the Dualit Bean to Go is short and neatly housed next to the adjustable nozzle. It took us just under a minute to produce a decent amount of froth for a tall latte.

At 1.2 litres, its water tank isn’t the largest – the Jura S8 can hold 1.9 litres, for example – but the Bean to Go does make a few coffees before it needs a refill.

And while this machine doesn’t come with an accompanying app that provides coffee inspiration like the Jura and Mellita, it does what it promises and produces great tasting coffee. The crema on our espresso was thick and dense, which at the end of the day, is all you really want from a coffee.

Comparing the rest on test

While we thought Magimix Nespresso and Dualit Bean to Go were worthy of a special mention, all these machines have plenty going for them.

If you want the flexibility ground coffee offers and like milky drinks, try the 19-bar pressure Breville One-Touch Coffee House. It has a large 1.4-litre water tank, as well as a 0.6-litre milk tank with steam wand, which is ideal for making lattes, cappuccinos and hot chocolates.

As well as a few pre-programmed buttons for cappuccino, espresso and lattes, it also has custom modes so you can tailor the drink to find the strength you like. The only downside is that if you fill the milk tank and don’t use it all in one go, you may end up with sour, wasted milk.

Those who want to try capsule coffee should consider the Infinissima by Delonghi. The design is inspired by the infinity shape. It will create a talking point in your kitchen.

While it has a large library of pods on offer – including flat whites and mochas, and can make up a cold drink such as the cappuccino ice – it doesn’t however come with a fresh milk option or a manual steam wand. In some cases you’ll have to use two pods to make a drink – for a cappuccino you’ll need a white capsule, made up of milk powder which tastes rather sweet, and a black capsule that includes roast and ground coffee.

We got caught out leaving this machine unattended a couple of times and the water flow didn’t naturally come to an end, so we don’t recommend wandering off while it’s in use.

For a classic design that will complement your kitchen, take a look at the retro Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Machine. It comes with a stylish glass carafe with handle and lid, so you can enjoy American diner-style bottomless refills – up to ten cups at a time to be precise.

The Jura S8 bean-to-cup design, which takes ground coffee and beans, is equally stylish. It does in fact look so attractive on the worktop that anyone inviting a date back to theirs for ‘a cup of coffee’ will find themselves actually wanting to show it off. With 15 speciality coffee settings, the option to personalise drinks and control the machine via a dedicated app on your smartphone, it’s a great investment buy if you’re serious about your coffee and have the space.

The Russell Hobbs Luna Copper Accents coffee maker’s stainless steel and copper body is also a head turner, and comes in red and grey finishes. It has ‘advanced showerhead technology’, which sprays water through ground coffee evenly to make it taste better, while you can use the 1-4 button to increase the coffee strength. It has a large water tank that can produce up to 18 cups of coffee, and will keep it warm for up to 40 minutes.

Solo & Perfect Milk by Melitta UK is a similar price to the Dualit, and is a great looking bean-to-cup model. We like its ability to make two cups of coffee simultaneously most. While the milk frothing wand is a little fiddly to install, it produces great results. The smartphone app also comes in handy when you need inspiration or help with navigation, although you can’t use it to control the machine.

If you’re happy to pay a bit more for a bean-to-cup machine the Krups New Barista Age is your best bet. It features a steam wand hidden within the front of the design, so there’s no messy milk tank.

Simply fill your cup with as much milk as you like, choose your drink and the machine will do the hard work. It comes with an automatic switch-off button – for up to two hours – and takes ground coffee as well as beans should you decide to experiment. We loved this model but the only downside is the price.

Any coffee machines to avoid?

While the Russell Hobbs Brew & Go has its benefits, if you fancy yourself as a bit of a coffee connoisseur it probably isn’t the machine for you. While the coffee it produces is as good as any standard cafetière, for anyone looking for coffee with dense, rich cremas you’ll need to spend significantly more.

It does offer eco benefits, however, as it comes with a stainless steel 400ml travel mug that you can use to brew your coffee and take with you when you’re on the go.

The LCD display isn’t the most inspiring of designs, although it does the trick – as in turn the machine on and off and start the filter process. It also comes with a 24-hour programmable timer, although we’re not sure why you’d want to use it – surely no one can be in that much of a rush that they can’t hit the on button themselves? But its automatic shut-off feature is a handy plus, and at £32.99 we can’t complain that it isn’t a value for money buy.

What did we miss?

Tell us, and we'll feedback to our reviewers so we can include it going forwards.

Want a new hobby? Fancy doing something a little bit crafty? You're not going to get much better than adult colouring books.

Adult colouring books first became popular several years ago, but the trend is still ongoing. There are multiple benefits to the hobby. It's deeply relaxing, for one, it improves your art skills and you get something lovely at the end of it.

If you've never looked at an adult colouring book, they're not quite the same as the ones you probably remember from childhood. There's a huge range of things to choose from - classic art, pop culture, abstract images and more.

We've selected the best of the bunch for you to kickstart your hobby or indulge a passion. Don't forget you can vote for your favourite, and let us know if we've missed anything great!

• More ideas for keeping busy and creative: best craft kits for adults

The best adult colouring books to while away the hours

Having to buy a new iron probably doesn’t fill you with excitement, but having one that’s up to the job will hopefully make ironing as painless as possible - that’s where our round-up of the best steam irons comes in.

The price of steam irons can vary considerably depending on whether you want to invest in a steam generator iron or not. A steam generator iron pumps out a continuous stream of steam so they are often the better choice if you’re doing a large quantity of ironing and need something heavy duty.

However, they do tend to have a higher price tag, so if you’re on a budget a more standard steam iron may be a better option. Features to consider include weight, size, and cord length or whether you’d prefer to have a cordless option to give you more freedom while you’re ironing.

Most steam irons should also have auto-shut off modes for safety and a self-cleaning feature to prevent limescale from building up - the latter is an essential feature if you live in a hard water area like London.

With all that in mind, here’s our selection of the best steam irons you can buy right now.

• Got the cleaning bug? Here are the best steam cleaners and best cordless vacuum cleaners tried and tested

Best steam irons to buy in 2020

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.

If there's one warning to give before you buy the best exercise bike for you, it is: are you sure you'll use it for more than a week?

UPDATE: There's a new exercise bike on the scene in the form of Apex. This new premium at-home spin bike promises to bring your favourite spin class to you thanks to a team up with London spin studio Boom Cycle - who describe their classes as a 'party-on-the-bike'. There are four colour options available - black, navy, white, sand - and Bluetooth enables you to connect the bike to your iPad or phone. And while no exercise bikes are cheap, Apex is relatively affordable. The bike itself costs £1,200 with an extra £30 per month for a subscription to take advantage of that exclusive Boom Cycle content.

Our top tips for keeping the habit up include setting times when you'll get on the thing. Don't even think about it, just do it.

Exercise bikes can also be quite dull to work out on, so make sure you have a tablet at the ready. An episode of Queer Eye makes 30 minutes on the bike far more enjoyable.

And, best of all, consider getting an exercise bike that supports one of the top bike-tracking platforms. These are iFit, Zwift and Peloton. They offer video classes and visualisations of routes that let you look at more than just the blank wall of your spare room.

Still motivated to get fit with a static bike? Here are some of the best options around, from basic bikes you can use while watching the TV, to "pro" style ones great for training when you just can't get out on the road.

Upvote your favourite, and let us know of any other exercise bikes that should feature using the form at the bottom.

• Ride a real bike, too? Check out the best bike lights, tested by our expert. And here's a guide to the best bike turbo trainer.

Best exercise bike 2020

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

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Home Comforts is a series of articles focusing on the things that are helping the ShortList team get through lockdown. Whether it's a gadget, movie, song or book we'll showcase great things that are making us happy - and hopefully they will make you happy too...

It’s surprising the little things you miss while in lockdown. For me, it’s getting my morning coffee. And my mid-morning coffee. And the afternoon one that perks me up till the commute home.

It’s not just the coffee fix I miss but the time to breathe, think and figure out new ways to make ShortList, well, better.

Like many of you, I usually work in an office so the walk to my regular coffee shop - the fantastic Catalyst in Holborn, London (or the nearest Pret when I just want something quick) - the waiting for the coffee and the sheer joy of drinking it is all part of the routine.

That’s gone now, given we are all stuck inside sticking the middle finger up to Covid-19. The walk to the kettle is seconds, not minutes and the barista isn’t nearly as chatty. In fact, he’s a little grumpy and - the last time I looked in the mirror - he has a hilarious birds’ nest of lockdown hair.

It’s all a bit meh.

That was until I got a coffee machine in for review. We know our coffee at ShortList so there was a legitimate reason I was allowed to unwrap the Smeg ECF01 Espresso Machine, as I had to get some testing in… but given I was missing my coffee fix, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

When it comes to coffee machines, we have tested loads. We recommend you also check out our best coffee machine round-up which is packed with great coffee makers. There’s also our best pod coffee machine guide, our best Nespresso machine guide and if you are looking for the best coffee grinders, best coffee and gifts for coffee lovers, we have lists on those, too.

While this review is about the Smeg ECF01, it’s also about the simple pleasure of making good coffee.

Here are 5 things to know about the Smeg ECF01 Espresso Machine and why making coffee is, right now, fantastic therapy.

1. Smeg’s retro styling will perk up the drabbest of kitchens

The Smeg ECF01 Espresso Machine is a lovely looking coffee maker. Its retro looks stand out, but not too much, given your kitchen the feel of a ’50s diner. Its footprint is surprisingly compact, too - even if your workspace isn’t the biggest this should fit just fine.

We’ve been testing the cream version but it’s also available in black, red, pink, green and blue - each have the chrome Smeg lettering and the curved top. Given it's glossy, you will have to clean it a little more than your other appliances, though.

2. There are a number of neat touches

While at first glance, the Smeg ECF01 looks like it offers the same features as many a coffee machine, there are some nice touches. The first is the 1 litre water reservoir. This is a decent size and given this is an espresso machine (although it can also froth your milk), that’s a helluva lot of espressos you can get through without refilling. The reservoir comes completely out of the machine, too, so you can take it to the sink and not have to find a jug to fill it up.

The drip tray is cleverer than it looks, too. When it fills up, a red plastic notch appears. Once this pops up, you know it is time to clean the thing. The drip tray is also removable. It does mean that when removed there is nothing there to catch any spillage but take it out and you can place a larger cup under the portafilter.

There’s a drink heater on the top of the machine as well, which doesn’t get too hot but is good if you are doing a number of drinks.

3. It’s (fairly) easy to use

This is a no-nonsense coffee machine, with just three buttons on the top: a single espresso, double espresso and steam for the milk frother. From turning on, it takes around a minute to warm up then it’s a simple press of the button for whatever espresso you want.

You can double tap, too, to make the coffee that little bit longer. Our drink of choice at the moment is a Lungo, which needs the machine to put through a small espresso then two other blasts to get more out of the ground coffee - this machine does that with ease.

The only niggle we have here is that when you first press a button to activate the machine, the flashing lights aren’t easy to see in daylight - we had to keep putting our hand around them to shield them from the light to see if they had stopped flashing so we could have our coffee.

4. It has some hidden features

While it my look like there are only three buttons to use, the machine can also be modified. You can change the amount of water used for an espresso, the heat of the coffee and allow for the hardness of the water. You will need the manual to do this as there is a lot of button bashing involved but it’s nice to see that tweaks can be made to help you get the perfect cuppa.

5. The milk frother is great, when it works

There is a milk frother attached to this machine (no grinder, though - although Smeg does have a separate one for sale) and when we got on with it, it was really nice to use. It’s powerful enough to heat up the milk quickly and once applied to the edge of the jug, it froths the milk well.

There were a few times when it didn’t generate enough steam, though. This may have been our own impatient fault, but a better indicator is needed to make sure that the frother is 100% ready.

Final Verdict

Making coffee is therapeutic. I have been crafting my froth, adjusting the temperature of the coffee, all in the pursuit of the perfect cup of Joe. The Smeg ECF01 has been a great machine to help me to do this.

But, being in lockdown, this hasn’t just been an average coffee machine test but a bit of an escape from the situation we all find ourselves in right now.

I might still be missing coffee shops, the staff, the act of getting coffee but having a machine at home has really helped. It has helped with the coffee craving but also helped me to understand the care that goes into making great coffee - and I can’t wait for the professionals to start serving it to me once again.

The Smeg ECF01 Espresso Machine is available now for £319.

Having the best sleeping bag is important whether you’re out in the wilderness of your back garden, or somewhere a little more treacherous. That doesn’t mean a good sleeping bag is easy to find - especially if you’re shopping within a budget.

The ideal sleeping bag will all depend on what sort of climate you’re sleeping in. If you’re sleeping in a campsite in Cornwall, you’re probably not going to need the same thickness as someone hiking up Everest.

UPDATE: We've added the Kathmandu Comet Sleeping Bag to our list. As we head into the warmer months, this mummy-shaped sleeping bag is especially designed for use in warmer climates. Weighing as little as 0.61kg, it's a great trekking companion and comes with a water-repellent, natural down fill so that it maintains its insulation even when wet. A fantastic option if you can afford the higher price point.

If you’re trekking, you’ll also want to consider how heavy a sleeping bag is. A lightweight option is probably going to be a lot more beneficial if you’re spending day after day lugging it around. On the other hand, if you’re simply driving to a campsite, you don’t have to worry as much and can afford to get a heavier sleeping bag.

Below you’ll find an array of options, ranging from premium to the more reasonably priced - along with a variety of shapes, materials and sizes thrown in for good measure.

As always, upvote the ones you like the look of and be sure to comment below to have your say.

• Planning a trip? Take a look at our best tents review to find out which survived our rigorous testing

Best sleeping bags