I'm known as a ruthless declutterer in my family. As someone lucky enough to test kitchen appliances and cookware for a living, I also know the importance of a streamlined cooking space. If you have cupboards full of gadgets simply taking up space, even making a quick weeknight dinner becomes a chore.

That's why I've just undertaken a huge clean out of my kitchen space before I move house. As while there are some things that have earned a space on my worktop for the long term, including my air fryer and bean to cup coffee machine, there are plenty of smaller buys fighting for place.

I can't stand waste, so I keep my local charity shops well stocked with the kitchen gadgets that I've tested that I no longer have space for. Here's the ones that didn't make the cut this time and the things I'm using instead that have moved into the 'permanent fixtures' category.

Things I've decluttered

1. Fancy ice moulds

I love making a fancy cocktail at home on a special occasion so when I was initially gifted a pair of spherical ice cube moulds (similar to these from Amazon for £5.99) at a press event, I was chuffed. They work a treat, creating a huge block of ice that looks great when serving a negroni or similar – giving a cocktail bar experience at home.

But given that you have to store these in your freezer or remember before you want to use them that they need to go back in there, they became more of a nuisance than anything else.

I keep my freezer stocked with meal prep and essentials, so everything in there needs to be of high value (until I can get afford the American-style appliance of my dreams!). As fun as these moulds were, I just didn't use them enough to warrant a space for them, especially once my Ninja Slushi took over for frozen cocktails. That's something I'll definitely be holding onto during my move!

2. An avocado keeper

Avocados are always on rotation in my household but if you're having lunch for one, you need a good method for storing the other half without it going brown. My love for avos is so prolific that I was bought this dedicated keeper (£8.95 from Amazon) for Christmas.

The USP is the stretchy silicone element that covers over the avocado while you stash it in the fridge. But from day one, I was less than impressed with it. The two sides are fiddly to press together when the avocado is inside and because it creates a domed shape, it's not easy to stack in the fridge.

The biggest problem I found with it was that it didn't extend the life of the avocado either. After a short while the fruit would go brown, even if I'd only put it into the fridge at lunch and wanted to bring it back out for dinner.

I find using my stainless steel food containers (more on those later) with a vacuum seal much more useful than this keeper. Using that method I find an avocado can last for days.

3. A garlic grating plate

My love for kitchen gadgets never ceases, even when I'm on holiday. On a trip abroad a few years ago I picked up a garlic grating plate almost identical to this one from Amazon (for £10) from a little market stall. I was sold by the fact that this is a piece of pottery in style of one that people on the Mediterranean would actually use in their home to make garlic paste. That can then be used to make dips like aoli with the right texture.

I thought I would use it day to day when cooking and adding garlic to dishes. But in reality, it's more often minced garlic over paste that I'm after. And while the dish is effective for that consistency, it's hard to use to make the most out of every bulb. Your fingers get very close to the sharp grooves, so you end up with quite a bit of garlic going unused.

For my everyday cooking I ended up reaching for my trusty Microplane much more than this dish, despite how gorgeous it is. In my kitchen, it's just not a practical pick!

Things I've kept

1. Oil spray bottle

One of my biggest cooking hacks is decanting my cooking oil into a spray bottle. It makes prepping food for the air fryer or pan much easier and means you don't end up over-pouring from heavy bottles.

I was previously using a standard glass bottle with a sprayer nozzle until I discovered Dunelm's clever 2-in-1 version instead. It's been a staple in my kitchen ever since.

It allows you to spray and pour by switching the dial on the front and produces a very fine mist that's perfect for prepping a pan. It's my £5 cooking saviour!

2. Stainless steel food containers

Undertaking a food container audit has to the most satisfying thing I've done while decluttering. I've banished those flimsy takeaway containers stained with tomato residue and swapped them in for Black + Blum's incredible stainless steel containers, which I tested a few months ago.

Lighter and easier to clean than glass as well as being microwave-safe, these clever containers are never out of use in my house. They double as excellent food prep bowls too. I'm saving up to grab myself some more for my new place.

3. Microplane's box grater

I've always been a sucker for a grater/container combo (like this one from John Lewis, £5) but Microplane's version (£23.99 at Wayfair) takes the concept to a whole new level of usefulness.

I reach for it every single day to grate garlic but it's also perfect for parmesan, chocolate shavings for baking and ginger. The ability to store your leftover gratings in the pot saves on washing up and thanks to the tight seal, your Parmesan shavings will stay fresher for longer.

My kitchen always feel more functional after a good declutter. Have you got a cupboard or drawer that's on your clear out to-do list?

We're firmly in the era of frill-maxxing, and if you're anything like me, there aren't many things left in my home that haven't fallen victim to the trend. When it comes to the kitchen, however, it's a little harder to find frilly items that are practical too.

When I saw Dunelm had released a frilly drying mat for dishes, I knew it was destined to complete a country kitchen aesthetic. The kitchen trend for frilly-edged decor isn't going anywhere, and for just £8, you can easily incorporate the look while also fixing a genuine kitchen frustration.

Dish drying racks and mats are often metal or silicone, so finding a stylish choice is the perfect way to upgrade your kitchen on a budget.

When it comes to finding a dish rack for your kitchen, many of the options are utilitarian. The same can be said for dish mats, which are usually grey or black and made of silicone.

While practical, these items can cause a visual obstruction in your kitchen and make cluttered dishes look even worse. So when I saw this Dunelm frilly dish mat, I was genuinely impressed by the ingenuity.

It's generated mixed opinions across the Ideal Home team. While we all appreciated the adorable frilly-edged design, there were some concerns about how it would stand up to everyday use, and it would require washing in the machine regularly.

However, I envision this being used for rarer events, such as hosting. On a daily basis, my dishwasher does the brunt work of my washing up, but it's when hosting that I really make the most out of a dish drying mat for glassware that must be hand-washed and larger pieces of crockery.

It's also a great way to hide an unaesthetic metal draining board. I live in a rented flat and have inherited an undermount sink with a silver draining board, so this Dunelm mat would be an affordable way to hide the stark, clinical look.

If you regularly find yourself using folded tea towels to protect your surfaces from dripping crockery or even your sink essentials (mine is a huge pet peeve), then this is a great solution.

By swapping out a makeshift tea towel for this adorable frilly mat, your kitchen will look carefully considered in every corner.

Frills are a kitchen trend that isn't going anywhere. Adding a sense of whimsy to your cooking space makes it feel like a warm and inviting environment that is cohesive with the rest of your home.

Small touches are all you need - this drying mat adds a country aesthetic without impacting the function of the space.

Shop dish drying mats

There is so much potential to create an organised and aesthetically pleasing kitchen sink area. These Joseph Joseph Sink Tech range is my personal favourites for curating a practical washing up zone.

The Ninja SLUSHi Twist is the newest all-singing-all-dancing machine from the brand. There are now four Slushi machines to choose from, including the original, so there really is something for everyone.

This latest model is unique in its ability to create two different drinks at once. And even more impressive is the simultaneous dispensing that allows you to create dual colour drinks that have the wow factor.

So whether you’re throwing a celebration BBQ with boozy frozen cocktails, or you want fun colourful drinks for a kids party, this is the kitchen appliance to elevate your gatherings. But is it really worth investing over £400 on a frozen drinks maker? Well, I tried it in my own home to find out.

In a nutshell

The Ninja SLUSHi Twist is the latest innovation from the juggernaut home appliance brand that is Ninja. At £420 it’s a huge investment for something that’s only going to be used on occasion. But, if yours is the house that everyone gathers at over the summer, the investment could well stack up. It’ll provide hours of fun, tasty drinks for all the family, and get everyone talking about your hosting skills.

Each vessel can hold up to 1.42 litres of liquid. You can slush anything from milkshakes, to cola, fruit juice to cocktails. And you can create two completely independent slushies, or two complementary slushies that are designed to be combined.

I really enjoyed combining drinks, using the rotating drip tray to create a twisted drink effect is actually quite addictive. And I was impressed that the machine uses sensor technology to slush drinks to the correct texture.

The downsides are that cleaning, particularly after milky drinks, is very laborious. And the required sugar levels in the slushie mixes, makes it easy to consume a lot of sugar when using this machine. Though, the manual does offer directions for using a sweetener instead, if you prefer.

Who tested this Slushi machine?

Unboxing and first impressions

It has to be said that when the box arrived on my doorstep, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so hefty. I opted to unpack it close to the front door for ease. And thankfully the packaging is all recyclable paper and cardboard.

The SLUSHi Twist comes out of the box fully assembled, but since most parts need washing before use, you have to disassemble it anyway. Washing and drying all of the parts is a faff, but it does help you to get to know the machine and understand how it goes together.

There are two drip trays, the one that spins so you can create twisted drinks, and this is used in conjunction with the slanted spouts. Or, for those times when you wouldn’t combine the two drinks, the straight spouts and the standard drip tray come into play.

The drip tray you’re not using can be stored on the side of the machine, but there's not an integrated storage solution for the spare spouts.

I was a bit overwhelmed by all the parts at first. But once I’d washed and dried them all and had a good read of the manuals, I felt better placed to use and understand this machine. There’s a basic user manual, a quick start guide, and a QR code that takes you to various videos and recipe information. This was all super helpful since I’m new to at-home slushie machines.

My main takeaway upon unboxing and setting up the SLUSHi Twist is that it’s big, bulky, and heavy. So I’d advise taking note of the weight and measurement stats when considering whether to buy. Because even if you don’t intend to have it permanently on the worktop, you’ll need to consider storage space as well as the ease of moving this big beast around.

The other thing worth noting is that the working capacity of each vessel is just 1.42 litres, which isn’t huge. In fact, when compared to the other Ninja SLUSHi models with single vessels, they all have a larger capacity, ranging from 1.9 - 3.31 litres. Although crucially, you can only make one flavour drink at a time in the other models.

Unlike Ninja’s other SLUSHi machines, the SLUSHi Twist doesn’t offer different programs for different types of drink. Instead, it relies on smart sensor programs to figure out the right setting for you, so you really don’t have to do any thinking. Helpfully though, you can use the snowflake buttons to adjust the texture if desired.

As someone who is new to making slushies at home, I wasn’t previously aware that sugar content is an important factor in creating a slushie. As indeed is alcohol if you’re creating alcoholic drinks. Drinks need to contain at least 5g sugar per 100ml and not more than 20% alcohol.

Thankfully, if you’ve got your drink proportions wrong, the clever inbuilt sensors will alert you to add water or add sugar to correct the balance. But a big takeaway for me was that drinks are often quite sugary, which is something to watch if you use it a lot.

To counter the potential sugar problem, the manual offers advice on using a natural low calorie sweetener called erythritol instead, but after googling it and reading about some potential negative side effects, I wasn’t keen.

What is it like to use?

Fruit juice slushies

For my first try, I didn’t want to overcomplicate the drinks, so I chose fruit juices. On one side I added a litre of smooth orange juice, and on the other side I opted for a litre of cranberry and raspberry. This meant I would be able to have a go at making a twisted drink with contrasting colours, but there wouldn’t be as much to lose as there would be if I'd started with a more expensive boozy drink and got it wrong.

I pressed the Dual Slush Assist button to start it up. It then spent about five minutes sensing the drinks to figure out the optimal texture and temperature, which incidentally was different for each side.

It's not as noisy as I thought it might be, registering just 58dB on my noise meter. Make no mistake though, if you plan to leave it on all day, it’ll be a relief for your ears when you switch off the constant drone at the end of the day.

The cranberry side beeped first to signal that it was ready, after just 18 minutes. The orange side wasn’t far behind, taking around 20 minutes. Impressively speedy if you ask me.

The excitement of experimenting with the two colours and creating different styles got the better of me, and I dispensed the whole lot in under 10 minutes of sheer joy!

Making the perfectly twisted drink, like you see in all the promotional images, will take some practice and I didn’t immediately nail it. The act of pulling the dispensing levers down with one hand, whilst also spinning the disc beneath the glass, is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at first.

I had better success creating a layered drink and also a straight side-by-side drink. It was great fun making all these different creations. Though I should say that while they looked beautiful at first, it only took a few minutes for the two colours to start bleeding into each other and the effect is quickly lost.

I’d highly recommend having a practice go like this when you first get hold of it. I poured all the fruit juice slushies into a jug afterwards and put it in the fridge. This way, I got to experiment without any wastage.

Milk based slushies

I’m a big frappe fan, so when considering milk based slushies, a coffee option was a no brainer. I used Ninja’s coffee frappe recipe. In the second side I made up Ninja’s vanilla milkshake recipe. For both recipes I went with the 4-6 serving option, though I did have to slightly tweak the frappe one to make it the right volume for this particular machine's capacity.

I used the Dual Slush Assist button again and the vanilla milkshake was ready in 20 minutes. The coffee frappe was almost at the max capacity, plus it wasn’t quite as cold as the milkshake mix, nevertheless it was still slushed in 30 minutes.

The coffee frappe was addictive and could easily become a weekend favourite. The vanilla milkshake was almost like one you’d enjoy from a big fast food chain - also very addictive.

What’s more, we had great fun combining the two. But my gosh, these are high sugar recipes and before I knew it, I’d easily consumed more than double the recommended sugar intake for an adult, just in a couple of drinks.

There’s no denying that the drinks were incredibly delicious and I enjoyed them immensely, but I would definitely need to purchase some smaller glasses to force myself into more sensible portion sizes in future.

Alcohol slushies

I couldn’t review this slushie machine without making a frozen margarita. I went in search of a classic recipe though, as I didn’t fancy the mango or strawberry versions in the Ninja recipe book. The one I landed on included tequila, cointreau, simple syrup, lime juice, and sparkling water.

In the second side, for the non drinkers, I put a bottle of sparkling non alcoholic rosé, to make a frozen rosé style drink. That’s one thing about this machine that’s really great, it gives you the option to create drinks that include everyone, so nobody is left out of the fun.

I hit the dual slush assist button again and let the machine figure things out. The frozen rosé was ready first, after just 17 minutes. The margarita took a bit longer, which wasn’t surprising since the bottle of rosé was just 750ml, while the margarita mix was around 1200ml. That said, it still only took 24 minutes.

I left it running for around seven hours on a hot Saturday afternoon and I definitely noticed plenty of condensation on the outside of the vessels, but like I said, it’s thoughtfully designed, so the condensation catcher trays did a great job of collecting all the moisture and my worktop stayed dry.

Of course, both drinks were tasty and enjoyable, real frozen margaritas at home felt so luxurious and I can’t wait to serve them at more gatherings. I did have to adjust the texture a couple of times using the snowflake buttons. It takes a few minutes to get the drink to your desired texture, but it’s worth a short wait for the perfect cocktail.

What's it like to clean?

There’s no getting away from it, cleaning is one of the biggest drawbacks of this appliance. Thank goodness for the rinse cycle. You can add warm water and use the rinse cycle to get rid of most of the drink residues. Then all of the dishwasher-safe parts will need to be popped through a cycle.

The two big vessels are bulky to wash by hand, the two augers are fiddly, and then there’s the drip tray, condensation catcher trays, and spouts, so it feels like a lot of washing up. None of the parts can go in the dishwasher.

After using milk based recipes, you have to be extra thorough to make sure it doesn’t end up with milky residues anywhere. And I found myself double washing some parts to get rid of the greasiness from cream that was in the recipes. The biggest saving grace is that in general this isn’t an appliance you’ll use daily, which takes the sting out of the clean-up effort.

How does it compare to other models?

The original Ninja SLUSHi (£299.99 via SharkNinja) was a hit with our Kitchen Appliances Editor and will definitely fit the bill if you’re likely to make one flavour slushie at a time. What's more, despite being the smallest on offer from the brand, its 1.9 litre max fill capacity is still bigger than the 1.42 litres you can put in each side of the SLUSHi Twist. And at £299.99 it's over £100 cheaper than the SLUSHi Twist.

Alternatively, if you just like the idea of a single serve frappe from time to time, you could opt for something like the Dualit Ice Cream Maker. Not only does it allow you to create delicious ice cream, but the slushie setting does the job for occasional frozen drink too.

Should you buy the Ninja SLUSHi Twist?

Much is made of its ability to creatively dispense two different drinks into the same glass, but I think the biggest and most useful feature is simply that you can slush two separate drink recipes simultaneously. For example, being able to make an alcoholic slushie alongside a non-alcoholic one is a great way to include everyone in the fun at a party.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of fun to be had mixing slushies together and creating cool looking dual colour drinks. The downside is that it’s an expensive, bulky appliance so it’s worth considering whether one of the other Ninja SLUSHi models would meet your needs.

That being said, if you want more fun, more drinks options, and to add extra pazazz to your next gathering, the SLUSHi Twist is a premium slushie machine with all the functionality and wow factor you could hope for!

Even though it sounds quite boastful, there really has been no better job than testing out the Salter Slushie Maker (£179.99) this summer. Accompanying me to BBQs, parties and family get-togethers, it’s proved to be the ultimate party essential.

Following the success of the Ninja Slushi and how much our Kitchen Appliances Editor raved about it, I’ve been dying to get my hands on a frozen drinks maker. So, when the opportunity came up to test Salter’s more affordable alternative, I leapt at the opportunity.

Not only was the Salter Slushie Maker easy to use, producing delicious frozen drinks quickly, but it was a real crowd pleaser, too. Now, I doubt I'll ever be found hosting or attending any summer get-togethers without it. Here’s why.

It was incredibly simple to get the Salter Slushie ready to go. Salter states you should let the machine stand for two hours before use to let the refrigerant settle, and then it’s good to go. The main thing you need to remember is that each drink serving should have at least 10g of sugar, which means you should avoid using sugar-free sodas or ingredients. Also, you must never add hot or solid items like ice cream and frozen fruit, as it can damage the machine.

For my first test, I went straight for a frozen cocktail. It was a hot Friday night, and having promised frozen cocktails at a party the following day, I wanted to give it a spin first. Opting for a frozen Cuba Libre, I added rum, ‘full fat’ cola and lime juice to the machine. Then, all I had to do was press the ‘frozen cocktail button’, and I was off.

All I had to do was wait. The machine made a little noise, but this was to be expected, and after just 40 minutes, the temperature on the control panel had dropped from around 20 degrees to -5. And the results were delicious. The slushy mix is smooth, without chunks of ice, giving that cocktail bar experience.

Since then, I’ve got to work testing the other presets - slushy, frappe, chilled juice, smoothie and milkshake. During this summer’s hellish heatwaves, I have to say that the smoothie and slushie functions were incredible for helping me and my partner stay cool.

But the Salter Slushie really came into its own when it came to hosting. Its large 1.9L capacity meant it was more than capable of hosting eight (thirsty) adults, and every single friend or family member I served a frozen drink to was impressed.

Taking it to parties, the compact size of the machine made it easy to transport. Its slim size makes it easy to fit in the car (yes, it has its own seatbelt), and so far, it has fit easily in my friends’ kitchens.

I won’t lie, it does look a little bulky in my kitchen. But I have an unbelievably small kitchen - to the point where I lack the space for one of the best air fryers - so I think this is more a ‘me’ problem than a problem with the slushy maker.

I was also impressed with how easy the Salter Slushie maker is to clean. It has a preset rinse function, which is great for loosening slushy debris, and ideal if you want to switch to a different drink recipe. Then, the slushy maker is easily disassembled for deeper cleaning.

I have found a few of the edges a little tricky to scrub due to the shape of the dispenser, but this really hasn’t bothered me. Plus, you can reassemble the machine in *literally* a minute.

The Salter Slushy is the first frozen drinks maker I’ve made, and I have to say I was impressed. While the Ninja Slushi offers frozen results in just 15 minutes, I don’t think this is enough of a pull for me to stray from Salter. Like Ninja, the Salter Slushie Maker can also keep drinks cool for up to 12 hours, has one more preset (smoothie) and is more affordable to boot.

Not only has the Salter Slushie Machine kept me cool and hydrated with delicious frozen drinks all summer, but I suspect it has improved my social life, too!

If there's one culinary topic that's bound to divide opinion, it's how to make perfect rice. While I thought I was tied to my faithful plug-in rice cooker for life, Joseph Joseph's microwave version (for £26) just switched my allegiances completely.

I've been vociferous in my love for my handy, compact rice cooker from Lakeland, which turns out grains with the ideal level of bite with minimal effort. My big complaint with it, however, is that it takes 40 minutes to complete its task, which can get in the way of a quick dinner.

Joseph Joseph's genius cooker, by comparison, which fits neatly inside your microwave (and cupboards) with a range of clever design features, took just 10 minutes to cook fluffy rice. If you don't want to invest in another appliance for your kitchen, this is a wonderful low-effort buy.

I admit I was skeptical about this gadget at first. I've seen enough memes about the 'art' of microwave cookbooks to know that this isn't an appliance famed for its culinary delights.

But I was willing to give it a go if it meant I could gain some more worktop and cupboard space back. As a full-time tester of kitchen appliances, my cooking area can go from calm to chaotic very fast.

I've tried a few of Joseph Joseph's kitchen gadgets but this bested all of my expectations. It's compact (obviously enough to fit into a microwave) and has features that allow you to measure and wash your rice as well as cook it without any extra washing up.

You have an inner and outer pot here, with the former doubling as a colander for you to wash your rice in (an essential to avoid the grains clumping together). A measuring cup is included with this cooker too, which I'd recommend using so that you can easily follow the cooking instructions in the included booklet.

My favourite part of it all might just be the rice paddle. This is used to lock the pot together when you pop it into the microwave and fluffs up your cooked rice a treat too.

This gadget is so easy to use. It's foolproof! For a serving for two people I used half a cup of rice, which I measured out then washed in the sink. The colander has a thin pop out handle so you don't have to fiddle getting it out of the main pot to take it to the sink.

For this amount of rice, eight to ten minutes of microwave cooking is required. I duly followed those timings, as well as the recommendation to let the rice stand for five additional minutes while I prepared the rest of my meal.

I left the pot locked with the spoon while it stood and after the allotted time, opened it up to find fluffy rice ready to go. It was such a speedy and foolproof process – quicker than my rice cooker and less effort than my traditional hob method (which involves waiting for it to boil from cold and then popping on a lid).

I'm a total convert to this method. Not only was it quick and easy but it means I don't have another appliance to plug in or maintain. The parts can go through the dishwasher too.

It turns out I'm pretty late to the party on this incredibly handy gadget, with it having racked up 151 reviews to accumulate a 4.5 star rating on the brand's website. Other impressed reviewers have remarked on how consistent it is for 'perfect rice every time'.

This isn't the only microwave-cooking buy that Joseph Joseph have designed. I've also discovered they have a highly-rated 4-piece stackable set too, which claims to be able to help you cook an entire meal in a microwave.

So perhaps I was wrong in my assumptions about microwave cooking after all. If it's this easy, I'll take as much of it as I can get!

Rebekah had a clear vision for her home's renovation: to transform a run of smaller, disconnected rooms into a generous kitchen, dining and living space with improved flow and doors opening directly out to the garden.

A space where cooking, entertaining and relaxing could all happen at once, without losing the 1970s character she fell for in the first place.

‘I wanted to create a space where friends and family could gather while I was making dinner,' she says. ‘A room that felt relaxed, social and full of life.'

Shortly after moving in, the couple discovered a host of unexpected issues. Unsafe electrics and plenty of botched DIY jobs meant plans to extend were put on hold while essential repairs took priority. ‘It wasn't what we expected,' she admits.

‘But having to live here for five years before starting the renovation did help us to understand what did and didn't work about the house.'

What the couple did love about the house were the original 1970s features, including the walnut staircase and the large garden. But they didn't like the cramped ground-floor layout, which felt cut off from the outdoor space. ‘We had this lovely big garden, but it just wasn't connected to the house at all,' says Rebekah.

An architect helped with planning, and the couple hired a local builder who kept costs down by doing much of the work himself. Feeling overwhelmed by the design decisions, Rebekah brought in interior designer Natalie Johnson of Bower Interior Design.

‘Natalie made every decision feel stress-free,' she says. ‘She helped me work out what I actually wanted and stopped me from feeling overwhelmed by it all.'

Natalie's design focused on how the family would be using their kitchen every day, so that the new room was both functional and practical. ‘The flow works so well in here now, and there are no clutter hot spots,' says Rebekah.

‘We love how Natalie used the structure of the new extension to create cosy corners in the open-plan layout, which gives us a clear separation between cooking and relaxing areas at different times of the day.'

The finished kitchen extension is now the social heart of the home. The oven sits in the island, freeing up worktop space and allowing Rebekah to cook while staying part of the conversation.

‘When we're hosting, friends say it's like watching a cookery programme,' she laughs. ‘Before, entertaining was stressful. Now it feels effortless.'

Get the look

Sorry traditional air fryers, glass air fryers are taking the culinary world by storm due to their space-saving and meal prepping capabilities - and Lidl is about to launch the most affordable I’ve seen yet.

In 2026, the best air fryers have a spot in every kitchen, yet most are quite bulky. But the increase in popularity of glass air fryers over the past year shows that these game-changing appliances can work in the tiniest of kitchens.

Landing in stores on Sunday 2 August, Lidl’s Glass Air Fryer is a deadringer for the Ninja Crispi (was £149.99, now £115 at Shark Ninja), and at only £49.99, It’s one of the most affordable Ninja Crispi alternatives I’ve spotted.

Having reviewed the Ninja Crispi, Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor Molly Cleary declared she’d only use the glass air fryer from then on. Its easy-to-clean glass containers were found to be excellent for making lunches and meal prep, while its compact size meant it was easy to stash away after use, too - no bulky appliance taking up precious worktop space here. Not to mention it produces unbelievably delicious and crispy results.

The convenience of glass air fryers has seen them soar in popularity, and now it’s Lidl’s turn to deliver an affordable version. If you have Lidl Plus, the Glass Fryer is £49.99, and it is £59.99 without the app discount.

It boasts a transparent glass cooking basket, allowing you to keep an eye on how your food is cooking without opening the drawer (one of the main benefits of glass air fryers over standard ones), and it promises to deliver healthy, crispy results with ease. Lidl also states the machine is easy to clean, which is a bonus. For squeaky clean air fryers, I do recommend the Astonish Air Fryer Cleaner(£2.50, Dunelm) as it is great for cutting through grease.

Lidl’s Silvercrest Glass Air Fryer has four preset programs: air fry, roast, re-fry, and keep warm. Its small glass container is ideal for one portion, while the supermarket says its large container is big enough to roast a whole chicken.

‘I was unsure of the concept of glass air fryers at first, but after testing the Ninja Crispi I was totally won over. I can't imagine a better air fryer design for a student house or a small kitchen in order to feed one or two people,' comments Molly. 'If you're on a tight budget, then this version from Lidl might be worth a try. The glass surface is much easier to clean than a usual air fryer tray and will be so easy to pop into a deep drawer too.'

Glass air fryers are a great choice for people who have small kitchens, students and anyone else who doesn’t want to give up worktop space for bulky appliances. They offer a great vantage point, where you can see how your food is cooking. The detachable glass dishes make meal prep incredibly easy, and the glass is far easier to clean than other air fryers.

Lidl’s glass air fryer will only be available in-store. So, in the case of stock issues or it selling out fast, I’ve rounded up a few more affordable alternatives to shop online.

You can always count on Lidl to deliver an affordable alternative to our favourite appliances. Will you try it?

There's nothing worse than having to buy a homeware item that forces you to settle on aesthetics. There are many kitchen essentials where practicality comes first, but I draw the line at having unattractive kitchenware on show on my worktops.

A bread bin is often one of those pain-point items, but this chic bread bin from Amazon is here to challenge that assumption. I've spotted this in some of the most stylish kitchens on social media and wrongly thought it would be out of budget. Luckily, it comes in at under £30.

Whether you're specifically searching for a bread bin or you need a handy kitchen storage idea for your worktop that looks good too, here's why you should give this Amazon buy a try.

I've seen this bread bin appear in some seriously stylish kitchens, so naturally I just assumed it was from a high-end brand with a price tag that is much more than I'd ever willingly spend on a bread bin.

So when I saw the same style crop up on my search for some of Amazon's very best kitchenware picks, I knew it was worth shouting about.

While many other kitchen gadgets and storage options evolve, with more interesting style choices available as time moves on, the bread bin feels like it's been left behind.

Many bread bins have a traditional farmhouse aesthetic with a wooden pull down curved front or a metal container. There's nothing wrong with either style, but it's no different to what we had in our kitchens 10 or even 20 years ago.

This Amazon bread bin, however, strikes the ultimate balance between style and practicality. The dark brown wood effect finish offers a more high-end take on the typical light wood bread bins, with subtle brushed brass handles that will complement matching cupboard hardware.

It also handily has a flat top, so it creates extra storage space without simply taking it up on your worktop. Rather than a traditional bread bin that serves one purpose, this style feels like a form of tabletop pantry unit.

The flat top is great for storing everyday cooking essentials, such as a salt pig or olive oil. If you have the height available, you could also pop a small rechargeable lamp on top to add style into the corner of the kitchen.

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Innovative, freestanding storage options are a handy way to personalise your kitchen and make it work for your needs. This IKEA pantry is another practical and affordable option for increasing dried goods storage for less.

Lakeland has released a brand new all-in-one pan, the Tri-Pan Only Pan Pro (£84.99), which is a dead ringer for my favourite ever pan – the Titanium Always Pan Pro (£170) by Our Place.

As Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor I've had the happy task of trialling dozens of pans over the years but none has topped Our Place's Titanium offering after a five-star review. Lakeland's version, which is a 'hybrid stainless steel pan with ceramic non-stick coating', claims to have the same versatility but with a price-tag that's exactly half of the chef-approved Always Pan.

Here's a closer look at the two to see how they measure up.

Last year Lakeland's take on the Our Place Always Pan, the 8-in-1 Only Pan, prompted a sell out on the brand's website. Naturally, we had to get our hands on it to see how it measured up to its more expensive lookalike.

Our expert reviewer and home economist Helen McCue awarded it 4.5 stars out of 5 after testing it, saying that it was a 'great choice for fuss-free cooking'. Now Lakeland has taken that bestselling formula and worked its magic on a stainless steel version, a material that's favoured by professional chefs.

It's clear that Lakeland has taken inspiration from the marketing of the Our Place Always Pan Pro, which is touted as 'virtually indestructible'. After having this pricey pan in my kitchen now for over a year, I agree with those bold claims. it still looks as good as the day it arrived after more than a few cooking mishaps and a turn through the dishwasher every day.

That's the kind of durability that Lakeland is seeking to emulate with their new do-it-all pan which is 'built with three layers of stainless steel and aluminium to offer superior strength', according to the brand. 'Outstanding scratch resistance' is another feature worth shouting about – I've learned the ability to use metal utensils with peace of mind with the Always Pan Pro is a real game changer.

The deep shape of the Lakeland pan is a versatile design feature which is supposed to unlock those aforementioned 'ten ways to cook'. With it, Lakeland says you can bake, grill, roast, pan-fry, boil, sauté, steam, stir-fry, simmer and braise. As its oven-safe up to 200°C, it should be great for finishing dishes off in high heat.

Lakeland's pan also comes with two accessories to make it more multi-faceted: a stainless steel steamer basket and a silicone turner. The included lid is also very similar to Our Place's, with a domed lid that helps to trap in moisture for steaming.

Our review of this multi-functional pan from Lakeland is currently underway so that we can let you know how it performs but the Our Place Pro has certainly set a very high benchmark. Can you see a place for this type of multi-functional pan in your home?

Kitchen trends have been inspiring us all year long as we update our cooking spaces or undergo full renovations, but figuring out which 2026 kitchen trends offer longevity can be tricky. In a space as large and costly as a kitchen, you want to ensure that your design choices aren't passing fads, which is why I'm here to assess which trends have staying power.

The halfway point of the year is a great time to reflect on the trends that are showing dominance in real-life kitchen ideas, versus the trend predictions that have quietly petered out.

These three kitchen trends have consistently appeared in the most beautifully designed homes that I've seen in the last 7 months, proving that they're worth investing in for 2027.

1. Earthy colour palettes

The most stylish cooking spaces I've seen this year all have one thing in common; an earthy kitchen colour scheme. Whether it's green, yellow, terracotta or even off-white, the muted undertones of these shades create an inviting atmosphere that will remain a trend well into 2027.

In 2026, we saw many emerging trends focused on creating a lived-in, welcoming atmosphere in a kitchen, and this down-to-earth nature will sustain itself into next year.

'When you're investing in a new kitchen, it's worth choosing colours you'll love for years to come rather than following a trend that might quickly date. Soft, earthy shades like mushroom, greige, olive green and warm neutrals are all great options because they're easy to live with and work with different worktops, flooring and finishes,' explains Ntola Obazee, brand director, Kutchenhaus.

2. Pattern play

Pattern play feels like a trend that is inspired by the eclectic, farmhouse interiors that have risen in popularity in 2026. And while it's a specific look that won't be for everyone, I predict it will have longevity.

Delft tiles are a classic style that have recently come back into fashion, thanks to the ability to add character into a kitchen design. Traditionally, motifs took on a countryside aesthetic with thatched houses, windmills and farmers, but there are now increasingly modern iterations that can be personalised with any motifs that suit your home and lifestyle.

3. Curated pantries

Pantries are getting bigger and better as every year goes by, so it's safe to say that this is a 2026 trend that is going to evolve even more in 2027.

While a traditional double-door pantry is still considered a wishlist item, pantries that operate as separate rooms are what the most stylish homeowners are choosing. Conservatory-esque spaces with glass doors introduce an interesting visual element, breaking up banks of cabinetry and allowing the inside of the pantry to become a design feature in its own right.

'A well-designed kitchen is one of the most valuable investments you can make in your home, and features such as a walk-in pantry can significantly increase both functionality and appeal,' explains Tom Howley, creative design director at the eponymous kitchen company. 'Buyers are increasingly drawn to kitchens that feel considered and well planned, and practical additions like this signal quality, longevity and intelligent design.'

Kitchen trends slowly evolve each year, but there are always a few which drop off the radar completely. These three trends all take inspiration from traditional styles, showing that classic always comes back around.

The perfect tableware set is as functional as it is pretty. And it's these two categories in which Our Place's simply delectable range of plates, bowls and dinnerware essentials excel. And right now, they're the subject of a mega-sale from the retailer with picks available from £26.99 (via Our Place).

These sets not only nest together in the most pleasing and stackable way, but they're simply the best looking on the market, in my opinion. As Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor I often have a host of weird and wonderful items on test in my home but the most complimented of all is my dinnerware set from Our Place.

Here's why it's such a crowdpleaser at a dinner party and why I'm praying this isn't the end of the brand's excellent tableware offering.

Both generations of Our Place's tableware are currently on sale and as I've tried both, I can confidently say the quality is equal across the ranges.

The first pieces I owned have now mostly been discontinued, apart from the range's Side Bowls in Spice (which are now £30, down from £40). I've had them in my kitchen since 2022, which shows you just how long they last. All 12 of them have survived without a single chip.

The next tableware set I tried from Our Place was the brand's release of the colourway Sage in 2024.

This is where the brand starting to take stacking to the next level, which you can see in all of the sets that are currently on sale. All of the dinner plates in this collection can neatly stack on top of the dinner bowls, as well as on top of the brand's serveware salad bowls.

This was also where Our Place expanded into tableware of all sizes. Its mini range provides the perfect receptacles for sauce dipping, little dessert servings or for olives or various tapas at home.

If you're in the market to completely switch out your tableware, you can't do better than Our Place's offering. It's safe to say I'm absolutely obsessed with it (and have spent my own money investing in it). Can you see the appeal of these stackable sets?

Pets make a house feel like a home, and many of us wouldn't be able to face a kitchen without a little four-legged friend running around looking for scraps. But while we understand the importance of having a pet, we haven't always designed our homes with them in mind.

When going through a kitchen renovation, we think carefully about how the design meets the needs of every member of the family, so why aren't we considering our beloved pets, too?

While pet rooms are on the rise, dedicating an entire room to our furry friends isn't always possible, so I've asked kitchen pros how we can include smaller pet-friendly design features in our cooking spaces, utility rooms and boot rooms. Here's what they had to say.

1. Find a permanent place for their bed

'The modern kitchen is being reimagined to accommodate four-legged companions with subtle sophistication,' explains Tom Howley, creative design director of the eponymous kitchen company.

Integrated pet nooks are one of the simplest ways you can incorporate your pet into your kitchen design, and it's a great way to make use of awkward gaps in a layout. By removing cabinetry, you can create a ledge for a pet bed so that it's kept out of the way from the floor area, and it creates a dedicated cosy spot for your pet to curl up and sleep.

2. Consider plumbing

When you care for a pet, there are lots of small daily tasks that come with it. A well-designed home is all about making everyday life run smoothly, which is why it's worth considering how to design a pet space that functions well.

Interior designer, Fenella Jane, shows in an Instagram reel how she has included a pull-out brass pot tap in her boot room, just above the area where her dog's bowl sits. It's a small design feature that makes a huge difference, cutting out the everyday friction of running to and from the kitchen sink.

3. Work in a pet shower

Positioning a pet zone near your garden or back door is the most practical solution for ensuring that the rest of your kitchen stays free from muddy paws.

A pet shower makes this even more achievable - you can keep your pet contained within a dedicated zone to wash them before letting them through to the rest of the house. Whether you opt for a larger sink to bathe your pup in or a walk-in shower, which is great for larger dogs, opt for tiled surfaces for a splash-zone-ready space that you won't need to be precious about.

4. Don't forget storage

There's a lot of random paraphernalia that comes with being a pet owner, whether it's food, treats, medication, bowls or leashes. So just as you would design a pantry with clever storage in mind, organising a pet zone with handy drawers will make the space more functional.

'Well-designed pet spaces create a calmer, more organised environment for everyone in the household. From a practical perspective, they help contain the inevitable paraphernalia that comes with pet ownership, whether that's bedding, leads, toys or feeding stations,' explains interior designer, Laura Stephens.

'When these spaces are thoughtfully designed, they remove the tension between functionality and aesthetics, allowing owners to enjoy a home that works beautifully for every member of the household,' she adds.

5. Choose durable materials

'The common thread is that these pet spaces are becoming far more integrated into the overall design scheme,' says Laura Stephens. This is why when you're designing a pet area, you want it to be cohesive with the rest of your home, especially your kitchen.

Practical surfaces, like tiled surfaces, wipe-clean stone and laminate are essential in a pet-friendly space. Porous marble surfaces will only cause more stress, so put functionality first. When it comes to creating design cohesion, focus on colour palettes and cabinetry styles to tie the two areas together.

'Elevated pet-dining areas clad in the same stone or timber as the kitchen worktops bring a sense of cohesion, whilst personalised touches – like cabinetry engraved with a pet’s name – add charm,' recommends Tom Howley.

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Creating a pet zone isn't just about designing an aesthetic place for your pooch, it's about creating a home that works for every single member of your family - big or small. Think about how your daily life operates with your pet before you start designing, so you can figure out what your area needs.

It can be hard to strike the balance between a cluttered countertop and a well-stocked one, especially when creating a dedicated space for making tea and coffee. In my time as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor I've learned one of the things that those with organised coffee stations always have is some kind of tray or organiser to curate their nook around.

And now, I've found a very affordable solution to do just that: enter IKEA's £5 NÅLBLECKA organiser.

This versatile organiser is one of the brand's new-in kitchenware gems – alongside a bargain £15 fridge system and £4 hideaway dish drainer. Here's why it's genius for doubling storage space either on your worktop or in your cupboards.

The reviews accumulated for the NÅLBLECKA organiser collection show off its versatility. Of course, the flexibility of these Scandi-inspired products is the reason why so many IKEA hacks flood social media feeds every week, and with a little bit of vision even a humble £5 organiser like this one can help to switch up your space.

While one user has so far remarked that they were using it as a mug holder, another has already been using it as a method to keep loose cooking items organised.

The version with a tray on the top and bottom has a 4.8 star rating out of 5 from 496 reviews, with a whole host of reviewers saying it's a great fit for cooking oils and jars that need to be within easy reach.

For a coffee station specifically, the gap underneath the £5 organiser works well as it gives space for mug stacking – especially for those oversized mugs space which need to stack together without being restricted. Up top, the tray element is a good spot for tea bags, sugar or coffee too.

If you're stuck for space horizontally on your worktop, the legs of these organisers allow them to stack together too which is great for making the most of any vertical storage space you have.

The debate on what should be left on a kitchen worktop and what should be tidied away is always alive and well at Ideal Home towers. If there's one thing we all agree on though, its that one of the the things that people with a tidy kitchen worktop always have is a clutter bucket or tray to collect loose items.

Of course, the NÅLBLECKA is a kind of elevated tray but if you want something more interiors-led, these are the picks I would opt for in the ultra-organised kitchen of my dreams.

Whether you opt for IKEA's ultra-affordable organiser or one of these alternatives, the key to a curated and less chaotic kitchen countertop is all in picking the right place to gather your must-haves. Are you all for storing things on your worktop or do you prefer to hide everything away?

When choosing a kitchen colour scheme, it's often challenging to strike the right balance between trendy and timeless. Seeking inspiration from the latest kitchen trends is a sure-fire way to curate a beautiful scheme, but what if your chosen shade doesn't stand the test of time?

I've spoken to kitchen pros on the best ways to combine style and longevity, by understanding what the most future-proof kitchen colours are in 2026.

Timeless doesn't mean you have to play it safe — these three colour schemes will inspire a fresh new look that will also last.

1. Soft, earthy hues

Green has always been a popular kitchen colour scheme, but variations of the shade come in and out of trend. To ensure that the colour is future-proof rather than a fleeting moment, opting for an earthy undertone will help to ground the space.

'When you're investing in a new kitchen, it's worth choosing colours you'll love for years to come rather than following a trend that might quickly date. Soft, earthy shades like mushroom, greige, olive green and warm neutrals are all great options because they're easy to live with and work with different worktops, flooring and finishes,' explains Ntola Obazee, brand director, Kutchenhaus.

'These timeless colours give you the flexibility to update your kitchen look over time without replacing the cabinetry. Swapping out handles, pendant lighting, or even bar stools can give the space a whole new feel,' Ntola adds.

2. Pale pink

Pale pink once felt like an 'out there' choice for a kitchen, but it's quickly become its own form of neutral. Once reserved for bedrooms, the soft nature of this shade acts as an alternative to cream while adding a bit more of a playful touch.

'Pink continues to be a popular choice for kitchens, proving that it is far from a passing trend. According to our recent market research, consumers continue to gravitate towards pale pink shades as a sophisticated alternative to traditional neutrals such as beige and grey. These softer tones provide the same sense of versatility while introducing a subtle warmth and individuality that helps create a more inviting living space,' says Tom Howley, creative design director at the eponymous kitchen brand.

3. Warm neutrals

A simple way to future-proof your kitchen is to opt for a neutral colour scheme that offers a simple but effective look.

'Choosing lighter kitchen shades, such as creams, whites, or muted pastels, can help reflect light around the room rather than absorb it, as darker kitchen colours often do. These lighter hues create a timeless and airy aesthetic, making them ideal for smaller or dimly lit spaces where maximising natural light is essential,' explains Massimo Buster Minale, founder and creative director of Buster + Punch.

With a more neutral colour scheme, the visual interest will come from the smaller touches, such as hardware, lighting and decorative touches.

'It's important to introduce contrast through different textures and finishes, as an all-light colour scheme can sometimes feel sterile or lacking in depth. Adding elements like knurled textures and metallic finishes completes the overall design,' Massimo adds.

If a kitchen renovation isn't on the cards then there are still ways to incorporate colour into your kitchen scheme - these tricks to adding colour without repainting will get you started.

Ninja has a new multi-cooker to feast your eyes on and I think it's the most capable offering I've seen from the bestselling brand yet.

The Ninja HyperHeat, which is currently down to £149.99 from £169.99, has an impressive 9 functions to get stuck into combined into one sleek appliance.

The setting I'm most excited about is rice cooking – which is something I absolutely loved when I tested what I think is the best multi-cooker on the market, the Ninja Foodi Possible. As well as that, the HyperHeat also has a pressure cooker setting, meaning that it can save you a huge amount of time on meal prep. Here's what else it can do!

The HyperHeat is so called because it has the ability to lock in high temperatures and pressure in order to speed up your cooking process. Its pressure cooking mode is one of its big selling points, alongside the other functions, which are steam, slow cook, sear/sauté, rice, pasta, simmer, keep warm & yoghurt.

If you've never used a pressure cooker before then the big thing to know is that it can seriously save you time in the kitchen. Ninja claims that with the HyperHeat you can cook up to 70% faster than with hob cooking – though you do have to reserve time for the pot to pre-heat. It locks in steam and heat to supercharge the cooking process so that stews or rice will be cooked in record time in your home.

The capacity of this cooker is tailor-made for families, too. It has six litres of space, meaning you can batch cook with it or use it for family dinners. The sear and sauté functions allow you to use the inner pot as a stand-in hob, too – perfect if you need an all-in-one appliance if your kitchen is currently out of action. That's exactly what our Senior Digital Editor, Jenny McFarlane did recently in her temporary kitchen whilst hers was being renovated.

I'm evangelical about the need for a rice cooker in every household – no matter the size – thanks to its ability to help you whip up quick meals with essentially no effort. The reviews from users so far on the HyperHeat, where it currently has a 4.6 star rating out of 5 from 29 people, are overwhelmingly impressed with the rice cooking functionality in particular.

Another benefit of this new Ninja cooker is the included stainless steel reversible rack. Reviewers have been putting this to good use in order to cook across two levels in one pot. You can steam grains in the bottom while your protein is cooked to perfection on top.

Though it might seem counterintuitive in this heat given they have a reputation for being used to make soups and stews, a multi-cooker is actually a great appliance for the hot months. With it, there's no sweating over your hob or lengthy prep times. Instead, you can throw everything into a cooker like this and quickly return to your finished meal, especially if you're using the pressure cooking setting on this appliance.

Whether you're already a multi-cooker convert or not, the HyperHeat certainly looks like an impressive new entry into the category for Ninja. Could you see yourself using this in your kitchen?

There are plenty of affordable ice cream makers hitting the shelves right now, including Aldi's Ambiano Ice Cream Machine for £69.99 and Lidl's Silvercrest version, the Premium Freezy, for the same price.

Though these ice cream machines are unbelievably cheap, as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I'd recommend spending a fraction more on an easier-to-store alternative that I've tested: Cuisinart's genius FreezeWand (£79.99 via Amazon).

As well as still being wallet-friendly, this is one of the best ice cream makers I've tested for a small kitchen and works like a charm for making sorbets, ice cream and a range of other frozen treats. Here's why I think it's the sweet-treat-buy to beat for most kitchens, including Aldi's budget Ninja Creami alternative.

The ice cream makers recently released by supermarkets with middle aisles we love to peruse are both modelled on Ninja's viral sensation and bestseller the Ninja Creami, which we reviewed way back in 2023. While the Ninja Creami's design has been a huge hit, it's an appliance that takes up a lot of space on a worktop. Even the most dedicated at-home ice cream enthusiast might struggle to give up the space it needs in a kitchen.

That's why I was so impressed by Cuisinart's FreezeWand design, which is perfect for compact spaces. It consists of a stick fitted with a blade that neatly fits into three 240ml pots to churn up your ice cream creation. These pots, which you use to pre-freeze your ingredients, also neatly stack together either in your freezer or in storage – another big benefit of this buy over bulkier alternatives.

When packed down, the FreezeWand measures up at just 30.5cm in height, which makes it supremely convenient for storing. Compare that to the Ninja Creami and lookalikes, which each need around 40cm of worktop clearance at all times (even to store) and there's a clear winner for cosier kitchens.

The functionality on Cuisinart's alternative is impressive too. It can churn up ice cream (and work in mix-in extras like chocolate chips) and sorbet as well as offering settings to make milkshakes and slushies.

The limiting factor to the original Cuisinart wand is the smaller size of the pots to freeze ingredients in. For a family of four, say, a 240ml pot of ice cream definitely isn't going to cut it for an after dinner treat.

If you're interested in mixing up bigger portions of ice cream regularly, that's where the brand's bigger FreezeWand XL comes in (available from Amazon for £99.99). It has the same clever foldaway design but with a larger capacity. Each of its pots can hold 470ml which is extremely similar to the capacity of the Creami pots.

In all of my tests of the Cuisinart FreezeWand I was really impressed with the resulting ice cream and sorbet it created and found the mix-in element worked well too.

If you do have the space, perhaps thanks to a dreamy appliance garage, to host an upright ice-cream maker, then these are the ones I'd recommend. Top marks go to the Ninja Swirl, in particular, which is probably the most fun I've ever had reviewing an appliance.

Which of these would fit best into your kitchen?

If you missed out on snapping up items from B&M’s viral Brunch Club back in January, I have good news for you. Back by popular demand this summer, the cafe-inspired tableware is back on the shelves, with more charming pieces to choose from.

In January, B&M’s Brunch Club proved so popular that after quickly selling out, resellers were listing items for more than double the price on Vinted. Shoppers were whipped up into a frenzy across social media, as people were desperate to track down the £3.50 Patisserie Bow Mug.

It’s back, but I can’t promise for long, if the popularity of the last drop is anything to go by. B&M has long been one of the best places to shop for home decor trends on a budget, but Brunch Clubs shows how great an appetite there is for food-inspired homeware.

I have to admit I was incredibly shocked to see £2 tableware items shifting for more than £10 on Vinted. I thought it was ludicrous that mass-produced items were so in demand. But I’ll admit cafe and food-inspired trends have only been gaining in popularity over the past couple of years, and it is here that the real hunger lies.

Cafe culture has extended into banquette seating in our kitchens as we want to make our homes look like a French bistro, while tomato fragrances have been scenting every chic hotel, boutique shop and influencer's home all summer.

I’ve noticed vegetables have been quietly replacing flowers on tabscapes and even at weddings where brides have swapped roses for … broccoli bouquets(!). Food is a statement in itself more than ever, and this has trickled down to even budget home collections such as this one.

What B&M’s Brunch Club does well is embrace the French bistro trend, producing affordable kitchen buys that look chic. From the striped brown and blue mug and saucer (£4), which could have come straight from Damson Madders homeware collection, to the Embossed Croissant Tumbler Glass (£3), which looks exactly like Anthropologie’s cult Icon Juice Glasses (£14), B&M is doing what it does best - offering stylish lookalikes at affordable prices.

New to the range is the inclusion of soft furnishings, blankets and cushions, which feature pretty croissants and bows. Combining dusky pinks and soft neutrals it looks very 'B&M', and while it's too hot right now to think about blankets, I can imagine you'll wish you snapped one up by autumn.

And the revival of Brunch Club has already been met with much excitement after it was posted across B&M’s social media pages.

‘I need those croissant glasses IMMEDIATELY 😍,’ says one commenter on Instagram.

‘AS IF they have all of these ?! How many B&M’s do we have to go to to even get some of these ?! 😹😭😭’ said another.

B&M’s Brunch Club is only stocked in selected stores and isn’t available to buy online. But the beauty of this trend is that pretty much everyone is catering to it. Here are a few more affordable alternatives you can shop online

Will you be rushing out to snap up restocked Bunch Club buys?

De'Longhi, the Italian coffee machine brand behind so many well-loved machines, have unveiled a more compact and affordable version of one of its bean-to-cup bestsellers – the Rivelia.

The brand new Rivelia Start, which is available now from De'Longhi for £599.99, is a very enticing prospect to me as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor. Until today, I thought that its more expensive counterpart was the best bean-to-cup machine for most people after our 5 star review. But somehow, this slimmed-down model looks to have even more going for it and might just knock it off its perch. Not to mention it's available in a gorgeous green colour, which is one of the prettiest kitchen appliance colourways I've seen this summer.

Here's how the new machine compares to its predecessor and why it's the dream machine for small kitchens.

Let's go back to basics and dig into why was the OG Rivelia such a hit. As stated in our expert Home Economist's review back in 2024 it's a coffee machine with a lot going for it. Helen, our revieiwer, described it as 'quite possibly the best designed, nicest looking, and best performing automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine I’ve ever reviewed' – and she's tested plenty for us since 2022.

One of the most loved features was the dual bean hopper design. That means you can switch easily between two blends or levels of caffeine. If you enjoy a decaf in the afternoons, it's a great thing to have. Even though the Rivelia Start cost £100 less, it's retained this standout feature.

The milk frothing system, made possible by the LatteCrema Hot attachment (which is included) that makes such delectable hot drinks with the Rivelia is present within the Start too. There are 10 café-quality drinks on offer, 'from a velvety Flat White to a classic Espresso' according to De'Longhi along with the ability to 'enjoy standard-setting hot and cold creations back-to-back'.

If you want to enjoy cold drinks, like I did when I tested the phenomenal Eletta Ultra, you'll have to invest in De'Longhi's LatteCrema Cool Tech system separately. This will set you back £99.99 via the brand's website. If you're an iced latte lover, I would say this is well worth it as it provides you with a huge upgrade over just adding cold milk to your coffee. It cold froths milk perfectly so you can enjoy proper iced cappuccinos all day long and serve them up to guests.

There's also a Cold Brew setting, which will be welcome news for those who love the taste of this smooth chilled coffee drink and a treat in the ongoing heatwaves.

Compared to the Rivelia, the Start has a pared-down user interface. Rather than an interactive touchscreen, it has a panel featuring touch-sensitive illustrated buttons of each type of drink available. For most, this probably won't be much of a factor – especially with the benefit of saving £100.

For me, the colours available with the Rivelia Start are a huge draw. Two shades are available so far, the Jade Green and Umber Brown, with more to follow in the full line-up in September.

If you're looking for a do-it-all bean-to-cup machine that will totally wow your guests, the Rivelia Start is a phenomenal value option for this price. Within a few touches of the machine's interface, you can have a café-worthy coffee in front of you every morning. What's not to like?!

Shopping for storage for a small kitchen is no simple task. Space-saving solutions often put practicality above aesthetics, leaving a lot to desire when it comes to looks.

So when I spotted this clever £25 kitchen storage basket from Dunelm, I realised it was the perfect choice for a small kitchen - and it actually looks nice, too.

If you don't have room for a pantry, but you still need somewhere to store non-refrigerated ingredients, this woven tiered storage basket from Dunelm is the ultimate solution. Here's why it would be perfect addition to a cooking space.

Many kitchen storage ideas designed for a worktop are often simplistic shelves that are function-first. While they can be handy for increasing storage space and making the most of the height available, when you keep something on show on a worktop, you want it to look nice too.

When I spotted this woven two-tier storage basket from Dunelm I immediately thought that it acts like a mini pantry for your worktop. With two handy shelves, you can store anything from garlic bulbs to bananas so they're easily within reach.

Open pantries are a big kitchen trend in 2026, with so many homeowners opting for on-show storage that makes a kitchen feel lived-in and slightly eclectic.

However, in a small kitchen, a large open pantry or shelves can make a space feel cluttered and visually obstructive, so opting for a smaller-scale option works best in a compact room. This £20 three-tier bamboo pantry stand from Amazon is another great choice for those who need a bit more storage space.

In any kitchen, there are always things left on a worktop, so containing this things in one storage basket creates a tidier scheme, while also adding design interest.

This Dunelm storage basket is ideal for adding to a traditional, country kitchen scheme. Creating warmth through woven textures helps to make a kitchen feel like the heart of the home, and this is even more effective when it's achieved through a handy storage option too.

Small touches that showcase a lived-in look have a big impact in a kitchen, so you can lean into the eclectic look without having too much clutter on show.

If your kitchen leans more classic then this darker, woven storage basket is a great alternative to the Scandi-inspired IKEA open pantry unit. Plus, it's £95 cheaper.

Shop kitchen storage baskets

For £25, it's hard to go wrong with this Dunelm storage basket. I would style on a worktop next to your cooking essentials, such as oil, salt and pepper. It's an easy way to make your fruit and veg look infinitely more stylish.

One of the most practical ways to cool down during the summer heat is simply with a cool glass of water – but what if you could upgrade yours to a spa-like experience without spending more than £10?

That's what you get with IKEA's new KLIPPKAKTUS water dispenser (£9), which has so many clever design features to make staying hydrated a treat rather than a chore.

I'm on a mission to organise my fridge to perfection when I move into my new flat in a few weeks, and this water dispenser is being added straight to my basket in the same order as these fridge organisers. Here's why.

A fridge with an in-built water or ice dispenser is obviously the pinnacle for staying refreshed at home but they're usually pretty pricey and if you, like me, are a renter you won't be able to install one even if you wanted to.

That's where this clever IKEA buy comes into its own. Not only is it the perfect size to slot onto your fridge shelf but its also equipped with a healthy capacity for keeping you hydrated all day – 4 litres is more than enough to see you through a day.

You don't need to fill this dispenser straight from the tap every time you refill it. You can save the faff thanks to the smart pull-back opening at the front of the dispenser, which also gives you access to the in-built filter.

This filter is what gives you the ability to serve up spa-like infused water, flavoured with lemon, lime or mint, without any off-putting floating bits in it too. If you pop those into the filter compartment, you'll get all of the benefits of your detox drink without the texture.

The tap element has more than one use, too. It's the classic kind you'd find on a mason-jar type dispenser, which means that you can control the flow of water without much effort. According to IKEA, 'if you want a lot of beverage to flow out, just push down on it, and if you want just a little, turn it 180° and push down until you're satisfied.'

So far, from 89 user reviews, this KLIPPKAKTUS dispenser has a 4 out of 5 star rating from customers, with some even commenting they use it more than their built-in version, thanks to its easy-clean nature.

One reviewer comments 'My water dispenser on my fridge was under the door shelf, and I found it got really grubby, so we decided to try this. It's amazing – easily topped up, rarely leaks, and the size is just perfect. Love the little filter option as well, where you can add lime or cucumber to flavour your water a little.'

Having a steady flow of perfectly chilled water during the recent heatwaves certainly seems to have won a lot of IKEA fans over to this affordable buy. Below I've found some other Ideal Home approved fridge organisers that can help you stay hydrated during this hot summer and help you keep things tidy.

Here's to a more organised fridge that keeps you drinking more water this summer!

Ninja's Dual Zone air fryer was released way back in 2020 but there's a good argument that it's still the UK's most favoured air fryer, as well as one of the best Ninja air fryers in the brand's line up.

It's a fixture in hundreds of thousands of kitchens across the country but there is one thing I think you should know as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor before you buy it: it's mighty powerful. So much so, it takes a bit of a learning curve to get used to!

I commented on its strength when I first reviewed it back in 2022, and since then, I've recommended it to many friends as the air fryer to beat. To see if my advice is still good and if this appliance stands up against all of the other air fryers out there, I was sent a sample (kindly provided by AO, where it's £179) to see how it holds up. This is what I found.

After re-testing the Ninja Dual Zone air fryer, it's still the one I'd recommend it to all of my friends and family when they're on the hunt for a two-drawer model. Of course there's been whole new generations of air fryers since then, including the unbelievably helpful multi-zone versions, but a lot of people still like to stick to two zones – which is where this air fryer excels.

The ability to match, sync or use each side individually is the ideal design for those catering to fussy eaters. And one of the great benefits of buying a Ninja air fryer over any other is that the interface is hard to beat. It's very simple so even those less inclined to get involved with any sort of cooking have no excuse.

But the one thing I always have to warn people about when I do recommend this air fryer to them is that you have to proceed with caution on your first few cooking attempts with it because if you're not used to its power levels, things will come out a lot crispier than you bargained for.

This air fryer is so powerful that even the usual calculations you have to do with air frying something over putting it in the oven (which usually means cutting down cooking times by 1/3) need to be calibrated. You'll find that this air fryer is a lot quicker than you might have expected, especially on the very popular MAX CRISP setting.

This is something I'd forgotten about in my gap between re-testing this air fryer and I got a surprise on my first experiment with chicken and some vegetables. Though I've still been testing air fryers across the last few years, none of them (not even rival Ninjas like the Crispi or the DoubleStack) come close in terms of sheer cooking ability.

It's not surprising that this air fryer puts on such an impressive performance when it comes to cooking given its wattage. With a 2,400-watt number in terms of power, it's a market leader for packing a punch when it comes to energy. But that doesn't mean its a huge energy guzzler necessarily. Remember, it cooks things in very quick times so you won't need it on for as long compared to a less powerful alternative.

So if you're thinking of investing in a dual zone air fryer and you want to maximise power, I've found in my tests that the Ninja Dual Zone is as impressive as ever – even if it's 6 years since its first release. Just remember you probably need less time than you think for cooking to begin with!

No matter how much effort you put into your kitchen storage ideas, it feels like there is always something that gets lost at the back of a cupboard. Whether it's the extra parts to a food processor or ingredients that go far past their best-before date, dead space at the back of cupboards causes so much frustration.

It often means that instead of regular organisation maintenance, you result in needing to do a 'take it all out and start again' approach to cleaning, which can be arduous. While there are many storage solutions you can buy to help solve this issue, fixing the design flaw will make your life far easier.

So, I've spoken to kitchen design experts to discover the design tricks that will make your cupboards work for you, rather than against you.

1. Deeper cupboards aren't always better

'One of the biggest mistakes in kitchen design is creating cupboards or drawers that are deeper than they are practical,' explains Tom Howley, creative design director at the eponymous kitchen company.

It's easy to think that deep cupboards are the solution to creating more storage in a kitchen, but actually they can work against you.

'While extra depth might seem like you're gaining storage, it often results in items disappearing into the back, where they're forgotten or difficult to reach,' Tom adds.

Opting for regular depth cupboards means you can create functional organisation, and it will be much easier to stay on top of.

2. Plan for specific purposes

Storage is one of the most important conversations to have in the design planning process. Understanding not only how much storage you need, but also what each cupboard and drawer will be used for, will avoid any wasted space.

Whether it is space for small appliances, cookware or pantry goods, planning around those items can help determine the depth, shelf space and configuration needed within the kitchen. A well thought out kitchen is less about as much storage as possible and more about ensuring it is usable,' explains Ntola Obazee, brand director at Kutchenhaus.

Tom Howley adds, 'Wider drawers are often more efficient than deep cupboards because everything is visible from above, while pull-out larder units and internal drawers make the full depth of a cabinet accessible.'

3. Pay attention to corners

Corner cupboards can be the biggest culprit for losing kitchenware, with the tricky construction meaning that it's hard to access.

'Corners deserve particular attention too. Rather than leaving awkward voids, thoughtful layouts can incorporate corner drawers, angled cabinets, or accessible corner mechanisms, depending on the design,' Tom explains.

Think about what you are going to use a corner cupboard for - if it's small appliances then opt for a pull-out storage system that comes up to worktop height to avoid injuring yourself. Alternatively, a carousel with smaller shelves will be great for storing pantry-style items.

Shop space-saving cupboard storage solutions

If a kitchen redesign isn't possible right now, then there are a number of storage solutions you can buy to avoid wasting any dead space at the back of a cupboard. Here are my picks.

Another simple way to optimise your kitchen storage is by choosing nesting or stackable products where possible - this handy shopping edit has options for every type of kitchen essential.

Raise your hand if there are way more than 4 items on your kitchen worktops. I have both mine raised because I'm definitely guilty of this - and even though I pride myself on fairly organised worktops, I am in double digits when it comes to the things on there.

When it comes to well organised kitchen storage ideas, following rules is the secret to actually making a tidy cooking space last more than just a weekend. The 4-item kitchen worktop rule proves that this is true.

While this rule sounds pretty self-explanatory, I've dug into exactly why this organisation system works best for a kitchen to keep the space as functional as possible.

It can be difficult to limit items on a kitchen worktop. Whether it's a kettle, toaster, microwave, coffee machine or all of the above, having daily essentials kept close by makes for a handy cooking space.

However, this often leaves you with limited space for food prep and a feeling of general clutter in a kitchen space. Once you have your everyday appliances plus chopping boards and other cooking essentials on your worktop, you're quickly approaching double digits.

'The four-item rule is a useful styling trick for creating a kitchen that feels calmer and more functional. Your worktops should provide plenty of space for food preparation, while still feeling welcoming and lived in,' says Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr.

Limiting to only 4 items by keeping appliances behind closed doors also means that curated decor becomes the heart of your kitchen design. Allowing chopping boards, potted herbs and decorative kitchenware to sit on a worktop makes the space look intentional.

But where do your kitchen essentials go if not on your worktop?

'When your cabinetry has been thoughtfully planned, it's much easier to keep surfaces clear without your kitchen feeling sparse,' Al continues.

'If you're using the four-item rule as a guide, focus on creating dedicated zones so everything has a home. That way, the pieces you choose to keep on display, whether it's a beautiful chopping board, a plant, or your favourite coffee machine, feel intentional and add personality, rather than clutter,' he adds.

Adequate storage is essential to adhering to the 4-item rule. Kitchen pantry ideas are handy for housing small appliances for a go-to breakfast station and will banish any unsightly worktop clutter.

Open hanging storage helps to get things cleared from a worktop without losing visual electicism. Wicker baskets will help to house junk while also adding warmth and interest to open shelving.

'Kitchens are often designed with fixed storage such as drawers and cupboards, but incorporating baskets into the space can help keep worktops tidy! They’re ideal for storing linens, baking essentials or fresh fruit while keeping everything easily accessible,' recommends Becca Stern, co-founder and creative director of Mustard Made.

In terms of what to keep on show on a worktop, opt for decorative objects that still have a practical purpose. Wooden chopping boards that are used daily are the perfect example of this, while ceramic salt pigs, potted herbs and aesthetic salt and pepper mills will all help to decorate a kitchen without causing unnecessary clutter.

What to style on a worktop

If storage and organisation is an issue in your kitchen, starting with a big declutter will be the first step to making your cupboards and drawers more streamlined - this checklist of items your small kitchen doesn't need will be the first step.

It can't just be me who feels like the job of keeping a fridge clean and tidy is a never-ending task. Just when you think you've got a handle on it, your spinach has wilted and your spring onions are looking sad.

That's why I ran to add IKEA's newest addition to their KLIPPKAKTUS range (which is dedicated range of gadgets that organise your fridge) to my basket – this bargain 6-piece set is just £15!

This handy collection of transparent storage boxes in various sizes is tailor-made to keep your veggies from giving up on you before you've had a chance to use them, and makes keeping on top of an organised fridge a total dream.

Joining the range's bestselling herb container and can organiser, this is the easiest all-in-one set I've found to do a hard reset on my fridge. Here's a closer look.

I've tried a fair few fridge and cupboard organisers in my five years as Ideal Home's Kitchen Editor. The biggest lesson I've learned? A variety of different container sizes is essential in effectively tackling every type of food you need to store. Different shapes are a good idea too, as I've found with storing leftovers in my round microwave-safe stainless steel containers.

That's where this affordable set from IKEA excels. The two larger containers, which measure 14cm in height and have a depth of 32cm, allow plenty of space for leafy or bulky veg – broccoli or pak choi will have no trouble slotting in.

The four mini boxes, which are 8cm high and 29cm long, give you space for all of those other foodstuffs that sometimes go nasty at the bottom of a plastic bag. I'm thinking cherry tomatoes, radishes, spring onions and more.

Another feature I'm definitely going to make the most of with these organisers is the fact that they're designed to be used in conjunction with sticky notes, to remind you exactly how many days you have to use up your veggies. The handle pull at the front retracts just enough for you to pop a Post-It underneath.

There's been a bigger focus than ever in 2026 in keeping the fridge a mess-free zone – Dunelm's affordable selection of organisers were a huge sell out in January and you can never go wrong with a JosephJoseph investment for a sleeker kitchen, as the brand's fridge storage line proves.

Here's a selection of Ideal Home approved buys that our editors swear by for keeping their fridges in top-tier condition that would pair excellently with this excellent IKEA set.

Who knew fridge organisation could come in so many different forms?!

In a small kitchen, every inch of space matters. So finding kitchenware that saves on space, rather than taking up too much of it, is the secret to ensuring that your kitchen storage ideas are as efficient as possible.

Larger items such as pots, pans and baking trays can be the trickiest items to find storage for, particularly in a small kitchen where cupboards and drawers come at a premium. Instead of storing pans on your hob, or creating toppling towers of bowls within a cupboard, I've hunted out the very best pieces of nesting kitchenware on the high street.

There are few things as satisfying as plastic food containers that nest perfectly within one another (especially if the lids are kept together too), and opening your drawers to such a sight is guaranteed to make any day a bit brighter. Nesting or stackable kitchenware means you get to spend less time tidying and organising and more time enjoying your kitchen like it was intended.

From the Joseph Joseph folding-handle pans that have revolutionised my kitchen drawer storage to nesting stainless steel bowls that simplify food preparation. I've tried a number of these products in my own tiny kitchen, so I can vouch for the quality.

I've included everything from crockery and utensils to measuring jugs and cast-iron cookware, so you can slowly nest everything in your kitchen.

If storage and organisation is an issue in your kitchen, starting with a big declutter will be the first step to making your cupboards and drawers more streamlined - this checklist of items your small kitchen doesn't need will be the first step.

When you think of a pantry, the vision of an expansive, perfectly organised walk-in room often comes to mind. It's a premium, wishlist-level kitchen feature, but with a small kitchen, it's not always achievable.

This is where this genius IKEA IVAR shelving unit comes in. Whether you have a small kitchen where fitted kitchen pantry ideas aren't possible, or you want to retrospectively add storage to an existing design, this standalone IKEA unit is the solution.

For just £120, it's the most affordable way to create a pantry by a mile. Here's why it's worth buying.

While built-in pantries can look stunning in a kitchen, sometimes an abundance of fitted cabinetry can overwhelm a space, particularly in a small kitchen.

Freestanding kitchens are the traditional way that cooking spaces were designed, and this old-school design trend is coming back in 2026. While there are some premium freestanding units to choose from, there are also ways to get the same look on a budget.

This IKEA IVAR unit is the perfect example of a freestanding pantry unit that has all of the practical storage elements without taking up too much space.

The simple pine construction of this pantry is undoubtedly IKEA, and therefore it would naturally complement a Scandi-inspired kitchen scheme.

However, if you prefer a more traditional look than a contemporary one, then this unit is also really easy to customise.

Natural pine can be painted to match any wall or kitchen cabinetry shade, so with just a quick lick of paint this pantry will blend into the rest of your space.

Adding a kitchen cupboard curtain around it will also keep pantry clutter confined, while adding an inviting cottage-inspired touch to the space.

As with everything IKEA produces, the simple design has many more carefully thought-out features than you initially might think.

The top of the unit acts as a shelf for jars or even small appliances like a coffee machine or toaster, providing you with vital extra worktop space that is always handy in a small kitchen.

The four baskets below have a traditional grocery store aesthetic which will make thrown-in fruit and vegetables look like they've been artfully curated. For anything less visually pleasing, the bottom drawer will keep pantry items subtly hidden in the slatted-design.

There are so many ways to build upon the IVAR storage unit, too. IKEA has many different tsyles of shelving in the IVAR family s you can choose the exact height and size that works for your kitchen then add on the specific baskets and drawers you desire.

Shop freestanding pantry storage

Built-in kitchen cupboards aren't the only option for effective storage - there are so many ways to build a pantry that fits your specific needs and space, whether big or small. These hidden pantry ideas will make sure yours is kept tucked away as well as possible.

Ninja's newest Slushi machine has finally landed on UK shores, just in time for the rising temperatures that have us all longing for a cooling refreshment.

The Ninja Slushi Twist, which is available from today for £419.99 (via Ninja) takes the success of one of its bestselling launches of the past few years and doubles it, with twice the amount of drinks and flavours available to your guests this summer if you choose to buy it. And the best part of all? You can mix them with the help of the machine to make the half and half drink of your dreams!

Yep, this 'dual-vessel frozen drinks maker' gives you the chance to slush two different drinks, all in the same impressively narrow timeframe that I've been wowed by with the original Ninja Slushi during my trials of it. Here's all of the added functionality you get with this buy that offers twice the fun for your kitchen.

The biggest sell with the Ninja Slushi Twist is that you can cater to everyone that comes over to your house for a summer soiree. With the two separate mixing cylinders, you can provide alcoholic and non-alcoholic slushies side by side, as well as different types of drinks altogether. So if someone wants a frozen milkshake while you're sipping on a frosé, it's all possible.

I reckon the fact you can twist together two different flavours of Slush will be hugely popular too – something that was previously only possible if you were picking up a frozen drink at the cinema or the beach.

The combining process works thanks to one very clever feature: a spinning drip tray at the bottom of the machine. This creates that swirled-together effect that makes your two-flavour drink look so tasty. If you only want to dispense one drink at a time, then that's possible too, thanks to the split-handlebar at the very top of both vessels.

As with of all its appliances, Ninja has engineered a catchily-named program to help users get the best from this buy, which is called the Dual SlushAssist. This program will sense the ingredients in each vessel and then apply the settings that relate to whichever function you pick.

As someone who has hosted with the OG Slushi before, another marked improvement with the Twist is that it has an upped capacity. It can serve up 10x 260ml in one go, which is plenty enough for a crowd before you'll need to head inside to refill the machine.

So, if you're looking for a buy that will make hosting an absolute dream and help you cater to all tastes when it comes to drinks, the Slushi Twist might just be the thing you're looking for to cool off with this summer!

Alternative Ninja Slushis

IKEA's newest must-have kitchen buy, the TILLREDA multicooker (available now for £85) is just the thing you need to crack cooking perfectly fluffy rice at home.

With 14 presets, including slow cooker and baking modes, there is a huge amount of functionality packed into this compact little multicooker for its under £100 price tag. If you want to make your small kitchen more capable, you'll want to take a look at all of its functions. Here's what it can do.

The full list of functions is as follows: Manual mode, Keep warm, Slow cook, Rice, Fry/Sauté, Steam, Bake, Boil, Yoghurt, Soup, Stew, Porridge, Oatmeal, Bread rise.

So as well as the ability to use it as a 'chuck all of the ingredients in and set it off' cooker, you can also use the inner pot as a stand-in hob spot and sear ingredients from the high heat. This is something I found immensely useful when I tested Ninja's PossibleCooker with a rice mode – which is by far the most impressive multi-mode cooker I've tried.

If you love simple all-in-one meals, then the ability to saute protein before you add the rest of your ingredients can elevate a recipe by many multitudes. It's also great if you have limited hob access or if your hob (like mine) emits less heat than you might like it to.

I've found lots of people turn to a multicooker like this one when they're without a kitchen for some period of time - say, undergoing a renovation – because it's the closest appliance to having a little mini kitchen wrapped up in one.

As far as the size of this appliance is concerned, it's small stature will be hugely popular with those with more cramped kitchens. At just 21.5cm tall, including for the profile of its slimline lid, this can be placed under a countertop and in even the tightest of corners to add a whole new dimension to your kitchen. For context, the Ninja PossibleCooker that I am a huge fan of is quite a bit taller at 28cm in height and has a bigger capacity more fit for a family.

With the mini size of this IKEA version combined with its varied function set, I reckon it's perfect for 1 to 2 people most of time.

Another benefit of this mini cooker is that it comes with a steamer attachment that slots right into the main bowl so that you can get the most out of that steaming function.

The interface of the TILLREDA looks simple too. It features a small LED screen upon which you can dial through all of the different modes, set your timer and temperature of your cooking program.

This multicooker is brand new on IKEA's website, so there aren't any user reviews from the UK available yet to judge it on. I'm hoping we can get our hands on it to put it through our stringent testing process to see how it performs. But from a first look, it seems like an excellent buy if you're short on space but want to max out on cooking functionality.

If there’s one thing that all this hot weather calls for, it’s a delicious tub of homemade ice cream. And no, you don’t need the Ninja Creami (£169.99, Argos) to do this, as Aldi has just dropped a similar alternative for just £69.99.

Over the past few years, the best ice-creams have become the ‘it’ appliance of any kitchen, even overtaking air fryers in terms of viral popularity. But they can be expensive appliances – until now, at least.

Landing in stores on 16 July, the Aldi Premium Ice Cream Maker is dropping as part of the supermarket’s latest Modern Kitchen range. Here’s everything we know about this star buy so far.

Having been writing about Aldi for a few years now, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting for Aldi to drop an ice-cream maker. Yes, there may have been an Aldi ice cream maker to hit the shelves before, but I’ve been on the lookout a slightly fancier gadget.

And my prayers have been answered, as their new premium ice cream maker is a dead ringer for the Ninja Creami.

More than £100 cheaper than the Ninja Creami Deluxe (£249.99, Ninja), the Aldi Premium Ice Cream Maker allows you to create delicious homemade ice cream, sorbet, milkshake and even frozen cocktails. It’s easy to operate with a self-cleaning function, has an adjustable blade and dishwasher-safe accessories, making clean-up an equally easy job.

There’s not much detail on how the machine operates, however it does look as though it will be easy to use via a simple dial, and we predict that, like the Creami, you’ll need to freeze your ice-cream mixture first. With a Ninja Creami, this is around 24 hours, so bear in mind that you might need to account for some freezing time when preparing your frozen treats.

'Of all of the Ninja Creami rivals that have been released recently, including the cleverly designed NutriBullet Chill and Russell Hobbs' version, this ice cream maker from Aldi is by far the cheapest,’ says Molly Cleary, Kitchen Appliances Editor at Ideal Home.

‘At £69.99, if it works well, it's a total bargain. It has the same 'slot in and mix' design of the Creami and looks like it's aiming for similar functionality with the ability to whip up ice cream, milkshakes, sorbets and other sweet treats. After testing the Ninja Creami Deluxe, I can safely say that this type of appliance is one you'll have a lot of fun with, and though I haven't got my hands on Aldi's version yet, I'm sure it's about to be a hit with those looking to spend a little less!'

Due to the fact that it is under £70, I’m inclined to believe that it won’t be quite as good as the original. However, if you want to try an ice cream maker or have a tighter budget, it’s a good starting point and worth a try.

However, we do think this ice cream maker will sell out like soft serve on a hot day. So, if you can’t track one down, here are a few more affordable options you can shop online.

With 2026 on track for a scorcher of a summer, what better way to cool down than with a delicious, homemade ice cream?

There's a common thread running through many of the kitchen and interiors trends in 2026 - we want everything to be hidden. And not in the way you might expect; homes look more lived-in than ever before and gone are the days of sleek, show-home esque kitchen designs, however we still want to keep the cluttered parts behind closed doors.

This couldn't be truer than with pantry ideas. What fast became a marker of wealth and something to be shown off has just as quickly become a kitchen feature that we want hidden away.

The reasons behind this are varied - some homeowners simply just like to keep a cluttered storage space tucked away, but others are taking inspiration from Victorian interiors where the 'back kitchen' is something to be kept firmly behind the seasons.

Whatever it may be, these 3 hidden pantry ideas will disguise the appearance of this kitchen storage hero, streamlining your design and organisation.

1. Make the most of pocket doors

The idea of a 'back kitchen' came back into popularity in 2026, with many people opting to create completely separate rooms for their pantries - much like was the norm in the Victorian era.

However, there is a trick to ensuring that a separate room feels like a subtle extension of your kitchen.

'If space allows, walk-in pantries, or otherwise known as back kitchens, add the most value. They can be designed as a kitchen feature with glass doors, or hidden to sit flush within the cabinetry, giving a secret-door feel. Having a room dedicated to a pantry provides ample storage for busy households and is highly desirable,' says Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr.

Pocket doors are a great option for a separate pantry as the door is less intrusive on the rest of the kitchen and visually, it's minimal fuss.

2. Choose matching cabinetry

Oftentimes, pantry units are standalone double-door units that look like a freestanding piece of furniture, even in a fitted kitchen. However, if you're wanting to hide a pantry away, opting to match the appearance to that of your wall cabinetry is the wisest choice.

'The secret to a successful hidden pantry is making it feel like a seamless extension of the kitchen rather than a separate space. Concealed doors, matching cabinetry and continuous finishes allow the pantry to blend effortlessly into the overall design, creating a clean, uncluttered look,' explains Tom Howley, founder of the eponymous kitchen brand.

Visually, this creates a cohesive kitchen design that still has all of the essential storage solutions you need.

3. Hide it in plain sight

If you prefer a more eclectic kitchen scheme, this idea will be for you. Traditionally, pantries have been featured as large, freestanding units that make a statement - but what if we chose to hide it in plain sight?

Incorporating pantry-style storage into your general kitchen design means that you keep the functionality but don't have to dedicate the space to one big unit.

This is especially handy for small kitchens where a large pantry would look out of place. Opting for cafe curtains over a pantry cupboard helps to differentiate the space without allowing clutter to be on show.

Shop pantry storage

Looking for a slightly jazzier pantry idea? The 'bantry' is perfect for those who love to host - combining a trendy bar aesthetic with the storage potential of a traditional pantry.

This week it feels like everyone is trying to get ahead and rectify any mistakes they made during the last heatwave. And for me, that means ensuring I have a much better supply of ice than I did during the hottest days of the year last week – especially given that at every supermarket I went to I was greeted by totally bare freezer shelves.

To solve the problem, I must admit I've been eyeing an ice maker (like this one from Amazon for £62.99) that can sit on my kitchen countertop during the hottest days. As I'm not blessed with a freezer with ice-making facilities (or a very big freezer at all!), I think I'm going to have to outsource this need to a standalone appliance like I have with one of the best ice cream makers. Here's why.

Of course, I was desperate for more ice during the heatwave in order to keep my water and other drinks cool in order to rehydrate. But there are lots of other reasons, many of them owing to the hacks I've learnt from my Ideal Home colleagues, for me needing large quantities of ice in the hot weather.

The most pressing of which was so I could enact the cooling hack our News Writer Kezia put me onto last year: placing a bowl of ice in front of my fan in order to mimic the effects of an air conditioner. It's a way to use a fan that actually lowers the temperature of a room and it was a true godsend for my sleep last week when paired with my Dyson fan.

When I do invest in an ice maker I'll also be picking up this £6 fan attachment that we wrote about last week to DIY the air conditioning effect even further. If you own a fan and not an AC, it's an essential! It'll certainly be an upgrade for me from placing my ice in a bowl on a stool.

While an ice maker, much like the Ninja Slushi (which has also been running non-stop in my flat this summer), is hardly a kitchen essential, it can make those unbearably hot days a little more livable – at least, that's according to the reviews these Amazon buys have racked up. I reckon every little helps for when we're faced with the next hot spell!

When designing a kitchen, there will be many tiny frustrations that you come across. Finding a way to fill the awkward gaps that happen when you're planning a fitted kitchen will be one of the biggest annoyances, as no one wants to ruin a bank of cabinetry with awkward filler panels.

Luckily, there are so many clever ways you can make the most of this space. Adding filler panels is an easy way to bridge these gaps, but it doesn't help to maximise the functionality of kitchen storage ideas.

'One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is overlooking the smallest spaces. A gap of just 10 centimetres might seem insignificant, but when it's considered as part of the design from the outset, it can become surprisingly useful storage,' says Tom Howley, founder of the eponymous kitchen brand.

These 3 tips from a kitchen expert mean that your kitchen design looks cohesive and has small, clever bursts of ingenuity that will aid your day-to-day cooking experience.

1. Pull out chopping boards

A genius idea I saw at the Tom Howley showroom in Chelsea was to use these small gaps for chopping boards. I don't know about you, but in my kitchen and those of my family and friends, chopping boards tend to live stacked against a worktop.

In a bid to clear our worktops of clutter and find a home for every piece of kitchenware, a 10cm gap between cabinets is the perfect storage place for slimline objects like a chopping board.

'Slim pull-out cabinets are a smart way to make the most of these narrow spaces, whether they're beside appliances or at the end of a run of units. They're perfect for storing baking trays, chopping boards, oils, spices, or cleaning essentials that can otherwise create clutter,' Tom Howley explains.

2. Charging drawer

Following on the theme of finding storage for slimline objects, a space to house iPads, laptops and mobile phones is a great way to build modern needs into your kitchen design.

A 'junk drawer' is no new concept, and many of them end up being used as a catch-all for tech and charging cables too. So why not dedicate a specific drawer to this and also fill an awkward gap within a design?

A charging drawer doesn't need to be deeper than 10cm and can be slotted into the edge of a cabinet or on a kitchen island. Have an electrician add charging ports and you'll instantly have a go-to spot storing and charging tech.

3. Custom baking sheet drawer

'The beauty of bespoke cabinetry is that it turns what would normally be wasted space into something genuinely practical. Rather than filling these gaps with blank panels, we see them as an opportunity to maximise every inch of the kitchen,' explains Tom Howley.

Small, awkward design gaps are actually an opportunity to think about what your individual space and household requires from a kitchen. In my kitchen, the narrow plinth area beneath the oven has been utilised as a handy drawer for baking trays, which has solved the problem I had with leaving them constantly in the oven.

It's tiny tweaks like this that give everything in your kitchen a dedicated home, as well as streamlining your everyday cooking experience. You could even make this area a proving drawer for dough if you are a keen baker - or keep for storage if your cupboards are bursting at the seams.

Shop narrow kitchen storage solutions

If you've already designed your kitchen, or perhaps inherited one that someone else designed, and you're looking for storage solutions to include retrospectively then look no further. These handy storage options will allow you to add organisation to awkward, narrow gaps without needing to undergo a renovation.

No matter the size of your kitchen, maximising all of the available space is key to enhancing functionality. But if you have a compact space, then these small kitchen ideas will offer plenty of inspiration to make the most of your bijou space.

I'm somewhat obsessive about keeping a clean sink area. Seeing as I don't own a built-in dishwasher, keeping standards high can be difficult, but I think it's about to get a little bit easier with my discovery of IKEA'S £4 dishdrainer that's designed to be neatly hidden after use.

The concept of the IKEA SPJUTLILJA is simple: it's a slim bucket-shaped dish rack that you can use to quickly and efficiently put your dishes away once they are dry. It's tailor-made for small kitchens like mine and is compact enough to be easily packed away after use, too, so that I can have that clean-countertops look I've always dreamed of.

As a renter, until I can employ one of the off-worktop dish rack solutions of my dreams, this excellent £4 buy is going to see me through. Here's a closer look.

Despite its very enticing £4 price tag there are a few features built-in to this handy little buy that go a long way to helping keep your kitchen clean. The first of those is handles, so that you can take this mini bucket from the sink to your cupboards and cutlery draw with no difficult manoeuvring neccesary.

And if you're eagled eyed, you will have noticed that the SPJUTLILJA also has no holes for draingage. That's great news for carrying it around your kitchen but you may think is a lot less useful for successful drying.

That's where the textured surface on the bottom of this drainer comes into its own. The grooves and edges are designed to keep your dishes lifted above the base of the drainer, where the water will gather, leading to dry dishes that are quickly ready to be put away.

As well as being ideal for compact kitchens (like mine!), this drainer also doubles up as a handy travel piece if you own a mobile home or like to go camping. As per IKEA's website, it is only suitable for the washing up of 1-2 people due to its small nature. But if you wanted a supplementary putting away drainer for your larger family kitchen, it could work for that too.

If you're lucky enough to have a dishwasher, this drainer could be another supplementary piece to help you lift everything out of your appliance and put it away around your kitchen too.

Keeping a sink area tidy is a topic of constant discussion here at Ideal Home. Just last week our Editor-in-Chief Heather Young was singing the praises of this inexpensive stone rest, which is perfect for keeping the area dry and banishing damp.

Lots of editors on the team also swear by Joseph Joseph for their sink essentials. Their dish drying racks have genius features, including multi-levels and carry-away cutlery holders. Here's a few of the tidy-sink picks that the team couldn't be without.

Alternatives

With these clever buys, you'll be closer to a cleaner sink at all times of the day – I guarantee it!

This summer's heat has pushed us into uncharted territory, which means the struggle to keep our homes cool is harder than ever before. If you haven't been lucky enough to snap up one of the best fan or the best portable AC's while they were briefly in stock, then like me, you'll be on the hunt for the best ways to keep a kitchen cool without them.

While our homes in the UK aren't built for the heat, there are tips and tricks that you can use to keep them as cool as possible. A kitchen is often one of the hottest rooms in the home due to the heat from appliances and cooking, so this advice will focus on minimising this as much as possible.

Once you're armed with a few clever tricks on how to push warm air out and bring cool air in, your kitchen will feel like a much more bearable place to spend time in.

1. Focus on window treatments

If this heatwave has taught us anything, it's that windows are best left closed during the day when the sun is at its strongest. The same is true for our kitchens - preserving a cooler inside temperature is made easier when you block the light and heat at the window.

Make sure your kitchen window treatment ideas are effective for keeping the heat out - blackout blinds are the ideal solution as they are neat, fuss-free and will keep the heat out in the middle of the day.

If upgrading your window treatment ideas isn't within budget or you need a quick fix, opting for reflective window films is a quick and affordable update for when the next heatwave strikes. This reflective window film is under £10 from Amazon and easily sticks onto a window pane.

2. Ditch the oven

Ovens emit far too much heat to be used in a heatwave. I always try to stick to minimal-cook dinners during the summer, but sometimes there's no avoiding needing to cook something. When you do need an oven, switch to the best air fryers instead to prevent too much heat from escaping into the room.

Air fryers emit less ambient heat than ovens because they direct heat onto the food rather than the empty cavity. The heat that radiates from an oven feels sweltering on an already warm day, whereas you won't feel it at all from an air fryer. Plus, it cooks far quicker.

'Cooking earlier in the morning or later in the evening can make a surprising difference. Avoiding the hottest part of the day reduces heat build-up and makes the space much more comfortable,' recommends Tom Howley, creative design director at the eponymous kitchen brand.

3. Consider airflow

Summers in the UK aren't going to get any cooler. In fact, the Met Office predicts that by 2030, summers will be 1°C to 6°C warmer overall, alongside a higher likelihood of extreme heatwaves that were previously considered impossible.

So it's important that we start adapting our house designs to align with this change in climate.

'Good kitchen design starts with airflow. If you're renovating, think about how windows, doors, and extractor placement work together to encourage natural ventilation. Even opening windows on opposite sides of the home for a short period can create a cross-breeze that helps clear warm air,' Tom Howley adds.

Opting for an effective extractor fan will also help to minimise hot air from cooking sticking around.

4. Switch off standby appliances

Electronics emit heat even on standby, so make it a habit to turn appliances off at the switch during the summer months.

Small appliances that sit on your worktop all emit heat, whether you notice it or not, so keeping these unplugged or tucked away in a cupboard if not in use will help to keep a kitchen cool.

It's a win-win, too. 'Keeping worktops clutter-free isn't just about aesthetics. A tidy kitchen allows air to circulate more freely and psychologically creates a calmer, cooler-feeling environment, even when temperatures rise,' Tom also advises.

5. Opt for LED lights

Alongside standby appliances, lights can be another source of heat that is best to avoid during the summer months.

Older, incandescent bulbs waste about 95% of their power generating heat and this radiates into the room. LED lightbulbs are significantly more efficient, so not only will it keep a room cooler but it's also kinder on your electricity bill.

If your kitchen is hot then the likelihood is that the rest of your home is too - these tips on how to keep a living room cool will allow you to relax inside on a warm summer's day.

Ninja's shiny new automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine is now available in an array of new colours so that you can personalise this appliance to your existing kitchen scheme.

Now available for £899.99 from the Ninja website, the AutoBarista Pro (which I'm currently testing out) has proved very popular with both fans of this ever-expanding kitchen brand and coffee lovers alike. And I expect this best bean-to-cup coffee machine in these new shades won't be around for long before they sell out either. Here's a look at the new colours: Midnight Blue, Oat Milk, Mocha and Vista Green.

I really like all of these colourways and think they are preferable to the standard stainless steel version, which is the one I currently have in my kitchen for testing. I find that the metal is prone to holding onto marks and fingerprints, and is more difficult to match into an existing kitchen colour scheme.

I'm not just looking into a crystal ball when I predict these shades will be popular, either. One of the colours, Mocha, is already sold out. It's a super delicate neutral shade that would look lovely in a black or white kitchen, so it's no surprise it's already been snapped up.

If I was choosing, I wouldn't be able to resist this machine in Vista Green as I've always loved the idea of a coffee machine in an eye-catching colour. I have long pined after the De'Longhi Rivelia, which is one of the best coffee machines out there, in Jade Green. It's an exclusive shade that you can buy directly from De'Longhi's website for £699.99.

With these new shades, Ninja has really gone all out to colour drench the entire machine, with even the all-important milk jug and bean hopper covers available in the pastel shade of your choice. This is something we've seen with other Ninja colour releases recently too, including with David Beckham's special Cotswolds-inspired machine.

In terms of performance, I've been nothing but impressed with the AutoBarista so far. The choice to keep the automatic milk frothing jug over a system that uses tubes and internal systems is a good one for me and means I have the chance to practice my latte art. The hands-free nature of the coffee making process for black drinks has been a huge help for me on busy mornings too.

My full review of this ultra-capable machine is coming very soon but in the meantime I'd seriously recommend you check out the new range of colours available if you've been waiting to make a coffee investment for your kitchen!

Convenience is a given with automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines but the De'Longhi Eletta Ultra, which is one of the most premium appliances of its type you can buy, elevates the user experience to the next level.

With a huge price tag over £1000, this is no budget bean-to-cup coffee machine, but it is unbelievably impressive. Here's what I've loved about testing it.

In a nutshell

The Eletta Ultra is (somehow) a step up from the already hugely impressive Eletta Explore, which our expert home economist Helen McCue awarded 5 stars to in her review.

Its top line selling points include a huge drinks menu, two milk carafes (one for hot drinks, one for iced), a large touch screen and personalised coffee profiles with the machine suggesting a drink based on your previous choices.

Its upgraded from the Ultra with its new quieter tech, faster heat-up times and dedicated storage slots and user features.

After using it every day for months now, I can see why those looking to spend an awful lot on a coffee machine would be bowled over by this pick from De'Longhi. I can no longer imagine my mornings without – it's a total breeze to use. The things I don't love about it are minimal, but if I was to spend my money on it I would be looking for another finish. The stainless steel is a little bit of a fingerprint magnet to me.

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

This isn't the kind of coffee machine that's going to neatly fit under your kitchen cupboards in a corner. It's big, bulky and also quite long (at 45cm). But given what it can do, this may be a small price to pay if you have the space to give over to it.

There's no need to build this machine out of the box – you pretty much can plug it in and go, which is what you'd expect at this premium price point. To get it going, you'll need to run the usual programs which walk you through water hardness and inserting the water filter and run a rinse cycle but this is all very easily done thanks to the hugely intuitive touch screens.

Another stand out thing with this machine is the use of an app to get into the technical settings. You can do this with the help of the materials that come with the machine and then get into the weeds of the coffee making process, if that's your cup of tea.

If you'd rather manually adjust the machine, then there's a dial situated within the bean hopper that you can tweak to get the taste you want.

I can't think of another coffee machine I've tried that has a more enticing user interface. The huge touch screen, which extends across the top of the machine, is in full colour. It also pings you for all sorts of reasons, such as reminding you to clean the milk carafe or add more beans, all of which are very helpful for making a better cup of a coffee.

The user profiles are a stroke of genius too. It's not just that you can set up the machine to remember your favourite drinks, but the tech will also recommend you drinks depending on your previous habits. So if you're prone to an iced coffee in the afternoons, the machine will be one step ahead of you in the process.

Even if you don't download the app, there are plenty of tweaks you can make on the interface of the machine itself. You can change the strength, length and milk quantity of any given drinks as well as how icy you want your cold versions. You can also tweak the level of froth on your drinks by turning the dial on either milk carafe.

The one niggle I have with the user-facing part of this machine is that the coffee spout doesn't quite go high enough for my liking. I have a specific set of glasses I'd like to use for iced coffee that don't fit, so I have to do a bit of pouring over if I want to use them. If you have large travel cups I imagine you'll run into the same problem.

Overall, this machine is astonishingly sleek. It has built-in storage for accessories for ground coffee in the top, as well as a slot for the hot water spout and the water tank fits so effectively on one side that you'd barely notice it was there. I also like how there's an opening at the front of the tank so that you can pour water straight in from your filter jug.

What is it like to use?

As with all of the processes on this app, starting it up is guided by the intuitive touchscreen. You'll be directed to add water, after which the screen will tell you it's warming through. This takes 30-45 seconds, in my experience, and is relatively quiet compared to the other bean-to-cup models I've tried. Obviously it does emit some noise, but nothing too overwhelming.

I would advise that you don't pop your clean cup under the spout straight away as the machine turns on as you'll end up with the rinsing liquid in there. If you can, the best thing to do is have a catch cup under the spouts at all times when you're not making a fresh cup.

Hot drinks

All in all, there are 23 hot drinks to take your pick from with this machine. It's fun to get a taste of all of them when you first get hold of the machine, but I imagine you'll settle on your favourites day to day.

In my household, Americanos are the black coffee drink of choice. I've really enjoyed how seamless making this drink is with this machine, especially when compared to a semi-manual machine on a busy morning. Just one touch of a button and your perfectly hot Americano is ready to go. When I'm making these for my partner to take on his commute, the 'To-Go' setting is also really useful, as it makes a longer version for a carry cup.

The other drinks on heavy rotation with this machine are the caffe lattes and the cappuccinos. This is where the hot milk carafe comes in, which you simply fill and attach to the front of the machine. On the top of it there's a dial with three froth settings. For the caffe latte, it's the medium level of froth while the cappuccino ramps things up with more foam.

I have quite large mugs, so I sometimes top up the cappuccino even further by using the hot milk setting on the menu. This can be done in under 30 seconds as it's very easy to go from one drink to the next. This is also a total godsend when hosting as you're trying to get everyone a drink in their hands. I also like how the temperature of the drinks is hot but not so hot that the cups you give out aren't immeadiately drinkable.

If I'm being picky, I am slightly icked out by the floppy tube you need to insert into the hot drinks carafe. I think I'm particularly sensitive about cleanliness so I am always giving all of the parts of the milk system a deeper clean than they probably need, but the built-in rinse does help to soothe my worries about milk build-up.

Cold drinks

It's been hot already this summer, so I've made good use of the iced drinks options on this machine. In order to make iced milky drinks you need to attach the cold carafe, which again is very easily done. You'll then be asked exactly how cold you want your drink and be directed to add a specific number of ice cubes to your glass.

All of the iced options I've tried have been delectable, but my favourite has to be the iced cappuccino which is delectably foamy. It's

The drinks are very smooth and stay cold well, so you won't be needing to add more iced cubes after the brew process is complete. And the cold frothed foam is such a welcome change to just adding cold milk to a shot of coffee – especially considering that is often what you get in coffee shops with iced drinks! I much prefer using this machine over getting an iced coffee out for this reason.

What's it like to clean?

A lot of people are put off buying a bean-to-cup machine because of the excess cleaning. But if you're paying the big bucks for this machine the good news is that most of those cleaning processes are automated. And even the parts that are not automatically carried out, like the rinse process, are easy to manage thanks to the on-screen prompts.

The cleaning feature I found most useful was the rinse feature on those milk carafes, which cleans the lines without emptying the container of its spare milk. As with all machines, you'll need to remember to empty the grounds container and drip tray but you'll be reminded of this by the features on the machine.

How does it compare to similar coffee machines?

There are so many bestselling De'Longhi coffee machines to compare this product to, but the two I think are most valuable are the Rivelia and the Explore.

I think the Rivelia (which our reviewer fell in love with way back in 2024) is an incredible machine for its price tag and will suit most people well, as long as they're not desperate for those extra iced settings. If you want to save hundreds and still bag an amazing bean-to-cup machine, I urge you to check it out.

Because the Explore came out a few years ago now, it's a little less expensive than the Ultra but offers lots of the same amazing features. It's worth weighing up the differences before you splash the cash.

Should you buy the De'Longhi Eletta Explore?

De'Longhi's offering of automatic bean-to-cup machines are unrivalled in terms of their convenience and the Ultra might just be the pinnacle of that. It's so easy to use and with it, you can whip up delicious drinks that are fine tuned just right with the help of the in-built technology. It's a huge amount to pay for anything, granted, but if you can afford its price tag you won't regret it.

Russell Hobbs is quite a beloved British kitchen appliance brand, but I wouldn’t say it’s one that’s made much of a mark on the coffee machine scene. However, the Russell Hobbs Café Genie is an interesting new launch that could compete for a spot on our list of best coffee machines.

Its RRP of £229.99 puts it firmly at the more affordable end of the scale, and yet, some of the features listed, like a touchscreen menu of drinks, are usually seen in pricier models. So I was keen to put it to the test, to see whether the features on offer could deliver.

In a nutshell

The Russell Hobbs Café Genie has a lot going for it. It’s a manual espresso machine that also offers the convenience of pods, as well as automatic milk steaming. The paired back menu of seven drinks is accessed via the straightforward touchscreen control panel and it’s very simple to use.

Milk is automatically steamed and textured, but no matter which drink you select, it’ll always be bubbly, so if you’re looking for glossy microfoams, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Similarly, while espresso is adequate, it doesn’t produce the well rounded flavour or robust crema that espresso aficionados will be seeking.

That said, this is a good value machine that makes drinks fast and packs in convenient features for busy people. So if you’re not a coffee snob and you want an easy-to-use machine for drinkable milky coffees, it’s a great option.

Who tested this coffee machine?

Unboxing the product

The first thing I noticed when I removed it from the box is that it’s quite a plasticky appliance. The portafilter doesn’t have much weight to it, and the tamper is very basic. However, other features like the intuitive touchscreen make up for some of the cheaper elements. And at this pricepoint, you really shouldn’t expect all the bells and whistles.

The colour is subtle and will suit plenty of kitchen styles. I like that when it’s switched off, the touchscreen is black and there’s no cluttered control panel, so it does look quite neat and streamlined. The on/off switch is tucked away at the side of the machine.

The included accessories are simple and easy to get to grips with. There’s nothing complicated or overwhelming, which is good, because the instruction manual is pretty basic.

If you’re buying this to use the Nespresso pod capabilities, make sure you stock up before it arrives because you don’t get any trial samples included in the box.

Impact on a kitchen worktop

The height of the coffee machine makes it ideal for sliding underneath wall mounted kitchen cupboards. However, when considering where you’ll put it, it’s worth noting that the water tank is at the back. It has to be lifted upwards to be removed, so you’ll need space to do that.

Alternatively, you could add water through the top opening using a jug if you have the space under your cabinets to get to it with a jug of water.

The footprint isn’t too big and when you slide it to the back of the worktop, it feels tucked back and leaves plenty of usable space in front. It’s certainly not one of the coffee machines that feels imposing on the kitchen worktop.

First impressions

Setting up was very straightforward. The manual offers up a list of all the parts that you should wash before using. And once these are all clean, dried, and correctly positioned back on the machine, you simply need to dispense water without any coffee grounds, to get the machine primed and ready to go.

I hit the double espresso button about five times, to make sure I’d run plenty of hot water through the system before using it for the first time. This ensures any dust from manufacturing is washed through.

Unlike some other coffee machines, this one doesn’t come with a water filter, nor is there an option to install one. The instructions state that a clean/ descale cycle will be prompted after 200 uses.

If you live in a hard water area, you may want to use water from a water filter jug, to reduce the build up of scale and help prolong the life of the machine.

The milk dispenser has a handy clean function that’ll run water through the milk nozzle to clean it, which means you can pop it in the fridge between uses.

On the whole, the touchscreen interface is very straightforward, displaying all the available drinks, for quick and easy selection. However, for any other menu functions, you ‘ll need to keep the manual to hand, as you’ll be required to press and hold various buttons or combinations of buttons.

That said, there’s no adjustment for things like temperature, strength, or volume of milky drinks. The main thing that can be adjusted is the volume of espresso dispensed.

It’s fast to heat up when first switched on. If you switch it on without the milk container in place, it’ll only warm up to dispense espresso, and that takes on average 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, if the milk container is in position when you switch it on, the process of heating up takes about 60 seconds. And then it allows you to select milky coffees from the menu.

The ‘Morning Rush’ test

I timed myself making two milky coffees back-to-back using ground coffee. I timed the whole process, from turning on the machine, to having two cappuccinos ready. It took four minutes 20 seconds.

Adding coffee grounds, tamping them down as well as removing the used grounds before making the second cup, took a big chunk of the time. So out of interest, I also timed the same process using Nespresso pods. This time it took three minutes and 10 seconds.

User experience

For me, one of the biggest surprises with this coffee machine was how fast it makes drinks (if you don’t include the time it takes to add the coffee grounds or top up the milk dispenser). From selecting a drink on the menu, to the drink being served and ready to go, is under a minute for almost all drinks on the menu.

The fastest milky drink was a cortado which was ready in just 30 seconds. While the slowest was a latte, which still only took 60 seconds. But it’s worth noting that a lot of the drinks on the menu are quite short coffees.

Thankfully, for lovers of longer, milkier coffees, the latte it dispenses is a decent mug full. And while you can adjust the volume of espresso that’s automatically dispensed, there’s no option to tweak the milk volumes in the various drink recipes.

Milk can be dispensed independent of coffee by pressing and holding the latte button. This is handy if you want to top up a drink with extra milk or create your own drink altogether.

The issue I had when dispensing milk, was that just before milk starts to come out, a quick blast of water comes out of the portafilter area, which, if there’s no portafilter in position, can mean you get bits of stray coffee grounds in your cup. But if you leave the portafilter in position it's not an issue.

Drink temperatures vary depending on the drink. A double espresso comes out at roughly 75C and the frothed milk is around 53C. So it follows that the temperature of milky drinks depends on the ratio of milk to coffee.

A drink with very little milk, like a macchiato, was quite hot, mine averaged 75C. Whereas a milky latte was one of the coolest drinks, measuring around 58C. And it’s worth noting that there are no settings you can adjust to change these temperatures.

The milk dispenser sits quite low, meaning it won’t reach into taller cups. A standard mug is about the tallest cup you can dispense milk into. Most travel cups and taller glasses are too tall.

The vibration of the machine during brewing has a tendency to move some cups, so I did have to pay attention, particularly when using lighter and smaller cups.

Some coffee machines I review seem to magically go through water at a rate that far surpasses the number of coffees you’re making. So I really liked the fact that the water tank wasn’t always running low. Water seemed to last a reasonable amount of time. On the flip side, filling it up is quick and easy.

I expected the machine to switch itself off after a certain period of time, but instead it goes into a low power mode, where the touchscreen display is dimmed. When it’s in this mode, you have to press one of the coffee buttons to wake it up. To switch it off properly, you’ll need to press the on/off button at the side.

How noisy is it?

At around 66dB, pouring an espresso is pretty quiet and unlikely to annoy anyone. The milk steamer is the louder process. This hit a maximum of 85dB on my noise meter, but averaged 74dB.

So while milk steaming is louder than extracting the espresso, it’s still not what you would call noisy. Plus when you take into account that all drinks are ready in 60 seconds or less, any noise created is only for a very short time and won’t be an issue for most households.

What's the coffee like?

During the review I used Exhale Organic Dark(ish) Roast whole beans. This is my regular brand of coffee and the tasting notes, according to the brand, are caramel, stone fruits, red grapes and cola. It’s said to be ideal for espresso and gives a chocolatey, nutty flavour.

I used a separate grinder to grind my coffee beans as needed. The espresso from this machine was drinkable and pleasant, though a tad more bitter and less fruity than it is when I use my usual Sage coffee machine.

The espresso crema was often a bit bubbly rather than thick and silky. I’d say the flavour will satisfy people looking for a decent espresso, but who aren’t reaching for perfection. And if you’re primarily having it in milky coffees, the nuances become less noticeable anyway.

Since there’s also a portafilter designed for Nespresso pods, I made coffee using pods as well. I’m not a huge fan of the flavour of Nespresso pod coffee. But what I would say is that the Nespresso portafilter is a great additional feature that does a good job of extracting the espresso. It's perfect if you’re time poor and want the option to make pod coffee on those busier weekday mornings.

Thermal stability

To check the thermal stability of the coffee machine, I made five single espressos back-to-back. The idea is to check whether the drinks get progressively hotter and if so, by how much.

The first one was 72C, the fifth one was, impressively, only a little warmer at 74.5C. So it wasn’t a massive jump in temperature, which was a good result.

The ‘Wet Paint’ test

When assessing a coffee machine’s ability to steam milk, we’re looking at whether it can produce the silky microfoam that’s perfect for latte art. This is often described as looking like wet paint.

This automatic milk frother makes bubbly milk rather than a thick glossy microfoam. And that’s the case whether you’re making a cappuccino, latte, or flat white. And there’s no ability to adjust the foam level.

What's it like to clean?

The matte plastic finish of the coffee machine doesn’t show fingerprints or small water stains, so on the whole, it stays looking quite clean and you can get away with a quick daily wipe after use.

The drip tray is very small, but I didn’t find this to be an issue. It rarely needed emptying as, unlike some other coffee machines that funnel water from internal components into the drip tray, this one is purely there to catch any drips from the portafilter or cup.

I like having the option to rinse through the milk spout after use. Simply by twisting the control dial into clean mode and selecting clean on the touchscreen, it’ll automatically rinse out the milk spout so that you can pop the milk tank back into the fridge without any gunky milk building up and causing blockages.

I was slightly frustrated that when removing coffee grounds from the portafilter, it wasn’t possible to dislodge a fully formed puck of coffee straight into my food waste caddy. When I did try this, the whole metal filter basket would fall out. So instead, I had to scrape the coffee grounds out with a spoon after each use.

The drip tray and the filter baskets can go in the dishwasher, but everything else has to be washed by hand.

Descaling

A full descale cycle takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. Thankfully it’s not a very hands-on process. Other than filling the water tank with water and descaler at the start, all you need to do is stay close in case your waste water vessel gets too full and needs emptying.

Then halfway through, you have to reset everything, this time with plain water in the water tank. And start it again, to complete the process a second time but without the descaler. All-in-all it’s simple and automated, but not super quick.

The machine should prompt you to run one of these cycles every 200 uses. So how frequently you need to do it really does depend on how much you use the coffee machine.

How does it compare to similar machines?

The Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea is an Ideal Home favourite that’s similarly priced. It’s a sturdy pod machine with a built-in milk frother. And it’s a great alternative option if you don’t intend to use ground coffee. There’s no preset drinks menu, but it’s easy to create your favourite drink nevertheless.

If you like the idea of a more hands-on approach, the Sage Bambino is an excellent beginner espresso machine. It’ll set you back an additional £100, but is capable of delivering a well-rounded tasty espresso, and you get to froth your own milk and create your coffee just how you like it.

Should you buy the Russell Hobbs Café Genie Espresso Machine?

I think at this price point, the Cafe Genie really sets itself apart with features like the automatic milk steaming and touchscreen drinks menu, as well as the option to switch between ground coffee and pods. It nicely straddles the line between espresso machines, pod machines, and automatic coffee machines.

The compromises are that there aren’t many adjustable settings. Milk is bubbly and frothy, it can’t create barista quality microfoams, but that’s the case with the majority of automatic milk frothers.

While it doesn’t produce the best quality espresso I’ve ever had, it’s decent enough to please most people. In conclusion, if you’re looking for a reasonably priced coffee machine that packs in the features, it’s absolutely worth considering this one.

The term 'south-facing' holds a huge amount of prestige when it comes to our homes. 'It has a south-facing garden' is brandished around by eager estate agents while we dream of lazy afternoons spent languishing under the sun - but as this week's heatwave has shown us, this old adage might not hold much value anymore in 2026.

A south-facing kitchen is viewed just as highly as our outdoor spaces - as the heart of the home, a bright, light-filled kitchen might be just enough for you to say 'we'll take it'.

I can see the allure; natural light is imperative to our wellbeing and when house hunting, you only see a home at one time of day, in a single season, so it's important to understand the direction a room faces. However, a south-facing kitchen might not be quite as elusive as it once was.

Here's why you shouldn't rule out a west, east, or even north-facing kitchen - and why you shouldn't jump when you hear south.

When dreaming of my ultimate kitchen, sun-dappled morning light and sunny evenings with French doors thrown open come immediately to mind. A dark, dreary cooking space is not, on the other hand, what comes to mind. And it feels like the aforementioned dream is one that has become closely associated with the term 'south-facing'.

In the UK, a south-facing kitchen feels like a way to guarantee some much-needed vitamin D even in the depths of winter, but it isn't the only solution.

'A south-facing kitchen is often treated as the gold standard, but it’s far from the be-all and end-all,' explains Tom Howley, Creative Design Director at the eponymous kitchen brand.

While a south-facing kitchen increases the chance of natural light throughout the winter months, in the summer it becomes a greenhouse.

'Although a kitchen bathed in sunlight can look beautiful and create a lovely setting for evening entertaining, it isn't everyone's preference. Kitchens naturally hold heat due to the appliances and cooking that take place within them, so a north-facing kitchen that stays cooler throughout the day can be just as appealing,' Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr, explains.

'While it brings plenty of natural light, that can also mean glare, overheating in summer, and fading of materials over time,' Tom adds.

How to maximise light in non-south facing kitchens

A south-facing kitchen certainly guarantees more sunlight overall, but this also has some serious downsides. And in a room with a different orientation, it's possible to maximise light so that you still get the benefits of a sun-filled room.

'The reality is that the ‘best’ kitchen orientation depends on how the space is used – an east-facing kitchen can be wonderful for morning light, while a west-facing one may be ideal for evening cooking and entertaining,' Al continues.

In short, it's not about the specific orientation of the room, but rather how you design the kitchen to maximise light where needed. Colour also plays a huge part, and there are many ways to incorporate paint shades to make the most of a south-facing kitchen.

'Ultimately, it comes down to how you use the room and what matters most to you. Once you've worked that out, you can make the most of the natural light available and create a kitchen that works for your lifestyle,' Al continues.

If you prefer a cosy space, leaning into task lighting in corners of the kitchen will add an ambient glow. For more of a natural stream of light, you'll want to focus on window treatments that avoid covering the top third of the window, as this is where the majority of sunlight comes through. A cafe curtain is the perfect choice for this as it leaves the top half of the window open.

Planning a kitchen layout around windows will also help them to remain a focus in a north, east or west facing kitchen. A sink beneath a window will make the most of a view, while adding French doors to the back of a kitchen will enhance the amount of light that enters.

'If you have a darker kitchen, the focus should be on creating warmth and balance rather than trying to replicate a sun-drenched room. Layered lighting is key: combine ceiling lights with under-cabinet ones and feature pendants to avoid shadowy corners,' Tom adds.

You can't replicate the true appearance of natural light, and cold-toned bulbs will make a kitchen look unwelcoming, so instead, aim for warmth and glow.

Ultimately, as Tom Howley explains, 'A well-designed north-facing kitchen can feel just as stylish and practical as a south-facing one – and often more cocooning and sophisticated.'

It's all about how you design a space to maximise light. You can make the best of any situation. If you're on the hunt for ways to cool down your south-facing kitchen during this heatwave, our live guide to the last remaining in-stock fans and ACs is the place to start.

Small appliances, like kettles and toasters, always seem like quick need-not-want purchases, but why is this the case when they live on our worktops year round?

It pays off to spend some time researching the best kettles and the best toasters that will make those small daily habits run seamlessly, and choosing the right colour for a kettle and toaster comes into that decision.

But what colour should you go for? From classic stainless steel options to retro-inspired pastel hues, these are the shades people always run to for their small appliances, with the latest kitchen trends in mind.

Over the last few years, we've seen more and more colours appear within kitchen appliances. It signifies a larger shift in our homes as we embrace playful colour expression even more, and enjoy the wellbeing benefits that a colourful home provides.

While our cabinets and walls got the memo a while ago, it naturally took a little longer for appliances to catch up. Large appliances, like our ovens, fridges and microwaves are typically in stainless steel, so small appliances followed suit.

'Stainless steel is a consistent, timeless seller in kettles and toasters as it is most compatible with a lot of kitchens,' explains Saul Davies, Buying Director at Salter. However, as appliances themselves got more ambitious (from slushie machines to air fryers), so did the colours of them.

When it comes to kettle and toaster colours, pastel shades have reigned supreme as the alternative option to stainless steel.

'Creams or warm neutrals still perform well as they tend to soften kitchens and are not harsh against fixtures such as brass, silver or gold. We are seeing a demand in pastel or brighter, bolder colours which are mainly shopped by style-led consumers. Our Retro is range we have seen huge success with pink being one of our best-selling colours,' Saul adds.

Cream, pale blue, pink and green shades have been the classic choice for a kettle and toaster, and particularly suit heritage Shaker kitchens where you want to avoid too much stainless steel.

However, in 2026, neutral hues that offer something different to white and cream are rising in popularity.

Softer neutrals, such as beige and earthy green hues, offer a new perspective on kettle and toaster shades. If cream feels too stark for your kitchen, a more subdued shade might be best.

'Sage and olive green is our fastest growing colour and is highly popular over the last 12 months. It is seen to the consumer as a new neutral addition that adds colour without being too risky,' explains Saul.

This is also reflected in Smeg's new matte Moonlight collection - a matte, beige version of their famous retro kettle style that has a much more contemporary look.

'Inspired by the growing popularity of softer, nature-led palettes, the shade brings warmth and tranquillity to the kitchen while complementing the brand's iconic design,' says Niamh Griffiths, senior marketing executive (SDA) at Smeg.

'The muted neutral tone reflects a broader interiors shift towards calm, wellness-inspired spaces and understated luxury, making it an ideal choice for consumers looking to create a kitchen that feels both timeless and contemporary,' she adds.

In 2026, sleek stainless steel kettles are remaining a popular and timeless choice, but as we look towards colour to shape our interiors, reflecting these careful choices in our small appliances is just as important.

Shop kettles and toasters

In 2026, sleek stainless steel kettles are remaining a popular and timeless choice, but as we look towards colour to shape our interiors, reflecting these careful choices in our small appliances is just as important.

Ninja's most stylish colourway, Stone Gold, is having a serious moment right now with the extension of the sellout colour across a huge range of bestselling products. From the Swirl to compact, small-kitchen friendly best Ninja air fryers, the kitchen giant has really outdone itself with this effortlessly luxurious shade.

First released this time last year, this gorgeous neutral shade went seriously viral on TikTok. I was watching out for more stock of the Ninja Dual Zone in this exact colour for months and months until it finally reappeared in October.

If you were one of the lucky few who picked up that stylish colour way back then, or if you just love the look of the range now, then you can finally shop Ninja's other bestsellers in it too, including brand new products thanks to these exclusives that debuted just for Amazon Prime Day. Here's a look at what's available.

Since working on Ideal Home, I've seen Ninja release many special-edition colours to coincide with Prime Day and Black Friday. The most memorable include the range with copper accents which is now a permanent fixture on Amazon due to its popularity.

There's even more colour choice on offer for Ninja's most fun kitchen buys – notably the Slushi and the Creami, which got a pastel make over last year as well as two-tone options inspired by frozen drinks and desserts.

It's not clear yet whether this beige colour will become a permanent addition to Ninja's colourway line up or whether it's only available during Amazon's sales events so if this is the shade for you, I'd recommend snapping it up fast!

If you're planning on entertaining in the summer heat, then you might be wondering how you can incorporate some kind of cooling drink or dessert into your hosting plans. Right now at Costco, you can buy two Ninja bestsellers that would make it a lot easier: the Slushi (for £219.99, down from £299.99) and the Creami Swirl & Scoop (also £219.99, down from £349.99).

I've reviewed both of these viral buys, and I can confirm that they add such a fun element to having people over for drinks or dinner, with the chance for your guests to pour their own frozen drinks or create their own sweet treats for dessert.

Here's how you can get your hands on these products for these super low prices, as well as alternative places to shop if you don't want to sign up for a Costco membership.

I've seen plenty of Costco deals floating around online but I've never had one make me want to invest in a membership as much as these super-low Ninja prices. So I did some investigating into how you can acquire a membership and the requirements you need to meet.

There are two tiers to Costco membership that allows you in shop in their warehouses: Gold Star and Business. To qualify, you have to follow a pretty stringent list of requirements, which you can view on the Costco website.

If you, like me, don't qualify under any of these terms, then all is not lost. You can still purchase an all-online membership for £42 a year for which there is no entry requirements. It does mean you won't be able to see the inside of an actual Costco store, however (another dream dashed for me).

But you will be able to take advantage of these sensational Ninja prices and shop a huge variety of other Costco products across the year, too.

If you'd rather not add another subscription onto your plate, then that's understandable. Right now, there's a host of places you can find top-rated Ninja products on sale thanks to Amazon Prime Day, which is running until midnight on the 26th of June, as well as counter sales from rival retailers slashing their prices.

I'd strongly recommend checking out the sales ongoing at Ninja itself, as well as John Lewis and Currys.

The Slushi and the Swirl are easily the two most fun appliances I've ever tested and they will provide endless summer entertainment if you decide to install one in your home.

And Costco membership or not, now's a great time to shop for something that can help you through the heatwave whilst also providing joy on the weekends!

There aren't many unofficial national holidays that I adhere to, but I'm making an exception for National Picky Bits Day, which falls this Saturday, 27th June.

And it's come at the perfect time - the heat across the UK has risen to unprecedented levels, so much so that turning on an oven or boiling water to cook dinner would feel like a torture method. So, picky bits it is.

I don't often need an excuse to indulge in a picky bits dinner with all of my favourite picnic-esque items, but summer is the ultimate reason. Whether you're prepping a weeknight supper for children or hosting alfresco on the weekend, opting for small dishes is the simplest solution and also means that everyone is guaranteed to find something they like.

The right crockery will upgrade any picky bits dinner, whether it's simple chopped carrots or fancy M&S charcuterie nibbles - having a few serving dishes and nibble bowls in your kitchen will make any quick dinner feel like a special event.

I've pulled together some of my favourite host-ware that I love using for Friday night dinners alone and for events when I want to wow guests. Splatterware is my favourite method for adding colour and pattern to a tablescape, and it remains timeless for summers to come - here are 12 of the best picks to shop now.

Want to get your whole kitchen prepped for all of the summer hosting events? These unexpected Amazon kitchen picks are guaranteed to come in handy.

The ability to make frozen sweet treats at home, either for pudding or to wow your guests, is something that really comes into its own in the summer months.

A question that I've been discussing a lot with friends and family who are looking to purchase something similar is whether they should opt for one of Ninja's bestselling viral best ice cream makers or an appliance that can whip up slushies and soft serve instead.

The two leading examples of this are the Ninja Swirl and the Cuisinart Frost Fusion – both of which I've used extensively at home. Here's what each of these machines can achieve and which one you should opt for to get the most for your money.

1. Functionality and preparation

It's really important to look at the different settings on offer with whichever sweet treat maker has caught your eye. The original Ninja Creami has less going for it than the Deluxe version which in turn is not quite as capable as the newer Swirl. But the kicker with all of them? Your ice cream or soft serve mix will always require pre-freezing.

Ninja doesn't have an ice-cream maker (yet) that doesn't require you to prepare materials in advance. It does have the Slushi, but that's drinks-limited.

The Cuisinart Frost Fusion is a hugely popular alternative that can whip up frozen desserts on the same day – in our tests we found it could take as little as 30 minutes. Below I've outlined the exact functionality differences between these bestsellers as well as the crucial pre-freezing times required.

There's plenty to weigh up with these speficiations laid out. The Cuisinart is the best option if you want to skip the faff of pre-freezing but the results won't be as firm as you can expect with Ninja's ice-cream alternatives – obviously the day spent in the freezer will do a lot to help your ingredients.

2. Fun factor

If you're considering buying one of these ice-cream makers, chances are you'll want to use it to impress your guests this summer. And while all of them have fun factor, some have more interactive features than others.

As someone who has tested all of the appliances listed above, the Swirl and the Cuisinart Frost Fusion are the most entertaining thanks to their soft serve dispensers if you want ice cream. Or if you're more interested in frozen drinks, the Slushi is far and away the machine you want.

If you've ever paid a visit to Pizza Hut's Ice Cream Factory, you'll know the thrill of trying to master the flow of ice cream and with these two, you can try that at home. Just bear in mind it does take a bit of practice!

The Cuisinart has the fun of dispensing soft serve with the benefit of doubling up as a slushie machine too, so it's arguably the better all-rounder. But for me, you can't beat Ninja when it comes to quality.

3. Price

These appliances are of course not an essential addition to a kitchen, but they're worth their weight in gold on a hot weekend if you're entertaining. My Slushi machine was hardly out of use last summer.

All of them are pretty pricey, but the best value option is Cuisinart's Frost Fusion considering how many functions it has. Ninja's offerings are pricier, yes, but the have the better quality overall and I can see all of the ones I've tested going the distance in my kitchen.

Sales periods help to bring the price of these machines down significantly. Right now, Amazon Prime Day sales offer a good summer window to snag a discount and Black Friday will be an even better time, as these appliances will be less in demand.

Payday is finally on the horizon, and while I've been successfully resisting my wishlist of home items all month, I think it might finally be time to treat myself to something new for my kitchen. It's also the Amazon Prime Day sale, which is just the incentive I needed to trawl through some of the retailer's very best homeware picks.

You would be surprised at what you can find on Amazon - while there are small, affordable brands, there are also big name brands that you can shop - and there's often good deals to be found.

Whether you want to upgrade some of your kitchen essentials or treat yourself to a few fun pieces of crockery for alfresco dining, you don't have to spend a fortune. I'm personally on the hunt for some colourful kitchen pieces for hosting - so I have my eye on the Big Love napkins and the Bon Appetit bowl which will be perfect for summer dinner parties.

I couldn't believe just how many pretty buys there were on Amazon - you might be surprised too.

Looking to spruce up your bathroom next? These affordable Amazon bathroom picks will breathe new life into a space.

This year's summer Amazon Prime Day event (running from the 23rd to 26th of June) is in full swing, and if you want to shop in the savviest way possible, there's a new price-checking tool you need to know about.

For years, one of my top tips as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, who has been working Prime Days as a deal hunter for over five years now, was to use a price checking tool such as CamelCamelCamel to check that you're not being hoodwinked over a 'deal'. Often brands will artificially inflate the price of a product prior to a sales event to then bring it down to its normal RRP to create the illusion of a great deal.

Here's how using this new in-built price checking tool can prevent you from getting a bad deal on one of the best air fryers or coffee machines and help you find a worthwhile one instead.

You can find this new price-checking tool, which was officially rolled out in the UK in May 2026, next to where you see the price of the item you're looking for on Amazon. When you click onto it to see the price history, a pop-up window opens with Rufus, the platform's in-built AI tool.

Within the Rufus pop-up you can see a range of information on the product's price, as well as how it relates to the given RRP. Though this is useful information, I would also suggest going one step further and check Amazon's given RRP against what's listed on the brand page.

When shopping one of the best Ninja air fryers, for example, I would always suggest cross referencing with the brand's own site for a better understanding of prices.

While the tool defaults to a one-month view, it has 6-month and 12-month scope available too which will ultimately be even more useful for assessing how good the discount really is. If the price of the item currently is nowhere near what the lowest price over the last year has been, it's likely that there's been price-inflating taking place.

I check prices on products that I've reviewed every day to see if there's a deal worth writing about, so I have quite a good sense of the general price of different bestsellers, like Ninja's Foodi Max Dual Zone air fryer.

As I write this, the day before Prime Day begins, it's currently sitting at £129.99 via Amazon, which gives you £20 off the usual RRP. But if you click into the year view of the price history, you'll see that in November (during Black Friday), there was a much bigger price drop with the air fryer for sale for under £100. That means that it may well be worth waiting on this one rather than pouncing right now.

In all likelihood, the best deals of this summer will drop during Prime Day itself and during counter-sales run by the likes of AO, Currys and John Lewis. Below you can find the kitchen appliances I think you should bookmark if you're in the market to upgrade your hosting and entertaining game.

Whatever you end up perusing this Prime Day, remember that doing your due diligence will help no end to help you bag an actually good deal. Happy bargain hunting!

If you’re reading this, then lusting after KitchenAid appliances is something we probably have in common: gorgeous looks and great design are a win-win for any style-conscious kitchen. Naturally, KitchenAid’s first foray into the world of bean-to-cup coffee machines was no exception – the £1,500 KitchenAid KF8 won our admiration (and a four and half star review) back in 2025.

Now, in 2026, the brand has now unveiled the more affordable members of its automatic bean-to-cup family. And in this review we’re going to be looking at the most upmarket model in the new trio, the £899 KF4.

In a nutshell

The big news here for many buyers is that KitchenAid has shrunk the size of these machines down – it claims that they’re 25% smaller than the previous models. In practice, the machines are roughly 6.5cm slimmer, so far easier to squeeze on a busy countertop. In truth, I haven’t seen any fully automatic bean-to-cup machines which are quite so slender.

The new range includes the £699 KF2, £749 KF3 and the £899 KF4 which I have for review here. Naturally, the KF4 is the most feature packed of the group. It doubles the KF3’s two user profiles to four. It adds five extra drink recipes. It also includes a rather more elegant plastic milk carafe in the box: by contrast, the KF3 simply dangles a tube into your preferred milk receptacle while the KF2 makes do with a manual steam wand.

Who tested this machine?

Unboxing

The KF4 comes clad in several separate protective panels of moulded wood pulp. Sensibly, KitchenAid wraps the whole package in a polypropylene sling with handles, so you can just lift the entire machine out of the box easily without worrying about dropping it.

As usual, several little strips of blue adhesive tape hold the various parts in place during transit, and protective transparent plastic sheets are adhered to the touchscreen and between the water tank and the machine’s rear to prevent scratching. Some of the packaging – the wood pulp, for instance – is recyclable with home recycling, but the plastic sheets and tape may need to be taken to a specific plastic bag recycling collection depending on your local area’s recycling facilities.

Open up the KF4’s box, and the user manual and quick start guide are placed just inside the box’s top flap, directly on top of the machine. Alongside, there’s a QR code offering to help you ‘Get Started’. Point your phone at the code and you’re transported to KitchenAid’s website where a very basic tutorial helps you to get familiarised with the machine. If you’re the kind of person who likes to familiarise yourself with the user manual before rifling through the packaging, it’s a good way to start.

The instructions could be better, however. The website instructions feel like a bit of an afterthought; the thick user manual is actually just a few pages of text instructions repeated in a multitude of languages – hardly what I’d call an Owner’s Manual – and the quick start guide is nothing more than an annotated diagram of the machine and its touchscreen interface. It would have made far more sense to combine the information from both into one concise pamphlet.

Thankfully, the touchscreen also does its bit to lead users through the set up process. It, too, could be more detailed – it’s not as clear as the full colour animations on Sage’s machines, for example – but it’s informative enough to get most buyers started. There’s definitely room for improvement here, though. Oddly, there’s no mention of using the water hardness tester at all, and the little on-screen diagrams are too small to be really helpful.

Impact on a kitchen worktop

This is where KitchenAid’s new models will win a lot of friends. At 36cm tall, it’s a tiny bit shorter than many of the bean-to-cup machines I’ve seen recently, and this is because of the integrated bean hopper – it doesn’t protrude from the top like some rivals.

At 19cm wide, however, it’s dramatically thinner than any machine I’ve reviewed in recent memory. The De’Longhi Rivelia (which we've reviewed) is the closest model I can think of, but that’s 24.5cm wide due to its side-mounted water tank. If you’ve been wishing you could accommodate a fully automatic model but just didn’t have the space, it’s a major selling point.

The downside of the KF4’s design, as you may have gleaned already, is that the water tank is positioned at the rear. Bean-to-cup machines often opt for side mounted water tanks that either slide forwards for easy removal, or unclip to the side. The KF4’s needs to be lifted up by about a centimetre and removed to the rear – you’ll need to leave room around it to make for easy refilling. You can open the lid (which isn’t removable) and just pour water in, but you may not want to risk this if you have mains sockets behind the machine. And if there are cupboards above, you’ll struggle.

First impressions

The KF4 feels well built. Like most bean-to-cup machines, it’s predominantly plastic, but those plastics feel solid and all the attachments feel robust enough to instil confidence. There isn’t the thin, hollow feeling which I’ve noticed on some sub-£1,000 machines.

It’s all been sensibly designed, too. The spouts slide up and down smoothly and provide up to 14cm of cup clearance. The drip tray slides out to reveal the grounds bin, and this separates into multiple parts for easy cleaning. The 1.8-litre water tank slots firmly onto the rear. The 250g bean hopper is hidden neatly under the top panel – the centre of this pulls away to reveal the bean hopper and the single dose chute. The rubber seal on the underside of the removable panel helps keep your coffee beans fresh, too, which is a nice touch.

A single water filter is provided in the box, and this screws into place in the tank. Replacements cost a fairly steep £15 each on KitchenAid’s website, but were just under £10 at the time of writing. However, don’t make my mistake of initially trying to install the water filter by hand: the narrow tank makes this nigh-on impossible. KitchenAid supply a coffee scoop in the box, and the odd-looking attachment at the other end is designed to fit over the top of the water filter and screw it into place.

The milk carafe design simply connects via a tube. One added benefit is that if you can’t find the carafe – or it breaks – you can just jam the tube directly into a milk bottle or jug. As long as the tube is intact, and it’s submerged in milk, it’ll work just fine.

The only issue with the carafe is the loose lid. I’d have liked to see the lid actually click into place – or secure in place with a rubber seal and interference fit. Make the mistake of grabbing it by the lid and it just comes off without any effort. Try carrying it by the lid and you’ll get a nasty surprise. It’s a poor design choice.

User experience

Hit the power button on the machine’s right hand side and the machine thrums into action. After the initial setup process has directed you to rinse the water tank and install the water filter, the machine pulls through four shots of coffee to prime and clean the machine. These need to be poured down the sink, so my advice is to use some old beans you have lying around rather than wasting good coffee.

Once the machine is warmed up and ready to go, you can swipe to scroll through the machine’s various recipes. Tapping an icon reveals a settings menu which provides options to adjust drink temperature, coffee and milk volumes and drink strength. Some drinks recipes give you the option to pour two drinks simultaneously: pop two cups under the spouts and the machine will pour two shots back to back and add milk to each.

There are four user profiles, too. These allow you to save specific drinks recipes to your user page. Tap the touch sensitive user button on the front panel and you can access your saved drinks without scrolling through the main menu at all.

Noise test

The KF4’s Quiet Mark certification is more than justified. It’s still noisy compared to the quiet splutter of a filter coffee machine, granted, but the loudest sound emanating from the KF4 was an average of 63dBA during grinding. Brewing was remarkably quiet at 50dbA and steaming was mostly around 55dBA apart from a brief splutter of 63dBA as the machine started to slurp milk.

For reference, this is a little bit quieter overall than the De’Longhi Rivelia and Philips LatteGo 5500, and only a tad louder than the two Jura models – the C8 and J10 – which passed through my test kitchen in recent months. If silence (or at least relative quietness) is golden in your kitchen, then the KF4 puts in a good show.

Coffee quality

The KF4 pours great coffee from the first prod of its touchscreen. I tried all of the major drinks from espresso to macchiato and latte to flat white, and they were all consistently well extracted. The over-ice drinks – the iced coffee and iced espresso – are brewed cooler (around 55c) and it’s left to you to add your own ice.

By default, it’ll pour a 40ml espresso while most of the longer milk-based coffee recipes seem to target a small cup size of around 120ml, so bear in mind that you’ll need to up the volumes to fill larger cups or mugs.

The milk frothing works well. It doesn’t create the thick, silken gloss of a carefully wielded manual steam wand, but it’s very good. The froth has a tight, creamy texture, and it’s much thicker and more long-lasting than the light, bubbly froth which you’ll get from some mid-range models, such as the Philips LatteGo 5500.

It’s a shame that the froth levels aren’t adjustable – for recipes such as the macchiato, where you just want a dollop of froth popped on top, it doesn’t quite fit the bill. What it can do, however, is create a flat warm milk or a frothed milk (and both of these hot milk options are on the menu for the non-coffee drinkers in the audience). For recipes such as the cappuccino, the KF4 uses its frothy setting; for a flat white, it pours plain steamed milk, so there’s only a thin layer of froth on top.

For those who want to dial in every coffee to perfection, there’s a good amount of adjustability. You can adjust the various options for each drink and save those settings to your user profile.

One interesting addition is the Body setting. This speeds or slows the extraction time, and you can use this in tandem with the dosage and volume settings to tweak the flavour of beans to your preferences. It works really well, too. There was the slightest hint of bitterness to the espresso with the strength set to maximum – dialling it down to the light body setting gave both a juicier, more fruity shot and dialled back the bitterness nicely.

There are only 5 settings for the grinder (the dial is hidden behind the KF4’s side panel), but it didn’t really need any adjusting for my medium roast beans. And in any case, the lack of extreme adjustments means that users are less likely to create undrinkably bitter or sour shots. I’d personally prefer more adjustability for dialling in different coffees, but most people probably won’t be too bothered. Rivals such as the De’Longhi Rivelia offer 13 steps of grind adjustment which gives a little more latitude for fine tuning.

Temperature consistency is good. The first drinks out of the machine were very slightly cooler than subsequent ones, but that’s not unusual as any coffee machine takes a little time for all the parts to warm up. In fact, the temperature stability is better controlled than some bean-to-cup machines I’ve tested recently. The first drinks came through around 68C and subsequent cups settled between 70c and 72c depending on the recipe and the ratio of milk to coffee. As the machine heats milk to around 65c – the perfect temperature to prevent scorching the milk – it’s the volume of hot coffee added which bumps temperatures up to and beyond 70C.

If you are in a rush, then you can get a couple of coffees poured in under five minutes. Once you’ve waited for the initial rinse, each milk-based drink at default size (40ml coffee, 80ml milk) takes around a minute and a half. You can tap the main drinks icon to pour two simultaneously though. Pop a couple of cups side by side, and it’ll brew two shots back to back and then add milk to both cups. This takes just under 3 minutes for the standard sized cappuccinos and flat whites.

What's it like to clean?

The KF4 rinses and warms up automatically the first time you turn it on, and this takes just under a minute and a half. Turn it on again a little later – while the machine is still warm – and it’ll prompt you to rinse but not force you to do so. A word to the wise: this can’t always be skipped. Ignore the prompts to clean the machine or milk system and you may find you’re forced to do both in succession next time you turn it on.

The milk carafe cleaning is elegant. Simply disconnect the tube from the carafe and plug it into a hole in the drip tray. This then blasts out any residue in the milk system for around a minute, while you simply have to clean the carafe in the sink with a bit of warm soapy water. Unlike rival designs which use more complex carafe designs, such as De’Longhi’s LatteCrema system, there are precious few nooks and crannies for milk residue to get stuck in.

Drips do tend to accumulate on the metal drip tray, but there’s nothing you can’t clean up with a damp cloth.

In terms of internal cleaning, KitchenAid recommends using a cleaning tablet after every 200 cups of coffee. Two are supplied in the box, and the KF4 will prompt you to carry out the process when it’s needed – or you can manually trigger it in the settings menu.

The water filter is designed to be replaced every 2 months or after every 50 litres of water used. Descaling is required in anything from 6 weeks to 2 months depending on water hardness. If you replace the filter regularly – or just use filtered water from a jug – descaling shouldn’t be required as often.

Bear in mind, however, that the initial setup process seems to bypass the water hardness testing if you opt to install the supplied water filter. This means that the machine is set to the worst case Very High water hardness setting which will prompt more regular cleaning and descaling. My advice would be to manually carry out the water hardness test and input the relevant information for your area – there’s a tester in the box, so you may as well use it.

How does it compare to competitors?

At this kind of price point, I normally have two recommendations – the Jura C8 or the De’Longhi Rivelia. Both retail for around £650 at the time of writing. For faff-free simplicity, I’m a big fan of the Jura. It makes good coffee and the milk steaming is very good, too. It’s not for everyone, though, as it lacks a lot of features compared to either the KitchenAid KF4 or the De’Longhi Rivelia. The C8 only has a handful of recipes, no hot water dispensing and while it makes good coffee, it lacks the adjustability to eke as much flavour from as wide a range of coffees as the Rivelia.

And this is where the KitchenAid KF4 comes in. In short, I think it’s markedly better than the Jura C8 and marginally a better all-rounder than the Rivelia. Given that it costs £899, that’s probably to be expected. In terms of coffee quality, both the KitchenAid and De’Longhi machines are capable of making a very mean espresso and an excellent milk-based coffee. Where the KF4 marches ahead, however, is looks and convenience: the slender footprint, simple carafe design and better touchscreen and controls all lean in favour of the KF4.

Should you buy the KitchenAid KF4?

I had high hopes for the KitchenAid KF4, so it’s impressive to see it deliver the goods in such confident fashion. The narrow footprint is perfect for smaller kitchens, and the fact that it’s relatively quiet, highly adjustable and makes such consistently tasty coffee is enough to convince me that it’s worth the relatively high asking price. There are cheaper rivals out there if you can accommodate a larger machine, but if you want great coffee without the bulk, it’s a great buy.

Smeg's retro kettle and toaster have become something of a homeware icon. You'll find Smeg's instantly recognisable small appliances on the worktops of the most stylish of kitchens, and we've even given the kettle one of the best kettle top spots - it's a beautiful design that is just as easy to use.

And while the current colours of Smeg's small appliances are timeless, a new trend-focused tone has entered the scene and with it comes a fresh perspective. The retro style has always leaned more traditional, but Smeg's new Moonlight collection has a contemporary look to blend into sleek, minimalist kitchens.

Moonlight, the new matte colourway from Smeg, is 'designed to bring softness, warmth and balance into the home,' says the brand. It reflects a growing trend towards neutral shades, away from classic white or cream, and calmer palettes in our homes.

Typically, small appliances put practicality first. Often in stainless steel or black plastic, aesthetics weren't high on the agenda. Smeg started to change this with their retro kettle and toaster which came in a variety of vintage-themed colours, from cream to pink and blue.

While this has allowed us to be playful with appliances and use them to add to an overall kitchen colour scheme, the statement shades didn't offer much scope for people who favour a more understated design.

The texture also differs from the classic shiny small appliances from Smeg - it has a smooth matte finish which is perfect for hiding fingerprints and allowing your small appliances to sit subtly in the background of your kitchen.

'Smeg's kettle and toaster range is already the height of refined luxury, but this new sophisticated neutral shade is tailor-made for anyone who wants to add a warm colour to their kitchen without committing to a bold colour,' explains Molly Cleary, Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor.

'The matte finish is not only bang-on-trend but has the benefit of being easier to keep looking clean too. As someone with a white Smeg toaster, I can tell you it needs a lot of maintenance to keep looking fresh. I'm very tempted to invest in a kettle in Moonlight and make them mix and match instead for those reasons!' she adds.

If you love the shape and overall design of the Smeg appliances but haven't found a colour to suit your kitchen then the Moonlight collection is one to try - particularly if you want a fuss-free option that escapes fingerprints.

Shop the Moonlight collection

If you're a Smeg fan like we are on the Ideal Home team, these discontinued Smeg appliances straight from their HQ will inspire your dream retro kitchen.

Everyone has that annoying design flaw in their kitchen, whether it's a poorly planned corner cupboard or a floorplan that doesn't work for everyday life. Mine is my kitchen sink - admittedly, it wasn't me who designed it, but I'm officially over having a soaking wet sink caddy that drips onto the worktop.

I've tried a number of different methods over the years, and despite washing up carefully, there is always a pool of water around my sink. While I thought I would have to continue laying a tea towel under my washing up liquid bottle for the foreseeable, this sink stone from Amazon has changed the game.

I had never heard of this nifty gadget until recently, but it's ridiculously simple and effective. Here's why this £18 sink tray might be the best thing you buy for your kitchen all year.

Not only is the pool of dirty dishwater around my sink incredibly gross, it's also damaging my worktop. The laminate is beginning to peel and on a stone surface, this would be an even bigger and more expensive issue to fix.

Putting a tea towel down has prevented the water from reaching my air fryer, but it has increased how quickly I go through towels in my household.

The fix, it seems, is simple. This sink tray is made from diatomite stone which is a natural, highly porous sedimentary rock that is commonly used for bathroom mats but is less frequently seen in kitchens.

The stone absorbs and evaporates water within about 60 seconds, meaning that any drips from hand soap or from a dish brush will be gone in an instant.

Not only does the stone surface evaporate water, but it's also antibacterial and odor-resistant. An issue that I had found with my tea towel method is that after a few days of water, it smelled bad and was pretty unsanitary.

The great design feature of this Amazon choice is that it has four round feet that you add onto the bottom, which means that there is airflow beneath the mat to prevent mildew. And if it does get stained, you can simply buff it with some sandpaper to refresh its surface.

Aside from the practical benefits of a stone sink caddy, it also looks super sleek next to a sink. Most caddies are either metal or black plastic, which can look unsightly on your surface. The neutral stone has a much more subtle appearance and means your soaps are much easier to access.

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Sometimes the smallest, quick buys are the ones that end up changing how you use your space. Over the weekend, I'm trying out some of these affordable ways to add colour to my kitchen without repainting for a rejuvenated look.

Developing new habits, even when it comes to something like saving money by eating more leftovers, is all about incremental changes. That's a lesson I've learned in the last few weeks with my adoption of Lakeland's inexpensive Freeze Pods (which will set you back £8 via Lakeland).

My problem with freezing leftovers has historically been with portion sizes. If I have a batchload of chilli, for example, I rarely have enough food containers to break it down into lunch and dinner sized portions and sometimes have to put the whole amount into one container. That makes it a real struggle to properly siphon off a share for a single person.

Enter: these nifty Freeze Pods, which not only provide the perfect lunch or dinner sized portion (depending if you use the 2 or 3 sectioned version) but are also ready to be used in your oven or even the best air fryer for reheating. Here are three reasons I'm telling everyone I know to buy a set.

1. They're easy to use

The thing that makes the use of these Freeze Pods so seamless is the silicone material. As with using a silicone ice cube tray over a plastic one, it so much easier to pop the contents of a singular pod out without disturbing the other two than it would be with a harder material.

The 3-segmented version contains space for 250 gram portions, which I've found ideal for lunches. I've been pairing leftover pasta with a side salad for a summertime lunch.

I've found the Freeze Pod with two sections is better suited to dinners, with the square size owing itself to full meals like a lasagne. Though the base is made of silicone, the pod has a hard plastic top, which means you can stack the two together neatly within your freezer.

2. They're cooking safe

These pods are microwave, oven and air fryer safe – music to my ears! While I love my microwaveable stainless steel food containers for food prep and storing leftovers in the fridge they can only be used in the microwave for 2 minutes at a time. So if you want to defrost something heavier, the Freeze Pod is a much better choice.

If you're serving lunch for two or three people, you could put the entire Freeze Pod into the microwave too. That means you only need to portion food out once in the entire cooking process and any time you can save on the washing up is a big win for me.

I'm not the only one who loves the versatility of these handy pods. On Lakeland's website you can find that both of these products currently have a 4.5 out of 5 star rating with customers praising the quality and value of each.

One reviewer nicely summed up why they work for them, saying 'Great sizing and even better for popping out blocks to wrap and stack in the freezer. The larger ones are perfect for individual lasagnes, cottage pies etc. The smaller ones are perfect for portions of rice, mash, beans and any other side you want to freeze. I absolutely love them.'

3. They're affordable

I've written before about my enthusiasm for Lego lunches, which rely on these modular-style freeze pods in order to create leftovers that are varied rather than boring.

Up until Lakeland released these Freeze Pods, the other alternatives on the market for this kind of food container were very pricey indeed. In the US the brand Souper Cubes (which you can buy in the UK via Amazon) is very popular, with its huge range of materials, sizes and colours and John Lewis has a range made in collaboration with chef Deliciously Ella too.

In my mind Lakeland's pods are your best bet if you prioritise affordability and quality, but I've listed some alternative shapes below in case they suit you better.

It might seem counterintuitive at first to splash out money on containers to help you meal prep, especially if your aim is to limit your spending on lunches and dinners, but I've found it's the right products that can make all the difference. Could you see the benefit of Freeze Pods for your kitchen?

Haven’t you heard? Lidl is launching a £14.99 ice cream maker, and it’s arriving right on time for the latest bout of hot weather set to hit the UK.

The best ice cream makers enable you to whip up delicious, cooling and even healthy ice-creams and sorbets from the comfort of your own kitchen. Back in December, a new generation of ice cream makers sparked by the now cult Ninja Creami and Slushi's popularity led kitchen experts to agree that ice cream makers were the ‘it’ appliance set to take over from air fryers.

While some ice-cream makers such as the Cuisinart Frost Fusion offer no pre-freezing, they are fairly pricey appliances. Even the Ninja Creami which requires you to freeze the ingredients 24 hours before will set you back £170 at Ninja. What Lidl is offering is an affordable introduction to the world of ice cream makers. Here’s everything you need to know.

At first glance, the Lidl Silvercrest Ice Cream Maker looks very similar to Lakeland’s digital ice cream maker, which is also one of the most affordable models on the market at £44.99. Landing in stores on Sunday (21 June) is arriving bang on time for the latest heatwave.

The Silvercrest Ice Cream Maker is a small, compact appliance, meaning it will not dominate space on your kitchen worktop. This is ideal for small kitchens, where space is limited, and chunkier appliances such as the cult Ninja Creami take up too much space.

The ice cream maker can make up to one litre of ice cream or sorbet, and comes with a small booklet of recipe suggestions to get you started. To use, simply pre-freeze the bowl, then add your desired ingredients through the opening in the lid. This can even be done when the machine is in use.

The beater and lid can be washed in the dishwasher, making clean up easy, and the ice cream container has practical handles for ease of use. Lidl has not listed the machine’s dimensions. Lakeland’s digital ice cream maker also has a one-litre capacity, and our review found the container took up a larger chunk of their freezer drawer, so you should bear this in mind.

To use the ice cream maker, you will need to pre-freeze the included bowl. Again, Lidl hasn’t stated online how long this process will take, but for similar models, this is around 12-hours.

While I haven’t tested Lidl’s ice-cream maker, based on the price, we can expect it to be a fairly basic model. However, I don't think this is a bad thing for those who want to try out an ice cream maker without spending a fortune.

If you are looking for a superior ice cream maker that has multiple functions here are three more models we’ve tried and tested.

An ice cream maker is a perfect summer appliance, helping to keep you cool and offer a sweet treat, too. Would you try Lidl’s or have you got your sights set on a higher-end appliance?