We are notoriously picky when it comes to kitchen appliances. It once took us several months to - finally - choose a microwave, an appliance that now lives behind a cupboard door. The normal drill is that we research, send 'what about this one?' emails back and forth to each other, read endless reviews on the internet before finally making a decision, by which time the item in question is often sold out, or possibly even discontinued.
Choosing our current kettle was a similarly protracted process and we pushed the boat out, buying a Magimix brushed chrome kettle. In stark contrast to the intensive purchasing procedure, once bought we are terribly slack when it comes to maintenance. As a result, the Magimix has met a scaley demise. RIP old friend.
So it's back to square one and we're on the hunt for a new kettle. Here are my favourites:
1. Bistro kettle in red, Bodum £38.95 (John Lewis)
2. Stove-top kettle, PicquotWare £139.95 (Picquot)
3. Sottsass kettle in pale yellow, Bodum £discontinued! Tsk.
4. Vintage Copco stove-top kettle, £various (similar available on Etsy)
5. Ibis kettle in hot pink, Bodum £19.95 (John Lewis)
6. Hot It kettle, Alessi £85 (John Lewis)
The stove top kettles are beautiful and I've always loved Picquot but £139 is far too steep. I'm impressed with the Alessi Hot It, mainly as it's such a restrained design. But again, pricey. So it'll probably be a Bodum - cheerful and bright, the only question now is which colour to choose.