With this rather good summer we're having please may it continue) I decided to get our JLL out of it's box in the utility room to make some fresh vegetable juices,. fruit juices & smoothies.

I bought this machine about 10 years ago for around £75 on eBay which was a great deal considering it was boxed & brand new. At first I used it all the time but, as with several other kitchen items I've bought over the years, it ended up not being used due to the space it took up on my worktop. However, since using it again,I may well reorganise our large kitchen so I can use it more regularly.

The machine is about the same size as a large food processor - 15" x 13" x7.25" & is basically white with silver chrome edges. I wouldn't say it's the most attractive thing in our kitchen & it doesn't match any of our other appliances but, as far as juicers go, it's a great machine.

Once the (good, clear) illustrations are followed the juicer is easy enough to put together - the motor, filter, chute & pulp container click neatly together & are held in place by a substantial stainless steel safety bar. The It's also easy to release the parts for hand or dishwashing - much easier & less time-consuming to machine wash but not bad to clean by hand.

The juicer is the most powerful I've ever used, at 3200rpm it seems to make light, but rather noisy job, of juicing fresh fruit & vegetables.

I had a good browse through the ideas & recipe book provided. I was surprised (but obviously it makes sense if you think about it) that you shouldn't use bananas & learned a good deal about which fruits contain the most vitamin C, which vegetables contain the most iron etc. It's also worth reading what works/ what doesn't in the way of flavours before you start throwing anything & everything down the chute!

There's not a great deal of preparation needed; basically you just need to make sure all stones are removed & the pieces fit comfortably into the shute. Away you go - shove the plunger in, switch on & await your fresh juice to appear from the spout at the front.

Unfortunately the spout isn't a brilliant design in my opinion as it lies too flat against the front so can drip as there's no spout stop tap.

The other downside is the weight of the juicer because I reckon it's about 15 pounds which may not suit everyone if you need to keep putting it back & lifting out of a cupboard. If you have the space it's great to have out if you love your juice & it has good strong rubber feet which will help protect the surface of a shelf/ unit.

The JJL certainly gives a great juice & you certainly seem to get the most out of any fresh fruit/veg whilst the pulp?waste is collected in a separate container. This can be discarded or used on the compost heap although I'm sure Kim & Aggie would have some great ideas for using orange/ lemon pulp!

So, on reflection, I'd say that if you love your juices & want to make the most out of seasonal fruit & vegetables whilst getting 5+ a day plus saving some money, then I'd recommend this juicer if you have the space.

I'm pretty sure the model I own has been updated (probably several times!) so it's possible the design of the spout has been changed for the better - worth checking before buying?

I'd also like to add the JLL also sell accessory packs to go with theirr machines but these are expensive & I'm not sure they are value for money as you may already have some of these items in your kitchen cupboard.