My children are quite fussy and know what they like, it's often not that they don't like things it's just they haven't tried them, so recently I have been bombarding them with children's cookery programmes and foody magazines in an attempt to coax them in to trying new things. One of the things that they wouldn't ever try was toasty's. I couldn't get my head around why they wouldn't try it when they love cheese and they love toast, but in the end I managed to convince them to try one. Great, now just the problem of not having a toasty maker! In a mad rush to Tesco before they changed their minds, I wanted something that would provide a decent toasty but be fairly cheap on the off chance they didn't like them. The big Tesco near me (ridiculously there are 3 within around a 4 mile radius) was the obvious choice to head to and I was delighted to see they had one of their own basic toasty makers for the amazing price of £4.65. I had previously used some of their basic electrical range (such as the iron when mine blew, mid uniform blitz) and was more than happy with it for the price, so I instantly picked it up and raced home.

To look at, as you would expect, the toasty maker is very basic, and will definitely live in a drawer! Made with white plastic, it's just simply a sandwich maker. I had one years ago when I was single, which was randomly shaped like a cow which was quite cool, but no, this one is white, and plastic! It has handles at the front of the machine which clip together to provide a nice safety function (not that I would allow my children to use this item, as much as they wanted to help, the temperatures are just too high). It's good to go straight away, I just gave the inside a quick wipe with a wet cloth, and didn't have any need for the instruction manual which comes with it. As the name of the range gives a clue, this is a basic range so not full of functions and buttons, 'on' is about your lot!

To use it is so straight forward, you simply plug it in and a red light will flash to indicate the appliance is heating up. This does seem to take quite a while, but I use this as an opportunity to make the sandwiches that will go inside. Usually by the time I have prepared them the green light is lit indicating it is ready for use. I'm not sure if you are meant to, but I always butter the outside of the bread (a bit like making a back to front sandwich) so that this is the side of the bread that gets toasted. It adds flavour and sends it a lovely golden colour, and they always seem so much nicer done this way. We are quite boring in our house and usually opt for cheese or cheese and onion toasties, although the occasional tuna melt with red peppers and onions does make its way into the toasty maker every now and then. It only takes a few minutes to prepare the sandwich inside the appliance, but this will vary depending on preference, I like mine quite soft just about when the bread has seared together but the cheese is stringy and has only just melted. Yum. My husband likes his in for ages though and likes his really crispy, so this will completely vary. You can check on the progress of the toasty by simply unclipping and lifting the lid, if it's not quite how you like it, you can soon shut the lid again.

The sandwiches once cooked are easy to remove, as the hot plate is non stick and I'm pleased to say it actually is too, I use a fish slice or a knife to remove the sandwiches as the heat is extremely hot, and not worth risking burnt fingers. As a family of four, I have to make two lots, but usually cram in two sandwiches on each use. It does fit two sandwiches in but literally only just. When I know that I am going to be making toasties for lunch, I usually buy bread which is smaller, the Danish milk breads seem to fit in easier than say a slice of Hovis. After use it is also easy to clean, but you do need to leave it to cool down first. During the cooling process, I usually try and remove any melted cheese before it hardens but this isn't essential as it does come off easily even if hard.

For the price you simply cannot go wrong. I can't see what else a sandwich maker could offer you apart from appearances, and I would say it's not an everyday appliance anyway and more likely not one that is going to be visible on a counter day in day out, so why pay a fortune for something that lives in a cupboard and only has one function. I absolutely love my kitchen gadgets and usually opt for high end models to look sleek in my kitchen but this little kitchen whizz is the absolute exception. A fiver? It simply can't be beaten.

Comes with a 12 month guarantee.