I never thought it'd matter that my toaster and kettle coordinate. Perhaps this is what getting old feels like. Kitted out in a rather dashing shade of cyan blue that complements the matching range of kettles, and boasting more buttons than I'd ever thought necessary to toast bread, this is a stylish - if not streamlined - bit of kitchen kit.

At around £40, it's not super-cheap. Performance-wise, I've only good things to say about it, although I've never really had a toaster that hasn't done its job well enough. There aren't that many ways to mess up applying heat to bread.

So I guess it's the style and design that justifies the £30 or so that separates this model from your entry-level variety; whether it's worth it is I guess really just a question of aesthetic preference. Personally, I think it looks great, and like its sibling kettle, it fits into a range of kitchens (visually, at least - this is one of the bulkier toasters out there).

I love the fusion of modern materials and stylings with a variety of retro touches; although it's a bright, clean-cut model that's thoroughly up-to-date, there's something of the traditional in the chrome dials, buttons and levers. This isn't stripped-down, minimalistic elegance, but something busier and more fun - it's almost a bit steampunky in its combinations of the old and new.

In all honesty, I've had the toaster for about six months now and I still don't know what some of the buttons do - I'm not really an advanced toast-maker. But what I use it for, it does well. There are four toasting slots, and happily they're BIG. No more trying to shoehorn in a slightly-larger-than-average slice of bread. You can drop great whacking doorstops in here and still have room to spare. This I like. The lever mechanism lowers and sets the bread toasting, the dial sets the ferocity of the finish and one of the buttons above pops out the toast. All of these things work happily and smoothly, and there's a handy crumb-tray for cleaning out your beloved gadget.

All in all, it's a winner. It looks good and works well - basically, it's the ideal solution to all your home-based bread-warming needs.