Buying a toaster should really require no more basic functions that cooking bread from its bought state to that of being toasted. While this is very true, there are certain elements involved with using a toaster that make it nice to want to make toast, and this relies on the toaster being 'user friendly' as opposed to just a basic contraption.

Tesco Value products usually have a relatively hit or miss success rate with me, and I suspect the same is the case with most people. At £5 or thereabouts, I think you have to expect less than great things from this toaster offering, with the main requirement being that it's going to make your toast for you.

Luckily, it does just that. Sure, it's not perfect, but its very basic functionality does allow for toast to emerge from the two slots on the top with relative success. It has an adjustable dial that amends your toasting time, so you can choose just how toasted you want it, and this does work in terms of adjusting how long the bread is in there for.

The interior design is kind of hard to gauge, but I'm not altogether convinced about the all round cooking temperature. I rarely get toast that's cooked the same all the way round, and it's quite often heavily in favour of the bottom. You have to be careful about checking to see if it's done by looking at the top of the toast that occasionally protrudes from the top: this is the area that will be least toasted, so if this looks nearly done, the chances are that my toast will be on the verge of being burnt at the bottom.

This is somewhat annoying, and as I just mentioned, the bread sometimes protrudes from the top of the toaster, depending on which bread you buy. Perhaps this is meant as a kind of package deal, as I find Tesco Value Bread fits in there perfectly well, and the medium sliced bread toasts quite nicely. However, we usually buy Hovis or Warburtons or something like that, which seems oversized for the toaster.

We have no problem with thin, medium or thick sliced bread, although the thick sometimes seems a bit of a squash in there. There is also a crumb tray at the bottom, which I was surprised to find. You'd expect a cheap, value brand toaster to need you to turn the thing upside down in order to get the crumbs out, but this one actually lets you take it out of the bottom. I will say on this note, though, that not all of the crumbs get through down to the bottom, and turning it upside down from time to time does help to get rid of all the crumbs that may be stuck halfway up. However, I do find this with most toasters, so this is not necessarily an issue that this toaster has on its own.

The design is typical Tesco Value. Plain white, vague curves, and with basic handles and buttons. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing kitchen appliance, and to be honest it sticks out like a sore thumb. We do now have a sleek, silver, four berth toaster that virtually sings and dances, so we tend to use this more than the Value toaster. However, as a backup toaster, and at £5, it's worth having. It won't cost you a lot, and ultimately it makes you toast, albeit somewhat more at the bottom than at the top. Decent toaster, but not the best.