Whether your kitchen is due an upgrade or you just fancy a bit of a change this year, a brand-new kettle and toaster could be just the thing to spruce up your worktop.
With a huge range of different designs and colours to choose from, you’ll be spoiled for choice regardless of your kitchen style.
Sadly, it’s not all about looks, though. You should also consider performance before splashing the cash on a designer kettle and its matching toaster. In our tests, there were very few sets where both the kettle and toaster came out as Best Buys.
We’ve rounded up some of our most recently tested sets to suit a range of kitchens below, as well as some hints and tips for when you’re ready to make your purchase.
If you want to narrow down your options, you can filter both our kettle reviews and toaster reviews by overall score and price.
Art Deco kitchen: Tower Midnight Blue kettle and toaster, £55
This stylish matching set is available in midnight blue, black or grey and would suit any 1920s-inspired kitchen. Both the kettle and toaster have sleek bronze accents, and a geometric zig-zag design that’s sure to make them stand out on your worktop.
The kettle can hold up to 1.7 litres of water, or enough to make seven cups of tea in a single fill, and the two-slot toaster has seven different browning settings to choose from.
Each appliance usually retails at around £30, but the kettle is currently on offer at Amazon, so the full set will only set you back £55.
Can this bargain set really compete with its big brand rivals? Check out our Tower Midnight Blue kettle review and Tower Midnight Blue toaster review to find out.
Monochrome kitchen: Morphy Richards Illumination kettle and toaster, £100
If you’re going for an understated look, this kettle and toaster set could be just what you’re looking for: it’s available in matte black, white or stainless steel. The blue lights around the base of the kettle and toaster light up during use.
The 1.7-litre kettle is big enough that you’ll be able to make seven hot drinks at a time. The four-slot toaster has variable browning controls as well as frozen and reheat settings, too.
It usually costs around £100 for the set, with each gadget coming in at £50. Morphy Richards does have a winter sale on at the moment, though, so if you’re quick you can get 20% off the pair.
Take a look at our Morphy Richards Illumination kettle review and Morphy Richards Illumination toaster review to see how these models performed in our rigorous lab tests.
Country kitchen: Russell Hobbs Emma Bridgewater Pink Hearts kettle and toaster, £160
Emma Bridgewater’s hand-painted ceramics have become somewhat of a staple in cosy country-style kitchens, and this cutesy kettle and toaster are no different. Covered in pink and red hearts, the set also has matching cutlery, crockery and a teapot you can buy, if colour coordination is your thing.
The toaster is available as a two-slice or four-slice, and each version has six variable browning functions. You can boil 1.7 litres of water at a time (enough for seven people) in the traditional-style kettle and it comes with a two-year warranty in case anything goes wrong.
This set is a little on the pricey side, with the kettle and four-slice toaster costing £80 each. The two-slice toaster is a little cheaper at £70, but with just a tenner in it, the four-slice model is better value.
Find out whether this eye-catching set will also get breakfast on the table in a flash by reading our Russell Hobbs Emma Bridgewater Pink Hearts kettle review and Russell Hobbs Emma Bridgewater Pink Hearts toaster review.
Retro kitchen: Haden Highclere kettle and toaster, £90
It’s no secret that vintage-inspired decor has been back in fashion for a while now, and this cream retro kettle and toaster by Haden is a fine example of it. They’re also available in a matte turquoise if you like to be a little more daring with your colour palette.
The kettle can hold up to 1.5 litres of water, which is a touch smaller than average, but still means you can make drinks for up to six people at the same time. The matching four-slice toaster has six different settings for various levels of brownness, and you can operate each slot independently, too.
The price of this matching set is £90, so although it isn’t the cheapest we’ve seen, it won’t break the bank, either. Buying the kettle or toaster on their own will set you back £45 each.
Do these vintage-style gadgets perform to modern-day standards? Take a look at our Haden Highclere kettle review and Haden Highclere toaster review to find out.
Modern kitchen: DeLonghi Scolpito kettle and toaster, £200
If you’re a lover of modern designs and are willing to splash the cash if you find the perfect fit, the DeLonghi Scolpito kettle and toaster might catch your eye. They’re available in black, beige and blue, each with stylish chrome accents and a distinctive ridged body.
The kettle can boil up to 1.5 litres of water at a time, enough for around six cups, but you can also just boil enough for a single cup to save energy. You can choose from several browning functions on the toaster as well as a specific bagel setting that will keep your bagel nice and soft on the inside.
At £200 for the set, it’s one of the most expensive we’ve ever tested, though. It does occasionally drop in price, but we’ve never seen either gadget go lower than around £80.
Is this set really worth the hefty price? Check our DeLonghi Scolpito kettle review and DeLonghi Scolpito toaster review.
Are matching kettle and toaster sets better value?
You may think that buying a matching kettle and toaster is the quickest, cheapest option, but unfortunately that is very rarely the case. The majority of manufacturers will charge you full price for both gadgets even if you purchase them together, so there’s no real benefit in buying the matching set, other than aesthetics.
Our tests have also shown that just because a kettle and toaster are made by the same company, it doesn’t guarantee they will both perform well. In fact, the majority of matching sets we see in our labs fail to make the grade – often one appliance is better than the other, or sometimes they’re both duds.
The only way of knowing for sure that you’re getting your hands on a great kettle and toaster is to read our kettle reviews and toaster reviews before you part with your cash.
Still in need of some kitchen inspiration? Take a look at our guide on how to get a dream kitchen within your renovation budget
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/01/matching-kettle-and-toaster-sets-to-inspire-your-kitchen-renovation/