On The Hob

March 22nd is Mothers Day and it’s never too early to start thinking what to get!  Whittards of Chelsea want to make your decision easier with a 20% off voucher.  Just use the discount code AMUM9 at there checkout.  Click here to shop at Whittards of Chelsea. Voucher valid until March 22nd (Mothers Day!)

Whittards of Chelsea are well known for their quality tea and coffee gifts.  What gift is better than a cup of tea?  It always comes with good conversation, and sometimes cake too!

Here are a few of our favourite Mothers Day gifts from Whittards of Chelsea.

Chelsea Garden fine bone china

The Chelsea Garden fine bone china set has a timeless design which will look perfect in any home, click here for more information and to buy

Victoria Chintz Tea for Two Gift Set

This fine bone china range embodies the elegance, tradition and ceremony of afternoon tea.  The Chatsford Strainer Teapot has been designed to make the preparation of loose leaf tea quicker and easier.  Click here for more information and to buy

Stovetop Espresso Set

Tea might not be well.. your cup of tea.  In which case why not try this stovetop espresso set, suitable for Gas, electric and ceramic hobs.  Click here for more information and to buy

De’Longhi has been a high profile Italian brand for more than 100 years, providing high quality, efficient, innovative and stylish products. Instantly recognisable, De’Longhi possesses a unique design quality that, when combined with De’Longhi’s technical expertise, creates products that truly stand alone.

De'Longhi Icona KBO3001.B Jug Kettle

Their new Icona Range is no exception to this.  The Icona Range comprises of Jug Kettles and toasters in a range of stunning colours.

The Kettle - The Kettle is a 3KW cordless kettle with a 1.7 litre capacity.  The Element is concealed allowing easy cleaning and rapid boiling, for when you can’t wait for a cup of tea.  Click here to shop the De’longhi  Icona Range

De'Longhi Icona CTO4003.R Toaster

The toaster has a retro design in the same colours as the Kettle.  Although a 4 slice toaster the slots can be operated in twos either to save energy or to brown the toast to different degrees.  It has all the features you would expect to find on a toaster – Reheat, Hi Rise and frozen.  It also has a slide out crumb tray for easy cleaning.  Click here to shop the Delonghi Icona Range

Michael Graves’ classic Alessi kettle first came to the boil in 1985 and features a stainless steel body with a bird shaped whistle at the end of the spout.  Its timeless design looks just as good in your kitchen now as it did 23 years ago. Suitable for gas, electric or ceramic hobs.

Michael Graves Alessi Kettle 9093 with Bird Whistle

Michael Graves’ highly personal and easy to recognise, formal style blends influences from various sources: the european tradition, art deco, american pop, with flashes of pre-colombian culture.

Height: 24.5cms

Diameter: 22.0cms.

Capacity: 2.0 litres

Polished steel with heat resistant PA handle

Click here to buy the 9093 Alessi Kettle with Bird Whistle

The Philips Senseo is a pod coffee machine.  It uses unique Douwe Egberts coffee pods (one per cup of coffee) that are specially designed for the Senseo machine you can have the perfect cup of coffee with the same great taste every time at the press of a button!  Also using pods contains the coffee grounds, making it easy to clean.

Phillips Senseo HD7814 Black

More than 10 years in development and market research, the patented Senseo coffee-brewing system automatically uses the right amount of water and ensures that the water passes through the Senseo coffee pods quickly and evenly, maximizing the flavour from the coffee bean.

The brewing process guarantees a perfect cup of fresh coffee within a minute every time. Delicious crema layer holds aroma and taste in each cup. Thanks to the wonderful brewing system that lets the water flow through the filter at the correct pressure and speed.

Product Features

• 1 cup, 2 cups or a mug of SENSEO coffee freshly brewed in under a minute
• Always the right balance between coffee and water
• Full smooth taste with delicious crema layer
• Simple to use and easy to clean.

Phillips Senseo Coffee Maker HD7814 in Black

Not every one’s favourite coffee is from an espresso machine in Starbucks.  In the home Cafetieres and Stovetop coffee makers are increasingly popular.  But what are they and which should you choose?

Cafetieres

A Cafetiere is a glass or plastic pot with a plunger on top.  The brand La Cafetière  is most popular but they are also known as a French Press coffee maker or just a coffee maker.

Cafetieres

To use a Cafetiere you take the lid and plunger off, spoon in your freshly ground coffee and then hot water from a kettle.  Put the lid on with the plunger up.  Then once you have allowed sufficient time push the plunger down to separate the coffee grounds from the coffee.

Cafetieres are simple to use and great when you have guests, they come in all sizes from one cup to 12 cups, so much quicker than making an espresso for every guest!

Click here to buy a Cafetiere coffee maker

Stovetops

Stovetop coffee makers are becoming increasingly popular.  As the name suggests these are coffee makers for use on the stove / on the hob.

Stovetop Espresso Makers

A stovetop coffee maker has three components.  The water reservoir at the bottom.  A funnel shaped filter in the middle and the jug top ontop.  To use the coffee maker fill the bottom section with water, and the filter with your ground coffee.  Then place on the hob.

As the water heats it will produce steam.  But with nowhere for the steam to go the pressure forces the water up the funnel and through to the ground coffee.  As the water combines with the ground coffee it expands the coffee effectively “self tamping” and means more pressure is required for the water to pass through the coffee.  This pressure means that the coffee produced is espresso rather than a standard coffee you would get from a Cafetiere.  As the last of the water passes through the coffee it makes a characteristic gurgling sound telling you the coffee is brewed and ready to drink.

The most popular range of Stovetops is the Moka range by Bialetti.  You can buy the stovetops in “cup sizes” from just a one cup all the way to a 18 cup.

Click here to buy Bialetti Moka Stovetops from Amazon UK

Still not sure about stovetops?  Take a look at this great YouTube video showing how simple it is to make the perfect espresso.

Click here to buy Bialetti Moka Stovetops from Amazon UK

The Dualit conical coffee grinder comes in professional-looking black and steel and has a bean capacity of 250g. Its one to ten portion control switch makes grinding more efficient if you want to make just one cup and it has a choice of settings, ranging from fine to coarse.

Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder 75002

Click to buy the Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder

What is a Burr coffee grinder and why should you buy one?

There are two main types of coffee grinders on the market.  Blade grinders and burr grinders.

Blade Grinders – These grinders use a spinning blade to cut coffee beans.  You control fineness by the length of time that the grinder is turned on.  The positives are that blade grinders are relatively inexpensive.  However because fineness is controlled by the time the machine is operating the ground coffee uneven in size resulting in an inconsistent brew.  Also the machine can get hot, if you are grinding beans finely this could give them a burnt flavour.

Burr Grinders – Burr Grinders crush rather than cut.  The fineness of the coffee is done by the closeness of the burr and therefore the coffee is ground at a conisitant size.

Click to buy the Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder

Click to buy coffee grinders from Amazon

A Bean-to-Cup machine is the ultimate coffee machine for people who are serious about coffee. The Bean-to-Cup system grinds a fresh portion of coffee beans for each cup via the built-in burr grinder – ensuring the ultimate fresh coffee experience every time – and all personal coffee preferences such as length, strength, and temperature can be tailored to suit every taste.

Every De’Longhi Bean-to-Cup machine features the single touch system – the ability to make fresh espresso and lungo at professional 15 Bar pressure at the touch of a button. The top of the range models include a De’Longhi patented single touch milk carafe that plugs into the front of the machine and froths fresh milk for cappuccino and latte, also at the touch of a button. In addition, the innovative milk carafe can be steam-cleaned at the touch of a button and can be removed and stored in the fridge, ready for the next coffee.

De'Longhi Prima Donna Bean to Cup Coffee Maker

Product Features

• Patented Autocappuccino System: get your perfect Cappuccino, the Italian Caffe latte and Latte Macchiato
• Personalising the coffee as often as you want has never been easier. Choose from short, medium or long, try a strong or extra mild aroma, enjoy it piping hot or at medium temperature
• The machine can be used with either coffee beans or ground coffee
• Integrated professional burr grinder
• Adjustable grinding
• Adjustable coffee quantity
• Adjustable water quantity
• Electronic temperature control
• Pre-brewing
• Adjustable coffee dispenser for varying cup sizes
• Automatic shut-off
• Removable water reservoir (1.8L)
• Water level indicator
• Rinse and decalcification auto-programmes
• Cup warmer
• Removable drip try

Click to buy the Delonghi Prima Donna Bean to Cup Coffee Maker

Dualit have a history of creating timeless designs, which put function first and their Dualit Jug Kettle is no exception.

Dualit Jug Kettle 72400

The kettle has a heatproof handle and a large heatproof ball knob with finger guard on the hinged lid. Features include a removable laser cut limescale filter and large water indicator on both sides. The axis rotary base enables the kettle to be placed back on the base from any angle.

Product Features

If you’re after a coffee machine this is a fantastic set.  Both a coffee machine and a aeroccino for the perfect milk to top off your coffee.  Note that this is a Nespresso coffee maker so will only use Nespresso coffee pods.  Though this has its advantages as the pod system is easy to use, clean (not coffee grounds everywhere) and produces a perfect cup every time.

Magimix Nespresso M100 Coffee Maker & Aeroccino

The Magimix Nespresso M100 espresso machine combines ease of use and advanced technology to deliver great results time after time. Impressive 19 bar pressure allows the perfect espresso everytime, while the stylish design of the unit makes it the perfect addition to any kitchen.

After your first taste, you will immediately appreciate the difference between an espresso and a filter coffee. Its flavour is stronger, its aromas more developed and its body thicker and more velvety. This is thanks to its unique method of preparation, which consists of passing water through finely ground coffee under high pressure and rapidly extracting the soluble substances. The quality of the results depends on various conditions: the measure of coffee, the pressure used, the water temperature, how finely ground the coffee is and the extraction time. Taking these conditions into account, using an award winning capsule system, Nespresso has created a process that allows you to prepare the perfect espresso.

The Magimix Nespresso M100 comes with a Aeroccino milk frother which can also be used to heat milk. Get perfect milk froth in just a few seconds. Maximum capacity: 75 ml (for milk froth preparation), 180 ml (for hot milk preparation). Diameter: 9 cm, height: 14.5 cm. Mains operated.

Product Details

Click to Buy the Magimix Nespresso M100 Coffee Maker & Aeroccino

Click to Buy the Magimix Nespresso M100 Coffee Maker & Aeroccino

This Hot chocolate Gift set by La Cafetiere would make a perfect Christmas present.  How does it work? Place your chocolatiere pot down on a steady surface, and hold the lid with one hand, you then raise the knob and “pump” the plunger up and down – this generates froth. This action of plunging up and down also generates air bubbles, that then combines with the milk and chocolate. This increases the volume of the liquid making the end product a superbly rich, creamy, frothy chocolate drink. For chocolate lovers everywhere, a really fun way to make the best cup of hot chocolate you will ever taste.

La Cafetiere Chocolatiere Hot Chocolate Gift Set, Funky Design

Gift Set Contents

Click to buy the La Cafetiere Chocolatiere Hot Chocolate Gift Set