Homes and Gardens

The Salter Kitchen Gift Set contains the digital tools -- scales, timer and thermometer -- needed to assist a cook to obtain consistent results

The Wilko milk pan will be appreciated by those who like hot milk on their breakfast cereal or a hot milky drink at bedtime.

Five a day is the mantra for ‘fruit and veg’ but then all the things you like do not count so not your potatoes even when they are steamed. However if you make your items up into a smoothie or drink they do count and this makes it easy.

It is time to give my home a good cleaning while checking out a Hoover vacuum cleaner.

How many entities share your bed? The answer might surprise you. Did you know that an average mattress can be home to 10 million dust mites? The reason why dust mites choose this type of habitat is that they thrive in the warm, moist environment engendered by such a location.

A few weeks ago I had a gas problem, when I realised it was going to take a while to fix I started to look around for other ways to keep warm in the mornings, at this time of year the afternoons are not a problem and nor are the evenings.

Spreading its audio net wide, Edifier’s latest speaker system can connect to a range of sources.

Having launched various cordless cameras Netgear now go the other way and attach a cord but instead of this being an Ethernet one it is a generous length USB one meaning it takes power from the cable – no batteries – and sends the signal it receives to your account.

The Oreck Magnesium RS is a lightweight 2-speed bagged upright vacuum cleaner for both carpets and hard floors. It is a robust design originally developed for hotel use.

I was invited to a world-wide launch of several products from Nest early last summer. I asked to review this item and was told two weeks despite numerous reminders nothing happened until I assume a new employee arrived now this is protecting me.

A very striking red colour is the first thing you notice when you take it from the box, the next thing is that there are just three items – that will only connect together one way – and as they click together you do not even require a screwdriver.

Following the release of its original Arlo™ home security camera system last year, NETGEAR has now produced the Arlo Q. This is a 1080p HD Security Camera that offers two-way audio features operating as an intercom.

Protect your home while you are away is something that many companies seem to be producing items for, some insurance companies even offer a reduction in your premium if the item selected meets their criteria. Here is a solution from Nest.

Well know for its range of home security products, Swann has released its SwannOne kit. This product is meant to provide the user with a range of security features that have been designed to protect your home whether you are present or absent for any reason.

I have to admit that I was totally unaware of the company Myfox until I was offered the opportunity to check out a couple of the company’s products.

I was sent this from France and to be honest my French is non-existent so I needed to wait for a translation before I could start seeing exactly what it could do to achieve – what we all want – to save some money from household bills.

Keeping your home protected from outside influences is the task of this next product. Unlike other offerings it takes a different approach to providing you with warnings.

This latest Dyson vacuum is both an upright and a handheld cleaner in one. It can perform this seemingly impossible task by having the motor and collection container at the top of the arm remote from the cleaning shoe(s).

This is one of a range of machines by Sage marketed under the Heston Blumenthal name. If you need to ask who he is then you have either being living on a remote island or have no interest in food beyond baked beans and sausages.

As its first foray into the field of Freeview Play, Humax has launched its FVP-4000T set-top box. This product has been developed to combine catch-up TV, on-demand services and live television in high definition resolution with a hard drive of either 500GB or 1TB capacities. This review is based on the 500GB version of the Humax FVR-4000T unit.

The latest PVR from Humax now comes with catch up TV for the times you forgot to set your PVR. It also has the ability to allow up to three channels to be recorded simultaneously. Read on for more details of this coffee themed recorder.

Aldous Huxley may have foreseen the Big Brother scenario but he does seem to have ignored the possibility of Little Brother. I am referring to the current trend of installing security devices within our homes to provide notifications of any unauthorised activity when you are away for any reason. One such device is Canary No this is not the yellow caged bird found in some households although both the company and its flagship product is named after the bird used by miners t

The Workzone Titanium+ drill & driver kit forms part of Aldi’s premium range of tools and accessories. It consists of the two most useful battery-powered power tools -- a hammer drill and an impact driver -- packed into a robust storage case so that everything is together when you want to use it.

Although misnamed as they generally sit below instead of on top of the television, set-top boxes have become a must have feature for the modern living room. With its flag firmly attached to the Good Ship Freesat, Humax has delivered numerous set-top boxes including its HDR-1100S model.

With the Salter Electric Soup Maker one can make a hot nourishing soup in about half an hour. Now that the days are getting colder it will make a useful addition to the kitchen for both the experienced or beginner cook.

As you get older you do not function properly in the morning without your first fix of coffee. If it requires little or no effort to make it so much the better. Here a small device that you’re only real input is to switch it on and insert a pod.

While most vacuums have the floor mastered, most people need to get them upstairs and of course also to vacuum the stairs themselves. The problems of the lead are often solved by an extension but the hose still needs a connection.

Nobody wants their Sunday joint burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. The Heston Blumenthal 5-in-1 digital thermometer from Salter is a useful tool in preventing that and similar problems in the kitchen. But that is not all it can do…

Developed by Smanos (a combination of Chuango Security Technology Corporation, Chuango Europe B.V. and Smanos Holdings), the WiFi Alarm System forms part of the company’s Smart Home System line up. This particular product has been designed to provide protection against unauthorised entry to your home via doors and windows.

With the perfusion of cookery programs on TV the things that comes through is accuracy, both in weight and timing/temperature so these two items can help with those things. First an accurate kitchen scale and second an oven temperature gauge.