Tag Archives: Kitchen Appliance

Argos Testers Review of the Breville VBL248 Blend Active Personal Blender in Pink

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Hello! I’m Sabrina! And I am an Argos Tester, this means that I often get items sent to me for the purpose of an online review. I thoroughly test products and take photographs of them before submitting my findings and honest thoughts over to Argos. This latest campaign was to test a brand new Breville Blender and I jumped at the chance to do so, mainly because I hadn’t replaced an old blender when it broke around three years ago.

#ArgosTester #ArgosTesters #ArgosTestersCommunity


I have written this article about a product that I have been supplied for free, in order to test and then review it. This is my experience with said product and it is my honest review about the product listed below. I have already submitted my review to the Argos Website, and it has been accepted on to live public view when this blog post has been published. Please see my review on this screengrab below from the Argos website. All words and photography below this screengrab are my own.

Product Name: Breville VBL248 Blend Active Personal Blender in Pink (also available in Green)
Product Price: £23.00
Product Link: Argos Website

Product Information: Two 600ml Plastic Bottles BPA Free. Two Super-Seal Leak Preventing Lids with Carry Straps. 350W Blender Unit. Stainless Steel Bladed Bottle Base (Screw on Top), Blades Suitable to Crush Ice and Frozen Fruit. Only Suitable for Cold Liquids and Food Stuffs. One Touch Easy Blending. Bottles are Marked with ml for Ease of Use. Base Unit also available in Green. 0.6 Litre Capacity. Base requires Mains Electricity Supply.

Description from Argos:

Enjoy smoothies, juices, protein shakes and more on the go with the Breville Blend Active. This single-serve blender features a powerful 350W motor that smoothly blends frozen berries and ice with juice and other liquids. The blending occurs in the top of the bottle so nothing gathers in the base, while the one-touch action delivers perfect results in seconds; ideal for busy weekday mornings before you head out to work, school or the gym.

Make healthy, delicious smoothies, frozen juices, protein drinks and more.

One-touch blending action delivers perfect results in seconds; a quick and easy way to your 5-a-day.

My Honest Opinion

I have really enjoyed testing this gadget, and as someone who eats a lot of fruit anyway, it was nice to consume my five a day in a different way for a change. I enjoyed coming up with various smoothies and shakes over the several days of testing this product. I only had one minor issue with it and that was the electric cable from the base unit was a little short, but that’s also my bugbear due to the fact I don’t have many plugs in my kitchen as is. So I have since rearranged my counter top now so that my Blend Active can remain at easy reach. I did my first go on the top of my oven hob which wasn’t going to be practical, so I moved things around. I have used the Breville Active every day so far since I received it. It wasn’t as noisy as I thought it might be, and it was so quick to set up and easy to use too.

The bottles are really nice to hold, and the ml on the sides allows for ease of preparation of the smoothie and also tells you how much you’ve created and drank respectively. You could divide one full smoothie of 600ml into three 200ml glasses and give them to your children in a morning. Or you may wish to consume the entire bottle yourself at home or on the go, the decision is totally up to you.

Due to getting a limited word count when I submit my Argos Review I always like to elaborate some more on my blog. So to answer some of the questions other people have had online; yes the device is only mains powered so you will need access to a plug in order to use it. The blending button needs to be held down in order to blend or to pulse your chosen ingredients, however it also doesn’t take very long at all to blend those items, I think the longest that I did one smoothie (with Vegetables in) was for around 45-50 seconds. Usually 30 seconds was plenty enough time for the fruit I was using to become smooth. If you don’t like fruit seeds you could strain your smoothie through a sieve, into a jug and then pour it back into your (rinsed bottle or spare second) bottle, however it is convenient to simply smoothie up and drink. Finally yes it is going to have some noise to it being a mechanical device, but I have a mini food processor half the size and that is way louder than this Breville blender, so overall the noise for me wasn’t an issue, plus if you’re only making noise for a single minute tops, it’s not going to disrupt the neighbours is it.

Overall I would like to rate the Breville Blend Active 5 stars.

Performance 5✩
Features 5✩
Noise 4✩
Design 5✩
Additional 5✩

Performance is excellent and the quality of the end result is consistently very good.
Features are great such as the leak proof lids and the ml on ergonomic large bottles.
Noise is very good for a loud gadget, it’s not quiet but it’s speed makes up for the noise.
Design is great, a compact base unit and everything fits so well with arrow indicators to help.
Additional star is for BPA Free Plastic and the Recipes in the Booklet to get you started.

Thank you for reading this review, I hope you have enjoyed it. You can purchase this product or read more about it by looking online from Argos, I have left the link in the product description above.

If you have any questions about this Personal Breville Blender then please leave me a comment below or on my social media posts and I will do my best to answer with the knowledge I have gained from reviewing this product.

Don’t forget to check out my social media to see this in action too!

Thank you.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Argos Tester Review of the Haden Highclere 4 Slice Toaster

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I am very fortunate to be an Argos Tester, this means that I often get items sent to me for the purpose of a review. This month I was offered an item that I jumped at a chance to own. It is a beautiful 4 Slice Toaster made by the UK based brand Haden.

#ArgosTester #ArgosTesters #ArgosTestersCommunity

This post has been written by myself about a product that I have been supplied for free, in order to test and then review it. This is my experience with said product and my honest review about the product that is listed below. I have already submitted my product review to the Argos Website when this post has been published.


The Haden Highclere Toaster is a great example of British Quality. It has been manufactured to a high standard with clean lines and a beautiful steel look to compliment the metal elements of a toaster. The addition of the Cream colour casing makes it a perfect appliance to slot into any kitchen. It is also available in a pale cyan blue colour but from Haden direct at the moment.

This fantastic 4 slice toaster has wider slots than most other brands meaning it’s perfect if you love a tasty fat crumpet or a tasty thick wedge of toast. Your products won’t get stuck when popping up out of this well designed appliance. I love how it has smooth rounded edges; everything I have had previously is very square. I think it’s a rather feminine looking Toaster, and I really like that about it. The whole piece is beautiful with the steel having reflection of the area surrounding the toaster. I have the cream version and it compliments it very well.

I am most impressed by the look of the piece and the width of the toasting slots. Now I can enjoy tasty crumpets without waiting for them to get stuck! And it goes well in my kitchen because of its very stylish design. Cream goes with everything doesn’t it? The toaster doesn’t take up loads of room on your counter top either, which is great news, so you get the wide toasting slots and a compact design. What more could you want? I know I am extremely satisfied with this product and I will always enjoy using it.

Product Name: Haden 197252 Highclere Toaster 4 Slice – Cream
Product Information: 4 Slice Toaster, Available in Cream or Blue, Haden was Established in England in 1958. This Toaster has two removable Crumb Trays, Reheat and Defrost Settings, Cancel and 6 Browning Settings.
Product Price: £44.99 (Correct as of 30th August 2020)
Product Link: Argos Website


Argos Tester Submission

The Haden Toaster is beautiful, I love that its rounded design has some great features. With wider toasting slots it means my crumpets never get stuck now! I like the easy functionality of it with Reheat & Defrost buttons. Overall it’s a Toaster that will go beautifully in any kitchen with its stylish metallic & cream finish. I found that toast was crisp & golden in no time. I’m really happy with the excellent quality of this Haden appliance and I hope it lasts me a very long time.

My Favourite Aspects of the Product

✩ Wide Toasting Slots
✩ Superb Manufacturing Quality
✩ Sleek and Smooth Design with Curved Sides

✩✩✩

If you have any questions about this product and you would like to ask me about it then please do! Either leave me a comment or ask me on one of my social media posts, and I would be happy to help you out.

Have a great bank holiday weekend!
And thanks for visiting my blog Severn Wishes today.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Argos Tester Review of the George Foreman Fit Grill. A Great Grill Ideal For A Small Kitchen.

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I am very fortunate to be an Argos Tester, this means that I often get items sent to me for the purpose of a review. This month I was offered an item that I jumped at a chance to own. It is a very useful kitchen appliance and a new version of the well known brand that most people have heard of, George Foreman.

This post has been written by myself about a product that I have been supplied in order to review it and test it. This is my experience and honest review about the product listed below. I have already submitted my product review to the Argos Website when this post has been published.

Product Name: George Foreman ¦ Fit Grill ¦ Small

Product Description: Whether you are short on time to cook or short on space in your kitchen, this speedy to heat up Fit Grill can help you to cook up your favourites, without them sticking thanks to the non-stick coated plates! It has a slim space saving design too!

Product Details: All in one Electric Grill with solid plates. Wipe clean only (non removable) and features a tilting base and a hinged lid for ease of cooking and cleaning. Can be stored flat or along one side.

Product Information: The Worlds No.1 Electric Grill Brand. 30% Space Saving on the previous grills of this type and size. It heats up 160% faster than its previous models and is also two times easier to clean.

Product Link: Argos Website

(Please be aware that when I submitted my Review of this product this brand new type of Grill was not yet available, some Argos stores were still selling the old version. This one shown in my images is the brand new type of Small “Fit” Grill and will be widely available very soon).

My Review was done during the first week of July 2020.

My Product Review

My latest review is a kitchen appliance one. I was excited to try the brand new George Foreman Fit Grill. With only a small kitchen I chose the small version of the grill, because I want to be able to use it regularly even after my Review is complete. It doesn’t take up much room at all and this new version is slimmer than the previous version, easier to store away in a cupboard between uses.

What is Inside the Box?

George Foreman Fit Grill – Small (Power Cable Attached)
Plastic Drip Tray
Instruction Manual and Recipes Book

How to Use and Maintain this Grill?

This Grill is firmly attached to all its main parts except for the washable Drip Tray. Everything else needs to be kept away from water and other heat sources. Your Grill does not have detachable plates and therefore needs to be wiped clean after every use. You can adjust the grill using the feet situated beneath it, do this before you start cooking. This is so that fat and juices from your food run down and into the drip tray, which you slide underneath the front end of the Grill. I used a damp cloth to clean mine.

My Experience using the Grill

It isn’t often that I would grill in the way you would do on a BBQ for example, I would usually do burgers and sausages in my oven. But when I opened the manual of this George Foreman I was surprised to find out just how many items you can safely cook on this awesome little grill.

From your usual meats and meat free alternatives like Chicken Breasts, various types of Burgers, various types of Sausages, Steaks, Bacon Rashers and Pork Chops! The George Foreman Fit Grill also allows you to cook things like halved Peppers, Whole Flat Mushrooms and Sandwiches. Other items you can cook include Fish, Asparagus, Haloumi and Lamb Chops. Almost anything goes so long as you follow the cooking guidelines for your food.

I was eager to try the cooking of these products out for myself and so I began with meats and went on from there. Of course because the Grill was new I needed to gently and carefully wipe the plates inside it with warm water and dry with a nonabrasive cloth afterwards. Once clean I plugged it in and let it heat up. It is a very simple appliance to use.

I was impressed with how quick the grill heated up to the optimum temperature. The thermostat light is Green and is situated on the top and lid of the grill informs you that it is ready to use when the light goes out. They recommend always wearing an oven glove or mitten around your hand which you use to open up the grill, and using tongs in order to place your food down on the plates. This is because the whole appliance gets very hot and it is better to be cautious. You should also use tongs and nothing that is metallic so you don’t scratch and damage the grill plates.

There are handy cooking times and food safety practices inside the instruction manual which was great to know, and also a few recipes to get your started. The guide is just that, a guide, and you should always look at the packaging your food comes in and compare it with the George Foreman manual times.

I can see me using this Grill regularly; I have so far cooked Beef Burgers, Pork Chops, Bacon Rashers, Onions and Peppers on it. I have to say that all of which cooked well, some quicker than if I had used my oven, and they tasted good too. You do need to be in attendance with a grill like this, you cannot leave the room. What I did was prepare other aspects of my meal while keeping an eye on the meat. Because they don’t take very long, you also might need to flip them over half way into the cooking, plus don’t forget the drip tray! Just in case it was getting a bit full up of fat.

Overall I’m very happy that I chose to Review this George Foreman Fit Grill. It is slim and compact which is ideal for single people or those with a small kitchen. The plates are fast reacting and it heats up in no time ready for use. It is also easy to clean and maintain so long as you deal with it soon after cooking your food. I managed to fit two burgers and two chops side by side, so there is more than enough room on the plates to cook food for two people if you wished to.

My Argos Tester Review Piece for the Website

This grill is excellent for those who want a healthier way to cook food fast. It is a slim & compact appliance that heats up in no time. It has more than enough space on its plates to cook two burgers or small steaks at a time. Easy to clean & maintain & with adjustable features like its hinge & the angle of cooking. It is versatile with what you can grill & for most things is faster than using a preheated oven. I look forward to experimenting & grilling a variety of foods in the future.

Thank you for reading this review piece today. If you have any questions about this product leave me a comment and I will answer them if I can. If you are interested in this item please click the link above that I gave in the Product Description, they will take you directly to the Argos website.

Have a great day!

✩ Sabrina ✩