Our writers

Owen spent six years managing a café before he started writing about the machines behind the counter. He keeps a spreadsheet of what every coffee machine costs per cup, including the beans, the descaler and the milk you pour down the sink.

• Best bean-to-cup coffee machines

Harriet covers the appliances that show up on your energy bill. She works out running costs from the wattage on the plate and the current price cap, so a reader can see the cost per hour before they buy.

• Best heated clothes airers

Beth has written about beds, bedding and sleep for nine years. She reads the returns policy before the product page, because a 100-night trial is worth more than a fancy foam name.

• Best heated throws
• Best mattress toppers

Jessica trained as a pastry cook and still bakes most weekends. She judges cookware and mixers on how long they last and what the warranty actually covers, not on the colour options.

• Best Dutch ovens
• Best stand mixers

Daniel flies about forty times a year for work. He measures every carry-on against the airline sizers that really get used at the gate, and he reads the warranty small print so you don't have to.

• Best carry-on luggage

Anna worked on a department-store beauty counter for nine years, so she has heard every promise a box can make. She costs skin gadgets per use, and she reads the returns page before the product page.

Tom spent eleven years on the trade counter of a motor factors before he started writing about car kit. He has fitted more dash cams than he can count, and he prices every one with the rear camera, the wiring kit and the SD card added, because that is what you actually pay.

• Best dash cam UK 2026