Russell Hobbs Travel Kettle

As avid tea drinkers, my mum and I bought a little travel kettle before going to stay in an apartment in Spain. We thought it would be easier than having to boil a pan of water every time we wanted a brew, we were not even sure that the apartment was equipped with pots and pans as it was a very cheap last minute deal! We were not particularly looking for a kettle but when we saw this Russell hobbs one for sale £9.99, we thought we may as well purchase it. It was cheap enough and we would be able to reuse it.

* Description*

The kettle takes 850ml which is enough for a good couple of cups. It is white and cheap looking with 1kW concealed element. There is a flappable lid and a filter at the top by the spout which is removable and washable. There is a lead with a UK plug on so you can hook it up to the mains, to turn the kettle on there is a switch at the side and a little light to indicate whether it is on or not. The downside to the mains lead is that it is permanently attached so you have to fold it up neatly for travel and it is also annoying when you want to fill it up as it gets in the way. It could be dangerous having an electric plug near a sink.
There are two plastic white cups and two spoons that fit neatly inside the kettle.
*So what is it like to use*
We were pretty excited about our first cup of tea in Spain and wanted to drink it on the Balcony. How very English. We took the cups out the kettle and set it up ready to go. We were using bottled water to fill the kettle up so did not have any problems filling it up. It is however, really hard to fill up from a tap as the mouth is really small and water ends up splashing everywhere.
The kettle is the perfect size though and enough water fits in for a good few cups. I was quite surprised at how quick it boils and it is really quiet when it does. The click of the indicator light and switch signals when the kettle is boiled and you can now pour the water into those oh so attractive cups.

*My experience*

I was expecting to dislike the kettle and have loads of problems. When I first boiled it, i was stood over it expecting it to take ages! The little thing looks cheap and rather incompetent but I was mildly surprised.
It is not a good looking trendy kettle but it is really useful. It is really handy to have cups and spoons and it saved us money, if we factored in how much we would have to pay cafe prices every time we wanted a cup of tea.
I've not really used the kettle since but I would bear it in mind for when I next went away. It is quite a handy little device to have. I've not seen many other travel kettles that come with cups and spoons, so you really don't have to worry about anything. We stored our tea bags and sugar wraps in the kettle while it was travelling in our case so we could keep everything together.

*Would I recommend it?*

Surprisingly I would! It did the job just fine, even if it looks like a 60's throw back.