Peter Morrell is amazed by the innovative products at the Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical shows held recently at the Business Design Centre in Islington

In mid June I went along to the combined Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical shows to see what was new in the world of products for food preparation, cooking and serving. I’ve recently had a new state of the art kitchen installed with induction hob and steam oven and now want to bring all my other cooking equipment up to the same standard. This show was ideal as all the latest trends had been brought together in under one roof.

Interestingly a number of new innovations have been driven by concerns about health and the environment. Here in no particular order are some of the highlights.

Reusable coffee cups are all the rage but carrying them around all day can be a pain. The solution is the collapsible Stojo cup from Auteur which compresses into a thin disk, complete with ring to stop you burning your hand.

The Beam Group distribute a number of table grills, think raclette for example, included in their range is a very elegant stainless steel teppanyaki grill for sociable and fun dinner parties.

Scott’s Simplissimo is a must have piece of equipment, a cook/blender is the pro chef’s favourite kitchen gadget. It makes stunning soups and sauces and has an attractive price point of £159.

Smart have got a whole range of fun products that that will keep you and the kids amused for hours. There’s a popcorn machine, candy floss generation, chocolate fountain and even a samosa maker.

Ice Bag Design have got a distinctive portable wine cooler, great for picnics and days out.

Microplane had a large stand featuring a wide selection of graters, slicers and zesters.

The Doulton Taste water filtering bottle claims to filter even the smallest of plastic particles, chlorine and chemicals from water and it works. I tried the filtered water then water from the tap, there is a huge difference.

Both Bodum and Aladdin have got attractive reusable mugs that are insulated so you can take your morning coffee to work and it will remain hot.

The well respected Curver have got a handy ‘To Go’ multi-compartment lunch kit and Pyrex were exhibiting some stylish oven ware.

The very healthy air fryers were in evidence giving you all the advantages of crispy food without eating lots or fat or oil. Tower has a number of good models.

One thing that needed replacing immediately in my kitchen were the saucepans which were not induction compatible. I chose a set made by Stellar and have been very pleased with them, on display were other Stellar products that I will buy over time.

These were two excellent shows that highlight just how advanced food preparation and cooking technology has progressed.

Watch out for next year’s shows when I expect technology will have moved on even further

https://www.exclusivelyshows.co.uk/shows/exclusively-housewares
https://www.exclusivelyshows.co.uk/shows/exclusively-electrical