On average I will boil the kettle in my house approximately six times a day. That's a great deal of electricity being used - and that means quite a dent on the environment - 2190 boiling kettles in a year.

In the constant quest for being more eco-friendly in all areas of my life I have also learnt that practicalities are crucial. If it's fidgety or time consuming no matter how good the idea in principle, the application of any gadget goes right out the window.

So it was with some interest that I unboxed my recently received Eco Kettle (from www.ethicalsuperstore.com) Plastic, big, white and cordless it was surprisingly light in weight.

Always one to by-pass the instructions in the first place, I opened the lid, filled the kettle with water - a more than reasonable capacity of 1.5litres! - and looked at it with some curiosity. The kettle has two compartments - one holding a reservoir of water and the second compartment holding the water to be boiled.

How to get the water from the reservoir to boiling compartment is as simple as 'push' - the lid has a dual control... Push down on the blue button and the boiling water compartment starts to fill to any volume you so desire. Twist the lid button and all your water transfers to the boiling water compartment - simple!

Should you forget to do either and try and switch the kettle on, it has an automatic safety override that protects the element and doesn't allow the kettle, devoid of water, to boil. Nifty!

So far, fabulous!

Now to boil the water. Noisy kettles infuriate me! So do kettles that take forever to boil. The Eco Kettle excels itself for it is both surprisingly quiet - I think it's the quietest kettle I have ever had and the water boils at remarkable speed. Not a single complaint from me.

I have learnt the measure of water my coffee pot requires and now without fail, I never boil more water than I actually need. I have used this kettle unfailingly since its arrival, taught my friends how to use it too and am frankly delighted with it.
The only time I can envisage myself replacing it is... when they bring out a black one. The white is a little cheap in appearance.

Retailing at £29.50 from Ethical Superstore this is one kitchen gadget that I struggle to find fault with - heck, it beats most of the standard kettles out there hands down and does so whilst saving you electricity and money! Next time you need a kettle, do both yourself, your wallet and the environment a favour ..