Bake Off boost for sales of gadgets

THE Great British Bake Off and Masterchef helped drive record sales of luxury kitchen gadgets to £ 900million in 2015.

Big sellers included Kenwood food mixers used on Bake Off and “pod” coffee machines advertised by actor George Clooney.

Smoothie and soup makers were also favourites, with sales of blenders and juicers up by 145 per cent in the past five years to £ 225million last year.

Demand

Retail analyst Mintel says that with a 41 per cent increase over five years, the demand for posh appliances is still growing.

Jane Westgarth, from Mintel, said: “For many, a small kitchen appliance is a status symbol.

“It allows consumers the pleasure of ownership as well as a way to demonstrate they have food and drink knowledge when inviting guests.”

And the humble toastie is not out of fashion with a 30 per cent rise in sales of sandwich makers.