Latest news with #SophieWarburton
Scottish Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I tried all the budget hand held fans to keep cool this heatwave – and foldable £12 gadget blew me away
Scroll down to find out which fan is perfect for desk use FAN CLUB I tried all the budget hand held fans to keep cool this heatwave – and foldable £12 gadget blew me away Advertisement WITH the current amber weather warnings and the nation facing hosepipe bans, it's proving hard to beat the heat. Advertisement Sales of hand-held fans have rocketed, as we rush to avoid meltdown. Advertisement 7 Sophie Warburton puts six fans to the test with marks out of five Credit: Newsgroup Newspspers Ltd Advertisement But which one is the coolest choice for a hot, sticky day? Sophie Warburton puts six to the test with marks out of five. Advertisement Bush Advertisement Hand fan, £12, Argos 7 The Bush fan is foldable, making it perfect for desk use Credit: Newsgroup Newspspers Ltd Advertisement THE Bush fan, available in four colours, is my top pick due to its powerful airflow, extensive coverage and quiet operation. Advertisement It's foldable, so perfect for desk use. Advertisement But as the largest on test, it won't fit in a small bag or pocket. RATING: 5 Advertisement Ryman Advertisement Pocket fan, £6.99 Advertisement 7 This fan offers powerful yet quiet operation Credit: Newsgroup Newspspers Ltd Advertisement THIS stylish fan is a close second, offering powerful yet quiet operation in a lightweight and compact design – it even fits into a tiny handbag. A key feature is the adjustable head, letting you direct the airflow. Advertisement The Range Dyson fan dupe Advertisement RATING: 4 Primark Advertisement Hello Kitty desk fan, £8 Advertisement 7 This fan offers powerful airflow despite its kitty design Credit: Newsgroup Newspspers Ltd FOR those with a playful sense of style, this fan is unique. Despite its kitty design, it offers powerful airflow. Advertisement Slightly louder than the top competitors with three settings. Advertisement Overall, it's a good choice. Advertisement RATING: 3 Go Travel Advertisement Portable, £14.99, Robert Dyas Advertisement 7 This fan can be worn round your neck for hands-free cooling Credit: Newsgroup Newspspers Ltd SLIM, high-quality, foldable and super-quiet. Advertisement A major plus is the lanyard, so you can wear it round your neck for hands-free cooling. It has a 12-hour run-time. Advertisement But when prop-ped on a desk, it moves about. Not the most stylish. Advertisement RATING: 3 Superdrug Advertisement Portable fan, £5 Advertisement 7 The wobbly head on this fan requires careful positioning Credit: Newsgroup Newspspers Ltd THIS gets top marks for portability, as it is small and slim, but its build feels a bit cheap. Advertisement When placed on a desk it tends to shift, and its rather wobbly head requires careful positioning. Second noisiest fan in the group. Advertisement RATING: 2 Advertisement Dunelm Mini hand fan £1.50 Advertisement 7 This fan is lightweight and easy to transport Credit: Newsgroup Newspspers Ltd Advertisement FOR a small, battery-operated fan at just £1.50, it performs pretty well. It's compact, lightweight and easy to transport. Advertisement But it can be noisy and blows fairly warm air. Plus the blades are exposed, making it prone to damage. Advertisement RATING: 1
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I tried all the budget hand held fans to keep cool this heatwave – and foldable £12 gadget blew me away
WITH the current amber weather warnings and the nation facing hosepipe bans, it's proving hard to beat the heat. Sales of hand-held fans have rocketed, as we rush to avoid meltdown. 7 But which one is the coolest choice for a hot, sticky day? Sophie Warburton puts six to the test with marks out of five. Bush Hand fan, £12, Argos 7 THE Bush fan, available in four colours, is my top pick due to its powerful airflow, extensive coverage and quiet operation. It's foldable, so perfect for desk use. But as the largest on test, it won't fit in a small bag or pocket. Ryman Pocket fan, £6.99 7 THIS stylish fan is a close second, offering powerful yet quiet operation in a lightweight and compact design – it even fits into a tiny handbag. A key feature is the adjustable head, letting you direct the airflow. The Range Dyson fan dupe Primark Hello Kitty desk fan, £8 7 FOR those with a playful sense of style, this fan is unique. Despite its kitty design, it offers powerful airflow. Slightly louder than the top competitors with three settings. Overall, it's a good choice. Go Travel Portable, £14.99, Robert Dyas 7 SLIM, high-quality, foldable and super-quiet. A major plus is the lanyard, so you can wear it round your neck for hands-free cooling. It has a 12-hour run-time. But when prop-ped on a desk, it moves about. Not the most stylish. Superdrug Portable fan, £5 THIS gets top marks for portability, as it is small and slim, but its build feels a bit cheap. When placed on a desk it tends to shift, and its rather wobbly head requires careful positioning. Second noisiest fan in the group. Dunelm Mini hand fan £1.50 FOR a small, battery-operated fan at just £1.50, it performs pretty well. It's compact, lightweight and easy to transport. But it can be noisy and blows fairly warm air. Plus the blades are exposed, making it prone to damage.
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
I sampled supermarket iced coffees for the sunny weekend… my £1.25 pick is perfect balance of earthy taste & sweetness
The most costly £4.50 drink turns out to the biggest letdown of all DON'T GET IN A FRAPP I sampled supermarket iced coffees for the sunny weekend… my £1.25 pick is perfect balance of earthy taste & sweetness THE sun has got its hat on – and more and more of us are reaching for an iced coffee to stay refreshed. But rather than splash a fortune at the cafe, you can pick up supermarkets' own drinks for a fraction of the price. Sophie Warburton samples what is on offer, and gives her verdicts and marks out of five . . . 10 Sophie Warburton tested out various iced coffees that can save you splashing out at the cafe Credit: Louis Wood 10 Arctic's coffee stood out from the rest, winning on taste and price Credit: Louis Wood Arctic Coffee Cafe Latte 330ml – £1.25 A FAVOURITE of mine for many years. Arctic says it is made with 'only the best ingredients', including Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans, in powder form. In fact, I noticed this was the only drink that used coffee powder, rather than extract. Another reason Arctic trumps the rest is how it manages to balance that earthy coffee taste with sweeter notes. RATING: 5/5 10 Starbucks scored full marks - but it is on the costly side compared to some others Credit: Louis Wood Starbucks Caffe Latte 220ml – £2.55 CREAMY, sweet, nicely pack-aged and perfect for when you're on the go. Great for those newer to iced coffee as it's quite sweet but you can still taste espresso. Very moreish. You spike the lid with a straw, making it hard to spill. The only downside is it's a bit pricey, as you may expect with Starbucks. This coffee is a lovely combination of full-fat milk, water and Arabica coffee extract. RATING: 5/5 'survey reveals what your ice cream eating habits could say about your personality' 10 Costa's latte was a little thick but still scored highly on the taste test Credit: Louis Wood Costa Cafe Latte 330ml – £2.55 VERY similar to the Starbucks caffe latte but thicker. In fact, this latte was perhaps a little too thick for my liking, as I felt a bit full after drinking it. I did enjoy it but you probably wouldn't want to drink too many of these. Again, this one is a little bit on the pricey side. The drink is made up of semi-skimmed milk, coffee extract and water. RATING: 4/5 10 After hearing rave reviews, I thought Jimmy's Iced Coffee tasted bland Credit: Louis Wood Jimmy's Iced Coffee 275ml – £2.10 UNPOPULAR opinion because I have heard rave reviews about this one, but I thought it tasted watery and bland. It's not terrible, but in comparison to the competition it was tasteless. It's also priced at £2.10 in Tesco, so not even the cheapest option. This coffee has been put together with semi-skimmed milk, water and single-origin Arabica coffee. RATING: 3/5 10 The chocolate taste overpowered the coffee and was disappointing Credit: Louis Wood Emmi Caffe Latte Cappuccino 230ml – £1.85 TOO sweet for me, it also features a chocolatey component – and it's all a bit much. Not one for those of us who want to taste the coffee. If I had to choose the drink that it's most similar to, it's the Starbucks caffe latte. They feature similar designs but this one is more of a dupe. It's concocted with semi-skimmed milk and brewed Arabica coffee. RATING: 3/5 10 This drink was quite thin and I could only really taste watery oat milk Credit: Louis Wood M&S Oat Latte Cold Brew Coffee 250ml – £2.60 RATHER unpleasant, I'm sorry to report. This drink was quite thin and I could only really taste watery oat milk. I've also decided I'm not a huge fan of coffee in a tin, like this, and much prefer it in a glass or bottle. This drink is concocted from water, Arabica coffee and oats – much like its sibling, below, but just worse. RATING: 2/5 10 The oat milk tasted of good quality – the kind that's almost slightly powdery Credit: Louis Wood M&S Chilled Cold Brew Oat Latte 250ml – £2.60 COMES in a minimalist plastic bottle – and that pretty much sums it up. Minimal flavour, and I wasn't crazy about this one. The oat milk is quite punchy, though, and I preferred this latte to the other M&S one I tried. The oat milk tasted of good quality – the kind that's almost slightly powdery. The drink is made from water, Arabica coffee and oats. RATING: 3/5 10 The overpowering taste disappointed and I would not be keen to try it again Credit: Louis Wood Quarterpast Iced Coffee Concentrate 360ml – £4.50 NEVER again – unless I'm really desperate. Sweetened with cane sugar and very gloopy, this was seriously overpowering. It hasn't altered one bit my low opinion of concentrated coffee. This one works in the same way as Nescafe's concentrate. You just add 20ml to a glass with ice, and top with milk. Enough for 18 servings. RATING: 1/5 10 If you're on a budget, this could be just about bearable as this was by far the cheapest Credit: Louis Wood Barista Coffee Co. Caffe Latte 250ml – 80p OH dear, this is just sickly and, well, plain boring. Not something that I would go looking for again next time I fancy an iced latte. This was, however, by far the cheapest option of the drinks I tried out – so if you're on a budget, this could be just about bearable. It is created from semi-skimmed milk, water and instant coffee. RATING: 2/5
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I sampled supermarket iced coffees for the sunny weekend… my £1.25 pick is perfect balance of earthy taste & sweetness
THE sun has got its hat on – and more and more of us are reaching for an iced coffee to stay refreshed. But rather than splash a fortune at the cafe, you can pick up supermarkets' own drinks for a fraction of the price. Sophie Warburton samples what is on offer, and gives her verdicts and marks out of five . . . 10 Arctic Coffee Cafe Latte 330ml – £1.25 A FAVOURITE of mine for many years. Arctic says it is made with 'only the best ingredients', including Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans, in powder form. In fact, I noticed this was the only drink that used coffee powder, rather than extract. Another reason Arctic trumps the rest is how it manages to balance that earthy coffee taste with sweeter notes. Starbucks Caffe Latte 220ml – £2.55 CREAMY, sweet, nicely pack-aged and perfect for when you're on the go. Great for those newer to iced coffee as it's quite sweet but you can still taste espresso. Very moreish. You spike the lid with a straw, making it hard to spill. The only downside is it's a bit pricey, as you may expect with Starbucks. This coffee is a lovely combination of full-fat milk, water and Arabica coffee extract. RATING: 5/5 'survey reveals what your ice cream eating habits could say about your personality' Costa Cafe Latte 330ml – £2.55 VERY similar to the Starbucks caffe latte but thicker. In fact, this latte was perhaps a little too thick for my liking, as I felt a bit full after drinking it. I did enjoy it but you probably wouldn't want to drink too many of these. Again, this one is a little bit on the pricey side. The drink is made up of semi-skimmed milk, coffee extract and water. RATING: 4/5 Jimmy's Iced Coffee 275ml – £2.10 UNPOPULAR opinion because I have heard rave reviews about this one, but I thought it tasted watery and bland. It's not terrible, but in comparison to the competition it was tasteless. It's also priced at £2.10 in Tesco, so not even the cheapest option. This coffee has been put together with semi-skimmed milk, water and single-origin Arabica coffee. RATING: 3/5 Emmi Caffe Latte Cappuccino 230ml – £1.85 TOO sweet for me, it also features a chocolatey component – and it's all a bit much. Not one for those of us who want to taste the coffee. If I had to choose the drink that it's most similar to, it's the Starbucks caffe latte. They feature similar designs but this one is more of a dupe. It's concocted with semi-skimmed milk and brewed Arabica coffee. RATING: 3/5 M&S Oat Latte Cold Brew Coffee 250ml – £2.60 RATHER unpleasant, I'm sorry to report. This drink was quite thin and I could only really taste watery oat milk. I've also decided I'm not a huge fan of coffee in a tin, like this, and much prefer it in a glass or bottle. This drink is concocted from water, Arabica coffee and oats – much like its sibling, below, but just worse. M&S Chilled Cold Brew Oat Latte 250ml – £2.60 COMES in a minimalist plastic bottle – and that pretty much sums it up. Minimal flavour, and I wasn't crazy about this one. The oat milk is quite punchy, though, and I preferred this latte to the other M&S one I tried. The oat milk tasted of good quality – the kind that's almost slightly powdery. The drink is made from water, Arabica coffee and oats. RATING: 3/5 Quarterpast Iced Coffee Concentrate 360ml – £4.50 NEVER again – unless I'm really desperate. Sweetened with cane sugar and very gloopy, this was seriously overpowering. It hasn't altered one bit my low opinion of concentrated coffee. This one works in the same way as Nescafe's concentrate. You just add 20ml to a glass with ice, and top with milk. Enough for 18 servings. RATING: 1/5 Barista Coffee Co. Caffe Latte 250ml – 80p OH dear, this is just sickly and, well, plain boring. Not something that I would go looking for again next time I fancy an iced latte. This was, however, by far the cheapest option of the drinks I tried out – so if you're on a budget, this could be just about bearable. It is created from semi-skimmed milk, water and instant coffee.
