Together with a few other people, I've been kindly given a small bequest of £100 from an old friend. I would like to spend it on something to keep and to remember her by. We do need a new kettle and I would like to replace our failing electric one with a traditional stove top whistling one to go on our gas hob. This will remind me of my friend as she had a very old one, and we also had one growing up and so it will remind me of my late parents too.
I looked at the Le Creuset ones as we have some very old inherited cookware of theirs which is still going strong. I like the look of their chunky large Traditional Whistling Kettle in stainless steel or one of the coloured enamels, and it would fit in our old country kitchen, best described as rustic and shabby not chic. I've seen them with a bit of money off just now so they come in just under budget.
So far, so good? Except, reading the reviews, not all but quite a few seem to question the quality and durability of the current Le Creuset kettles, saying that the manufacture of them has been farmed out to cheaper options and it shows. Breaking handles, rusting insides, chipping enamel, holes, spurting spouts and even weak whistles are mentioned. We all know there's nothing worse than a weak whistle. I see that Le Creuset offer a 5 year warranty, but I don't want to run the risk of buying something in memory of my friend only to have trouble with it.
Do you have a traditional whistling kettle, suitable for a gas hob, not in a modern style, currently available in the UK, which will stand the test of time in a busy household and coming in at £100 or less? Any you can review to recommend or avoid?
Thank you. 