Price Points: Outdoor drinks coolers

Outdoor drinks coolers

I’m sure you’ll be able to tell straight away which of these three outdoor drinks coolers I’d choose to own.

I absolutely love the egg yolk yellow drinks cooler from Outside Gang (#2) – it would match perfectly with our yellow bistro table & chairs. It’s available in a range of other colours, long or short legs and optional bamboo chopping board and champagne cooler. It can hold up to 10 bottles of wine or 25 bottles of beer in 2 litres worth of ice.

I could probably also opt for the Keter cool bar in another colour; perhaps the slate grey with lime green interior. I think the telescopic lid-to-tabletop mechanism is a great idea. I’ve even seen an illuminated option for this model.

The four hundred pound version has all the bells & whistles that you’d expect for something in this price range; huge capacity, exterior shelves & baskets, temperature control and castors for ease of movement. The only drawback for me is that it’s electric. A power cable will have to weave its way out of the house through a door or window to the spot in the garden that I want the cooler. The combination of an electrical lead and alcohol is an accident waiting to happen!

  1. Keter cool bar: £85.95, Amazon
  2. Drinks cooler: from £129.00, Outside Gang
  3. Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler: £399.99, Robert Dyas

shop outdoor drinks coolers

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
Lifestyle stainless steel 50L electric drinks cooler
£399.99
Outside Gang drinks cooler
Outside Gang drinks cooler
£129.00
Keter cool bar
Keter cool bar
£85.95

Price Points: Ice cube makers

Ice cube makers | H is for Home

Yet another week of blistering summer weather – we could get very used to this! We’ve been drinking less cups of tea and more glasses of refreshing elderflower pressé.

Our freezer compartment is always chock full of pre-cooked meals and sauces, so forego keeping ice trays in it most of the time. We’ve just rearranged the drawers to make some more room but our two IKEA ice cube trays, cute as they are, don’t make enough ice for more than a couple of thirst-quenching highballs.

If you regularly add ice to your soft drinks, gin & tonics or Cuba Libres, instead of buying (expensive) plastic bags of ice from the supermarket, one of these ice cube makers is just the ticket. If you’ve got the spare counter-top space available, the Andrew James one is for you.

Our worktops are already overcrowded, what with the stand mixer, yoghurt maker and coffee machine; I like the genie. Not only does it make ice cubes, it doubles up as an ice bucket!

  1. Ice cube maker genie: £4.89, eBay
  2. WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker: £19.99, Fiyo
  3. Andrew James ice maker machine for home use: £148.99, Amazon

shop ice cube makers

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
£148.99
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
£19.99
Ice cube maker genie
Ice cube maker genie
£4.89
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
£148.99
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
£19.99
Ice cube maker genie
Ice cube maker genie
£4.89
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
£148.99
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
£19.99
Ice cube maker genie
Ice cube maker genie
£4.89
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
£148.99
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
£19.99
Ice cube maker genie
Ice cube maker genie
£4.89
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
Andrew James ice maker machine for home use
£148.99
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
WPRO Ice Mate ice cube maker
£19.99
Ice cube maker genie
Ice cube maker genie
£4.89

Gimme Five! Cool boxes

'Gimme Five' blog post banner

selection of 5 cool boxes

We spent a lovely afternoon last Sunday watching a friend play cricket for his village team.

We sat in the sunshine on a picnic blanket eating sandwiches and drinking elderflower cordial… then a cold beer or two as the sun went down. We filled our vintage cool box with so much ice and liquid refreshment that we snapped its handle!

It’s time to see what’s on offer in the cool box world for when ours finally gives up the ghost – here are some cool contenders!

  1. Retro cooler box: £85, Bouf
  2. Coastal metal coolbox: £54.99, Argos
  3. Stainless steel cooler ice box: £84.99 eBay
  4. 20L electric cool box: £33.99, Robert Dyas
  5. Jamie Oliver cool box: £69.99, Amazon