Wind Up Walkie Talkies

What is it?
This is no “Wind Up”, ha ha (had to get that joke in before anyone else). What you’re looking at is a set of walkie talkies that are powered through the age old art of winding. Like clocks of old, to make these little eco-gadgets work you simply flick out the wind handle, take a firm grip of these Wind Up Walkie Talkies and “wind” like a good-un. The wind to power ratio works out quite nicely: One minute of winding equates to 10 minutes of standby or 2 minutes of talk time and if you wind your way to a full charge it will give you 8 hours of standby or an hour and a half of talk time!

Ice Cream Ball

What is it?
You won’t Adam and Eve it. Its only a bloomin ball that makes ice cream. Mental note to self, turn Eastenders off before starting a review. So without the southern twang, the Ice Cream Ball is an innovative way of turning cream and sugar into your very own, Ben and Jerry’s beating, ice cream. What makes this little kitchen gadget even better is that it does all this without the need to plug it in.

6-in-1 Solar Robot Kit

What is it?
We will not pretend to understand the science of transforming lovely sunlight into useful electricity, but we do love it. This is especially true when it is combined with something fun like this 6 in 1 Solar Robot Kit.

As the name suggests this is a kit that allows you to build 6 different robots that are powered by that big, bright yellow, day moon (the sun). It comes with kiddie proof instructions and if the sun is feeling a little shy, you can also run the eco friendly bots on a not so eco friendly, 50w halogen bulb. Educational toys really should not be this fun.

Rotating BBQ – BarbeSkew II

What is it?
Since the dawn of time all men have cooked raw meat over an open flame and we cant explain why we love doing it. We have also, by default, all burnt our meat into unrecognisable charred lumps, with a pink gooey centre. This was all done in an effort to get that unbeatable flame grilled taste, which as you will know, is difficult to master… until now. Step up the BarbeSkew II (the new cheaper version of the original BarbeSkew, as seen on Dragons Den). It is essentially a new take on a BBQ that constantly rotates your chosen meat, instead of leaving it static on a grill. It does not sound like a massive evolutionary step, but the best ideas are always the most simple. You lance your chosen cuts of animal onto the 7 small skewers then slip them into the groves provided over the charcoal. They then slowly rotate, allowing the meat to receive a 360 degree view of the fire below. You also get 2 cage skewers enabling you to still cook the BBQ classics, sausages and burgers that also benefit from the same 360 degree cooking experience.

Ice Shot Glasses

What is it?
We love simple ideas especially when they make our life easier and more fun. This little piece of bar gadgetry is one of those ideas. The Ice Shot Glasses are essentially a kit that allows you to make 12 ice shot glasses at once. The process involved is very complicated as it involves difficult tasks like filling the trays, placing the caps on and then putting them in your freezer. It odiously comes with instructions (just in case a woman has a go) JOKING!… (even with instructions it would be hard work for them) Yes we are all sexist pigs, but in a good way. The kit is hand wash only and the glasses, once frozen, hold approximately 30ml of booze.