Better than a toasted sandwich maker..?

At the tender age of 35, it's rare that you get a birthday present that you are genuinely excited about. But that's exactly what happened this year when a Glass Panini Press landed on my desk at work. Sensational. It obviously meant that, like an excited kid at Christmas, I got it plugged in and heated up as soon as I could. Here it is:

So simple it doesn't have any buttons and therefore no instructions this is the ultimate boy's lunch gadget. A hasty trip to Tesco (as I didn't want to be apart from my new best friend for too long) to pick up some panini rolls, chicken, spinach, coriander and mushrooms and the Panini Press was making its debut. And what a debut it was. In all honesty the preparation could have been given a bit more love and attention but the main point was getting them into that press as soon as we could. A generous dollop of pesto added to the ingredients and they were in. Imagine our delight when we lifted the lid to reveal these little gems:

Not only does this thing make perfect paninis all on its own but it cleverly makes you feel like some kind of professional genius at the same time. And all that from a hot plate with a lid. The things modern machines can do! The point of this blog is not to bang on about cost or be smug and self righteous in what we do, but when you consider that the £9.50 we spent in Tesco will make 4 lunches and cover the daily spinach requirements for the rest of the week, then it can't be a bad investment. Especially when you walk back to your desk with food you've made and your plate looks like this:

So, is the Panini Press better than your traditional toasted sarnie maker? Horses for courses, of course, but I think it very well might be...