Salter Digital Soup Maker EK5118V2

The Salter is the budget champion: a full 1.6L family-size jug for the lowest outlay on the shortlist. It runs at 900W with a stainless-steel jug (nothing to scratch) and five presets — Smooth, Chunky, Drinks, Keep Warm and Blend/Clean — plus overspill protection, auto-memory to add ingredients mid-cycle and a self-clean via the Blend/Clean cycle, at a modest 2.6kg. It is frequently listed at Argos at around £40, comfortably under the Which? 'Great Value under £45' threshold, versus a £54.99 official RRP; the indicative figure we quote is the ~£40 street price. The compromises versus the Morphy Richards trio are no sauté, a lower 900W motor and a more basic, heat-first build — you buy it because price is the priority, not flavour or refinement.