Esther McCarthy: Is the Thermomix worth the money? Not if you only use it four times

"But you can’t just slope off to a shop and buy one. You must be initiated to connect with an agent. How thrilling!"

Esther McCarthy. Picture: Emily Quinn

The world is divided into two types of people; the kind that can walk past a display advertising a Hydrocleaner Telescopic Brush, and the ones whose pulse quickens, their pupils dilate, and the cash spontaneously vomits out of their wallet.

I’m in the second camp. I’m a slave to a smart advertising tag. “Hydroclean your solar panels safely,” coos the brush. I slap my credit card on the desk. I don’t even have solar panels.