The Evoke has two levers, with each operating two slots. The levers are easy enough to push down, although definitely not so easy that you would do it accidentally. While the springs popping up the toast are definitely loud enough to notice, they’re not uncomfortably strong. During my tests with both slots filled, nothing was flung out of the toaster – not even the notoriously light Pop-Tarts.

It was a snug fit for the slices I placed horizontally, with a little manoeuvring required on my part (the slot measures just inside 14cm length wise). In terms of brownness, the vertically toasted bread fared better – more of it had browned than the slices placed horizontally. The design of the Morphy Richards Evoke 4-Slice toaster feels modern while maintaining a slightly retro vibe. It has a curved body that tapers slightly towards the top, and a bottom that narrows into a base with four small feet. The Evoke 4-Slice toaster produced pretty even and crunchy results. I started by toasting some medium white bread, placing two slices vertically on setting 4 and two slices horizontally on setting 3. Setting 3 worked well for wholewheat bread, darkening the slices without burning them in around 2mins 40secs. Next, I toasted a couple of crumpets. The results were nice and crispy on the outside on setting 5 in 3mins 45secs.

However, as mentioned, these times will vary according to what’s in the toaster and whether the toaster has been used recently. The browning levels are associated with reaching certain temperatures, so the toasting time is self-regulated by the toaster. Toasting two medium slices of white bread in a cooled-down toaster at setting 4 took 3mins 15secs. On setting 3.5 it took just under three minutes. The slots are comfortably wide at 3.5cm and the mechanism inside will adjust to the width of the bread you’re toasting.

To test the defrost function, I toasted some “best of both” white/wholemeal bread straight from the freezer. At setting 3, it took roughly 2mins 50secs.

If you’re after a mid-range quality toaster, the Morphy Richards Evoke 4-Slice is a good candidate. It’s more solid on its feet than the Morphy Richards Accents 4-Slice toaster and comes in a similarly wide variety of finishes to suit your particular kitchen. Since the default position of the toaster when the levers are up is relatively high, I had no issues placing and retrieving the crumpets. On the flipside, this shallow default position means that larger slices of bread end up hanging halfway out of the toaster before and after the toasting. However, when I tried toasting a single, thin slice of bread from the end of the loaf, the toaster threw it in the air so it landed loosely on top. So be mindful when toasting single pieces, particularly if they’re on the thin side. Thanks to these feet, the Evoke is sturdier than the Accents toaster, and is less likely to tip forwards when you push down the two levers at the same time (unless you’re deliberately bashing it). For my liking, the 4 was a little overdone and 3 perhaps a little pale, so I’d say 3.5 is the sweet spot – provided you toast at least two slices at a time and start with a cold toaster.