There are no touch controls at all, just two small buttons: one to start and one to pause or cancel. As with the Swan’s predecessor, these feel like they’re the wrong way around. Conventional microwave design puts the “go” button at the bottom right and the “stop” button to the left. As a result, until you get used to the Swan, you’ll find yourself setting the cooking time and then cancelling it by mistake. Again and again and again.

We started testing by defrosting a pitta bread by weight. The minimum weight was 100g, which is a bit too high, so we stopped the microwave early and found that it had defrosted fine in less than a minute, but the underside was soggy despite having turned it over half-way through defrosting. Swan's retro-style kitchen appliance range continues with the SM22030GN microwave in green, which features a distinctive 50s design with curved edges, a round display and dials, and a chunky, ribbed handle. For a coordinated worktop, you can match it with a kettle, a toaster, and a stand mixer, or go for the full whammy with the matching fridge and freezer. Compact but Highly Functional If you fail to return the goods, we will collect them, and will charge you the direct cost of collection. If you fail to take reasonable care of the goods before they are returned to us, and this results in damage or deterioration, we will charge you for the reduction in value. Maybe. If you want a small, budget microwave but you don’t want something that screams “cheap” then this is a good alternative to a supermarket special. It looks cute and the controls are simple and pleasant to use. It’s not terribly powerful, but what do you expect for the price?Finally, the pizza was cooked – if you can call it that. It was everything you’d expect of a microwaved pizza… which is a real shame seeing as I’d cooked it using the convection oven rather than using a microwave or combi mode to save time. It was edible, but the thin base was horribly soggy. The start and pause/cancel buttons felt like they should have been swapped around. Having the start button on the bottom-right and the cancel button slightly to the left is much more common. So we kept hitting the wrong one, cancelling a program instead of starting it. Annoying but you’d soon get used to the layout. The menus are baffling because the display simply doesn’t have the capability to display text, and as a result you’ll be forever scrabbling for the instructions to make sense of them. The cavity is brushed stainless steel and the door has a dark glass finish that, unfortunately, is a magnet for fingerprints. The paintwork doesn’t get fingerprinty, though. The handle is a shiny silver, but it’s made of plastic so it feels cheap – but sturdy – in the hand.

The Swan’s design brings a smile to your face and the controls are simple and cute. The knobs – for choosing cooking mode and weight or time – are straightforward, if rather cheap and clunky feeling. The icons on the display though bring a futuristic look: lord knows what a fifties housewife would have made of it. Maximum microwave power: 800 WCapacity: 20 litresEnamel coating3 auto cooking programsTurntable diameter: 270 mm If you love the styling, then the Swan SM22080 Retro won’t disappoint. It does a good enough job and looks-wise there’s nothing quite like it, bar the non-combi Swan Vintage SM22030 microwave. It took four minutes to toast one side of the bread. The results were good and even thanks to the turntable, but the Swan was quite loud, with an annoying low hum emitted as the turntable rotated. A further three minutes was enough to melt the cheese on the other side. Again, noisily but evenly. If you cancel you must return the goods to us at your own expense. You are responsible for the risk of loss or damage when you return the goods, so you should take out adequate postal insurance to cover their value.Please allow 3 working days for us to process a return. We will organise a suitable date and time for our couriers to collect the item Make sure all items returned are complete; any incomplete items will not be credited and will be classed as unauthorised. But it has its faults: in particular, the menus can be hard to navigate. The Sharp R861SLM is a better combi for the same price. Or spend more and get the excellent Panasonic NN-DF386. If you’re on a budget consider the microwave-only Beko MOF 20110. Verdict