Is the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep worth £75?

What does NHS say about making up formula?

Powdered infant formula is not sterile. NHS pages on making up a feed tell you to use fresh tap water, boil it, then leave it in the kettle for no more than 30 minutes so it stays at at least 70°C when it meets the powder. Put the hot water in the bottle first, add the powder, then cool the made-up feed under a cold tap or in a jug of cold water and test a drop on the inside of your wrist.

1. 1
   Fresh water only Fill the kettle with at least 1 litre from the cold tap. NHS wording is not to reuse water that has already been boiled, and not to use artificially softened water.
2. 2
   Boil, then wait no more than 30 minutes That window is how the water stays at least 70°C. Waiting longer to make the bottle 'nicer to hold' is the step that drops below the official temperature.
3. 3
   Water first, then powder Follow the tin. NHS says extra powder or extra water changes the feed. Do not add sugar or cereal.
4. 4
   Cool the finished feed, then wrist-test Hold the bottle under a cold tap or stand it in a jug of cold water. A drop on the inner wrist should feel warm, not hot.
5. 5
   If you still use a machine NHS says make sure the water that comes out is at least 70°C when it is mixed with the powder. Check with a digital food thermometer. If the reading is below 70°C, stop using the machine and go back to the kettle steps.

That 70°C line is the whole official test. MayTally does not grade machines as fine or not. A listing, a filter, or a marketing 'hot shot' is not a substitute for a thermometer reading on the water you actually use.

How much is the machine plus filters now?

The query still says £75 because that is the price band Which? listed for the Perfect Prep (their formula-machines page, updated 19 September 2025, still showed £74.99). On 10 September 2026 the same machine was £140 at Argos (one colour on a £110 promotion) and £139.99 at Mamas & Papas. Bundles on the maker's site that include a steriliser sit much higher and are a different basket.

So 'is it worth £75?' is now often 'is it worth £110–£140 plus £40–£60 of filters?' A kettle you already own has no second shopping list.

What do Which? and First Steps Nutrition say about prep machines?

Which? (19 September 2025) reports that some NHS hospital trusts do not point families toward prep machines, because some models may not hold water at 70°C. First Steps Nutrition Trust, cited on that page and on its own 'making infant milk safely' briefing, says marketing often claims NHS alignment without public evidence that the hot shot plus cold top-up keeps the powder at 70°C for long enough.

Which? also reports a Swansea University home test in which 85% of 74 Perfect Prep machines did not appear to produce water hot enough. That is a published study summary on a Which? page, not a MayTally lab result. First Steps adds that the Food Standards Agency has told carers to check 70°C regardless of method, and to contact the maker and Trading Standards or Citizens Advice if a machine reads low. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has said it purchased example machines to assess compliance.

If you already own a machine: test the hot water on its own with a food thermometer (not in a feed — the probe can contaminate it). Below 70°C, NHS and Which? both point you back to the kettle method and to the manufacturer.

What extra £ do filters and descaling add?

The filter is the running cost people miss when they only compare the shell to £75. John Lewis copy for the twin pack says the machine should be used with Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep filters only, and quotes 150 litres / up to 3 months at six 260 ml bottles a day. A warning light is the maker's cue to change it.

• Filters. About £12–£15 each, or £19.99 for two at John Lewis on 10 September 2026. Exclusive formula at the maker's example rate is four changes in a year.
• Cleaning cycles. Which? says run the maker's clean cycle, change the filter when prompted, and flush as the manual asks. That is time and fluid, not a second machine.
• Descale. Hard-water areas need more frequent descaling. Use the method in the manual. There is no official £/year for descaler — buy what the booklet names and count the bottles you actually use.
• Electricity versus a kettle. Both heat water. A dedicated box on the worktop does not remove the NHS temperature rule.

When do parents still buy one?

Night feeds and visitors who do not know the kettle steps are the usual reasons. Speed is the advert (the maker says a body-temperature bottle in about 90 seconds). Official guidance still wants 70°C on the water that hits the powder, then a cool-down you can wrist-test. A machine that only wins on speed still has to pass that thermometer check.

If two adults already make bottles from a kettle without fuss, the box is a countertop tax. If you are deciding from a gift list, the gift is the machine; the filters are yours.

In short, is £75 — or £140 — buying the NHS method?

In shortThe NHS method is a kettle, a 30-minute cool, water first, then a wrist test. The Perfect Prep is a speed gadget with a filter bill. Which? and First Steps Nutrition say some machines may not hold 70°C; the official reply is a thermometer, not a brand claim. At 2026 high-street prices the shell is often £110–£140, not £75. If the kettle is already on the worktop, that is the skip.