Any recommendations on the best espresso [expresso] machine to buy?

Without over-the-top expenditure - just something simple but where you get a great tasting hot espresso coffee drink.

One the great things about the world of espresso is that there are some very colourful espresso cup & saucer sets - the most recent ones I saw were in Marks & Sparks. Strong bright orange cups.

Any thoughts on that as well ?

Can I be cheeky and recommed a stove top coffee maker instead, I live in Italy & no-one I know uses the machine in the house, but every household has a stove top maker, plus they are cheaper and after being used for a few times produce the best espresso! Lagostina are a good brand to buy & they make grogeous cups & saucers too.

Thanks Chiara Cla - that's straightaway an interesting recommendation.

I'll look into Lagostina for both things

It seems that Lagostina stove top expresso makers are not available in the UK -

- so i might try 'Caffe Porcellana' which seem very elegant and simple

Seems you can make decent espresso with stove top makers (the traditional Italian in-home approach) rather than getting obsessed with huge, expensive, gurgling espresso machines

If you are near a John Lewis they have a good selection of stove-top coffee makers to choose from. Whittards have a couple too. I think the coffee made this way smells and tastes delicious. Look on ebay for coffee cups too - you never know.

I found a Lagostina coffee maker in TK Max, even IKEA sell them, you shouldn't have any problems finding one, just remember never wash it, only rinse, the first few times the coffe wil taste bitter but believe me it improves (drinking one now!) Pile high with coffee & screw on the top!

Thanks for your help and advice Chiara Cla and Gaye. I am indeed near John Lewis and had them in my sights anyway, before I decide on one.

The Bog Standard Gaggia octagonal stove-top espresso maker is superb, I use my Mums' one (she brought it over from Italy just after the War as a war Bride) Gaggia still do the same model, I can get spares if needed (but never needed) and it makes top notch coffee (the tip is to put it on as low a flame as possible so the boiling water goes through as slowly and gently as possible.