WHEN people across the country are virtually killing each other for giant televisions, it is reassuring to know that the gadget we value most is the kettle.

Even mobile phones can’t touch it. Two thousand people from across the UK were asked by an energy provider what was the first thing they did in the morning. Seventy per cent said putting the kettle on. To almost a quarter of us, it is the most important electrical item we own.

Thank goodness for that. The way people behave in today’s society, trampling over others to grab cut-price electronics, it is easy to believe that people live and breathe big tellys and fancy mobiles.

I’m sure huge TVs are nice to have, although from what I’ve seen, they seem to take up half the living room and cut out more daylight than a solar eclipse.

So it’s good to know that some things actually are more important, and up there in the number one slot, is the humble kettle.

What’s the first thing you think of during a power cut? We had one in our street not long ago and panic was 100 per cent kettle-related. No-one expressed concern that they might miss Eastenders or Coronation Street, but when talk turned to having a cuppa people turned twitchy and fearful.

My neighbour saved the day for us, heating water on his solid fuel stove. “You can’t possibly go without a cup of tea,” he said.

‘With a cup of tea in your hands, anything is possible’, a woman says on the front of a birthday card I sent to a friend and regular sharer of a pot or two.

It’s true, a cup of tea (or coffee - my husband can’t survive without the stuff) is like nothing else in offering comfort and reassurance.

Just the sound of a kettle boiling calms me down. A cup of tea is the key to happiness, according to research by the charity Royal Voluntary Service, with 43 per cent of Brits saying a good cuppa always makes them feel better. Men are just as likely as women to feel this way, the survey found.

When life seems to have gone into fast-forward, it is heartening that the majority of us still take time to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, and value it above all else.

With so many take-aways and grab-it-on-the-move outlets, we are still enjoying our good old home brews.

Putting the kettle on in times of crisis reduces stress levels, say researchers at London’s City University.

So, if you’re still annoyed that you didn’t get a TV the size of Asia in the Black Friday sales, stick the kettle on and have a cuppa.