For all those coffee addicts out there, there is no worse feeling than breaking your coffee pot and being unable to have that crucial early morning cup. Non-coffee drinkers may see that as an exaggeration, but honestly, if one of them had to deal with me first thing without a cup of coffee, they would be running out themselves to buy me a new pot! I can cope with breaking my hairdryer, for that matter I can get into work without a shower if absolutely necessary, but deprive me of my coffee and you might just find me in tears on the kitchen floor.

A few years ago it was surprisingly tricky to find a replacement coffee pot. I tried it once and was astonished at how few of the major stores actually kept them in stock even though they sold complete coffee makers. I finally tracked down my prize in the sixth shop I tried, an out of the way family run store, kind of a last resort but evidently the place I should have started my search. Luckily my boss accepted my excuse that the car had broken down on the way to the office. Even with my known coffee addiction I didn't think a coffee pot hunt justified turning up to work at nearly lunchtime.

At the time there was no internet, or at least I hadn't heard of it, never mind bought a computer to access it. Now searching for your replacement coffee pot is a much easier exercise as you can purchase one directly from the supplier of your coffee machine, or another reputable website.

There are just a few things to bear in mind. Firstly your pot will take some time to arrive, so prepare a contingency plan for that period; there really are some good instant varieties out there you know.

Secondly, coffee pots have a nasty habit of getting broken during shipping if they are not properly packed, so do make sure you get it from the supplier, or prepare for a disappointment when you open the package and can't get a refund.

Thirdly be sure that the pot you order is exactly the right one for your coffee machine, particularly if you have specific functions such as a pause feature. If your original pot is discontinued ask the advice of your supplier, and if you purchase a slightly different pot make sure you supervise the first brew to make sure there are no problems.