Meet the IndyBest team

Hello and welcome to IndyBest, The Independent’s dedicated shopping advice section. We provide unbiased reviews, product news, deals coverage and expert advice so you can be confident that you’re spending your money wisely. We want every purchase you make – big or small – to be the best for you.

Our editors and writers have years of experience and spend weeks (sometimes months) trialling products in everyday settings, across tech, fashion and beauty, home and garden, and so much more. Testing products in a real-life environment means we can be sure that they perform in the way you, our reader, will be using them (should you be interested in the process, you can read more on how we test everything featured). As consumers and shopping experts, we’d never feature or recommend a product that we wouldn’t spend our money on. So whether you’re seeking advice on the best mattress, cordless vacuum, laptop or wireless earbuds, you’ll find trustworthy, tried and tested reviews on IndyBest.

We are also experts in deal-hunting and providing our readers with money-saving advice, whether that’s on how to make your weekly shop a little cheaper or finding a discount code on a brand you love. Our team of journalists are also passionate about finding the genuine best discounts all year round, as well as during significant sale events, be that Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, Boxing Day and the January sales.

If you want to know more about IndyBest, scroll on to meet our amazing team and learn about why you can trust us.

Read more: How the IndyBest team test and review products

To provide our readers with the most valuable and trustworthy reviews, IndyBest works with a wide range of expert freelance writers who specialise in everything from wearable tech and outdoor clothing to sustainable beauty and energy-efficient appliances. Our priority is to find the best reviewer for the product at hand.

The IndyBest team of in-house writers and editors are adept not only at commissioning experts to write reviews, but also at following consumer trends, spotting the best deals, and shopping big sales events. We are obsessive about tracking product launches and news, as well as following celebrity and social media trends. Between us, we have decades of experience working in shopping, commerce, reviews and news at top publications.

The team is also committed to identifying greenwashing and helping our readers know how to shop sustainably. We’re passionate about shopping and dedicated to helping our readers find the best products at the best prices. Below, you can learn a little more about our in-house IndyBest staff.

Eva is the global IndyBest editor, she is based in New York City and oversees The Independent’s entire shopping advice content in the UK and the US. She executes expert coverage of key sales events, including Black Friday and Prime Day, ensuring readers are provided with best-in-class advice. She leads the IndyBest team of journalists who independently test and review thousands of products, ensuring that The Independent’s readers are instilled with the knowledge they need to spend their money wisely. Alongside this, she covers all things fashion, beauty and homeware.

Email Eva at eva.waite-taylor@independent.co.uk.

Alex Aitcheson-David is the deputy IndyBest editor. He commissions and edits news and reviews across the section, with a specific focus and interest in the best products for your home and garden. He also covers sales events, such as Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, helping readers to weigh up all the deals on offer and source the best ones. Alongside this, he writes reviews of the products that he thinks you should know about. He joined the IndyBest team in 2025 after years of product reviewing roles at a variety of magazines.

Email Alex at alex.aitcheson-david@independent.co.uk.

Sarah Jones is the assistant IndyBest editor, in her role she assists with commissioning and editing tried and tested reviews, buying guides and news articles across all of the IndyBest categories.

She pulls on her years of experience as a lifestyle writer at The Independent and covers all things homeware, fashion, beauty, food and kids. She joined the IndyBest team in 2020 and is a pro at covering shopping events, such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.

Email Sarah at sarah.jones@independent.co.uk.

Sabrina Sahota is The Independent‘s consumer editor. Whether it’s reporting on the best deals at the supermarket or the cheapest place to buy an air fryer, she’s passionate about sharing her expert shopping advice so that readers spend their money wisely. Owing to Sabrina’s experience, she is a voice to listen to during key shopping events – Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday – as she’ll only ever write about the very best deals.

Email Sabrina at sabrina.sahota@independent.co.uk.

Emilie Lavinia is The Independent’s fitness and wellbeing editor. From the best activewear and fitness classes to supplements, spas and sleep, Emilie interrogates wellness trends and investigates our relationship to good health. She has reported on health, wellness, sex and technology for more than a decade. Before joining The Independent, Emilie was the sex and relationships editor at Cosmopolitan and has written for The Guardian, Women’s Health, Glamour, Grazia and Vice.

Email Emilie at emilie.lavinia@independent.co.uk.

Harry Bullmore is The Independent’s senior fitness writer, covering news, product reviews and features on all things exercise-related. As a keen gym-goer, coach and CrossFit level one trainer, he is always experimenting with new training techniques to find fun, effective ways to stay in shape – be that home workouts, Pilates, strength training or gymnastics. Alongside this, he is passionate about finding the gear that he thinks will level up your workouts, be that the best running shoes or weighted backpacks. He is also studying for his National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer qualification.

Email Harry at harry.bullmore@independent.co.uk.

Daisy Lester is a senior IndyBest writer and covers product and lifestyle content across the section, including homeware, books, beauty and fashion. Daisy stays abreast of fashion and beauty launches and is meticulous when it comes to testing products and analysing brand marketing claims, she writes only about the new products she thinks everyone needs in their lives. Her ongoing review of the best books for 2025 is a firm favourite among our readers. She also covers sales events and is an expert at digging out the best deals.

Email Daisy at daisy.lester@independent.co.uk.

Lucy Smith is a beauty writer at The Independent covering make-up, skincare, haircare and body care. Lucy has written about all things perfume must-haves and oily skin saviours and is particularly interested in accessible skincare routines for those new to the world of beauty.

In 2023, Lucy was awarded the title of BSME best commerce team with her former team at Glamour UK.

Email Lucy at lucy.smith.indy@independent.co.uk.

Alex Lee specialises in consumer technology and frequently reviews the latest Apple devices, audio gear and games for IndyBest. He is an expert at helping readers find the right tech for their needs. He’s been one of the first journalists to share news during the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, ensuring readers can pre-order the console before anyone else.

Before joining The Independent, Alex worked at Wired where he wrote features, reviews and analysis pieces on a range of subjects including internet culture, privacy and security and gadgets.

Email Alex at alex.lee@independent.co.uk.

Steve Hogarty is a tech writer at IndyBest, he covers anything with a chip in it, from phones, laptops, tablets and e-bikes to gaming, smart home and audio hardware. He has more than a decade’s experience in the video games and technology industry and joined IndyBest in 2021. Before joining The Independent, Steve was a regular guest on the TV series Videogame Nation and his previous publications include City AM, the Official Nintendo Magazine, and PC Zone.

Email Steve at steve.hogart@independent.co.uk.

Lois Borny is IndyBest writer and production journalist where she uploads our expert testers’ reviews. Having joined The Independent in March 2021, she now works across product news, reviews and image production. Lois also writes for the section and covers everything from fashion and beauty to home and garden. Lois is particularly passionate about vegan products and sustainability, and has written IndyBest’s guides to the best vegan trainers, as well as the vegan subscription boxes you need to know.

Email Lois at lois.borny@independent.co.uk.

Angharad Moran, Senior Production Journalist

Angharad Moran is IndyBest’s senior production journalist. She joined The Independent in August 2022, having formerly worked as a production editor at Key Publishing and Immediate Media. Angharad oversees the production of all content on IndyBest, including product news, reviews and round-ups, and she also works on sales events.

Email Angharad at angharad.moran@independent.co.uk.

David Phelan has written for The Independent since 1997 and is now the title’s technology critic. Within the role, he interviews major players in the industry, including Tim Cook, but he also writes tech reviews for IndyBest. His speciality lies in wearable tech, home entertainment, smart home devices and mobiles. His most recent review is a guide to the best 4K TVs, and he has written on the VPNs for Mac users. He’s always the first to know about Apple’s latest launches, writing reviews as soon as new products are announced.

Email David at david.phelan@independent.co.uk.

Samuel Mathewson is an audience editor at The Independent. He is responsible for IndyBest’s SEO and content planning. Alongside IndyBest editors, Samuel focuses on the overarching strategy for the section, including ensuring a strong audience plan is in place during key tentpole moments, including sales events (Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day). When he’s not brainstorming headlines, Samuel writes about men’s fashion, skincare, gifting, homeware and more.

Email Samuel at samuel.mathewson@independent.co.uk.

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Independent 

Honest, independent reviews are our main priority. We are committed to bringing our readers non-biased, accurate information and to recommending the best retailers for each product. To this end, we do not let commercial values affect our editorial judgment, and brands cannot pay for inclusion.

While we occasionally run advertisements across the section, this does not impact our product selection, which is a result of rigorous testing. Being independent and unbiased in our reviews and shopping guides is backed up by the weight of The Independent and its values.

Real-life testing

Here at IndyBest, we pride ourselves on the fact that all of our experts test everything in real-life settings. We think this is more useful than testing in labs (like some of our competitors do) because it enables us to give our readers an honest and realistic review of how a product will perform when they use it themselves. If we don’t think it is worth your money and is not something we’d buy ourselves, it won’t be featured. Inevitably, the testing criteria change based on the products being tested, which is why our journalists detail the exact tests that they conduct in each article.

Affiliate disclosure 

We are open about the fact that in certain instances we make money from the products purchased through our links to brands and retailers’s websites. But we never allow this to influence our product selection, which is a result of real-world testing and expert advice, and our commercial and editorial teams work independently. The revenue we do make helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Updates

We are regularly making updates to our existing reviews because it’s important that our readers are provided with the most up-to-date information. If we carry on using a product after a review has been published but notice things that we think would be valuable for our readers, we will update the article accordingly. Similarly, if we no longer think a product is worth your money, we will let you know.

Your privacy

At The Independent, we take your privacy seriously, which is why we adhere to a strict privacy policy and cookie policy. Similarly, when it comes to any competitions that we run, there are a number of terms and conditions we abide by.

If you have any comments or complaints and want to get in touch, please do so by emailing us at: managingeditor@independent.co.uk

If your product has been featured in our IndyBest reviews, you can license the IndyBest logo by emailing or phoning Media Licensing Co at: indybest@medialicensingco.com or 020 3026 4340.