Gas burner

Could it be blocked jets, sounds silly I know have you tried blowing along it. it does work, don`t ask me how I know.

That's the normal flame pattern.

No, should be a notice saying extinguish all burners cool before lowering lid, I smashed a glass lid . I had closed it and in a hurry sat down to dinner and bang, glass everywhere, my fault, never have done it since.

expensive mistake

If you only want a quick cuppa when travelling (and the Thermos is empty) then - after boiling just enough in the kettle  -  it can be frustrating if you have to wait for the hob burner to cool before you can safely lower the glass cover.

It speeds up cooling if you rinse out the kettle with cold water, and then add some cold water to it and replace it on the cooling hob to absorb the latent heat.