A machine for preparing and dispensing a beverage, such as tea, coffee, hot chocolate, cold chocolate, milk, soup or baby food, such machine comprising: - an outside housing having one or more outside faces (30a,30b,30c,30d), such as one or more faces selected from a top face, a side face, a rear face and a front face; and - a dispensing head that comprises an ingredient processing unit and a beverage outlet, the processing unit having ingredient holder forming an ingredient seat, e.g. a seat in which ingredients are mixed, the dispensing head being movable: - outwards out of the outside housing into a deployed operative position in which a beverage is dispensible via the outlet to a beverage dispensing surface (5,37) for positioning a user-cup or user-mug; and - inwards into the outside housing into a retracted storage position, optionally a storage position in which the outlet is confined within the outside housing and/or in which the dispensing head is surrounded by outside faces of the outside housing that are generally flush with apparent faces of the dispensing head; and - a liquid circuit for processing said beverage and delivering such beverage into the beverage outlet, the liquid circuit comprising at least one activatable unit (40,51,52) that is passed through by liquid during beverage preparation, such as an activatable unit selected from: a liquid driver; a thermal conditioner; and the ingredient processing unit, optionally the liquid circuit comprising one or more liquid ducts for guiding liquid to be delivered by the outlet, the dispensing head being configured so that it can be maintained in: - the deployed operative position whether said activatable unit(s) (40,51,52) is/are activated or maintained activated or deactivated or maintained deactivated; and/or - the retracted storage position whether said activatable unit(s) (40,51,52) is/are activated or maintained activated or deactivated or maintained deactivated. - an outside housing having one or more outside faces (30a,30b,30c,30d), such as one or more faces selected from a top face, a side face, a rear face and a front face; and - a dispensing head that comprises an ingredient processing unit and a beverage outlet, the processing unit having ingredient holder forming an ingredient seat, e.g. a seat in which ingredients are mixed, the dispensing head being movable: - outwards out of the outside housing into a deployed operative position in which a beverage is dispensible via the outlet to a beverage dispensing surface (5,37) for positioning a user-cup or user-mug; and - inwards into the outside housing into a retracted storage position, optionally a storage position in which the outlet is confined within the outside housing and/or in which the dispensing head is surrounded by outside faces of the outside housing that are generally flush with apparent faces of the dispensing head; and - outwards out of the outside housing into a deployed operative position in which a beverage is dispensible via the outlet to a beverage dispensing surface (5,37) for positioning a user-cup or user-mug; and - inwards into the outside housing into a retracted storage position, optionally a storage position in which the outlet is confined within the outside housing and/or in which the dispensing head is surrounded by outside faces of the outside housing that are generally flush with apparent faces of the dispensing head; - a liquid circuit for processing said beverage and delivering such beverage into the beverage outlet, the liquid circuit comprising at least one activatable unit (40,51,52) that is passed through by liquid during beverage preparation, such as an activatable unit selected from: a liquid driver; a thermal conditioner; and the ingredient processing unit, optionally the liquid circuit comprising one or more liquid ducts for guiding liquid to be delivered by the outlet, the dispensing head being configured so that it can be maintained in: - the deployed operative position whether said activatable unit(s) (40,51,52) is/are activated or maintained activated or deactivated or maintained deactivated; and/or - the retracted storage position whether said activatable unit(s) (40,51,52) is/are activated or maintained activated or deactivated or maintained deactivated. - the deployed operative position whether said activatable unit(s) (40,51,52) is/are activated or maintained activated or deactivated or maintained deactivated; and/or - the retracted storage position whether said activatable unit(s) (40,51,52) is/are activated or maintained activated or deactivated or maintained deactivated.