Question about Philips Hue Bridge

Simon You probably mean that you can switch on the coffee machine, for example, or something else that is in the socket.

There is now a "Hue Smart Plug" that can do exactly what you want.

The smart sockets you probably mean are not controlled via the "Hue system", but via their own apps.
If you want, you can "connect" these two systems, for example via IFTTT. Then you can press a button on your mobile phone, the socket to which you have the Hue Bridge turns on and then you can control the lights via the Hue app.
You can find such a socket here, for example: myStrom WLAN
But check the description again to see if it's what you're looking for. I hope I was able to help you.

You can switch the Hue lights on and off with the app, manually or scheduled. The Bridge should always be switched on, otherwise the control of the lights will not work.