Ease of cleaning is well worth considering at the outset. Stay clean liners resist dirt build-up but pyrolitic cleaning is the ultimate. It burns off all baked-on debris at 500°C so that all you have to do is sweep out the resulting ash. Look out for ovens with a steam cleaning facility, too, and remember that some ovens have removable inner doors that are easy to clean.

There seems to be little difference between hard wood and plastic cutting boards from a safety standpoint, as long as they are properly washed and sanitized after each use. Personally, I like the feel of solid wood. One piece of advice--buy large cutting boards. Don't bother with these tiny boards that everyone seems to have in his or her kitchen. They are not user friendly. Once you get down to serious cutting or chopping, the small boards are always woefully inadequate and downright maddening!

To keep your Granite Worktop in the best possible condition, the following points should be observed:

• Avoid contact with edges of worksurface as chipping may otherwise occur.
• Do not cut directly on the work surface.
• Do not physically abuse your Granite Worktop.
• Do not expose your Granite Worktop to excessive heat.
• Do not move your Granite Worktop from the original place of installation