Not too much romance here, but essential for any functional kitchen. Buy the heaviest pans possible. Also, you should consider buying a non-stick silicon sheet: they make baking very easy!

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