Yay or nay?

… having a marble benchtop. Emiko Davies, author and cook, weighs in

When I moved to Florence as a student, I rented a room in an old apartment complete with spiral staircases, terracotta floors and a marble tabletop in the kitchen. I’ve wanted the same in my kitchen ever since!

Marble in a kitchen looks beautiful and bright, and it will continue to look good with the patina of everyday use. The cool surface is also fantastic for pastry.

Marble scratches easily and believe it or not, it can stain, particularly with acidic ingredients like vinegar, wine or lemon juice.

Yay! I still dream that one day I’ll have marble benchtops, but for now I make do with a couple of carrara marble boards that I pull out when I’m making pastry or need a nice background for a photograph of a dish! Emiko’s second cookbook, Acquacotta ($49.99, Hardie Grant), is out in March and available in stores nationally.