The kitchen and living room

Sink Provide dishwashing liquid, a scourer and at least two dishcloths and tea towels.

Stove Preferably a standard-sized stove with gas burners and an electric oven, but a two-plate stove with an oven will do.

Microwave This is not essential, but guests may want to heat up leftovers or a little milk for coffee or breakfast. Choose a simple, basic model – the more complex and intelligent it is, the more likely it is to break.

Coffee, tea, milk and sugar Supply enough Ceylon and rooibos tea (plus a teapot), instant and ground coffee (with a decent plunger), sugar (and artificial sweeteners) and milk – preferably fresh milk in a bottle. Avoid those silly straws of instant coffee and triangles of long-life milk – they’re always too small and often past their expiry date because nobody wants to use them!

Fridge A bar fridge with a working freezer compartment (and icecube trays) is alright for long weekends, but a full-size fridge is better.

Kettle Cordless is king, or get a flat-bottomed one if you have a gas stove – nobody wants to unplug the the kettle every time they need to fill it with water.

Sitting and eating The dining table should be big enough so guests can comfortably sit down to eat or work on a laptop. A couch and comfortable armchairs would be appreciated – and don’t go overboard with the scatter cushions!