9 best chopping boards that make dicing vegetables a breeze
Whether you want to dice veg, chop meat, or just slice up a salad, there’s a surface in our top pick to suit every culinary need. Our testers had a selection of chopping boards to use during everyday family meal making – from a quick snack to a full-blown roast. They were looking for durability, stability and ease of cleaning, as well as thinking about how easy the boards would be to store and move around to different places in the kitchen.
If you’re a home chef who often slices roast meats or cuts through juicy fruits, choose something with a groove running around the circumference of the board to channel liquids and prevent a messy worktop – same goes for those of you who slice bread and would appreciate a crumb-catcher. Often prepping veg for a speedy stir-fry? Consider a board there that can make life easier by keeping things together till you transfer it to the pot.
Wooden boards are best hand washed in hot water and left to dry upright, but any of the others here can be placed in the dishwasher after use. Always clean and dry thoroughly, especially after preparing raw meat and poultry. Better still, buy more than one board and keep them for designated foods – you’re sure to find more than one to your taste in our selection.
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Joseph Joseph index bamboo chopping board: £70, Joseph Joseph
Joseph Joseph’s classic board trio now comes in bamboo as well as their trademark colours; we think this would be a classy addition to any counter. With a separate board for meat, veg and cooked foods, you’ll have less chance of cross contamination when prepping. The upright storage frame is a real space saver and the wood is knife resistant and hard wearing. We loved it.
Lakeland beech chopping block: £21.99, Lakeland
This chunky beech board will last a lifetime. As the biggest of the blocks we tested at 43.5 x 33cm, it was also the heaviest. That meant lots of room to carve even a giant Christmas turkey with no worries the juices would overflow, thanks to the groove that runs along its border. Our tester thought this was one for bigger kitchens that had room to leave it permanently out on a work surface.
Sainsbury’s round marble and mango chop board: £18.50, Sainsbury’s
Our tester liked the look of this dual-surface marble and mango wood board and used to it for serving cheese and biscuits at the table. The round shape looked good hanging from a pegboard in her dresser, so it’s a great choice if you have a smaller kitchen where everything’s on display. A great price for a quality board.
Salter bamboo carving board: £18.98, Amazon
Now this is what your Sunday roast has been waiting for. This 40 x 30cm board is perfect for tackling the juiciest of joints as its border has an extra-deep channel running from its centre to surrounds. In the centre, there’s a section of pyramid spikes that will hold meat firm for carving, so you’ll cut even slices safely every time.
Judge granite effect cutting board: £5, Harts of Stur
If you’ve already spent a king’s ransom on marble worktops, the good news is that these bargainous chopping boards will look at home living on them. Made from BPA-free food grade plastic, our tester liked the slip-resistant pads on the underside and the wide handle that meant she could hook it up on her utensil rack when not in use.
Robert Welch pebble chopping board: £36, Robert Welch
This 32cm board is made of hardwearing oiled oak, which is wonderfully smooth to the touch. Our tester used thought it looked great as part of a table setting as well as in the kitchen for everyday chopping. Although she loved the rounded ends, this one's best for those who store their boards flat, as stacking this one book style can get a bit wobbly.
Brabantia tasty colours small chopping board: £4, Amazon
This bright yellow board may be the smallest in Brabantia’s range, but it soon became an invaluable tool in our tester’s kitchen. Just the right size for chopping a single onion or tackling herbs, the soft-grip handle was useful for keeping hands away from chilli and garlic when adding to dishes. It came up like new in the dishwasher and comes with a five year guarantee too.
Victorinox small allrounder cutting board: £25, Victorinox
It's made from environmentally friendly wood fibre but with a slate-like finish, this board is stylish enough to serve nibbles straight to the table. This chopping board is also heat resistant, so is useful to have around as it saves your worktops from hot pans as well as the sharpest of knives.
DesignPro Chopping Board: £19, ProCook
When you have a razor-sharp knife in one hand and a tricky fish to fillet in the other, the last thing you need is a board that wobbles or slides across your worktop. That’s why our tester loved this model so much: with rubberised grips on each corner, this board is not for budging. The composite wood fibre surface will withstand constant use and is anti-bacterial. This one is 37 x 28cm, but a smaller size is available as shown, it also comes in black.
The verdict: Chopping boards
For a classic board that will still be around when you’ve long since chopped your last carrot, look to the Lakeland beech block. It’s heavy though, so not one we’d expect to move around the kitchen. For that, opt for the Joseph Joseph index – a modern classic that will make your kitchen stylish and safer as it makes good food hygiene easy.
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