Chef Ben Tish's kitchen combines style and practicality for home cooking - here's how he embraced a down-to-earth, country aesthetic

When it comes to seeking inspiration from real-life kitchens, the kitchens that belong to professional chefs are always a good place to start. For those who cook for a living, you can guarantee that so much thought has been given to how a kitchen functions, and chef Ben Tish's country kitchen proves that this is true.

Ben Tish is a chef and food writer, and currently Chef Director of Cubitt House, where he focuses on British produce with Mediterranean flavours. A recent move out of London to the countryside has inspired his new country kitchen, which embraces both the natural environment and his need for high-quality cooking.

Here's how he brought his home kitchen to life.

'The kitchen has such a great airy space, overlooking the garden with a kitchen island in the centre,' Ben explains.

Ben recently moved out of the city to the countryside, and with that, brings a whole new way of living. He inherited the rich wooden cabinets, which form the foundations of a well-loved country kitchen where you're made to feel welcome and relaxed.

This down-to-earth aesthetic is heightened by the limewash walls, which add an organic touch to the space but also brighten up the walls.

The kitchen island, however, is the real star of the show. In country kitchens in particular, an island plays a huge part in the versatility and productivity of the kitchen. It operates not only as a functional work space, but also a central hub for socialising and hosting.

'With the kitchen being the heart of the house, we are always in there. I work in there, whether cooking, shooting videos, or doing emails! We have also been entertaining a lot in there already. It leads out into the garden, meaning we’re always in and out. It's the most used room in the house,' Ben adds.

The open legs on one side of the island make it a dual-purpose zone for seating and it helps to open up the space.

While seating and layouts are essential parts of a kitchen design, for a chef, the tech is where the magic happens. Ben chose a traditional Everhot range cooker, which matches the aesthetic of the country kitchen but still performs at a high level.

'The oven has helped transform it into the very heart of our home. We inherited some lovely olive wood units, which led to me choosing the mushroom coloured Everhot,' Ben explains.

Choosing the right appliances for your kitchen is key, and range cookers are a practical choice for those who really use their cooking space as the heart of their home.

'It just goes perfectly and really is a game-changing piece of kit. I haven’t had a full winter out of it yet and I'm looking forward to it heating up the kitchen in the colder months to come. The ovens are amazing for roasting, and produce more of a gentle heat so it’s hard to overheat things. My very best roast chickens have been cooked in my Everhot!', Ben adds.

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