Kitchens: Everyone has one, but what is done with it and what is expected of it varies madly from one person to the next.

For some, the kitchen is a refuge; a place to claim sanctuary from marauding offspring while sipping champagne and creating culinary delights.

For others it is the modern equivalent to the pre-historic bonfire - a gathering place to eat meat, insult each other, and find out why Beaver is flunking science.

No longer just for cooking, cleaning and the odd late night tipple, the kitchen has mutated into an uber-room, suited for entertaining, dining and plain old living.