Kitchen costs hit £76bn
Tuesday, 21 Mar 2006 10:30
Britons have spent £76 billion kitting out their kitchens
As the UK increases its interest in all things culinary, new research shows that Britons have spent £76 billion on creating the perfect kitchen.
Figures from Churchill Home Insurance reveal that as well as cookers, fridges, and cutlery, keen cooks are splashing out on pasta-makers, electric pepper mills and popcorn makers.
Overall, food-obsessed Brits own £1,539 worth of electrical gadgets - although the majority of this is made up by freezers, cookers, and microwaves.
On top of this, British kitchens have an average of £486 worth of utensils - ranging from scissors and chopping boards to olive oil decanters and fruit juicers.
This has pushed the average household spend on a kitchen to £3,113, Churchill reveals.
But while enthusiastic foodies are eagerly buying-up the latest kitchen gadget, they are also getting into costly trouble.
Churchill Insurance reveals that nine per cent of household accidents happen in the kitchen, with the average cost of a claim at £496.
"The research shows that the kitchen is full of expensive electrical equipment and accessories so it is imperative that house-holders make sure they are covered against any accidental damage," said Martin Scott, head of Churchill Home Insurance.
"Otherwise, it’s easy to see how an everyday accident could make a real dent in the household finances."
Churchill also released a list of some of its more outlandish claims.
It reveals that keen cooks have claimed for:
Exploding pressure cookers that coated the kitchen in stew
Slippery roast chickens which whose fat burnt the kitchen carpet
Bleach bottles bursting onto the carpet
Enamel paint spilt inside the washing machine drum, and
A dog’s bone causing someone to slip and shatter the oven door
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