Sweep | Chopping Board With Catch Tray

The bottleneck in preparing a meal is rarely the cutting. It is the growing pile of things already cut, with nowhere to go and no bowl free to take them. A board that sits directly over its own tray removes that step: what comes off the knife goes straight over the edge and down, and the worktop stays clear from the first onion to the last.

Both parts are moulded polypropylene, and the board is a proper working surface at 38 by 29 centimetres rather than a token one. The tray beneath is open and lipped, and hooks over the edge of a counter so it sits clear of the work; the board drops onto it and doubles as its cover when the prep is done. The back of the board carries a non-slip finish, so it holds position on a smooth worktop instead of relying on its own weight. The whole assembly weighs around 850 grams and comes apart completely, which means neither piece has to be cleaned around the other.

Four colours are made — pink, green, blue and yellow — identical in size, weight and construction. Colour is the simplest way to keep one board for meat and another for everything else, in a household that would rather not think about it twice.

• Material: polypropylene, board and tray
• Board: 38 x 29 cm cutting surface
• Grip: non-slip back
• Tray: open and lipped, hooks over the counter edge; the board covers it
• Weight: approximately 850 g
• Colours: pink, green, blue and yellow