Blockwood | End Grain Acacia Cutting Board

End grain is the difference between a board that lasts and one that looks tired within a year. Cut across the fibres rather than along them, the timber closes up behind the blade instead of being sliced open by it, so the surface holds fewer marks and takes less edge off a knife. It is also the reason an end-grain board looks the way it does: the face is a mosaic of block ends, each one a different tone, rather than long parallel stripes.

This one is acacia, a dense hardwood with strong contrast between its pale and dark figure, which is what makes the block pattern read clearly rather than turning into an even brown field. It is finished in natural timber colour with nothing stained or printed on it, cut as a plain rectangle of 40 by 28 centimetres and 3 centimetres thick. Three centimetres is a working thickness — enough substance to sit flat and stay flat on an uneven worktop.

It is made in one size and one finish, and the size is the generous one: enough to break down a chicken without pushing trimmings over the edge, or to lay out bread, cheese and fruit and still see the wood between them. Being timber rather than a printed surface, the colour and figure vary from board to board. Wash it by hand and dry it rather than leaving it standing wet, and give it a food-safe oil from time to time.

• Construction: end grain, cut across the fibres
• Material: solid acacia hardwood
• Dimensions: 40 x 28 x 3 cm
• Shape: plain rectangle
• Finish: natural timber colour, unstained
• Care: hand wash, dry immediately, oil occasionally with a food-safe finish