New sink

I am lucky to have a decent sized kitchen. I had a kitchen revamp last year and I have a Franke "Fragranite* composite sink. It is a good deep wide sink and a half.

The mainsink is 42x34x19cm deep.The half sink is 16x34x 13cm deep.

I find the extra half sink part really useful. It's good for straining stuff, putting a small amount of water in it so you can just rinse a few small items at a time, or rinse those sticky doughy hands.

OH eventually realised we don't need a washing up bowl. My old washing up bowls are proving useful in the garden for soaking plant roots prior to planting.

I do the same, rose - I just thought £30 was a bit much to pay for a washing-up bowl with its own drainage hole!

the one who put the kitchen facing due west meaning I would have to have lights on in it all day
Grananarchist My kitchen faces west and it seems light and bright enough

Ana thank you
Probably not, though, I just buy a new one when needed from Wilko

And it's not too large so I can tip and pour the soapy water down my 1.5 sinks!

I've been through a few styles of sink over the years. Recently went back to my all time favourite style, (left in a house we sold). That is a large, deep, double bowl stainless steel. I don't like seeing things on a draining board, so the second sink has the draining basket and everything sits out of site!

One is also useful for vegetable preparation when the other may be being used for other prep or washing. The swan neck tap allows rinsing of draining crocks.

Not easy to find, our was made by Rangemaster, the same as the cooker people.

Who but a man could have designed those beautiful porcelain sinks that are about 6" deep? Then they put swan neck taps about 2ft above the sink - turn on tap - water goes absolutely everywhere - I mean really? (Probably the architect who we may use for our new build retirement bungalow - the one who put the kitchen facing due west meaning I would have to have lights on in it all day????). You cant have kitchen sink too big.

I use a plastic washing up bowl. Always a round one though, never square, because it's so much easier to clean. You can swish round it more easily.

These things matter.

rosequartz, it does give the dimensions of the bowl further down the page, if you really are daft enough to want one!

We have a double stainless steel sink with a drainer. Working on DH to get new kitchen next year (after 37 years!) but we will insist on a double sink again. It's so practical.

The taps in the sink and bath in our new( to us) bungalow which some one else had chosen, looks like the water shute at an amusement park and I got soaked the first time I used it. And don't get me started on the kitchen sink tap! I had a 1 3/4 sink at the last house made by Franke with a plastic inset bowl. Really miss it, now we have a 1 and a slit not a bowl does anyone ask women what they find most useful?

Twenty nine pounds for a washing up bowl??? I know it's a bit swish, but still!

That looks a good bowl annodomini - but would it fit in my small sink?

We have MIL's old Belfast sink in the garden full of plants.

I have 1.5 sinks in the kitchen and would probably miss the smaller one for peeling etc.

We have 2 big Belfast sinks, with a small drainer at each side.
Husband wanted to change them for smaller ones, but I dug my heels in.
They're useful for putting everything to soak if you haven't time to wash up straight away.

Talking of washing-up bowls: a friend's OH went out and bought this one to complement their new kitchen! I usually buy a cheaper one and replace it when it begins to look shabby.

I have a washing up bowl. I didn't want one, but DH insisted it would protect the sink. We have to have a plastic thingy underneath the washing up bowl to protect the sink from the bowl (his idea again). Life is too short!

I have a washing up bowl because DH said I would damage the sink if we didn't protect it. What a faff, tea and coffee stains gather under the bowl, he tuts and gets the cleaning materials out. I have a single sink and it isn't big enough to clean oven shelves in.

Could not have been a good tap Jings - I had a wonderful one which had a high bend - it was the best kitchen tap I have ever had and it was made in Birmingham - Bristows - I had a similar but far cheaper one in my utility room and that was good too - had a really deep sink in there which was great for putting buckets in to fill.

How many of you use a washing up bowl ? We have a dishwasher but things that can't go in are washed in a bowl, not actually in the sink

sink that is. not tap.

We did buy a shallower one from local suppliers before this one. I used it for two weeks before it went to the tip.

DD2 has got one of those taps with her sink where it goes up a long way before it curves down IYSWIM. It splashes everywhere! Looks modern but ..... oh!

My sink is big, and deep. DH hadf to search the internet to find it. Local suppliers were useless. Don't think it's actually a Belfast as such cos it's stainless steel. I chipped the previous white one.

Can't stand a shallow sink. I think a small sink at the side would be useful tbh. But you only get those with shallow modern sinks.

I have to admit that I found the half sized sink useless! I have two almost equal sized sinks which means if I do need to hand of wash plates etc I can use one for sudsy water and one for clean very hot water to rinse. It is also useful when doing any hand washing of garments. My friend has one of the double sinks with no drainer from IKEA which seems to work well - she has a sort of rack she can put over one sink if she wishes to drain things. My DiL in USA has a double sink but no drainer also - doesn't seem to find that a problem but she does put one of those thick padded things out on the worktop to drain things on. The American ones dry the things far better than the ones you get in UK although they look the same - she never has a mist left inside her glasses.

I like the look of my daughter's split Belfast sink, but I would be very nervous about having one myself. I tend to be rather clumsy (DH is even more clumsy) and I would be afraid of chipping it. I've no doubt that there will be those who will disabuse me of that. I notice that DD uses the stainless steel sink in her utility room more than she uses the kitchen sink. It seems to have become more of a fashion statement than a practical part of her kitchen. I have never asked her, but maybe she's nervous about using it also.