Generally it has to be Quartz, though we do love others, as sometimes they can give the right feel for the design you want. Different metals can look amazing and Quartz can't replicate these. We are just starting a project that has mainly Quartz but one side of the island will be copper . . . Can't wait to see the finished look

Love your kitchen, you’ve done a great job, not only does the kitchen look good, it’s totally practical, drawers are the way forward, even if they are more expensive than cupboards. I’ve just redone a kitchen in a house we rent out, the old one was finally falling apart. I was going to go to Howdens and use the joiner etc we knew, but in the end we used a small local company, which cost us £300 more, but the quality of their interior cabinets and doors was so outstanding, plus they could do everything, including tiling, we went with them. We didn’t change the floor, but did everything necessary, I’m hoping it lasts well and our tenants look after it!

Agree with Minnie, excellent worktops but not heat or stain resistant but why would you put a hot pan straight on to your new worktop, if you treat them with care they'll last for years. Also its less porous and harder than granite and its the most popular worktop. Seeing more dishwashers that now 'feature' door opening as part of the drying cycle, i'd advise turning that off as i have heard of the steam staining the underneath. Newer tops are now silica low content/free due to fabrication health regulations, not heard of any issues with these, also seeing some that are prints ie the pattern isn't through the top but is layed on the top so where you have edges/cut outs it wouldn't look quite right imho. Any veined worktop will show a joint when you go round a corner as the pattern also changes direction, the joint will be about 1-2mm and filled with a colour matched compound. For hob splashbacks it can affect the price, quartz is usually sold by the slab [3.3x1.4 ish] so if the splashback can come out of the worktop slabs then go for it but if it means having to buy another slab then its expensive. I find that drainer grooves don't really work as they don't have sufficient fall to drain away so you can get limescale build up, i never recommend them.

https://www.formica.com/en-gb/products/worktops Proper Formica is a brilliant product for stain resistance and durability. I had it in my last studio for seven years and taught art workshops weekly. When we sold it looked new. I also had Birch Ply Formica in my utility which had a nice striped wooden edge, more costly but still less than Quarz. I'm looking to have it againin my utitlity soon so need to download the brochures.