As a seasoned purveyor of Aldi's Specialbuy aisle, there's nothing I love more than spotting the best cookware nestled in there that can add functionality to my kitchen on a budget.
As Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances & Cookware Editor, new gadgets come across my desk all the time, but I was all ears when I found out about the viral Aldi cutting board, which dropped in December. For just £7.99 via Aldi in-store, you can bag this chopping board and its attachments and find food prep much easier as a result.
I snapped one up and have been using it non-stop ever since. It's safe to say I'm obsessed. But its affordability isn't the only reason why I think this kind of buy is about to be big in 2026. Here's why I love it.
With 4 separate inserts and a BPA-free design, this board will prove supremely useful for home chefs.
I am a notoriously slow cook, forever taking half an hour to complete a 15 minute recipe because of my insistence on cleaning as I go along. When I peel an onion or grate garlic, I feel compelled to dump the skins in the bin before I carry on using my chopping board, which leads to many lost minutes.
The compartmented design of this board has put a stop to that. The concept behind it is simple: there are three dishwasher safe trays which you can lift out of the board when they are full of either scraps or cut ingredients as well as a colander version which is perfect for washed fruit and veg to dry off on.
The board itself is quite nifty too, with a raised underside that you can easily grab in order to manoeuvre it around your kitchen. It's a lightweight buy too, so if you've been put off by the heft of a solid butchers block, this might be a better fit for you.
Friends who have spotted my new chopping board in my kitchen have assumed that it set me back far more than its pricetag and so far, I'm thoroughly impressed with this Specialbuy. As with all of Aldi's limited-time releases, you can only snap this up as long as there's stock in stores so if you like the look of this one, then nab it while you can.
If you're intrigued by the design of this board then you might be interested to know that back in November, I trialled celebrity chef Tom Kerridge's versatile 2-in-1 Wooden Butcher's Block version. Retailing via M&S for £50, it has a similarly streamlined design, features a channel for meat juices whilst carving and is crafted in a stylish checkerboard design. For an elevated take on Aldi's board, it's a winner.
I'm sure that these clever multifunctional buys are going to take over the humble cutting board in 2026 – these are the cleverest ones I've spotted so far.
This clever 2-in-1 board is a true gem from Tom Kerridge's chef-approved cookware collection with M&S.
Reviewers have plenty to praise about this bamboo board, which is available in three different sizes, and contains no plastic parts. The three built-in zones should help make food prep a breeze.
This Amazon board is just £1 more expensive than Aldi's version and features a sliding drawer rather than built-in zones.
If you can see the merit in multi-functional boards like this one from Aldi but can't get to the Specialbuys aisle, then there's plenty of different designs out there to choose from that aren't on a limited run. Just make sure the one you pick matches your food prep style!
