Beech is perfect for chopping boards; it is food-safe, has a high Janka hardness rating so is resistant to scratches and dents (but without damaging your knifes blade) and has an especially tight, closed-grain (unlike Oak for example) meaning it is effective at keeping liquid and therefore bacteria from entering the cutting surface - no wonder it is used for butchers blocks!

Wooden boards are more hygienic than their plastic counterparts; not only do they look ugly, but the small cuts caused by your knife not only mean you are ingesting micro-plastics, but are a breeding ground for bacteria, which contrary to popular belief are hard to properly clean.  Wood on the other hand is considered naturally anti-bacterial because of it’s porosity, as liquids are absorbed through capillary action; which draws moisture away from its surface and traps bacteria within the grain structure, drying it out and killing it. This wicking is most effective however, when the amount of liquid is kept to a minimum - hence the importance of a good care and maintenance regime!

This Beech is ‘spalted’ (those gorgeous black lines) which is caused by the fungus kretzschmaria deusta.  Spores called hyphae break down the wood to gather nourishment and produce a protein coating creating these black lines, which are in effect zonal demarcations.  Don’t worry though, these spores are in fact non-toxic and need a high moisture content to survive, so when the timber is properly kiln or air dried for woodworking they will have long died off.