The lead up to today's British general election has revealed that no other room expresses more fully a family's taste and values – which is why politicians want to be seen mug in hand and why commentators search for meaning in Ed Miliband's lino, says Edwin Heathcote

Last week's fuss over Ed Miliband's home made clear that the kitchen is now the principal representational space of the house – a room that expresses the taste, aspirations and status of a family, but is actually less used for cooking and eating than ever before, says Edwin Heathcote