11 best mud kitchens to encourage your child’s creativity

Best: Overall

All our mini testers made a beeline for this mud kitchen, and we can’t say we blame them. There’s a nice open workbench space that invites open-ended play, and half of the top slides back to reveal a huge butler-style sink underneath. We liked that the addition of a large sink doesn’t cut into the workspace, as the counter simply slides to the other side of the sink. But what really appealed to our muddy chefs was the bucket above the sink, which has an easy-to-use tap. This tap and the trough encouraged literally hours of play from children of all ages. Should they ever tire of the water, there are two large chalkboards (no squabbling over who gets to write the menu is a win), four painted-on hob rings, a shelf and a cupboard too. It also comes with some pans and utensils. Putting it together was surprisingly easy considering it’s a more complex mud kitchen – it took two people about an hour to do.

Best: For open-ended play

As the name suggests, this set is modular so your kids can create different setups. Everything is made in the UK out of gorgeous rustic, untreated wood that feels very durable – it’s certainly the most natural mud kitchen we tried. This design comes with four trestles, one large and one small hob plank, five long rustic planks and eight logs. This means you need a decent amount of space for the kitchen, so it’s better suited to larger gardens and childcare settings. Our testers loved this kit, and immediately set up a restaurant with the planks making up tables for customers. These later became part of an obstacle course, and then theatre seats – we loved that the children never tired of this set because it’s so adaptable. There’s a huge amount of workspace for creating potions, meals and whatever else their imaginations come up with, and enough play prompts to invite them in without being too prescriptive. We have to give full marks for this kitchen really tapping into the ethos of mud kitchens – open-ended play at its finest, and it definitely encouraged imaginations and connected the testers with nature. Another bonus is there’s zero construction time – it works straight out of the box.

Best: Medium-sized mud kitchen

With two activity areas – a dry zone and a wet zone (note: children will never keep any zone dry for long when water play is involved), this mud kitchen is really well thought out. There’s plenty of bench space for a couple of children to create concoctions at the same time, and the sink is big enough for two younger children to splash in at the same time. Our younger ones especially enjoyed the larger style trough and had lots of fun washing up muddy pots and pans. There is also an oven under the workbench, with a magnetic clasp to hold in shut. A long shelf above the sink allows children to display their, ahem, delicious creations, and the wide blackboard across the top is great for listing recipes, or menus and prices if they decide to charge parents for the honour of dining in their “restaurant”. This mud kitchen feels really sturdy and durable, yet wasn’t too much of a hassle to put together – it took one person about 30 minutes to do.

Best: For older children

A really sturdy option with loads of open workspace, this hob top has four hobs with movable dials, and four open areas on each end. There’s also a large shelf under the hob that can become an oven, a bed, a cupboard shelf - whatever your child imagines! One thing is for sure: this unit is built to last. It is really heavy and constructed from thick pieces of untreated lark wood. It feels like it would see your kids through their whole childhood and still be in great condition. While it doesn’t have some of the gadgets and gizmos of other mud kitchens we tried, we did find that it encouraged more imaginative play from our mini testers, rather than them spending time fighting over taps and cupboard doors. This mud kitchen comes in two heights, one for preschool children and one for older children. We found a lot of the mud kitchens were geared towards preschool children height-wise, so it was nice to find one that might last children a bit further into their childhoods.

Best: For small spaces

This mud kitchen may be on the smaller side, but it has all the key ingredients of a brilliant mud kitchen. Our younger testers loved the cupboard – just opening and shutting the door, tucking away treasures kept them entertained for ages. It’s also handy for storing all the mud kitchen paraphernalia when it’s not being used. There is a hob top that encourages imaginative play, with two rings painted on. It’s nice that the rings are painted on here as it means there’s a larger flat surface for kids to pour and create without the frustration of things accidentally tipping over. And there’s a working tap, which all the kids marvelled at. The simple pump system helps reduce water waste – children can pump water up from a trough under the sink, and when they drain the water (there is an easy-to-use plug) it filters back into the trough. There is also a small chalkboard for kids to get creative, plus it comes with pots, pans and utensils. We found this mud kitchen easy to put together – all the parts are clearly labelled and screw together nicely. A great value, smaller mud kitchen.

Best: For bigger groups

With three metal bowls set into the worksurface, this mud kitchen was certainly a winner for multi-users. The height is perfect for pre-schoolers, as it’s one of the lower worksurfaces we tested. And construction is easy on this one – it comes made to order, so you just unpack and play. It feels like one of the most durable and solid kitchens we tried – it’s made from solid, thick planks of wood and has clearly been built to last. Our little testers loved the multi-level shelves on the back board, which are drilled with holes to hold utensils, or to hold a funnel as they carefully make their creations. This mud kitchen is on the expensive side, but as it’s so big and durable we thought it was ideal for big families or even childcare settings.

Best: Budget buy

This mud kitchen seems insanely good value for money. It includes a decent-sized countertop with two raised hob rings and a plastic sink with a working tap. There is also a cupboard/oven under the work surface and four moveable control dials on the side. Above the work surface, there’s a shelf, which you can hang utensils from. And best of all, you can get it personalised for free – a name of your choice can be etched into the backboard. Our little testers were engaged with this kitchen – especially the tap element. There was certainly enough to keep them entertained for hours, yet enough space that three testers played side by side for ages without any rows – nothing short of a miracle!

Best: Multi-use kitchen

Wow, this mud kitchen packs a punch! The very sturdy, rustic frame includes a sunken sink and three pots in the worktop, as well as two raised hot rings (with moveable dials), a cute window-style shelf, a big plant pot at the back, and a huge shelf at the bottom, plus a Perspex screen that kids can use glass pens on to draw (pens included in the set). It really encourages all types of garden play, from acting as a little potting area (it comes with a child’s size trowel, fork and mini rake) to a creative space and of course, a kitchen. It even has some cute wind chimes on the side. This mud kitchen was an epic mission to put together though – it took two people the best part of a morning to build. However, once it is together it doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere – it’s solid and really durable. Our mini testers were especially drawn to the idea of drawing on the screen, while we liked we could plant them their own little garden in the back to teach them about growing plants.

Best: Customisable mud kitchen

We thought this kitchen was excellent value for the size of it. It has a really long, wide workspace across the top with two sunken metal bowls and four raise ring hobs. There is a little shelf above the main workspace, which our little testers liked using for lining up pine cones and other treasures. There’s also a cute little cupboard/oven under the worktop for added fun. This is a great option if you have more than one child wanting to use the mud kitchen at once – there’s plenty of elbow room, plus the two sinks helps avoid any disagreements. This mud kitchen comes in natural, blue, yellow, white or grey and for £10 extra you can have the backboard painted in chalkboard paint. One word of warning is that this kitchen did take a while to put together – one person took the best part of three hours to finish the job.

Best: For durability

Cute as a button, this mud kitchen is a lovely addition to our garden. The Welsh-dresser style design on this kitchen is gorgeous, and we loved the little chalkboard on the cupboard/oven – our testers loved drawing what was in the oven on it. The raised hob has two rings with satisfying movable dials, while the sink has a nice big tap with hot and cold options (these don’t work, but our testers loved pretending). The wood that this kitchen is made from is non-allergenic, and sourced from environmentally responsible forests. For added durability, this kitchen is heat treated to protect it against the elements – it certainly feels sturdy!

Best: For innovation

Part mud kitchen, part arts and crafts centre, this little kitchen is really versatile. It’s designed to be used through 360 degrees, so it worked well on our patio rather than stuck against a wall. One side has a roll for paper so children can use it as an easel – we were fans of the idea of outdoor painting, as it minimised the mess and clear up. The kids also loved the novelty of painting outside, and seemed to be surprisingly inspired by nature in their artwork. Our little testers also loved the weather dial on the side, which encourages little ones to select what the weather is today – it invited great conversations about clouds types and different weathers. We were really impressed that such a simple element brought about a mini geography lesson in an unforced way. There is also a cupboard or oven at the front, and two painted-on hob rings. The metal bowl that’s sunken into the work surface is really wide and deep, which our little ones loved. This kitchen feels really durable, and we loved the little touches of the painted details. It almost feels too nice to leave outside, but it is treated to withstand the weather, although it is recommended that it’s covered during the winter months.