Top 5 role play food and drink sets
Our favourite role play food and drink sets around now
Why buy them?
Role-play and imaginary games are very important for a young child’s development as it allows them to ‘test out’ different social and emotional situations. Playing in a kitchen environment allows them to imitate things that they have seen at home or in restaurants and cafes. It helps develop their communication and teamwork, as well as their problem-solving skills.
What to spend
Cheap packs of plastic play food can be found for a few pounds, with better-quality wooden sets costing around £20-30 depending on their size.
What to look for
If you want longevity, it's worth paying the extra for some wooden play food. You get what you pay for quality-wise, so it might be worth shelling out for more robust sets that will stand up to some serious toddler play!
Wooden afternoon tea set, £12, George at Asda
Making a cuppa is a ritual loved by many of us - and you’re never too young to learn how! This retro-style tea set has everything that tots need to serve up afternoon tea, including a tea pot, spoons, milk and sugar bowls, cups and saucers, and there’s even tea bags!
Play food set, £11.50, John Lewis
This bumper pack of plastic play food has everything for role-play fun. As well as the sweet treats like cakes and doughnuts, there’s also lots of pretend fruit and veg, so even when they’re playing your child is getting their (imaginary) five-a-day!
Pizza set, £15, Le Toy Van
Everybody loves pizza, so your child will enjoy having his or her very own decorating set. The wooden pizza can be decorated with a choice of ‘toppings’ that attach with Velcro, and when it’s ready to serve, there’s even a pizza wheel to slice it up.
Play BBQ, £35, JoJo Maman Bebe
The Play BBQ set features everything your child will need, including food, plates, cutlery, tongs and even skewers to thread on their choice of food.
Felt food sandwich set, £16.99, Melissa & Doug
This 33-piece set has the ingredients for pretty much every sandwich under the sun! Made from felt, there’s brown and white bread, pitta and even sub rolls, which your child can fill with a range of delicious ‘fillings’ from meat to cheese and salad.