There’s also plenty of storage space, a four-ring hob with knobs and a built-in oven for baking mud pies.

Younger children will be more focused on imaginative and role play, pretending to be cooks and chefs and bakers, or creating as much mess and having as much fun as possible. That said, we do recommend giving this play kitchen a quick splash of colour to really bring it to life. Perhaps the most appealing feature for kids, however, is the realistic ignition sound which adds to the excitement. In addition to the mud itself, there will be a surface to work on, shelves or cupboard space, and a hob to cook on or oven to bake in.Big enough for two or more children to share, the handy slide-out sideboard can be pulled out to create additional counter space when playing with friends, revealing a large splash tub hiding below. These are better for conserving water, as you can let it fill up with rain or put a rationed amount from the mains supply inside. It also has holes at the top to slot pots into, so kids can learn how to grow and look after their own plants.

A mud kitchen allows kids to role-play and have some creative outdoor fun with friends or by themselves.To expand your outdoor kitchen set up, they also offer co-ordinating mud kitchen stool, vegetable garden, matching ‘nestagon’ bird boxes and more. Hand washing after playing in mud is essential due to the potential for it to contain nasty bacteria and bugs.

A wooden planter nearby, or set of colourful plant pots hooked onto your kitchen will give endless opportunities to grow flowers or plant herbs and vegetables.While the core activity might be the same, the ways in which different aged children will play with a mud kitchen will be different.

Kids love getting grubby in the garden, digging in the soil, collecting leaves and generally enjoying the freedom of playing outside — and a mud kitchen is one way to allow them to safely explore this urge.

On the one side, children can use the large kitchen bowl to rustle up a mud pie, whilst on the other, they can paint on the easel, plant some seeds or record the weather on the inbuilt weather station. Fix one plank across the back of the table and then screw uprights into place, add a plank on the back near the top for strength.