10 of the best wooden mud kitchens for kids

The best mud kitchens encourage the kind of open-ended play that promotes creative thinking. So, they have enough features – from play hobs and splash tubs and maybe even working taps – to spark the imagination but nothing too gimmicky or gadgety. Good mud kitchens are also sturdy and robust – and easy to wash down once the last mud pie is served.

We've taken a good, long look at dozens of wooden mud kitchens and, with the help of our child testers and their parents, rated them in terms of size, sturdiness, features and accessories, value for money, assembly time and (most important of all) delivery of fun. Mud kitchens do vary in price but none of them are super-cheap, so do check out our 10 best buys before spending your money on a mud kitchen for your child...

• For more outdoor fun, take a look at our pick of the best water play tables, best sand tables, best garden slides and best paddling pools.

Best mud kitchens at a glance

• Best with double sink feature: Chad Valley Wooden Mud Kitchen, £125
• Best value with utensils: Playhouse Marvellous Mud Kitchen, £89.99
• Best value with running water: Smyths Toys Mud Kitchen with Water Tap, £69.99
• Best value with running water and utensils: TP Splash & Play Early Fun Wooden Mud Kitchen, £99.99
• Best for extra gardening and painting play: Plum Discovery Mud Pie Kitchen, £299.99
• Best for saving space: TP Toys Deluxe Mud Kitchen Playhouse Accessory, £54.99
• Best for play with siblings/friends: Big Game Hunters Triple Mud Kitchen with Working Tap, £180
• Best for personalised extras: Children's Wooden Outdoor Mud Kitchen, £345
• Best for double-duty as an art station: GLTC Inside Play/Outdoor Mud Kitchen, £165
• Best sustainable mud kitchen: Willy Kitchen Sink Mud Kitchen, £260

What to look for when choosing a mud kitchen

How big is it? – Mud kitchens can really vary when it comes to size, so check the dimensions before you order anything and and make sure not only that it's the size you think it is from the picture but also that it's the right size for your child and that here's room for it in your garden.

How sturdy it it? – Generally speaking, the more expensive the mud kitchen is, the better the quality of wood in it and the sturdier the build. However, these more expensive mud kitchens are generally much bigger too – so space can be an issue, even if the price isn't. We have included mud kitchens in a range of prices in our selection but we've always taken care, at the lower end of the price scale, to choose mud kitchens that are as sturdy as possible. We did test a few mud kitchens priced lower than our cheapest recommendations but all of them were too flimsy or too wobbly or too splintery to make it into our top 10 selection.

Does it have a water feature? – Most mud kitchens have a sink or splash tub but, if you want to fill it with water, you'll have to bring your own in a bucket or hose. However, some kitchens do have running water included – whether from a water butt, an under-the-sink reservoir or a tap with an attachment you can connect to your garden hose.

Are utensils included? – With some mud kitchens, you'll get a whole set of pot, pans and other accessories with your purchase; others will come with nothing else included. If the mud kitchen of your choice doesn't come with accessories and you don't already have suitable accessories at home, you'll need to factor in the cost of buying these for your child to use when playing with the kitchen.

Is there storage space? – Some mud kitchens come with lots of shelves and cupboard to store your pans in and/or rows of hooks to change utensils from; others just have the odd shelf or a couple of hooks. If you pick one which has very limited storage space, think about where/how you will store the (mud-spattered) pots, pans and utensils when they're not being used.

Has the wood been treated? – Your mud kitchen is going to get covered in dirt and, if it is left out in the garden, it will have to survive wind, rain and possibly even snow as well. Check whether the wood has been treated with several layers of weatherproof varnish. If it hasn't been treated or there's only a thin layer, you may want to varnish it yourself or add a couple of coats of durable waterproof paint.

How it is assembled? – Unless you order a hand-built kitchen (as we have recommended a couple of these), you're going to have to put your child's mud kitchen together yourself. Be warned: there will be a lot of pieces! And assembly life will definitely need if you have an electric screwdriver. We've noted alongside our selections how long we reckon each mud kitchen takes to assemble and we've also said how easy or difficult we found the assembly to be.

Here's our pick of the best wooden mud kitchens for children:

1. Chad Valley Wooden Mud Kitchen, £125

– Best with double sink feature

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L53cm x W94cm x H105cm | Kind of wood used: Not specified | Accessories: Yes | Assembly time: 1 to 2 hours

This outdoor kitchen is nice and sturdy and includes an opening oven and a 4-hob play stove. It has 2 removable stainless steel sink bowls on the work station, which can be a real plus – either for siblings to have a bowl each or for to keep mud/sand and water separate in different bowls. It comes with a great set of utensils, including a ladle, whisk, slice and 3 pans, that can hang from hooks along the top, plus there's a chalk board for your child to write or draw the day's specials on.

It's relatively easy to assemble, although it may take a bit of readjusting to make the oven door align correctly, but the timber as sold is not reliably weatherproof, so you'll either need to cover it when playtime's finished or add a few coats of varnish or paint to help it withstand whatever the weather can throw at it.

Emma, mum of our child tester Brooke, 3 (pictured above with her little brother, David), found it took longer than she thought to put together but is pleased by how much Brooke loves playing with it. "It's fab," she says, "and it's a big hit when friends come over, too."

Pros: Sturdy frame, good size, great utensils, double sink, chalkboard, play hob
Cons: No water feature, needs a lot of weatherproofing

Available from: Argos

2. Playhouse Marvellous Mud Kitchen, £89.99

– Best value with utensils

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L42cmcm x W83cm x H90cm | Kind of wood used: FSC-certified, treated Canadian hemlock | Accessories included: Yes | Assembly time: 45 minutes

This sturdy mud kitchen has a 4-ring play hob, shelves, a mini chalkboard, and a removable stainless-steel splash tub with play tap. It comes with 3 stainless steel pans, a ladle, a spatula and, as a jolly little extra, 3 plant pots that nestle into holes in the top shelf.

The wood is reasonable quality (though we'd recommend another coat of wood varnish) and assembly is super-easy: good, clear instructions and the parts fit snugly together. It doesn't have an oven or a water feature and the hob knobs don't move but it's impressively sturdy for this price point – and has good utensils included.
Ceri, mum of our child tester Aiden, 4 (pictured above), said, "This mud kitchen looks fantastic and is well made – all the edges are smoothed out to make for safe playing. It was easy to put together and takes rough play very well. I like the all the accessories – especially the plant pots. Aiden's been playing with it for hours. I'd totally recommend this."
Pros: Sturdy frame, good size, play hob, chalkboard, good utensils, good value, easy to assemble
Cons: No oven, no water feature, hob knobs don't turn, needs some weatherproofing

Available from: Amazon, Robert Dyas and Bargain Max

3. Smyths Toys Mud Kitchen with Water Tap, £69.99

– Best value with running water

Age: 3+ | Size: L43cm x W92cm x H91cm | Kind of wood used: Stained treated timber | Accessories included: No | Assembly time: 2 hours

This good-value mud kitchen's star feature is the working tap that you can connect to your garden hose for running water on demand. It also has a cupboard/play oven with an opening door, a worktop, a low storage shelf, chalkboard panels and removable plastic splash tub.

It's pretty sturdy once built but assembly definitely isn't a quick job – read the instructions carefully and use an electric drill/screwdriver as a fair number of the wood pieces don't have pre-drilled holes. The wood itself is stained and pretreated but you may still want to add a topcoat of varnish for extra weather protection.

It doesn't have a play hob and doesn't come with any utensils but we haven't seen a mud kitchen with such a great water feature for a better price.

Pros: Reasonably sturdy frame, treated wood, great water feature, chalkboard, good value
Cons: No play hob, no utensils, tricky to assemble, needs some weatherproofing

Available from: Smyths Toys

4. TP Splash & Play Early Fun Wooden Mud Kitchen, £99.99

– Best value with water feature and utensils

Age: 3+ | Size: L33cm x W55cm x H88cm | Kind of wood used: FSC-certified timber | Accessories: Yes | Assembly time: 1 to 2 hours

This compact mud kitchen is a smaller version of the TP Splash & Play Happy Chef Wooden Mud Kitchen and features the same all-action plastic sink with a little water reservoir underneath it: hit the red pump-action button to get water up and out through the tap and pull out the plug to let it swirl down into the reservoir again.

It also has a painted 2-ring hob, shelves, chalk board panels and an oven with opening peek-through door. It comes with 3 stainless steel pans, a slice and a ladle.

It's a good size for smaller gardens – and one of the best-value buys we've seen that includes both utensils and a water feature – but of course its smaller size means there's a little less mud-pie-making room than you'd get with bigger kitchens. It's reasonably sturdy but a little tricky to assemble: the instructions could be clearer and many of the wood pieces don't have predrilled holes. The timber will need a few coats of wood treatment to weatherproof it properly.

Pros: Sturdy frame, good utensils, nice water feature, play hob, chalk board, good value
Cons: Small in size, tricky to assemble, needs a fair bit of weatherproofing

Available from: TP Toys, Amazon, Kidly and John Lewis

5. Plum Discovery Mud Pie Kitchen, £299.99

– Best for extra gardening and painting play

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L70cm x W160cm x H116cm | Kind of wood used: Treated FSC-certified pine | Accessories: Yes | Assembly time: 3 hours

This very large outdoor kitchen has 2 play hob rings, a removable brushed steel bowl sink and lots of shelves and storage. And, unusually for a mud kitchen, it also features a built-in planter (for planting and tending flowers or veg) as well as, on the back frame next to the shelves, an easy-clean painting screen (for al fresco arty creations).

It comes with a bamboo wind chime, a generous set of pans and utensils, paintbrush holders, 7 paintbrushes and a fork, rake and trowel. But it doesn't have a play oven.

As you might expect of a mud kitchen this size, it's quite a job to put together. Sarah, mum of our child tester Edie, 5 (pictured above), said, "There are a lot of different pieces of wood but everything was really well labelled. It took me and my husband around 3 hours to assemble it. It was well worth it though, as both Edie and her younger brother absolutely love it!"

Pros: Sturdy frame, treated wood, generous size, great extra features, great utensils
Cons: Too big for many gardens, no water feature, no play oven, no chalkboard, takes quite a while to assemble

Available from: Amazon, Scandiborn and Plum Play

6. TP Toys Deluxe Mud Kitchen Playhouse Accessory, £54.99

– Best for saving space

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L36cm x W81cm x H56cm | Kind of wood used: Treated FSC-certified European timber | Accessories: Yes | Assembly time: 1-2 hours

This well-made mud kitchen counter is designed attached to a fence, wall, shed or playhouse and is a great solution if you don't have the money or the space for a standalone mud kitchen in your garden.

There’s no oven or shelf but there is a 1-ring play hob (though you have to apply the hob-ring stencil yourself) and a wide removable splash tub underneath an open-top water butt. Kate, mum to our 4-year-old child tester said, "The water dispenser is definitely the biggest hit!"

It comes with 3 pans and a whisk, and though the wood is pre-treated it will need some weatherproofing. We did find it tricky to assemble, too: many of the wood pieces didn't have pre-drilled holes, and the bolts included to attach it to the fence (or whatever) are quite short.

Pros: Reasonably sturdy frame, treated wood, compact size, nice water feature, decent utensils
Cons: No oven, no chalk board, tricky to assemble, needs weatherproofing

Available from: TP Toys, John Lewis and Amazon

7. Big Game Hunters Triple Mud Kitchen with Working Tap, £180

– Best for play with siblings/friends

Age: 18 months+ | Size: L43cm x W111cm (extending to 143cm) x H91cm | Kind of wood used: Treated fir wood | Accessories: None | Assembly time: 4 hours

This chunky design gives you a lot of mud kitchen for your money: it is quite wide already but extends even further when you slide the worktop out to the left to reveal the large plastic splashtub under the taps. And yes, that's taps plural – the brass one that can be attached to your garden hose for running water on demand, and the little one attached to the removable open-top water butt. There is also an oven with opening door and peek-through window, a 4-ring hob with turning knobs, a chalk board, a cupboard and shelves.

It is large enough for 3 children to play comfortable alongside each other, so is great for siblings and playdates, but there are no utensils included so you'll need to find those yourself. The splash tub is maybe a little smaller than you'd expect with this size of mud kitchen but everything else is very well thought through.

It's a bit of an epic self-assembly job (and some parts don't have predrilled holes) but the instructions are very good. The wood is treated but it definitely needs a couple more coats to fully weatherproof it.

Pros: Very sturdy frame, treated wood, great water feature, water butt, play hob, chalk board, extending worktop
Cons: May be too large for some gardens, long assembly time, no utensils

Available from: Amazon and Big Game Hunters

8. Children's Wooden Outdoor Mud Kitchen, £345

– Best for personalised extras

Age: 3+ | Size: L45cm x W100cm x H110cm | Kind of wood used: Locally sourced, treated reclaimed wood | Accessories: No | Assembly time: None

This large, chunky mud kitchen has a play oven with opening door and and peek-in window, a 4-ring play hob, shelves, a back board covered in magnetic chalk board paint, and a big (30cm) stainless-steel sink.

It's hand-crafted and arrives fully assembled (allow at least 3 weeks for delivery) and you can personalise with your child's name (up to 25 characters) either on the top of the frame or in the middle (next to the hob knobs). You can also have it painted in 1 of 15 lovely colours, from Leafy Green to Happy Planet Blue.

It's worth noting that the hob rings and knobs are simple raised round chunks of wood (so the rings have none of the usual 'hob' markings and the knobs don't turn) and it doesn't come with any utensils. It's also pretty pricey – but it's beautifully made, with nice customisation options, and we've seen hand-crafted mud kitchens selling for way more than this.

Pros: Very sturdy frame, treated wood, play hob, chalk board with magnetic paint, lovely personalisation options
Cons: Pricey, no water feature, no utensils

Available from: Not on the High Street and Happy Planet Toys

9. GLTC Indoor Play/Outdoor Mud Kitchen, £165

– Best for double-duty as an art station

Age suitability: 3+ | Size: L40cm x W60cm x x H101cm | Kind of wood used: Treated stitched pine| Accessories: None | Assembly time: 2 hours

This compact mud kitchen also doubles as an art station, with the reverse side sporting a baton for a roll of paper and extra shelves for paint pots, chalks and crayons.

It has an oven with opening door and internal shelf, a 2-ring hob, shelves, a blackboard and a nicely deep, removable stainless steel tub. It has a very sweet weather station on the side (not visible in our picture), with a rotating pointer to move to the picture that best reflects the day's weather. It doesn't have a water feature and doesn't come with any utensils or art accessories (the paper roll, paint pots and little boxes shown in the picture above aren't included, though you can buy an Easel Accessory Pack for an extra £40).

It's well made, with nice painted touches, and though it's not quick to assemble, the instructions are good and everything fits together well. The wood is treated but this strikes us as a mud kitchen that needs to come inside in colder, rainier weather; it's definitely not as weather-proof as some of the others in our selection.

Pros: Compact size, sturdy frame, play hob, chalk board, weather station, also designed for art play
Cons: No water feature, no utensils, not fully weatherproof

Available from: Great Little Trading Company

10. Willy Kitchen Sink Mud Kitchen, £260

– Best sustainable mud kitchen

Age suitability: 12 months+ | Size: L50cm x W100cm x H90cm | Kind of wood used: Treated reclaimed timber | Accessories: No | Assembly time: None

This rustic-look mud kitchen, built by a company with a sustainable ethos, is made of reclaimed timber and features a recycled kitchen sink and tap (either of which may have the odd dent or scratch) that you can connect to your hosepipe to get running water when you turn the tap on.

It also has shelving and an opening cupboard that could easily double as a play oven but there's no hob. The sink does have a nice big draining board, though, so there's plenty of mud-pie-making work space next to the sink. There are no utensils officially included but you will find some accessories hidden in the recyclable pallet wrap around your delivery, which makes for a nice surprise.

The kitchen comes fully assembled and what marks it out, on top of its undoubted eco credentials, is the quality of the build (and its 12-month guarantee). Each kitchen is made to order, which means the wood is hand-sanded, the joints hand-glued and the timber is treated with 3 coats of child and insect-friendly wood preserver. If you want (and can afford it), you can also get your own bespoke mud kitchen, designed to your own needs and measurements. Do note, though, that delivery (which is free) takes on average 21 days, so order well in advance if you're buying this as a birthday or Christmas gift.

Pros: Very sturdy handbuilt frame, treated wood, eco-friendly, good size, great water feature
Cons: Pricey, no play hob, no utensils (officially), no chalk board

Available from: The Mud Kitchen Shop

Pics: product websites/MadeForMums testers

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