Gifted Originals

One of my fondest childhood memories is baking apple pie with my granny. From mixing the pastry, to stirring the cooking apples, I relished every moment of seeing, smelling then tasting the pie. What’s more, I could’ve burst with pride as it dished out on to everyone’s plates along with a dollop of cream, ahhh…..

Although it wasn’t the real thing, the toy kitchen in mine and my sister’s bedroom provided hours of fun; from the role play of granny and grandaughter (as the older one, I was always granny), to head chef and sous chef at the Michelin-award winning Chez McAuley’s, our kitchen felt like the real thing when the orders came flooding in, with only 15 minutes to plate up.

Now, I absolutely love to cook for me and my family, and my sister? Well, she’s at catering college and has dreams of becoming a patissier.

As Oscar Wilde once said, “After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives.” Food really is one of life’s most pleasurable activities, from preparing and cooking a nourishing, homely cottage pie, to baking a naughty but delicious belgian chocolate cheesecake, to serving it up and hearing the “Mmmm, ahhhh” from the guests around the table – truly gratifying.

If you love to get the little ones in on the action when preparing dinner, but don’t have the time to make it a daily or weekly activity, then the Kitchen Cooker Centre, £81.99, could be ideal for those in-between moments. Providing hours of fun, it can be the opportunity for Ramsay Jnr to practice cooking three dishes at once, but because it’s not real, mum and dad don’t have to worry about the health and safety in the kitchen.

This well-made, double sided wooden kitchen comes with a sink and dishwasher and a 2 ring hob and oven – perfect for alternating between the head chef and porter roles.