Ready,steady, chop! (ELC Cut and Play Veg Set)

Name: Gretta

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Product:	ELC Cut and Play Veg Set
Date:	24/03/01 (574 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Innovative idea, cheap, long lasting

Disadvantages: Too many sets..how do you choose?

I have never seen a food play set as well thought out and designed as the Early Learning Cut and Play range. Basically the idea is a food set on a certain theme where the pieces can be stuck together with Velcro, then cut apart. When you cut them, either with the plastic knife provided, or the pizza cutter, meat cleaver etc. depending on the kit you chose, the Velcro comes apart with a ripping sound. The Velcro is a great touch, as all tiny kids seem to find it fascinating just to do it up and undo it again, just to see how it works

The pieces in the sets are strong and durable, not the hollow sort of plastic a lot of the cheaper sets use, which my son tends to squash! Works very well for younger kids, due to the solid, durable, chew proof design, but will be enjoyed all the way through primary school, as it is so much fun to play with. Easy to clean, as all parts are plastic, and the Velcro is very good quality, one of our sets was second hand, and still going strong although its been through 4 kids now. All the kits cost £8 each, except the Celebration Cakes, which costs just £6. There are seven different products in the Cut and Play series.

Veg Basket: 10 different types of veg in a plastic wicker style shopping basket, with a knife and chopping board. Great for teaching about safety in the kitchen, and how to use a knife carefully. The basket is very handy for storing bath toys in the bathroom, if your child has a toy plastic kitchen for you to store the veg in, as it has holes in the bottom so toys drain quickly.

Fruit Basket: The same idea as the veg basket, except with fruit! We also got a different colour basket with this set to the veg one. Before he was old enough to actually play with the set himself my son found it very funny if I stuck half an apple to half a banana. Can be used as a sort of early jigsaw puzzle, to develop hand-eye co-ordination. The pieces are very chunky so although it says 3 years plus, I didn&
#39;t have any worries about him swallowing the pieces.

Sandwich Set: Contains a loaf of bread that can be cut into eight pieces and filling, such as ham, cheese and tomato, that can again be stuck to the bread and each other with the Velcro any way that your child likes. This ones quite a good one for practising sharing out, as there is enough bread for mum, dad, teddy and your little chef to all have a sandwich.

Barbecue: This set actually contains a pretend BBQ, with a skewer that really rotates so kids can make and cook kebabs and burgers.

Pizza: A six-slice pizza in a tray with pepper and cheese shakers, cutter and slice. Nice one as unlike the others, which contain plastic knives, this one has a plastic pizza cutter, with a circular plastic blade.

Ice Cream: This one is for a real desert expert. Contains 7 scoops of ice cream, which can be Velcrowed to either the cones, wafer cups, or bowels. Also has a desert spoon and ice cream scoop as well as pineapple and banana for that professional garnish! Super, will make your child feel like a real grown up.

Celebration Cake: An iced birthday cake that can be cut into four slices. Has candles with pretend flames, which your child can blow out. Also has four different plaques you can put on, with a different message, Happy Birthday, Happy Easter etc. which are good for talking about different seasons and celebrations with your child.

All the sets have something that makes them a bit different, so your child may want more than one. I suggest them when people ask me what to get him for birthdays etc., as I know he likes the range, and if they get one he already has the ELC are very reasonable about exchanging.

Obviously, you can mix and match pieces from all the kits; the sandwich kit and the BBQ kit might be fun to take in the garden so your kids can have a 'picnic' for example. If your unsure whether it will appeal, remember that ELC sho
ps have a play morning on Tuesdays, so you can 'try before you buy'. They shut all the tills and get out loads of toys, so you can see what your child likes without feeling pressurised to buy. Check out their website www.elc.co.uk for your nearest store, or to buy online. I have reviewed the website under 'kids websites' (my first crown, yippee), to be brief its great.

They also have an excellent range of related products, for example a sturdy shopping basket, which comes in a range of colours, for just £2. So strong that I also use them for storage for his toys, great for toy cars etc. as the handle means he can carry it himself very easily. They also have sets of traditional cans and grocery boxes, for £4, toy money, tills etc.

In summery, an exceptionally well thought out and designed toy, destined to become a classic, all kids should have so, not just girls, boys love it too! And you never know, a few years training them on this and they may be cooking you dinner soon….

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