Mummy's and Mine

Many of us hold treasured memories of baking sessions from our childhood, cutting biscuits out of dough, icing fairy cakes, or being allowed to lick the spoon. As parents, your thoughts may turn towards recreating these special moments in your own kitchen (and yes, it's now that you realise just how much mess your own parents must have patiently cleared up behind the scenes).

In my childhood, baking was done at the table with adult-sized equipment: a wooden rolling pin and a huge ceramic bowl. The thinking was, if you weren't big enough to use those things without breaking them, you weren't old enough to be helping Mummy.

Here's a nice half-way kit: Mummy's and Mine from the famous Portmeirion pottery. While the rolling pin and other implements are scaled-down, the bowl and jug are proper ceramics, allowing your kids to take the whole business of baking seriously. For an extra touch, there's not just an apron, but a hat too.

This may be the kit to buy if you want your child to see baking as a skill, rather than a game. There's no gaudy plastic here, just the best materials for the job.