Short answer
A large mud kitchen means a worktop of around 150 cm, wide enough for three or four children to cook side by side. It is the right size for families with several children, childminders, nurseries and schools, and for anyone whose garden regularly fills with visiting friends. Our 150 cm models start at £529, come with two lift-out steel sinks and eleven hand-painted colours, and arrive fully assembled on a pallet within 7 to 14 days.
When 120 cm is not enough
Most families are happy with a 120 cm kitchen. You need the wider one when any of these are true:
- Three or more children will use it at once. At 120 cm the third child ends up standing at the end holding a spoon.
- There is an age gap. A seven-year-old running a restaurant and a three-year-old stirring a puddle need separate territory, or neither game survives.
- You are a childminder or a setting. Turn-taking is a fine thing to teach, but not for forty minutes at a stretch.
- You want the play to last a decade. Older children spread out. A wider worktop keeps a nine-year-old interested when a narrow one has started to feel like a toddler toy.
| Mud Kitchen 120cm | Mud Kitchen 150cm | |
|---|---|---|
| Worktop width | 120 cm | 150 cm |
| Children comfortably | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
| Sinks | 2 lift-out stainless bowls | 2 lift-out stainless bowls |
| Burners | 4 painted, wooden knobs | 4 painted, wooden knobs |
| Price from | £499 | £529 |
| With storage cabinet | £549 | £599 |
The extra 30 cm costs £30. It is the cheapest decision on this page and the one people most often wish they had made.
Our 150 cm kitchens
Will it fit your garden
Before ordering, mark out the space. You need the width of the kitchen plus roughly a metre of clear standing room in front of it, because children work in pairs and put buckets down. Against a fence or wall is ideal: it shelters the kitchen, and it stops the unit being used as a climbing frame from behind.
A 150 cm kitchen is not too big for an average British garden. It is roughly the footprint of a garden bench, and unlike a bench it will be used every week of the year. Where it genuinely does not fit is a small balcony or a courtyard under about 3 metres wide, in which case the 120 cm model is the sensible choice.
Storage cabinet or open shelf
With a wider kitchen the storage decision gets sharper, because a 150 cm open shelf holds a remarkable quantity of forgotten equipment.
- Open shelf (£529): dries fastest, easiest for small children to reach into, cheapest. Best for gardens where the kitchen gets tidied regularly, or where you want pots visible so they get used.
- Storage cabinet with doors (£599): keeps rain off, hides the clutter, and stops leaves collecting all autumn. This is what almost every nursery and school orders, and what we would choose for a small garden where the kitchen is in constant view of the house.
Built for shared use
A wide kitchen used by four children takes roughly four times the punishment, which is why the construction matters more at this size. Ours are handcrafted from solid spruce, sanded splinter-free and hand-painted in a specialist outdoor acrylic that is weatherproof and non-toxic, safe for ages 3 and up. There is no chipboard or MDF anywhere in the build, because both swell and crumble the first time they get properly wet.
Because every kitchen is made to order and shipped fully assembled on a pallet, nobody in a nursery loses a morning to flat-pack instructions and a bag of dowels. It arrives, it comes off the pallet, and it is in use the same day.
For nurseries, schools and childminders
The 150 cm models are what we supply most often to early-years settings. We invoice rather than requiring card payment, quote for multi-unit orders, and can deliver several units to one site together. Two 150 cm kitchens placed at right angles create a genuine outdoor kitchen area for six to eight children, which works well for forest school sessions and continuous provision.
Details on ordering, invoicing and lead times are on our nurseries and schools page, and the practical setup side is covered in our guide to mud kitchens in the EYFS.
For what changes after age five, see mud kitchens for older kids.
Frequently asked questions
How many children can use a 150 cm mud kitchen?
Three to four children can work at a 150 cm worktop at the same time without crowding. For six to eight children, two units placed side by side or at right angles work better than one very long bench, because it creates two natural work areas.
Is a large mud kitchen too big for a normal UK garden?
No. A 150 cm mud kitchen takes roughly the footprint of a garden bench and sits comfortably against a fence or wall. Allow about a metre of clear space in front for children to stand and put buckets down. Below about 3 metres of usable width, choose the 120 cm model.
Does a large mud kitchen need assembling?
No. Every kitchen we build arrives fully assembled on a pallet, delivered kerbside within 7 to 14 days of ordering. You lift it off, stand it where you want it, and it is ready to use. This matters most for nurseries and schools, where a flat-pack build costs a member of staff half a day.
How much heavier is a 150 cm mud kitchen?
It is wider and correspondingly heavier than the 120 cm, and it arrives assembled, so plan for two adults to move it from the kerb into position. Once in place it is meant to stay put, which is part of why it is stable enough for four children leaning on it.
Not sure between 120 cm and 150 cm? Email sales@mudkitchenexpert.co.uk with the ages of the children and a photo of the space. We will tell you which one we would put there. Or read the complete UK mud kitchen guide first.