Viola Cutting Food Wooden Playset for kids Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I would have easily given this play food set 5 stars but for two details that bothered me with the wooden serving tray. The first is that it is pictured both on Amazon and on the box it came in as being solid wood. It's not. The bottom of the try is MDF. That said, it may be MDF created with E-0 glues as I can detect absolutely no formaldehyde odor from it -- and I have a nose for VOCs (often much to my dismay). The second detail is that there was a sharp shard of wood which had splintered up on the edge of the tray. We glued it down with some Elmer's - time will tell if that holds it or if we'll have to disfigure the tray by removing it and sanding it down.
However, now that I've gotten those (relatively minor) gripes out of the way, the rest of the set is pretty fantastic. There are two main courses; a veggie burger and a fish (we're vegetarians, so this is more food for the girls' cats and bears and so forth - which is something they really desired, I might add). Both pieces cut into 6 and 7 pieces, respectively. They are quite easy to cut, and unlike many velcro-attached play foods, the velcro is inlaid allowing the pieces to be flush with one another; thus when the items are put together, they look like whole, solid pieces, and don't just fall apart. The veggie burger is finished with a durable chip-resistant matte paint/stain and has grill 'imprints' on one side. The fish is unfinished wood, and has grill imprints as well. Both are lovely. The veggie burger can be adorned with a pat of butter, the fish with a small slice of lemon -- these are not velcro attached.
The side dishes include four each of green beans, fries, and carrots. These are are simple and easily-recognizable.
The fork and knife are natural wood with blue-stained handles, and seem quite durable. There is also an attractive, thin cardboard insert with a lettuce bed and a few tomato slices which jazzes up the not-as-attractive-as-advertised MDF-bottomed serving tray. Sadly, I'm not convinced this piece will last very long, as it's just too bendy, but I suppose it would be easy enough to make your own variation to replace it.
The scale of the food is almost relative to our Haba, Erzi, and Plan Toys play food collection -- probably a wee bit larger, but a wee bit smaller than something like Melissa and Doug. Nonetheless, I could see it pleasing fans of both. It does have the distinctive advantage over Melissa and Doug of no reeking of formaldehyde and other mystery chemicals and claims to have been processed in an ecologically sustainable and socially responsible manner.
Bottom line: No doubt, I'd buy this again. Save for the tray, this set is beautifully crafted and very high quality. It will last and last. It's got a fantastic array of play stuff for an unusually fair price. Oh, and my five-year old daughter played with it for two hours after it arrived today, so it's got her seal of approval.

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The set consists of a steak and a fish that can each be cut into 6 pieces,accompanied by French fries, string beans, carrots, a wedge of lemon,and a pat of butter.A wooden platter, a knife and a fork are also included.Product size : Platter size - W 5 1/8 x L 6 3/8 x H 1/2 inches Box size : W 8 7/8 x L 11 x H 1 1/2 inches

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