We’ve Tested The GLTC Star Beans Coffee Shop. Here’s What We Thought:

Today I’m going to talk about wooden toys, because we’ve reviewed the Great Little Trading Company GLTC Star Beans Coffee Shop, but first, I want to know – have you ever been haunted by a toy?

The Joys Of (Silent) Wooden Toys

Asking for, well, someone who has *raises hands*.

This particular spooky toy is nicknamed the Fun Car in this house, and is usually referred to by me and my husband, in hushed voices, with anguished looks on our faces. It was bought by my mum (who else?!) It’s a plastic shape sorter toy that has brightly flashing lights and plays a variety of phrases, noises and songs, loudly, whenever you push in a shape, including the jaunty ‘I’m a fun car!’ Hence, the name.

It is, predictably, a toy my children love and one which, I swear, has gone to the charity shop several times over several years, but keeps coming back. ‘What’s…THAT under the bed?’ ‘Beep beep! I’m a FUN CAR.’ *Shudder.*

Now there are some brilliant plastic toys out there – not including, of course, the Fun Car – but generally, wooden toys are much easier on the eye, don’t have flashing lights and more importantly don’t play tunes. Which is kind of critical when you’re incredibly sleep-deprived, don’t you think?

Trying Out The Star Beans Coffee Shop

As part of our role on the Great Little Trading Company Testing Team, we were sent the GLTC Star Beans Coffee Shop (which is in these photos along with the GLTC Baa Baa chalkboard table, the Afternoon Tea Set and the Dorset Breakfast Set). GLTC are currently championing the brilliance of wooden toys and how if you buy wood, you buy once – meaning that good quality wooden toys can be enjoyed and played with for years, and hopefully handed down through generations.

To test out the GLTC Star Beans Coffee Shop we decided to host an modern-day teddy bear’s picnic, which would surely take place in this setting now (the named-by-me Cafe Tea).

The GLTC Coffee Shop – What We Liked

• What I love about the GLTC Star Beans Coffee Shop this is that it brings wooden toys – which have traditionally been things like blocks and dolls houses – into a more modern setting that all children, who’ve probably been frequenting babyccino bars since they were born will recognise.
• It’s incredibly fun and colourful
• There is lots of attention to detail from the wooden food through to the cafe unit, which has a shop board and even a movable coffee machine.
• For children who love role-play situations then there are a million different possibilities of meals and snacks, and more. I’ve had them all.

The Great Little Trading Company  Star Beans Coffee Shop is colourful and fun and a classic-but-modern wooden toy that’s been given a stylish and contemporary revamp, hitting the sweet spot of toys children and parents will love, hopefully for a long time.

P.S. try the muffins, they’re really good.

We were sent the GLTC Star Beans Coffee Shop as part of our role on the testing team, it usually retails for around £68 (and there are lots of offers on at the moment).  You can also read about our fireplace bookcase makeover and Lego storage – and follow me on Instagram