Review: Baby Annabell lunch time play for fun with doll-feeding

The other Saturday we had a morning out in Soho, cooking with two beloved Annabell’s – popular baby and children food expert Annabel Karmel and the charming doll Baby Annabell. We had been invited to celebrate the launch of a new Baby Annabell play theme-lunch time-and were ready for a morning of baking delicious recipes with Annabel Karmel.

As soon as we entered the Soho kitchen, we spotted new Baby Annabell furniture on display, and it was hard to stay focused on the task ahead. Baby Annabelle has a new pink feeding chair, with a number of food options for filling her up, and we got to take one home to try. The chair is the interactive Baby Annabelle Lunch Time Table (RRP £34.99) that comes with three choices of meals, desserts and drinks.

After starting to play with the lunch time chair, it became clear Baby Annabell–and the boy doll Baby Alexander–are rather picky eaters and they have strong views when it comes to food. To children’s excitement, the table lights up red or green, depending on what Baby Annabelle wants to eat, and it makes sounds that help little ones learn about their doll’s food choices. When children get it right, the dolls go “Yum yum!”

On the day of the event, it was us who could say exactly that. We first made pumpkin muffins, which were decorated with icing, paper straws, edible eyes and marshmallows to look like fun aliens.

Later we got to try sweetcorn and kale fritters, a recipe that’s included in Karmel’s family cooking book Real Food Kids Will Love (Bluebird Books for Life, £16.99), which we got to take home too.

For me, it is this type of savoury recipe that gets me as excited as Baby Annabelle when she has the food option she prefers. I’m regularly trying to become better at coming prepared for trips with healthy snacks, and the fritters tasted delicious and seemed to be a hit with many children attending. In fact, I’ve got big plans to add the ingredients to my next Ocado order and hope to hear some Baby Annabelle-style “Yum, Yum” responses from our kitchen too.