About us

The Play Pantry

About us

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Hello, I’m Holly.

Thank you for stopping by, taking the time to read this page and find out a little bit more about The Play Pantry.

Open-ended and sensory play is what The Play Pantry is all about, setting the scene for your little ones to make their own stories and explore the world around them with the tools, tips and inspiration in each box providing the spark they need to get creative.

Our concept for The Play Pantry was born during lockdown 2020 – the year that no one expected or wanted. Both myself and my husband were corporate go-getters, everything was a hundred miles an hour, and then overnight, like the rest of the world – we were in a two-up, two-down, trying to work with a very active little one rightly demanding to be entertained throughout the day. Like any carer holding on to their sanity by the skin of their teeth – I Amazon Prime'd solutions. Day after day boxes of plastic would arrive and our little one would be happy for an hour or so, before the inevitable Prime come-down where we’d be back to square one.

This was not a long-term solution. But what struck me the most was that she didn’t want things to play with, she wanted us to PLAY – and I really did too! I put on my thinking cap and creativity pants and delved in to the deep, dark depths of the Instagram activity world.... I was amazed! There are some of the most creative, heartfelt, joyous small businesses and products I have ever seen! Well, that was it – I was officially inspired and The Play Pantry began.

When we started, there were a few things we knew were going to be super important to us, the first is that our boxes are plastic-free – its time to forget about Amazon-gate, there’s no place for that here. All our contents is made from natural or recyclable materials, with as little impact on Mother Nature as possible.

And our boxes weren't going to be a 'one time thank you Mam' activity, they needed to last and be excellent value. So came our philosophy – open-ended play! There’s no manual here, you don’t need one! That means taking a look at what’s inside & allowing your ideas to guide your play session. We know that’s easier said than done sometimes, so we also work with amazing illustrators to design sheets with fun ideas to get you started.

We have put days and weeks of thought into how we can ensure that our boxes feel as special as possible – and to do this we have had the pleasure of working with some fantastic like-minded brands. But we don't just work with any brands – everyone we work with must share our joy for play, imagination and support our eco-ethos!

Craft and creativity has become a big part of our lives with our little one – thinking on our feet to keep her entertained, but also as an outlet for us and a way to express ourselves as individuals not just parents. In each of our boxes, you’ll find handcrafted treasures and fun ideas sent from our family home to yours.

We hope you love them as much as we enjoyed making them. We also hope you’re starting to get a sense of how much care we’re putting into creating the tools you need to have fun and rewarding play experiences without the fuss – because we've got that part under control.

H. xoxo