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We’re having a rather minimalist Christmas this year in terms of toys. We’ve spent so much on the extension and the furniture needed that we are not going to be able to afford a big Christmas. I realise this is a first-world problem! We’re concentrating on quality rather than quality and sticking to a budget per child. Daniel will probably get the most spent on him because it’s also his birthday over Christmas and he’s getting a games console. One of Daniel’s favourite toys is chess, we have a wooden chess set already and he loves playing chess with his Dad.
We’ve expanded our wooden toys range with the help of Jaques of London. We received a wooden draughts set and a dominoes set to review. They come beautifully packaged in a cardboard box with a black gilded ribbon around them. They would make a lovely gift that lasts. Inside is printed tissue paper and a hand written card saying who hand packed your order. It all makes for a really nice unboxing experience. We are going to keep them in the boxes for maximum longevity.
Double nine dominoes set
What you get: 55 ivory coloured dominoes with brass pins in the middle. This is so you can shuffle them easier. The numbers range from one to nine (as the name suggests!). Also included is a rule card and different ways to play. They come in a wooden slider box with the Jaques logo on it. Daniel is 6 and he got the concept and enjoyed playing the game. He’s going to keep the box in his room.
Price: £10.99
What we thought: We loved the quality of the packaging and the wooden box. The dominoes themselves are very tactile, you can stand them up on their ends to view your ‘hand’ or lay them down. I think at £10.99 they are really affordable and you get a lot of quality for your money.
You can get 15% off anything from Jaques of London by signing up to their newsletter via jaques.games/15off.
Wooden draughts set 12″ board and pieces
What you get: a 12 inch wooden playing board (you can also use it for chess), 16 white wooden playing pieces and 16 dark brown wooden playing pieces. You also get a cloth drawstring bag for the pieces.
Price: £22.99 currently on sale for £17.99
What we thought: Again really good quality and beautifully packaged. I would advise keeping hold of the cardboard box for storage, otherwise, you just have the board and bag of pieces. There are no spare counters so don’t lose any! The wooden pieces are beautifully crafted in a whirl design that I loved to touch. It started out as a game between Daniel and Mr L, but then it soon moved to a competitive game between me and Mr L! It’s a perfect Sunday afternoon or Christmas game. I can see us getting very competitive.
An overall very positive review from us, I’d not heard of them before but they’ve been around for a long time, in fact, Jaques is the oldest games company and sports manufacturer in the world. The company has been passed down from father to son for eight generations, and Jaques has been responsible for inventing many well-known games, such as Croquet, Ping Pong, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Tiddledy Winks, The Staunton Chess Set, Happy Families, Snap and many more.
They are a luxury brand but have very affordable price points to suit every budget. Don’t forget to grab your 15% off by signing up to their newsletter at jaques.games/15off.
