Start-Rite has an impressive heritage: the family-owned company was founded in Norwich in 1792 and has been making children’s shoes for the Royal Family since the 1950s.

It has long positioned itself as an expert in children’s footwear – it claims to have commissioned the first ever study into children’s feet back in the 1940s and even runs a shoe fitting diploma for fitters. Its USP (beyond the fact it has a Royal Warrant and has been around for over 200 years) is that its shoes are available in multiple widths as well as half sizes – ensuring a better fit for growing feet – and put through rigorous testing to make sure they are hardwearing.