Reviews

Travel: Piran Meadows – Luxury Family Fun in Cornwall (review)

Piran Meadows resort and spa is a wonderful mix of family fun activities, and complete relaxation

Luxury (noun): two pillows per person.   Hoseasons Cornwall Piran Meadows Review When I walk into a bedroom which will be mine for the duration of my holiday, and see abundant pillows, I know I’m on a luxury trip. There’s usually a TV on the opposite wall, and I know I will sit, plumped against my copious pillows reading my book, or watching a movie with my family. Luxury. So it is at Piran Meadows, in Cornwall, a small resort in White Cross, not far from the glorious beaches of Newquay. And of course, that’s not the best part. It …

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Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Family Review

Two things stand out immediately when you walk past Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! in London. First, a model of the tallest man in the world, who has always freaked me out so much on nights out in Piccadilly; and second, this awesome Mini Cooper. This year marks a rather big birthday for me, and I love my soft top Mini, but I’d be prepared to trade it in for this one. And what girl doesn’t need a million Swarovski crystals for her birthday? Once you’re inside the museum, there is no end to the OMG! moments, as you explore …

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Taking Kids to Planet Hollywood London (review)

The kids had the best time at Planet Hollywood. And it wasn't just about the food...

I have to say we’ve had the best summer. Quite apart from the weather playing ball for once (shhh…), we haven’t been away on holiday. And that’s a good thing. Instead, we’ve had a series of brilliant days out, lots of them in London. The kids, at 9 and nearly 12, are super company, pretty safe to take out in a crowd, and capable of doing some walking without getting tired. (Though I do have to carry their stuff as the day wears on). Without a doubt, one of our best days out was spent around Piccadilly Circus, visiting Ripleys …

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Perfect Somerset Country Cottages, and a Wedding!

There is nothing more wonderful than the English countryside. Especially on a glorious sunny day, sitting in a garden full of buzzing bees, with a glass of something cold. Except perhaps a whole weekend of it. We’d looked forward to my nephew’s wedding with the kind of anticipation that comes of receiving an invitation to an August date in the cold, dark months of Winter. We’d booked Poppy Lodge with Sykes Cottages right away, and pored over the photographs, dreaming of summer. But we hadn’t counted on such a perfect weekend – you never know what the English weather will do, …

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Shaking up Mealtimes: HelloFresh Recipe Box Review

Our Hello Fresh recipe box had instructions for quick and easy dishes like this prawn and serrano ham linguine

I have bemoaned many times on the blog quite how dull I find cooking now that I have kids. Not because I don’t enjoy food, or the thrill of creating something tasty that everyone loves. But because that doesn’t always happen, and the process of putting meals on the table day after day becomes more of a chore than a joy. Anything that makes that task easier, and more successful will always get my vote. So I was excited to try the HelloFresh recipe box. We had eight recipes for four people over the course of two weeks. Ample for …

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Dinosaur Takeover at Whipsnade Zoo

The otters at Whipsnade are usually out and on form

Yesterday we went to the zoo. The Bug turned 9, and his birthday wish was a trip to the zoo. Not a surprise. He is obsessed with animals. He longs to be the next David Attenborough, and I know better than to question his knowledge of the natural world. His school report this year said: Evan has particularly shone during science lessons on animals this year, his subject knowledge is amazing and he has enjoyed sharing weird and wonderful facts with the class. Proud mother alert. So it wasn’t a surprise that Whipsnade zoo was his choice. What I didn’t …

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How David Lloyd will Save Me From Myself

I spend all my time at my desk. I drop the kids off at school, flirt with the idea of going for a run, think better of it, and start work. I plan to run before lunch, then take a panic shower every day when I realise I have five minutes until the school run and I’ve been sitting there all day with nothing more and coffee and toast to break my focus. I’m a good mum; I switch off my laptop when the kids get home, and spend some time with them, cook for them, ferry them to their …

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Easy Family Trips with Virgin Trains

Liverpool's iconic Liver Building, against a stunning blue sky

Twenty hour queues to Dover. Holidaymakers camping out like waifs and strays on airport benches. The car park of the M25, M4, and M6 as Summer starts. Motorway logjams from the moment the schools finish, until well into the following week, when seemingly 75% of Brits have finally made it to their holiday destinations. Travelling anywhere in the UK by car in the school holidays is always fraught with stress and boredom. Take the train instead! Last weekend we took a trip to Liverpool. We had a rare free day as a family, and fancied something different to our usual …

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Gorgeous BOGS Wellies (review)

We tested out our new BOGS wellies on a fun photoshoot for friends.

It had to happen, didn’t it? The great British Summer is not complete without at least a few days of pouring rain, and inevitably, the heavens opened on the one day we’d arranged a school meet up at the local park. These girls are off to secondary school in September, and though they’ve known each other since birth – their mothers met through the NCT – they’ve never been at the same school. So we sat in the drizzle while they and their new classmates hung out on swings with phones and did what girls do at this age. (Don’t …

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A Day Out at Liverpool’s Albert Dock (review)

Imagine a square half mile that provides enough entertainment for the whole family for an entire day. It’s not a theme park, or a festival (although it has a festival atmosphere this summer); it’s just a city attraction that will keep all ages happy just hanging out together. I’m talking about the Albert Dock, in Liverpool, a small but vibrant commercial centre built around the historic old dockyards of Liverpool’s port. It’s years since I’ve been to Liverpool, but it’s only 2 hours from London on the train, so we decided to have a day out somewhere different now that …

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Back to School: 5 School Uniform Mistakes, and how to avoid them

Making sure you get the right school bag is an essential part of uniform shopping

This is how the Bug looks today. It’s hot, they have a non-uniform day, and a water fight on the field, so he’s in his coolest new t-shirt. I love this final week of the summer term, with teachers finishing off admin while kids let off steam and have fun after all the hard work. But nonetheless, mean mother that I am, I made him put on his brand new winter uniform trousers and shoes, just so I could show our readers, and get you thinking about adding school uniform to your summer to-do list. You’re welcome. Common School Uniform …

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Family Time at David Lloyd Clubs

My kids love swimming. Don’t most? Of course, when I say they love swimming, what I actually mean is they love larking about in the water. Ducking, diving, floating, handstanding – there’s just something about water that is irresistible to children. So it’s logical that the first place they wanted to check out when we toured our local David Lloyd club was the huge pool. We’ve been invited to review a six month membership at David Lloyd, to see how their family offer measures up. On the day, my two were straight into the water, but I was exhausted, and …

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Mindful Chef Review: Healthy Recipe Box Meals

Mindful Chef recipe box review: a box zingy with fresh vegetables and seasonings

Mindful Chef: the Healthy Recipe Box I don’t often post about food on this blog, but when I do, it’s because I’ve found something that really makes life a little bit better. I’ve talked before about how my love of cooking has diminished since having children. It’s something to do with the endless nature of feeding a family. No sooner is one meal consumed, than another has to be prepared, and the cycle of menu-planning, shopping, prepping, and cleaning up seems to go round too fast for me to ever feel like food is not on my mind. Add to …

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St Albans Restaurants: Best for Steak – Prime Steak and Grill

St Albans restaurants: best for steak, Prime and Grill has a superb wine menu

Which is the best steak restaurant in St Albans? A review of Prime St Albans We have lived in St Albans for a long time. When I started this blog I wanted to be anonymous, so we didn’t mention our city. Look how that turned out! When I met my husband, a large part of our dating was spent in smart restaurants. We lived in Chiswick and would seek every excuse to hop on a train for an evening in the OXO tower, Bluebird, or Titanic (rather sniggeringly named because it sat on top of the Atlantic Bar and Grill …

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Rattling the Cages of Parliament for Type 1 Diabetes #Type1Catalyst

Want to know what’ll get you inside the Houses of Parliament? I don’t mean queuing up to take the tour (which in itself is very cool), or going through security (rather like airport scanning, that’s how serious government is) to sit in the Commons and hear the debates (yes that is totally a thing). Nor am I talking of secret plots to usurp government and all its officials. No, this is about a personal invitation to a private party on that stretch of the river Thames that always looks so inviting on a sunny Friday afternoon; the Terrace Pavilion, where you always …

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Christening gift ideas that will impress parents and children

Christening gift ideas: a classic money box is traditional AND useful

A christening is such a lovely occasion. As a parent I remember rifling through racks of gorgeous frothy dresses, and cute pinstriped linens. I organised a perfect cake and drove 6 miles to pick it up. I still have the little icing letter blocks that made up my daughter’s name. When it was my son’s turn, I made his cake myself – three pastel balloons that my daughter sneakily consumed during the festivities, and proceeded to throw up in her bed that night. I remember that it poured with rain that day, and we huddled in a steamy room at …

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Gifts for Girls: Gorgeous Sarah Stokes bag and Homewares

This gorgeous fox cushion is the perfect gift for girls

Perfect gifts for girls I have small but firm base of lovely girlfriends. Over the (many) years that I’ve known them, we’ve learned so much about each other that we can go months without talking, and yet click right back into the swing when we’re together. We’ve been through school, university, boyfriends, marriage(s), and children together, so it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about each other. But can I find a decent gift for them when their birthdays come round? Knowing each other for so long means that we’ve exhausted the usual gift range, and the …

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50 Secrets you Need for an Incredible Trip to Somerset

#SecretSomerset: some hidden gems in Somerset and Exmoor.

  Finding the real Secret Somerset How do you choose a restaurant in Hong Kong? A gondola ride in Venice? A beach in the south of France? Amongst all the choice, how do you find the really good stuff, the dish that will set your taste buds alight, that perfect little bay with the gorgeous sunset, or the boat that will leave you with lifelong memories? You follow the locals. Of course, you see the Eiffel Tower and you walk the Great Wall, but often it’s the things you don’t think to visit that become the greatest stories of your …

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Ski: Le Hameau du Kashmir – self-catering hotel style.

I am utterly spoiled for every single ski trip I take in future years. Seriously. Totally ruined. The phrase ski-in-ski-out has entered my consciousness, made itself at home, and will forevermore be the barometer by which I measure all future ski trips. This is the view from our apartment at Le Hameau du Kashmir, in Val Thorens over Easter. That slope you see, under the cable car, is not ten steps from the door of our locker room. Which, by the way, contains heated boot posts and glove hangers, so you always start the day with warm, dry fingers, and cosy feet. …

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Ski: Where to Eat in Val Thorens

Where to eat in Val Thorens - we pick our favourites for eating on the piste and apres-ski

Waffles in the snow – what more could you want? There’s nothing better than sitting out in the cold air, sunshine blazing down on pristine snow, and cold beer in your hand after a long day of skiing. That moment when you loosen your boots, and your tongue, as you relive the stories of the day, from that time the Bug did a 360° spin without meaning to, to the moment when Dad wiped out in the powder and lost a ski, via the epic sneeze on the chair lift that made people on the slopes look up in confusion. …

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