Cookhouse and Pub – the perfect Summer holiday family treat (a review)

Schools out for Summer and it is a great chance to take the kids out for the day and have lots of quality family fun making memories together.

The slight drawback to going out and spending time together is that the jobs don’t get done at home. Shopping snd cooking is still an essential chore!

After a lovely family day out in the Peak District we visited the Cookhouse and Pub locates just off junction 28 on the M1 in Ripley, Derbyshire. It was a fantastic way to end a lovely day and saved the hassle of shopping and cooking! Woohoo!

Cookhouse and Pub have other locations around the country.

The restaurant is light. modern and fresh with wood features, bright colours and comfy chairs making it a relaxing and ambient space.

There is an outdoor play area which is visible from inside, or adjacent to an outside sitting area, so little ones can let off steam whilst waiting for their food.

The staff are friendly and helpful- just the thing after a busy day out having fun with the kids! Our waitress came over immediately with the menus and a bottle of tap water with glasses. I thought this was a really nice touch!

Throughout the Summer holidays, a child can eat two courses for just £1 between 3.30-5.30pm (additioal courses can be purchased for 75p)  meaning it won’t break the bank either. Up to two children under 12 can take advantage of this deal for every adult meal purchased.

The children’s menu is the best I’ve ever seen in a pub with lots of favourites – burger, pasta, curry, sausage and mash, pizza and all with a serving of vegetables to boost their 5 a day. The fruit salad dessert option has two servings of your 5 a day!

For starters the boys both opted for chicken meatballs with bbq sauce and cucumber sticks followed by sausage and mash with beans for one and chicken curry for the other. Empty plates all round!

The adult menu also has a great choice with a specials board as well and lots of healthy options too.

We tried out the open beef Wellington from the specials board. Fillet steak, cooked to perfection, was sliced and layered with puff pastry, mushrooms and bacon and served with chips and a jug of gravy. Delicious!

Firecracker chicken with lots of fresh vegetables and noodles was the other choice. It was all delicious!

Flatbreads are a bit of a speciality here – definitely one to try next time/ check out the great oven!

We really enjoyed this experience- it was lovely to relax and enjoy a meal together after a fun day out sharing stories without the added stress of shopping, cooking and washing up!

Quality family time at its best!

Does this sound like your cup of tea? They had lots of other fab offers such as Sunday Carvery for two adults and two children for £20 and a coffee and mini dessert option too. Yum yum!

Mother’s Day lunch at Ask Italian @askitalian #TakeYourMammaOut #lunch #mothersday

Ask Italian have a brilliant deal on at the moment for Mother’s Day. For just £19.95 you can get a starter, main, dessert and a glass of prosecco on a the set menu.

We visited the restaurant located in Hull’s waterfront. The restaurant is light and spacious. On arrival we were greeted by a floral display advertising the Mother’s Day menu. It was all very welcoming and relaxed. Perfect for a treat for Mum!

We were seated and offered a shot of homemade raspberry lemonade. Yum yum! The boys quickly got started on colouring in the Mother’s Day cards that were there. I thought this was a great touch as it keeps them busy and they can write inside a special message to Mum!

We were offered the usual menu and also the Mother’s Day special. The Mother’s Day menu has some new dishes to try that will be on the next menu – so a bit of a sneak preview of the Summer treats.

Kids get their own menu where they can build their own meal to suit what they like. Perfect for the fussiest of eaters! On the back of the menu is an activity sheet to keep them busy whilst waiting for the food to arrive. These kind of things definitely relieve the stress of eating out with children!

Now onto the food! For starters you can choose from a great selection including butterfly king prawns, a new balsamic onion garlic bread and creamy mushrooms.

I had the butterfly king prawn which was piping hot and fresh served with a wedge of lemon.

Onto the mains and there is a huge selection of mouthwatering pastas and pizzas on the set menu. I had a new pizza and rainbow salad – it was divine! The boys had pretty much their staple meal of fettuccine Bolognese. You can’t go wrong with a favourite!

Onto dessert and although we were full we had to try the delicious Honeycomb Cheesecake and the Lemon Tart served with vanilla ice cream. The boys couldn’t resist the salted caramel ice cereal!

We has am amazing time at Ask Italian. I loved how well catered the children were looked after so everyone can relax. The staff were helpful and friendly.

The menu is such a great deal including a glass of prosecco (or alternative drink if this isn’t your tipple) for the fab price of £19.99!

How are you spoiling your mum tomorrow? Giving her a day off from cooking will always be appreciated so why not book a table at your local Ask restaurant. You won’t regret it!

SpyGear – Tools of the Trade for your would be James Bond #spygear @spinmaster

Becoming a super spy takes years of practice and skill so it is never too early to get in training!

SpinMaster SpyGear have all the gadgets and tools you need for fighting danger and covert missions.

First up is the Transforming  Ninja Sword that turns into a crime fighting sword at the touch of a button.

Of course no self respecting spy has a gadget that does just one thing and the ninja sword cleverly disguises itself as a harmless torch. How cool!

It took a while to get used to the one touch sword activation button that did the transformation but it didn’t take long to handle the tool expertly!

The Spy Gear Transforming Ninja Sword is for ages 6 and up and requires 3 AG13 batteries (included).

Next up is the Wrist Blaster. This can be hidden under clothing to allow you to discretely fire the finger activated darts quickly and easily. It fastens with velcro onto the under side of your arm with the button sitting on the wrist that can be activated with the fingers.

Three darts are included with the wrist blaster that all can be stored in the device for handy access. Spy Gear Wrist Blaster is for ages 6 and up. No batteries required.

The darts stick to hard surfaces which is quite handy for locating them at the end of battle!

Check out our video of how the gadgets can bring your spy games to life!

The boys had great fun with these high quality products.

There is a full range of Spy Gear that all integrate with each other if you have a big fan of espionage and intrigue.

The Spygear products are perfect for imaginative play and can be used indoors or outside making them a worthwhile versatile toy for children who enjoy playing make believe.

The Spygear range is priced at around £20.00.

Space Wars Aerovane Target Blaster (a review)

 

Space Wars Aerovane Target Blasters is a fun shooting game which we have had brilliant fun with.

The motorised wheel spins slowly around with the magnetic target aliens as targets to hit with the foam darts (that are compatible with Nerf handily enough so easily replaced).

There is an air blaster that you can shoot out the foam darts accurately to try to knock the targets off the wheel. The darts have a handy holder that can be attached to the belt of your clothing for handy access.

Two AA batteries are required and are not included.

The box says it is suitable for ages 4 plus but we thought it was still great for ages 10 and nearly 8 who had a brilliant time competing against each other to see who could knock off the most aliens with the least bullets.

It isn’t as easy to knock the aliens off as it looks and the game can be made more challenging by stepping further back from the target or setting time limits.

Aerovane Target Blasters retails around £20 and can be purchased from Amazon. It is a good quality product and one that children will keep going back to and having fun with on their own or with friends so we thought this was very good value.

Ski Style in the Great Outdoors @trespass #weloveforests #outdoors #ski

Ski jackets aren’t just for skiing. They are the perfect thing for cold wintery days here in Blighty too! Ski fashion is always big news at this time of year and Trespass, specialists in outdoor clothing, offer a brilliant selection of ski jackets, from bright to neutral hues, to keep you warm as toast out in the cold.

I was sent the Emanuela women’s down feather jacket which has an 80% down to 20% feather fill ratio in its padding and uses natural materials to keep you lovely and warm. It is also incredibly lightweight and easy to wear and not at all bulky or uncomfortable. It is available in jade and pink but I went for the black, which as you can see if actually more of a charcoal grey.

 

The jacket is fitted at the waist and has a drawcord at the neck and hem with thumb holes at the cuff to stop the sleeves from riding up. There are two side pockets with plenty of space for storing essentials and there is a shell fabric chin guard for keeping you snuggly.

The jacket is also water repellent and comes with a carry bag which you can stuff the jacket into.

I was shocked at how warm this jacket kept me especially considering how lightweight and thin it is. I spent the day in the forest, where I was doing a Forest Schools course with the boys, with the temperature barely getting above 4 degrees and was never even slightly cold. What I loved the most about it though was the lack of bulkiness that can be a side effect of some winter coats. I hardly knew I was wearing it it is so lightweight.

It also goes with most wardrobe staples from gym gear to jeans and dresses, winter boots and trainers. It also washes on a 40 degree cycle and comes up good as new.

Buying a ski jacket as an everyday coat wouldn’t have occured to me but this is a practical and stylish option and definitely wins on the warmth front! I love it to bits!

What do you think to the range of jackets at Trespass? Are you a fan of the ski jacket?

Star Wars Force Lightening Energy Ball #science #education

 

Uncle Milton have released a great range of science sets themed around Star Wars. Perfect for a fan of the film franchise or anyone with an interest in science or education.

The ForceLightening Energy Ball (RRP £24.99) allows you to harness the power of Force Lightening like Yoda and the Empire. The boys were mesmerised by it!

It needs four AA batteries (which aren’t provided) and then you are set to go.

The Energy Ball is essentially a plasma ball, around 6 inches in diameter. The box does give the appearance that it is bigger than this. You touch the Energy Ball and pulses of real plasma energy stream directly towards your fingertips so you can move light energy with your hands just like a Sith Lord.

I love the way the toy teaches children about science through the use of play. The best way to learn!

The boys decided it was the heat of your hands that created the reaction. They aren’t far from the truth. When a human finger touches a plasma ball, the filaments become attracted to it because the energy can discharge through our bodies. You can try different experiments like transferring the plasma energy to light up a fluorescent light.

I was disappointed that there isn’t actually much educational material with the pack.

The toy is suited for ages 8+ and there are other products in the range to encourage learning about magnetism, flight dynamics and electronic circuit boards.

Getting winter ready @hottershoes

It has been a couple of years since I have been to a Hotter shoes event and it was great to catch up with the team and say hello to some other blogger friends at an event in their Derby store recently.

The Hotter brand has got bigger and better with ranges in Classic, Trend,  Active, Men’s, Casuals and Originals as well as accessories such as bags, purses, scarfs and shoe care products.

Now I am working as a teacher and on my feet all day, whilst still wanting to look good, comfort is key so Hotter are just the most perfect answer to all my dreams!

 

Hotter started off making slippers. back in 1959, and perfected the art of comfort with polyurethane soles that are lightweight because essentially they are full of air bubbles. They are still in fact making their Dew shoe, which has been one of their styles from the very beginning, and is now available in 13 different colours!

Durable, supportive and hard wearing are they key features of the Hotter shoe. Styles are available in half sizes, wide fittings and all have the pyramid technology and wiggle room to ensure comfort is a key priority.

They are now the largest shoe manufacturer in the UK and also have a presence in the United States of America and are moving into Europe. What a brilliant success story considering their humble beginnings in Lancashire!?

I was spoilt for choice with the range of shoes and boots on offer.

Which would you choose?

Luckily I can offer you my lovely readers £10 off plus FREE delivery (for first orders only) with the code: PQBTPD to treat yourself to a new pair of shoes or boots for the winter.

T&C’s: You are entitled to £10 off the total order value of any full priced items in the Hotter range (excluding shoe care products) plus FREE delivery.  This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offer or on Sale or Factory Clearance items and gift vouchers. Expires 29/1/17

 

The car wash challenge! Thanks to @turtlewax #carwash

The boys love a challenge. They also love being outdoors. And getting wet. So car washing is the perfect way for them to have fun, keep busy and for me to tick another job off on the to do list (and save money on going to the car wash).

Turtle wax are synonymous with quality car cleaning products. Did you know they had such an extensive range!? It isn’t just wax they sell!

There are products for exterior, interior and speciality areas such as tyres, glass, headlights and dashboard to name just a few.

The boys were set to work firstly washing the car and tyres, then the rinse, wax and finally the windows.
With a car each here is how they got along with the outide…..

It smelt so fresh and clean when they had finished and dried to a smear free shine.

They did a great job and hopefully this will become a regular chore to earn pocket money – fingers crossed they continue to enjoy it!

They still have the inside to do but with such great products I am sure it won’t take them long! 

You can buy the products at Halfords.

Do you wash your car yourself? Would love to hear any tips!

Meet Stretch Armstrong!

Someone new has come to live at our house. He doesn’t take much looking after and is the perfect housemate! He is the original iconic body builder Stretch Armstrong!

Now I remember Stretch from the first time around, almost 40 years ago, and he hasn’t changed a great deal but he is definitely one of those classic toys worthy of a rerelease!

Stretch’s body beautiful is made from soft squidgy plastic (similar to stress balls) and he has a hard plastic head. 

He is a quality toy and  Noah has had lots of fun stretching him, twisting him and generally contorting him into unwieldy positions. He can stretch 4 times his original size (and I think we have certainly pushed those limits!). As soon as he is left alone he contracts back to his original size. 

Stretch has been all over the place with us. I would say he is mostly played with on a one-to-one basis but his brother hasn’t missed the opportunity to join in the stretching fun too. 

Stretch Armstrong retails at £19.99 which I think is a good price for a quality toy which will take some breaking.

You can buy him here.  

 

Puzzling it out..

I do love a jigsaw puzzle. Luckily so do the boys so we were thrilled to be asked to review “My First Pets” jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger suitable for those aged 8+.

Ravensburger have been making children’s puzzles for over 100 years and know what are the ideal sizes, piece counts and images for every age. The puzzle is designed to be age appropriate and has 200 pieces. It is also great quality using sustainable materials.

We liked how the puzzle is made up of mini pictures so we could start off in sections doing the smaller pictures then putting them altogether.

Noah is only 6 but a huge puzzle fan and he really enjoyed the challenge. Even the 9 year old found it tricky to work out where the pieces went at times but through trial and error we got there eventually. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

It was also a great way to learn some pet names – terrapin and chinchilla were new ones for the boys (even though they have seen these creatures lots of times at our local farm).

Jigsaw puzzles are a fun way of learning and teaching children valuable life skills. They are also a brilliant way to spend family time bonding and of course, avoiding those screens!

Do you enjoy jigsaw puzzles? I think I am addicted now!