Baking Fresh Bread – White Crusty Loaf Recipe

We love baking fresh bread, nothing beats the smell of a baking loaf! I love weekends and school holidays when we can get busy in the kitchen baking different types of bread.

Baking Fresh Bread

I would love to invest in a breadmaker like the ones reviewed on Village Bakery. For now though, we are happily baking fresh bread by hand and have a few favourite recipes! Anyone who follows my social media accounts will no doubt have spotted our favourite loafs at some point.

Italian Chocolate Chip Bread

Our Favourites

Our absolute favourite bread to make (and eat!) is the italian chocolate chip bread. It goes lovely with some chocolate spread.

Our second favourite is a crusty white loaf, fresh bread is simply gorgeous! You can’t beat an original recipe. We regularly use the same recipe to make this as it comes out lovely.

White Crusty Loaf Recipe

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The flat smells amazing right now 😍 Can't wait for lunch 😋

A post shared by Ember (@relentlesslypurple) on

Ingredients:

  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Egg yolk
  • 150-300 ml lukewarm water
  • 500g Strong white flour plus a little extra for dusting
  • 1 1/2tsp Salt
  • 2tsp Sugar
  • 7g of dried yeast (We use Allinsons)
  • 25g of butter or sunflower oil for brushing (I love Willow butter for this!)

Method

Beat the egg and milk lightly in a jug and add lukewarm water to make 300ml stirring well.

Next, sift the flour into a bowl adding the salt, sugar and yeast. Stir until well mixed then mix in the butter using your finger tips until the mixture feels like breadcrumbs. Making a well, add the egg mixture and work into a smooth dough.

Knead well on a lightly floured surface for 10minutes or until the dough is smooth. Brush a bowl with oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or until it is double the size. I tend to use the airing cupboard for this as the boiler creates just enough heat to help the dough rise.

Baking Fresh Bread

Brush a 900g load time with oil. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for one minute or until smooth. Shape the dough the length of the time and 3 times the width. Fold the dough in 3 length ways and place in the tin ensuring the join is underneath. Cover with a tea towel again and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until it rises above the tin.

While your dough rises again, preheat the oven to 220°c. Once the dough has risen, place it in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until firm and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool down, smother in butter and enjoy!

Do you have any favourite bread recipes you always use when baking fresh bread?

Japanese Banno Knife From Sous Chef

We were sent a Japanese Banno Knife to review from Sous Chef this week. The Mr loves a good knife to use in the kitchen and was quite excited to try the Japanese Banno Knife out. He rushed out to get some ingredients and got to work creating a delivcious Katsu Curry.

Japanese Banno Knife

Sous Chef

Sous Chef is a shop for those who love food and cooking. They offer a wide range of products for the kitchen from ingredients, cookware, tableware, equipment, gifts and more. They have some fabulously unique food hampers and box sets. Any foodie will love discovering Sous Chef and their wide range of unique and unusual products.  You are bound to find any of your kitchens needs all in one place.

Banno Knife Cutting Chicken

Japanese Banno Knife

The Japanese Banno knife is of a traditional design which makes it a great all-purpose knife. Perfect for covering any eventuality in the kitchen. Unlike more specialist Japanese knives, this is perfect for cutting vegetables, meat or fish making it highly useful. The Banno is well balanced and sits well in your hand, slicing cleanly and with ease.

Cutting vegetables with a Japanese Banno Knife

This Banno knife follows a traditional design, making it a great all-purpose knife, perfect for covering any eventuality in a Japanese kitchen. Unlike more specialist Japanese knives, the Banno is a great multi-purpose knife, ideal for cutting vegetables, meat, fish or fish bones. A fantastic addition to any kitchen where there is often a range of food items needing to be prepared.

Cutting Onions with Banno Knife

With a strong steel blade and a double-bevel for a perfectly clean cut, the Banno is lovely to use. The traditional Banno blade is quite tall, ensuring good control and stability when chopping. This beautiful, well-balanced Banno knife is lovely to use and the Mr is really happy with it. It is the perfect addition to any kitchen.

Have you used a Japanese Banno Knife before or ordered from Sous Chef?

Halloween Party Foods

We’ve been checking out Halloween party foods this week. The girls have half term this Halloween so we are planning a spooky week full of spooky foods, crafts, games & more!

Halloween Party Foods

Halloweiners

Heck Halloweiners

Heck sausages have created Halloweiners containing pork, pumpkin & black treacle! They also contain a dash of red chilli but not enough to be noticeable, especially for children. These gluten-free and dairy-free sausages are perfect for everyone. You can find these in store at Sainsburys from October 10th.

Halloween Party Foods

We were kindly sent some Halloweiners to try and I have to say, I am in love! I am extremely fussy when it comes to sausages, I tend to stick to pork & honey chipolatas. The Halloweiners are lovely though and I would happily eat these any day! None of us are overly keen on pumpkin but there wasn’t too much in these so they tasted just right.

Halloweiners cooking

We cooked up the Halloweiners for ourselves and a friend to try, we all quickly demolished them. I’m impressed we all enjoyed them with an extremely fussy eater, kind of fussy eater and someone who will eat most things. I think that says a lot! I had hoped to get a photo of the cooked sausages but we accidentally ate them before I had the chance, they smelled so good!

Fiendish Fancies

Who doesn’t love a French fancy? Mr Kipling has created these Fiendish Fancies, perfect for a Halloween spread. Morrison’s currently have Fiendish Fancies on offer for £1.

Fiendish Fancies

These delicious little treats are orange flavour sponge with a vanilla topping, drenched in orange coloured fondant icing. We love these and finished the box a little too quickly so we’ll be buying more! 

Spooky Skulls Gingerbread

Decorate your own Spooky Skulls

We regularly shop in Morrison’s who create fantastic gingerbread kits to suit different events. For Halloween this year they have created Spooky Skulls to decorate with Purple (WIN!) icing and chocolate beans!

Kids love decorating their own gingerbread then demolishing them after. These are a fab activity and snack whilst watching Halloween films. These fab packs are £2 in store.

Which Halloween Party Foods are your favourite?

Delicious Adagio Teas Review & Giveaway

Delicious Adagio Teas offer a wide selection of gourmet teas, some of which I received to review. I also have some samples and an IngenuiTEA Infuser for one lucky winner, simply enter the Rafflecoptor below.

Selection of artisan teas from Adagio Teas

Adagio Teas

Adagio Teas are hand-picked sourced from the origin, working directly with the farmers who produce them in their native countries. Coming straight from the source means Adagio Teas are brimming with far more nutrients. All of Adagio Teas are full leaf with no added sugar and all-natural flavours.

They also have a lovely herbal range for those preferring caffeine-free teas. Adagio Teas are Vegan and Gluten Free, all flavours in herbal teas are from essential oils and the traditional teas are pure leaves.

Teaware

Not only do Adagio Teas offer a fine selection of artisan teas, but they also have a fantastic range of Teaware. PersonaliTEA Porcelain Small Tea Cups, Teapots & Cups with Infusers. This range comes in multiple colours & I kindly sent out purple for my review.

PersonaliTEA Purple Porcelain Range

The elegant purple 600ml ceramic teapot has a large infuser basket for loose tea. The non-drip spout is fantastic for avoiding spills and it just looks gorgeous! To finish the set the 2 matching cups are 120ml and both the teapot and cups are dishwasher safe.

The purple porcelain cup and infuser with lid has a stainless steel infuser for loose tea leaves. The lid doubles as a coaster for the infuser when it is time to remove the tea leaves. This 350ml cup is 9cm in diameter and as with the rest of the purple porcelain, dishwasher safe.

Delicious Adagio Teas

I was sent a selection of delicious Adagio Teas Samples to try including –

Tears of India & Sri Lanka 
Earl Grey Teas
Orchard Oolong Teas
Berries Teas
Orchard Herbals
Oolong Teas of China
Sweet Tooth Teas
Orchard Green Teas

Each of these sample boxes contains 4 different artisan loose leaf teas of various flavours. Each flavour is individually packaged in resealable pouches for easy storage & freshness.

Orchard Herbals - Adagio Teas Loose Leafe Teas

Along with the sample boxes we received two special collections including the Fairy Tales Pyramid Teabags andThe London Collection.

Fairy Tale Pyramid Teabags

Fairy Tales Pyramid Teabags From Adagio Teas

The girls insisted we try the Fairy Tale Pyramid Teabags first, no surprise there! This stunning collection includes ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Snow White’ & ‘Cinderella’.

Cinderella

A herbal tea blend to wake Sleeping Beauty from an ageless sleep. Magically created by the good fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.

We decided to try the Sleeping Beauty tea First, both girls had to join in so we used Izzy’s tiny Frog mug too. This collection is caffeine-free so it’s perfect for anyone looking for a caffeine-free tea that is tasty too!

Adagio Teas - Fairy Tale Pyramid Teabags - Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty tea was divine and one we all really enjoyed. The fairytale collection is amazingly delicious and the tins are lovely to keep.

Snow White

An apple tea blend to help Snow White Ward off the wicked Queen’s poisonous spell and wake with the gentle kiss from her handsome prince

Cinderella

A Pumpkin tea blend to transport Cinderella away from the wicked stepmother, to the Royal Ball and the attention of her Prince.

The London Collection 

The London Collection - Loose Leaf Teas

This collection of 6 different flavours are all with London based names. A selection of loose leaf teas perfect for a flavourful tea infusion. The collection includes:

  • Oxford Steep
  • Earl of Westminster
  • Covent Garden Chai
  • The Crown Jewels
  • Double Decker
  • Piccadilly Citrus. 
The London Collection - Piccadilly Citrus - Adagio Teas

IngenuiTEA Infuser

Looking for an infuser that will attach to any cup? The IngenuiTEA is the answer! Simply add your tea leaves, pour in hot water and let them steep. When you place the IngenuiTEA Infuser on top of your cup it will release a valve. This valve allows your tea to flow down into your cup whilst the mesh filter retains your leaves.

IngenuiTEA Infuser - Adagio Teas

Easy to clean and dishwashable, this fab device fits cups up to 9.5cm diameter and is BPA-free. 

Giveaway

Delicious Adagio Teas Review & Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
UK Entrants Only.
Contact details will be pass on to Adagio Teas solely for the purpose of sending out your prize.

Do you love the sound of Adagio Teas?

Free-From Baking With SweetPea Pantry

We were sent free-from baking kits from Sweetpea Pantry to try! We were sent out the gorgeous super oat & flax Flapjack & Raw cacao, Flax & Teff Brownie kits to try for ourselves. These baking kits are Gluten Free & Dairy Free & no added sugar.

The kits do also include how to make the mixes using eggs & butter too though. These are great mixes to stash in the cupboard for a household with and without allergies or mixed allergies. For just £2.75 each they are a great buy, you can also order 4 boxes of mixes for £9.99 or 6 for £13.99. They also have other mixes available so you can really mix it up!

Free-From Baking Mixes

Sweetpea Pantry Free-From Baking Kits

Flapjack Mix

We tried out the Sweetpea Pantry Flapjack kit first. This fab kit is Gluten free, Dairy Free, Vegan & no added sugar. The recipe recommends using either 100g of coconut oil or 100g of butter & 4 tablespoons of honey or syrup. This will make 12 flapjacks or one big one! 

Free-From Flapjack

This is a nice, quick and easy recipe that only takes 5 minutes to prepare. The girls really enjoyed helping make the flapjack and squishing the mix down into the baking tray. We used golden syrup to make our flapjack.

Free-From Flapjack

We really enjoyed the flapjack when it had cooled and set in the fridge for a while. There was plenty for everyone and it didn’t last long at all!

Brownie Mix

Next, we gave the Brownie kit a try! Who doesn’t love brownies? These Raw Cacao Flax & Teff brownies are simple to make. We used butter & golden syrup and eggs to make ours but for Vegan brownies add coconut oil, golden syrup/ natural syrup and flax ‘eggs’. This makes 12 scrumptious brownie bites. 

Brownie Mix

This mix was quick and easy to make just like the flapjack was and it kept the girls happy mixing it all up. We all got a little impatient when we could smell them baking and looked forward to diving in!

Sweetpea pantry Brownie Mix

The brownies were delicious once cut up and cooled! I’d definitely try these kits again and they would be great for our BBQs with friends who are gluten and dairy free! 

Have you discovered the Free-From baking Mixes from Sweetpea Pantry yet?

Eco Food Wraps – Perfect For Packed Lunches

Eco Food Wraps are perfect for packed lunches. Fed up of using plastic food bags that have to be binned after one use? Then Eco Food Wraps are the perfect, eco-friendly, plastic-free, reusable food wraps. We all know far too much plastic ends up in our oceans and many of us are moving away from using plastics in a bid to save our planet. Whilst I’m still very new to this and still use plastics more than I should, this is a great way to start going plastic-free.

Eco Food Wrap set of 3

Eco Food Wraps

Eco food wraps are handmade using organic cotton, coated in a beeswax/tree resin blend. These fab wraps let you mould them to the shape of any object. Eco Food Wraps will keep your food fresher for longer. They were designed to replace the use of cling-film & single-use plastic food bags. Being reusable & chemical free, Eco Food Wraps are the environmentally friendly, naturally sustainable Food Packaging Solution and are perfect for packed lunches, picnics and generally keeping food fresh. Simply wipe clean between uses.

Perfect For Packed Lunches

We were sent 3 different sizes & prints from Eco Food Wrap to try ourselves. We used them on Eva’s first day at school and she loved them & even remembered to bring it home! The wraps come in some lovely designs and different sizes to suit your needs.

We found the wraps so simple to use! I love how they mould to the shape you need just by gently warming them with your hand. They keep bread much fresher, something Eva instantly noticed when using the Eco Food Wraps. She often complains her lunch isn’t as nice having sat in the lunch tray all morning. It was nice she instantly benefitted from using Eco Food Wraps.

Small Eco Food Wrap

These fab wraps are perfect for a range of items including bread, pastries, fruit, cheese and more. The only thing the wraps can’t be used on is meat. Being reusable means you save a lot of money over the course of using the wraps as well as avoiding using single-use plastics. They look funky & cool with some lovely prints available to suit everyone.

There are several different packages available from Eco Food Wrap from single wraps in multiple sizes to family packs of various sizes/prints. Make sure you check them out if you are looking for alternative food packaging.

What do you think of Eco Food Wrap?

Father’s Day Hamper From Prestige Hampers

Father’s day is quickly approaching and Prestige Hampers have a Father’s Day Hamper perfect for the occasion. It can be hard to find a gift for some dads, but Prestige Hampers have many different options. Hampers offer a touch of luxury for the gift recipient and foodies will love the Hamper I received for the Mr!

Father's Day Hamper

Prestige Hampers have a fantastic selection of gifts and Hampers for all occasions, we previously reviewed a Christmas Hamper that was full of delicious luxury food items too.

Father's Day Hamper - the Delicatessen

Father’s Day Hamper

We received The Delicatessen Hamper (£44.99) to review which arrived in a large Delicatessen wooden hat box. Full of port, fine cheeses, bread and chutney, any foodie dad would love to receive this lovely gift.

The Delicatessen Contains:

A bottle of Vista Alegre Fine Ruby Port 37.5cl
A Jar of Spiced Plum Chutney 198g
Northumbria Cheese Kielder 115g
West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Truckle Floppy Top 200g
Westminster London Truckle English Cheddar Cheese 200g
Peter’s Yard Sourdough Crispbread Charcoal & Rye 90g
Large Delicatessen Hat Box

The Delicatessen

This lovely hamper is perfect and the cheeses are absolutely divine! Any cheese lover will really appreciate this lovely Father’s Day Hamper. This Father’s Day why not treat dad to a lovely glass of port to enjoy with this delicious collection of cheeses, chutney and crispbread. We tried the West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Truckle Floppy Top to begin with and it was so creamy and full of flavour, perfect with the Sourdough Crispbread. Warning – The Sourdough Crispbread is beyond moreish! You could team this gift up with a lovely cheese board too.

You can order gifts from Prestige Hampers across Europe & Internationally although courier rates vary. Next day delivery is available for most products & delivery costs just £5.80 per item. Tracking information is available for all orders. I love that you can select which day you would like your gift to arrive, making ordering in advance even easier!

Would your dad or partner enjoy receiving a Father’s Day Hamper like this fantastic Delicatessen Hamper?

The Great Oreo Cookie Quest – Can You Spot Them All?

For the Great Oreo Cookie Quest, we were sent 2 packs* to enjoy during family moments. Oreos are a delicious & fun snack for all the family! Oreo is celebrating #OreoCookieQuest with fun ways to win great prizes. With the new on-pack promotion you can win a once-in-a-lifetime wonder-filled trip to California and the Googleplex!! We’ve hidden 10 Oreos in this post for fun, can you spot them all?

The Great Oreo Cookie Quest

#OreoCookieQuest

Watching A Film

2 Oreos with a glass of milk is a perfect treat for anyone at anytime. The Great Oreo Cookie Quest seemed like a great way to spend more mother-daughter time with Eva across the weekend. Eva loves Oreos and enjoyed having them as a treat when we snuggled up to watch a film together!

The Great Oreo Cookie Quest

Crocheting

I’ve been teaching Eva to crochet lately, and whilst we had a small hiccup after discovering she crochets left-handed, she is learning. When she gets frustrated we take a quick break and an Oreo quickly puts a smile back on her face. We’ve been practising chaining which she can do with finger knitting so she is picking up confidence bit by bit. We found some fab tutorials online for lefties (I am left handed but crochet right handed!) so I’m sure she will get the hang of it soon!

Oreos & Crochet

Creative Homework

It’s been a slow process with lots going on recently but we have been working on a 3D model of Mount Merapi for Eva’s creative homework. She has been reading The Firework Makers Daughter at school and couldn’t wait to make the model. After several layers of papier mache, it is finally dry and ready to paint! Hopefully, we can hand it in this week!

Oreo-cano

Reading

As I mentioned in a few recent posts, Eva is becoming a big reader like I was at her age, she speeds through books in a day or 2. I try to encourage her to read to herself and out loud to us, she loves reading out loud. Whilst we were spending some one on one time comfortably reading on the bed we treated ourselves to an Oreo.

Reading with Oreos

Eva really enjoyed reading about the human body in this interesting pop-up book. She loved finding out how our bodies work and can name so many body parts and their functions. I love the detail in the book and listening to Eva reading with confidence.

Oreo challenge

Did you find all 10 Oreos in our photo’s? Do you love Oreos too?

*This post is an entry for Britmums #OreoCookieQuest, sponsored by Oreo.

 

DIY Daddy

Emoji App And Mixed Emotions Collection From Jelly Belly

The Emoji App has just been launched by Jelly Belly and is available for free download from the App Store & Google Play Store. The new Jelly Belly Emoji app lets you communicate with your food, expressing yourself through Jelly Belly Stickers.

Emoji App

Emoji App

Emojis are everywhere on social media and I know this fun app will prove popular, especially with Jelly Belly fans. I have to admit I like the idea of this fun new app. The girls and I love trying out new apps as they launch especially when they have fun themes like this. Jelly Belly is well known for their delicious jelly beans of every flavour and now you can send them as stickers too!

The new Jelly Belly Emoji app lets you share Jelly Belly stickers through text messages and social media. The Emoji app is completely ad-free with no annoying adds stopping your fun. Using a slider you can change the size of each sticker you send.  

Emoji App - Jelly Belly

The Jelly Belly Emoji App is inspired by the Mixed Emotions™ Collection which consists of five flavours of Jelly Belly® jelly beans paired with an emotion. With this fun app, you can use the 5 emotions to create Mixed Emotions recipes using a combination of emotions associated with universal experiences.

Using these combinations you can choose from 45 branded Jelly Belly stickers including Mixed Emotions faces and favourite flavours of Jelly Belly jelly beans. The 5 emotions are Happy, Angry, Playful, Sad and Love. Combining these emotions can create a several Mixed Emotions recipes such as 1 Happy + 1 Playful = Summer Holiday.

Mixed Emotions Combinations

Mixed Emotions Collection

Whether you’re having a happy day or an angry one, there is a Jelly Belly® jelly bean for everyone in the new Mixed Emotions Collection. Traditionally Jelly Belly is stamped in white on each jelly bean but Mixed Emotions flavours are matched with feelings instead. The Mixed Emotions Collection five flavours available this August include:

·         Happy tastes like refreshing Lemon on a sunny day

·         Playful teases the taste buds with Sour Apple

·         Angry sears like Hot Cinnamon

·         Sad envelops you in Berry Blue

·         Love warms the soul with Bubble Gum

 

The Mixed Emotions collection launches with a variety of packages, including snackable and shareable bags. These are available at https://www.jellybelly.co.uk/stockists.

Jelly Belly jelly beans are certified OU kosher, vegetarian, and free from gelatin, gluten, fat and dairy.

 

Tammymum

Visiting Santa At The Rainforest Café

Visiting Santa at the Rainforest Café was such a lovely, magical experience. Rainforest café invited us to visit Santa’s Grotto with a meal for the girls afterwards in exchange for an honest review.

Visiting Santa at Rainforest Cafe

The rainforest café is close to the Piccadilly circus Tube station which made planning the journey fairly straight forward. We were really excited as my brother was joining us keeping to our Christmas tradition we started a few years ago too.

The Rainforest café grotto experience includes:

  • A personalised invite from Santa Claus
  • A warm welcome from his elves on arrival
  • Enjoy a personalised meeting with Santa Claus in his grotto
  • A Christmas Gift
  • Children’s 2 course meal & soft drink

Traveling To The Rainforest Café

We couldn’t wait to finally visit Rainforest Café after having our original booking moved. Visiting Santa had the girls so excited and we couldn’t wait to get there. I will admit I had a stressful start though, I lost my bank card a week or so ago. Because of this there was an issue transferring money to the Mr’s account. Luckily my brother saved the day and we managed to get on our way but it made me extremely anxious. Going out with very little money is hell! Several lifts were broken at the underground stations which made my travel anxiety worse but somehow we managed the journey with the help of some lovely kind strangers. The girls enjoyed watching performers and passing the Piccadilly Emporium on the way to the Rainforest café.

Piccadilly circus performers

Both performers at Piccadilly Circus

With my chronic pain and my brothers lupus and bad legs we were a little bit of a mess by the time we arrived but the staff were so welcoming which really helped put us at ease.

Talking tree at rainforest cafe

If you have mobility issues the amount of steps at rainforest café will be a challenge. I do suggest talking to the staff before booking as they do have an accessible entrance. I had thought we would be ok but my brother and I struggled slightly. After all the stairs at tube stations it was quite exhausting. Totally my fault and totally worth it even if Tramadol will be keeping me going for the rest of the week haha!

The rainforest cafe

Arriving At The Rainforest Café

We went downstairs to the Mushroom bar which was full of fantastic rainforest effects and animatronics which were absolutely fantastic.

Gorilla in a christmas jumper

We were greeted by the elves at the booking desk who greeted the girls by name once they had our time slot. The girls absolutely loved this, the elves were brilliant and stayed in character the whole time which really added to the experience. We were asked to wait at the bar which has some awesome animal stools to sit on.

Arriving at Santa's Grotto

Visiting Santa At The Rainforest Café

An elf came and took us down another set of stairs after a short wait and asked the girls to find the Christmas trees. When they found the trees she told the girls they had just put the reindeer to bed so they had to be very quiet and tip toe into the grotto. They knocked on the Grotto door and entered a beautifully decorated grotto. Some grottos feel very claustrophobic but Rainforest Café have a large but cosy grotto which was great. Visiting Santa at the Rainforest Café is a fantastic experience.

Talking to Santa

Talking To Santa

Santa chatted away with the girls using the information from our booking sheet I filled out via email. Eva was delighted when Santa mentioned her teacher. He also mentioned a present she wanted and several other personal details. Izzy spent most of the time chatting away and showing Santa she can do the splits and yoga. She asked him lots of questions and really enjoyed herself.

Checking out the Christmas tree

Izzy really loved the Christmas tree and decorations. Santa barely got a word in edgeways with my two chatterboxes, he was fantastic with them though. As you can see they really enjoyed themselves visiting Santa in his cosy grotto.

Posing with Santa

Sticking To Family Traditions

We took a few photo’s of our own and bought a photo of the 4 of us with Santa. This is part of to our Christmas tradition so I was pleased when we were offered a picture of us all. The girls then received a rainforest café tote bag with a gorgeous soft fluffy penguin each. They also received a gorgeous Christmas stories book, certificate and sticker. They absolutely loved their presents and were so happy to be visiting Santa at rainforest café.

The girls, my brother and I with Santa at Rainforest Café

After our grotto visit we were taken to buy our photo which was £10. We were then told to head upstairs to the restaurant where we were shown to a table. The girls received a 2 course meal and drink as part of the Grotto package. Due to my earlier transfer issue I was unable to order anything myself but the girls meals looked lovely.

Kids meals at Rainforest Café

Eating At The Rainforest Café

Eva chose Burger and chips and Izzy had fish cakes and chips. Eva chatted a little too much (every meal!) so her burger went cold but she enjoyed the half she did eat. Izzy demolished her veg and much to my surprise she ate a few chips, they must have been amazing as she is extremely fussy with chips!

Chocolate ice cream and toffeee sauce sundae

They both had a lovely dessert after their meal. Eva had the chocolate ice cream with toffee sauce and Izzy had a lovely bowl of fresh fruit. They both left happy with full tummy’s ready to head home.

Fruit bowl at Rainforest Café

The waitress was fantastic and we didn’t have to wait too long between dishes which was great. The decorations and effects kept the girls amused whilst we waited. Izzy wanted to bring them home.. not sure an elephant that size would fit in the lift though! 

Animaltronics - Moving elephant

An Unexpected Accident

As we were leaving we of course had yet another problem on our part. Eva spilt her juice over her gifts and herself and began panicking. After our awful start I was close to tears myself. I doubted they could help but I somehow braved asking a member of staff if there was any way they could be replaced. Obviously I would have fully understood if they said no. I just couldn’t cope with the thought of a journey home with Eva distraught at rush hour. After such a magical experience I would have felt awful leaving without at least asking. Amazingly the staff managed to find one last penguin and Christmas stories book much to everyone’s relief.

Finally home with their presents

Fantastic Staff

I am eternally grateful to the staff who replaced the items for Eva. I took care of them until we got home to prevent anymore accidents. We managed to dry out the certificate with very little damage once we got home to Eva’s delight. Both girls ended their day with smiles on their faces cuddling their penguins.  They excitedly told the Mr all about the café, animals, elves and Santa when they got home.

Parrot at Rainforest Café

After all our stress it as fantastic to make it to the Rainforest Café to experience their fantastic grotto package. The food and drink are typical London prices. We will definitely go back again with the Mr as the girls really enjoyed the whole experience. I can’t fault Rainforest Café at all, the experience was fantastic. Staff were outstanding and even in our stressed states Alex and I enjoyed ourselves too.

We tucked the girls into bed with their penguins in their arms and huge smiles on their faces. They told us they had the best day ever as we left the room which literally says it all! Visiting Santa at Rainforest Café is a magical experience I would definitely recommend trying once.

Have you visited the Rainforest café before or booked the grotto experience? Would you book this experience?

Tammymum