Family Time at Prezzo

During the half term last week the children and I met up with my sister and her daughters for a lunch treat at Prezzo. The school holidays gave us the perfect opportunity to get together with the children to enjoy some food. 

Prezzo have made family dining even easier and family orientated with their new La Famiglia Feast sharing dish. We, as a family love to sit and eat together and regardless what others have everybody wants to dig in and try other meals which when you are out can be a bit difficult. But Prezzo have created the perfect feast for a family. One large bowl of pasta, side dishes, drinks and even ice cream. One bowl for everyone to share. This is ideal for families and a fantastic way to come together over some delicious food.

A Winter Feast at River Cottage

If you follow me on social media you will not have missed that I recently spent the evening at the iconic River Cottage in Axminster. River Cottage is a place that we, as a family, have followed since the start of their journey. From the early days when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall left the city to live in the original River Cottage to developing Park Farm.

When we arrived at Park Farm I was amazed at the beautiful setting. We waited for the tractor at the top of a hill looking down, into the valley, where River Cottage is based. To access the cottage we were transported down in a trailer on the back of a tractor. As we made our way down the lane River Cottage gradually came into view. Nestled in the Dorset valley it really was a picturesque sight.

#FoodieseekerFriday - Ji Ji Asian Kitchen

While we were on holiday on Carnival Vista in the summer we had the opportunity to try the speciality restaurants. Before we set sail I wrote a post about the restaurants and even selected what meals I planned to have at each location.

When it came to selecting what we would have when visiting Ji Ji Asian Kitchen I will admit to not really knowing what the dishes were on the menu. There were aspects of dishes that I recognised but all in all I knew that it would be quite a new eating experience for all of us. I also did not know what the children would want to try.

Ji Ji Asian Kitchen was the second speciality restaurant that we visited and we were well and truly in holiday mode. We decided to have our tables booked for 5.30pm when dining with the children. For families with young children this is an ideal time to dine as it is often the first sitting and the quietest time. We found that we were often one of the first families in and the service was impeccable as the restaurant was so quiet.

The staff at Ji Ji Asian Kitchen were so welcoming and interacted fantastically with the children. We were shown to our table and left to look at the menu.

While we were waiting for some drinks to arrive our waitress arrived to explain to us how the dining experience works in Ji Ji's and little bit about the foods. We were told that we would be having a true Asian style family meal. We would be selecting a variety of appetisers, entrees, sides then desserts. The dishes would be served in the middle of the table allowing everyone to dig in and try a bit of all sorts. As soon as we heard this we had a feeling that we would enjoy dining here. Before we could order we needed to decide who would be the lucky host. Ji Ji means lucky lucky and the dice would show us who the lucky host would be. The waitress rolled the dice and it came up with the number one, that was to be our lucky number. We were then told to take it in turns to roll the dice and whoever rolled a one first would be the lucky host. The dice was passed to J and he immediately rolled a one, making him the lucky host.

#FoodieseekerFriday - A Taste of Carnival Vista - Guy's Burger Joint

Welcome to this weeks FoodieseekerFriday post. This week I am sharing my first "A Taste of Carnival Vista" recipe posts. Before we even boarded Vista I knew that I wanted to rekindle the holiday magic as often as possible once home. The best way for me to do that is to recreate some of the spectacular meals that we indulged on. Carnival pride on supplying food to please everyone and they certainly do not disappoint. They provide a wide variety of dishes that change daily in the Lido self service marketplace, have their speciality restaurants and the pool side, made to order, diners.

Today I am going to tell you about one of the inclusive diners, Guy's Burger Joint. As soon as we took one bite of the epic burgers that were served here we were hooked. They were unlike any burger that we have had before! Carnival have designed an authentic burger bar with the help of American best selling author, Food Network television star and restaurateur Guy Fieri.




Guy Fieri owns a host of all American restaurants that specialise in a variety of cuisines from a good old barbecue to Mexican burritos, from American kitchen to the burger joint. So when it comes to a good, authentic burger Carnival certainly went to the man who really does know his stuff!

The Evolution of McDonald's

I was lucky to be invited to a recently refurbished McDonald's restaurant in the centre of Leeds. McDonald's has to be the world's best known fast food chain and one that we have been enjoying for years! I have fond memories of having McDonald's as a child and even of my late Nanna asking for cutlery when we gave her her meal. With McDonald's you know what you are going to get. If you order a Big Mac in Spain, you know that it is going to taste the same as it does in England. So when I was offered the chance to learn more about how McDonald's are evolving and how they are making their food even fresher I could not wait to attend!

The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the Briggate Leeds restaurant was the modern, street art deco throughout the restaurant. The restaurant had a fresh feel to it and was the first way that I saw how McDonald's is evolving.

To start I met some of the senior McDonald's staff, the press team and two other bloggers. It was during this meeting that we were given some background information about McDonald's.

Did you know that in the UK there are 1250 restaurants? I knew there were a lot but what I did not know is that a lot of these restaurants are actually franchise restaurants! At the end of 2013 beginning of 2014 McDonald's started to refurbish their restaurants. They wanted the digital age to be a huge part of the refurbishment. This includes self service kiosks. So far 500 restaurants have undergone the refurbishment and they aim to have all of their 1250 restaurants completed by 2018. Not only is the digital age a big focus but the companies commitment to the environment is essential. They now have two bins for your rubbish. One for landfill and the other for recycling waste. They have also been using their waste cooking oil to fuel their delivery lorries! What a genius way to reuse it!

After having a chat it was time to go down to the restaurant and the kitchen. While we were there we got the chance to see and even have a go at ordering a meal using the new digital self service kiosk.

Zizzi Vegan Menu Review

If you are a vegan you will know how difficult it is to find a restaurant that caters you. We are not vegan but when we go out I do often go for vegetarian dishes or vegan ones if available. So when I heard that Zizzi had released a new vegan menu. I was even more excited when I was asked if I would like to try the menu for a blog post!

We decided to go to our local Zizzi at Meadowhall, Sheffield. Unfortunately the day that we went their pizza oven was broken, but it was not a problem as we all love pasta.

Harvester Clifton Moor, York - Restaurant Review

The other weekend we took a little drive up to York to go out for lunch as a family. When it comes to finding a restaurant that we all like can sometimes be a little tricky and we tend to stick to our well know regulars. So when we were asked if we would like to try a family lunch out at Harvester in York we could not wait to try it.

We always love a day out in York so this was the perfect opportunity. Harvester in York is based at Clifton Moor which is a shopping and leisure area which is just north of the city and just off the ring road. So it is really easy to access and there are plenty of great shops about and even a cinema so you can certainly make a day of it.

When we arrived at the Harvester we were pleased to see that there was plenty of parking. We were slightly worried as there are other restaurants in that part and we did not know if parking would be a problem, thankfully it wasn't.

When we went into the restaurant we noticed that there were plenty of staff about so we did not have to wait long until we were shown to our table. The waiting staff were all friendly and helpful and always made sure that we had enough drinks and that we were ok. When it came to ordering drinks we did find that a couple of drinks that were on the menu were not available at that site. This was not a huge inconvenience but I do believe that if you have items listed on a menu as available they should be. This was maybe one down side of having a generic menu for all sites instead of site specific ones. The children enjoyed having their own menu and were pleased with their pack of crayons and colouring in place mats. Having these little added extras really do mean a lot when dining out with children.

A Night Away At San Pietro Boutique Hotel and Restaurant

It is not very often that the hubby and I get away for some needed "us" time. So when we do get the chance we make the most of it.

After the past few months I wanted to thank my hubby for being my rock and I booked us a room at San Pietro. San Pietro is only about 15 minutes away from our home but it is our favourite place to eat. We have been numerous times and were excited when we found out that they were building a hotel next to the restaurant. We have eagerly watched as it has developed and both said that we would love to stay over so I knew it would make the perfect surprise.

I decided to book one of their "romance" packages in their "Spectacular Suite". The package came complete with the room, a bottle of Prosecco on ice, a REN gift set, cake, toiletries, a 3 course a la carte meal and a continental breakfast in the morning.

When we arrived we understood immediately why they had named the suite the Spectacular Suite. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The decor was classy yet modern. No expense has been spared on the interior of this stunning hotel. The hotel has a high level of security where all of the corridors can only be entered by swiping the room card. We were personally taken up to our room and shown where everything was. The service was exceptional and we were made to feel extremely welcome as soon as we entered the building.

The restaurant serve exquisite food. The detail and attention that goes into every dish is to a level of perfection. With the romance package that I booked an a la carte meal was included in the package. This is what we dined on...

Delicious Fresh Bread with Balsamic Olive Oil,
Olives and Roasted Garlic

Tomato and Olives with a Basil Foam

Starter of Pan Fried Pigeon with Beetroot and Pomegranate Risotto

Main Course of 35 Day Aged Sirloin Fillet Steak
with Gorgonzola bon bon, prosciutto crisp, smoked garlic potato puree,
purple sprouting broccoli and port reduction. This dish did have a £5
supplement charge but was definitely worth it. The meat was cooked
to perfection and was plentiful.

For dessert I chose the cheese board. I had a choice of 4 cheeses from
an extensive cheese board that was brought round to the table.

The food was simply divine and we savoured every single delicious morsel. We are already planning another visit for Valentines Day.

If you are local to the area or willing to travel I would thoroughly recommend visiting San Pietro. The whole food and hotel experience is fantastic and the staff always give the personal touch.

This post is not a sponsored post or a review post written for San Pietro. I have written this post because we thoroughly enjoyed our whole over night experience.

Strada Review - Family Favourites

This week instead of sharing a Family Favourites recipe I am sharing one of our Family Favourites restaurants.

During our weekend at Sherwood Forest Center Parcs we had a meal at Strada the Italian restaurant. We all enjoy Italian food so we were all looking forward to the meal.

Strada is a light, roomy restaurant that allows each table to have their own space. For a family restaurant there is nothing worse than the tables being too close together and claustrophobic. Strada have developed the ideal balance. The restaurant is divided over two levels with a small soft play area for children and space to walk around.

We were sat at our table and the children were immediately given their own menus and crayons to keep them busy. The restaurant really does focus on the whole family and aim to provided an all round excellent eating experience for the whole family.

Our waitress, Emma, was simply delightful. She paid attention to the children, answered any questions that we had and was always happy to help.

When it came to ordering we knew that we would be putting Strada to the test. My Dad suffers with a garlic allergy and Italian food is well known for it's garlic content. Emma assured us that all of the meals from Strada are freshly cooked and therefore ingredients can either be added or removed as per the customers dietary requirements. There are too many family restaurants that rely on pre prepared meals so it was refreshing to hear that all the meal are freshly made.

The children's menu had plenty of choice and the portions were extremely generous. We did order a pizza each for the twins which really was too much as it was a regular sized pizza. The next time we visited we were able to order just one pizza between the two of them which was the perfect size. However the child's pizza was the perfect size for Joseph, who is 10 and has a huge appetite.

For starter we ordered two portions of Olive Di Castelvetrano, green Sicilian olives and two portions of Cesto Di Pane, a selection of Italian breads, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, between 5 adults. There was just the right amount for everyone to share. The twins and Joseph enjoyed Cheesy Garlic Flatbreads.

There was no rush from the restaurant to get through the courses. It really was a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.

Next came our delicious main courses!

I chose the Salmone which was salmon wrapped in crispy Parma ham, served with lentils, spinach, green beans and honey mustard dressing. This meal was divine. The salmon was perfectly cooked and accompanied with the lentils, spinach and green beans makes this not only an extremely tasty meal but also a meal which is also full of goodness.

My mum decided to have the Tagliata, which was sliced sirloin steak, wild rocket, spinach, green beans, plum tomatoes and Grana Padano shavings. The steak was cooked to perfection as it was requested.

My mother in law chose the Saltimbocca which is pork fillet, crispy Parma ham and sage, served on mash with green beans and a buttery sage sauce. The mash was so creamy and smooth it was a delicious accompaniment to the pork fillet.

My dad requested the Cavatappi Pollo Crema which was corkscrew pasta, chicken and sliced mushrooms in a creamy tarragon sauce. Finished with fresh parsley and salsa verde. As my dad is allergic to garlic, the garlic was removed for the dish. For an allergy sufferer, like my dad, knowing that the meals are freshly prepared was a relief as he was able to enjoy the meals that he wanted to eat without worrying about unknown ingredients.

For dessert the hubby and I indulged in a 'Ubrico' Affogato this was iced nougat semifreddo ice cream with an espresso and an amaretto liqueur shot to pour over the top. This was a bowl of total temptation, the sweetness of the ice cream, the sharpness of the espresso combined with the warmth of the liqueur made this desert simply heavenly.

We were all delighted with our experience at Strada. The food, the environment, the atmosphere and the service that we received was all first class. The staff, especially our waitress Emma, were extremely friendly and happy to help. We were so pleased with our meal we returned the following day and were greeted with smiles for Emma, who remembered that my dad was allergic to garlic! The personal touch made the visit even more special.

Our lovely waitress Emma

Strada is the perfect place to eat with either family or as a couple. This restaurant caters for everybody and I would thoroughly recommend eating there! Strada is now one of our Family Favourite restaurants.

Disclosure: This meal was provided for the purpose of this post and was part of the Center Parcs Family Blogger package. No payment was received. All views and opinions are my own and 100% honest.