Archive for the ‘Food and recipes’ Category
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15
Nov
2009
Kid-friendly restaurants in London
Ever since I read Jac’s post on the Baby Deli 
in Madrid, I have been thinking about similar locations in London. Now I don’t mean to rub it in Jac, but we are a bit spoilt for choice here in the capital. There are lots of restaurants that are child friendly. That is, places where you can take your kids and they help you out with high chairs, kid’s menus, early eating, etc. There are also nicer places that are great with kids – both of which I have listed below. However I am fundamentally a selfish person who does not like having their meal interrupted by sticky fingers, babies crying and people crawling around my feet. The exception would be yum cha/dim sum which is MADE for children – mess and noise is positively welcomed, chopsticks were designed to be thrown, there are inevitably fish in a tank to look at, and the whole thing is over in an hour.
But some clever people have cottoned on to the fact that I am not the only parent in the world who likes a nice meal, but doesn’t always want to pay for a babysitter. Thus, the brilliant child-minding restaurant has been born. See below for some details. And if you’ve got any in your hometown, let me know and I’ll continue the research into other cities….
12
Oct
2009
Child-friendly but still posh pub
The Olde Bell in Hurley is a bl**dy brilliant pub just outside of London. We visited a few weeks ago with some very groovy friends who generally know the cool food places (hanging off their coat tails as I am neither groovy nor cool) and it turned out to be a great location for us and the small people. The food was fantastic. And they have a MASSIVE garden out the back. 
The kids slept in prams during lunch (it’s on the slightly posh side so it’s not really a place for marauding toddlers inside – no chicken nuggets on the menu, put it that way.) However, the staff were amazingly welcoming and one lovely lady even babysat the prams while we all had a drink in the bar. (She didn’t look like a child-stealer). However, the garden was the highlight and the kids ran around for hours after lunch. It was raining (quelle surprise for London) but the kids didn’t mind and this suited us perfectly. Would be gorgeous as a spot for an adults-only lunch (or weekend, it has accommodation and there seemed to be a few more b’nb s down the tiny road), but as a summer destination, this would also be amazing – has its own bar and heaps of tables outside and children can run amok whilst parents eat the restaurant lunch or more casual BBQ lunch and get slowly sozzled in beautiful surroundings. With one person remaining the designated driver/responsible parent. Obviously. I wish there was a list of every child friendly pubs in every city. See here for their website.
