Mummy & Moose
clapping, napping and yapping our way through the day

Adventureland at Springfields Outlet Shopping & Leisure Spalding

Every Friday Moose has a day off from preschool. I work from home so I try to pack as much work into the first 4 days of the week. This leaves Friday as our day. We only have 1 Friday left before the schools are out for the summer. After that we have everyone at home and then my baby boy is <gulp> off to primary school.

mummy and moose

I am determined to fill our Fridays with fun.

Last week we were invited to the new Adventureland located at Springfields Outlet Shopping & Leisure in Spalding, Lincolnshire.

This £1 million adventure playground is an exciting addition to what is on offer for families in the East Midlands area.

How much is it?

Entry to Adventureland is priced at £7.95 for an All inclusive wristband during peak season or £29.95 for up to 4 people. This covers children under 12 for

  • Adventure Land
  • Springy’s Beach
  • Tree Top Village

Plus, one session to each of the following attractions: (token/wristband provided upon entry)

  • JCB Young Drivers Zone. One hour in the zone includes Foreman’s briefing and pedal power driving trucks, building bricks and mechanical diggers. Timeslot booked on purchase. Recommended for children under 10 years old
  • Goldie’s Gold Mine – 1 x 15 minute session per child to pan for gold and find the treasure
  • Springy’s Railroad – One trip through the Tree Top village and woodland
  • Dino Golf  –  One round of the 9 hole, dinosaur themed adventure golf course

If you don’t fancy trying out the latter, you also have the option of purchasing a standard wristband.

Standard tickets include entry to:

  • Adventure Land
  • Springy’s Beach
  • The Tree Top Village

You are able to purchase individual tokens for the other activities which are priced as follows

  • JCB Young Drivers Zone £6 per child – Sessions last an hour  and includes a safety briefing, your own pedal powered JCB truck, huge JCB house and scaffolding play tower, brick laying area, mechanical diggers and bouldering wall plus more!  Time slot booked on purchase. Recommended for children under 10 years old.
  • Gold Panning £2 per person   One 15-minute session to pan for gold and find the treasure. Includes treasure memento
  •  Springy’s Railroad £2 per person – One trip through the Tree Top Village and woodland
  • Dino Golf £3 per person – One round of the 9 hole dinosaur themed adventure golf course
  • Remote Controlled Boats £1 Token – Available from any Kiosk. This is located by the Dino Golf

What did we think?

Moose absolutely loved Adventureland. He had been feeling a little under the weather the day before so I was anxious that maybe he would find it all a bit much but I needn’t have worried.

The beach area is under a large shade so there is no danger of little ones getting sunburnt while they play and splash in the little stream running through the beach area.

We thought the JCB young drivers zone was a great idea! The platforms inside the scaffolding tower which the children have to climb in order to go down the big slide were unfortunately too high for Moose. He is a tall 3 year old (he’s around 110cm) so I think that is really for slightly older kids. Shame as he loves a slide!

It was great for the children to be able to select safety gear to wear as they scooted around on the little JCB’s and the petrol station and play shop were really well done. Grandma was pleased that there was seating provided for the grown ups.

Panning for Gold

The Gold Panning activity was one which we really enjoyed. Moose surprised me and spent a really long time sifting through to look for coloured stones and pieces of (fools) gold. I really like that the children get to keep what they find. That’s a really nice touch.

After we had collected our treasure we headed to have a ride on Springy’s railroad. It was a nice little trip around the woodland area and as you can see, Moose enjoyed himself immensely!

Something I thought might be a little old for Moose was the

Dino Golf.

We thought we would have a go but I really underestimated how much he would love this! We liked spotting the Dinosaurs hiding around the 9 hole course and Moose managed to name quite a few!

Then we decided to head to the tree top village. Moose was a little unsure at first but he soon got the hang of climbing  across the bridges and even ventured onto the tree walk, a massive 12m2 suspended net. This activity needed adult supervision for anyone aged 3-6 so I had a go too. I was a little worried that my weight might be an issue here but it was absolutely fine – and good fun!

What about food?

Springfields has a good choice of places to eat. We decided to stay in Adventureland and grab a quick bite at Springy’s diner. The outdoor seating area is right next to Springys beach so it’s handy for watching the kids play. It also has bottomless coffee which from a parental point of view is a massive bonus!

 

Grandma and I decided to try the small bites trio deal. You can select 3 dishes for £12. We chose the chicken strips, ranch salad and potato skins. Moose settled on the children’s cheeseburger and fries which was priced at £5.95.

The food was nice but I do think that the kids meal was slightly too pricey and maybe should include a drink at least? I think on our next trip we would probably go and try The Kitchen which looked to be really good for families. It’s great that Springfields has a choice of places for families to eat.

Would we go back?

Absolutely yes. I am planning on visiting during the summer holidays. I really like the choice of activities on offer and a really nice aspect of Adventureland is it’s setting. Springfields outlet village offers a nice shopping experience which my older daughter will want to explore with her friends. And if shopping is not your thing, the festival gardens are a lovely place for a peaceful walk.

We are also hoping to have a ride on the Spalding water taxi so we can explore the town centre too! All in all I think Adventureland offers a really valuable resource for parents and we can’t wait to visit again!

 

Disclaimer:We received wristband entry to Adventureland and a gift card to try Springys diner but all opinions are honest and my own.

900 years of Peterborough – Queensgate Medeshamstede Medieval Village

As a self confessed history geek I am really enjoying the celebrations surrounding the 900th anniversary of Peterborough.

It wasn’t always called Peterborough though.

Prepare to be taken back in time, back to Medeshamstede, when Peterborough was born, as Queensgate Shopping Centre puts on a week-long celebration and festivities to mark the 900th anniversary of the city.

From Monday 30 July until Sunday 5 August, shoppers are invited to step into a medieval village, complete with a castle and towering turrets, in Central Square. Walk across the drawbridge, through the giant gates and into the courtyard where real knights, villagers and churchmen go about their daily lives.

 

The grand hall houses a giant banquet table, creating the perfect setting for activities to take part in, such as bread making, crown and shield making workshops, Merlin’s spell school, dressing up, stories of bravery and valour and much more.

 

Watch knights of the round table battle with incredible sword skills, listen to traditional harps and folk music, and for those that have been naughty, it’s off to the village stocks!

peterborough 900th anniversary

“Embracing Peterborough’s heritage during this special year is important to Queensgate,” said Marketing Manager, Laura Chandler. “The Medeshamstede village is a fully immersive interactive experience replicating life in Peterborough 900 years ago. From a working water mill to the peasant’s house, this is going to be a great way to show where Peterborough came from.”

 

There’s also the chance to find the king or queen of Peterborough as shoppers are invited to pull the sword from the stone.

The Medeshamstede village, the name of Peterborough in the Anglo-Saxon period, is completely free and a full schedule of events and timings can be found at www.queensgate-shopping.co.uk/whats-on.

I think this will be a really interesting and fun thing to do with the children and best of all it’s free!

 

 

Mcdonalds Grilled Chicken Wrap Happy Meal

Last week Mcdonald’s launched the newest addition to their Happy Meal options; the grilled chicken wrap. We were invited to go along to their St Pauls branch in London to find out more and to have a taster!

St Paul's mcdonalds

Mcdonalds has been working with Mumsnet over the last year to find out what parents wanted to see added to their Happy Meal menu.

Over 1,000 Mumsnet community members were surveyed with nearly 8 in 10 wanting to see grilled chicken on the Happy Meal menu. 

The wrap comes with a small tortilla, grilled chicken slices, lettuce and ketchup with tomato, onion, cucumber and if you are into that sort of thing you can now add pickles too.

I really appreciate how much choice there is now when it comes to ordering at Mcdonalds.

There are now 6 choices of main item (cheeseburger, hamburger, fish fingers, chicken nuggets, crispy chicken wrap and the new grilled chicken wrap) and you can choose fries or substitute those for a healthy side such as bag of carrots or a melon bag.

There is also a really good choice of drinks to accompany your child’s happy meal now too with milk or water both on offer alongside old favourites like the milkshakes. Another thing to point out was that I noticed that Mcdonalds have made the move from plastic to paper straws.

All of the above still comes presented in the Happy Meal box (which of course you can now convert to a little tray) with a toy or a book for your child to enjoy.

A Mcdonalds Happy Meal is a firm favourite in our house and as a parent I feel like the table service now available in Mcdonald’s restaurants is a great asset! I remember trying to juggle the tray and pushchair and it was no fun!

The fact that you can now use a kiosk instead of queuing which allows for much better personalisation of your order and have your food brought to your table while your child plays with the interactive table games is wonderful – nobody deserves a Big Mac more than a parent of young children.

This post was a collaborative one but all opinions are my own – including my steadfast love of pickles

 

Fathers Day Gift Guide 2018

As Father’s day (and the realisation that we are already nearly in June – how did that happen?!) approaches take a look at some of the fabulous gift ideas currently available on and off the high street.

Let’s do this! (even if he ALWAYS slacks off on Mother’s day)

Hallmark cards

Cards before presents and with the fabulous range from Hallmark you really cannot go wrong!

Hallmark have a range of small plush collectible toys called Itty Bittys and we all love them here – Moose chose superhero characters for his Dad. What will you choose?

Elizabeth Shaw do biscuits! Not only do they do them, they smash it! We tried the raisin and hazelnut ones and if the Father in your life likes a brew then these would make for a great accompaniment.

Oral-B GENIUS 9000

Oral-B GENIUS 9000 toothbrush in black seems to me to be a bit like a sports car for your mouth. Over 80% of people leave plaque behind because they miss a whole zone of their mouth when they brush. That can lead to cavities and gum disease in the future.

 Oral-B’s most premium brush ever, it features a new handle design, longer battery life, an LED SmartRing customisable in 12 colours, and a Travel Case that not just charges your toothbrush, but also your smartphone.

hotel chocolat dipping box

Hotel Chocolat Dipping Adventure. Look at it. I mean really, it sells itself. Snack heaven and yours for less than £30.

willow and stone

Willow & Stone

This is the perfect wine to take you from spring to summer and beyond. Best served chilled, over ice, with soda water or as part of a summery cocktail, it’s a great accompaniment to barbeques, outside occasions or bank holiday celebrations.

What’s more, the fizz varieties come with a re-sealable ‘zork’ meaning the fizz will stay fresher and fizzier for longer.Currently stocked in Co-Op and B&M, the Willow & Stone  range is excellent value with the white and rosé priced at £3.99 and the rosé and white fizz priced at £4.99.

raf100

RAF 100: The Official Story celebrates and commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the Royal Air Force. Officially endorsed by the RAF, and with unique access to their historic archives, the world-renowned broadcaster James Holland uses photographs and documents to tell the story of the people, planes and missions as never before.

The Everlast notebook provides a classic pen and paper experience, yet is built for the digital age. Although it feels like a traditional notebook, the Everlast is endlessly reusable and connected to all of your favorite cloud services.

When you write using any pen from the Pilot Frixion line, your writing sticks to Everlast pages like regular paper. But add a drop of water… and the notebook erases like magic.

 

The YubiKey combines hardware-based authentication and public key cryptography to eliminate account takeovers. Simply tap the YubiKey NEO to your NFC enabled device or insert into a USB-A slot and authenticate with a touch.  YubiKey authentication is four times faster than typing a One Time Passcode and does not require a battery nor network connectivity so it is always on and accessible.

Sweet hamper

Retro Sweets for the win!

This delightful hamper available to personalise from Giftpup may be small in measurements but it is bursting at the seams with all of your favourite classic and retro sweets.

living dna

What is more personal than learning about your ancestry? With a gift from Living DNA, your dad can learn all about his ancestry and explore her personal DNA results.

The Nextbase 312w dash cam is a great gift for the motoring Father. Not only can they lower the cost of insurance premiums, they provide peace of mind with studies showing that motorists feel safer – and drive more safely – when they own a dash cam.

Socks are always a popular choice for men. Why not treat his feet this Fathers day to a gift set of Ralph Lauren socks from Mainline Menswear  If your Father is into gardening then the Von Haus 1600w lawnmower would make a great gift. It makes short work of lawn work and you can get yours from Domu

The Ruck backpack from Speck is great for organising the man in your life. Not only does it have 9 pockets, it is really comfortable to wear and large enough to hold a laptop too

Who doesn’t love a man in a suit? Dobell have a massive range of stylish and affordable menswear this Fathers day

This Varta torch is crazy bright.

Seriously. It is brilliant for power failures, camping and sending your Dad up into the loft first to check for spiders and/or monsters. You can get one here The Epsom XP900 printer is stylish, not too large and prints up to A3 making it the perfect choice for Fathers day for printing all of those memories you have made together. 

The popular Intimately Beckham eau de toilette spray for men opens with notes of bergamot, grapefruit zest and cardamom, with a heart of violet, nutmeg and star anise, rounded off with a base of sandalwood, patchouli and amber. With a deep, woody aroma, it’s a fragrance that’s sure to turn heads. gilette razor

Gillette Fusion5 ProGlide Chrome Edition razor features 5 anti-friction blades for a shave you barely feel, and a chrome effect handle that lets you shave in style. With FlexBall technology, ProGlide responds to contours and gets virtually every hair. The Precision Trimmer on the back is great for hard-to-reach areas such as under the nose and sideburns. One men’s razor blade refill equals up to one month of shaves.

What better way to start the day than with this Batman egg cup and toast cutter from Find Me A Gift. No matter how old the Dad in your life is, he will love this quirky gift

When you open this card you will find a selection of 12 miniature chocolate bars. Your Dad taught you that sharing is important and of course he leads by example. So with this gift from Thortful, everyone wins!

 

Spring at Middletons

Returning to a restaurant at which you have previously had a wonderful meal is sometimes a dicey prospect. The stakes (I so wanted to type steaks to be punny but I wouldn’t subject you to that) are already so high that any mistake will be highlighted and memories of amazing meals past easily forgotten.

So it was with a little trepidation that I accepted an invitation to return to Middletons on Bridge Street, Peterborough to sample their new Spring 2018 menu.

I knew there was only 1 real choice of companion for this endeavour, my brother Steve (aka Steak King). His love of meat is the stuff of local legend.

steak king

The New Spring 2018 Menu

Looking at the menu it wasn’t instantly clear which were the new additions. Help was on hand in the form of our enigmatic waiter, Mark. After a short tour of the new menu we learned that as well as a few new meal choices on the main menu such as the spicy chicken wings, a big focus had been put on introducing some fabulous vegetarian options such as the Goats Cheese and Veg Tart which looks very tempting. There is also a vegan option which is the Pesto Gnocchi. I cannot emphasise enough how much I enjoy Gnocchi so this was great news for me. 

Another new feature at Middletons is that hey have now introduced a Gin Bar to the drinks menu.  It features 10 carefully selected gins, ranging from well-known brands to more up-and-coming flavoured varieties. Steak and Gin, does it get any better than that?

What we ate

Something I like about Middletons is that they do like to keep you hydrated. A bottle of complimentary water is usually with you soon after being seated and they are very good at replenishing it without being asked. 

For starters I chose the Chicken Liver Paté. I really love paté but it isn’t something I would think of putting together at home so when I see it on the menu I am always keen to order it. It was a really generous portion which arrived with plenty of warm sourdough and butter. 

Steve had the Mussels which were as he put it “spot on” and which arrived with a good supply of sourdough and freshening wipes. 

 

For my main course I opted for the Seafood Mixed Grill which consisted of Sea Bass fillet, salmon fillet, chilli prawns, calamari and lemon all served alongside my choice of side which on this occasion was new potatoes (I was at least trying to be vaguely healthy). It was all really lovely and just the right portion size. I especially enjoyed the chilli prawns and the sea bass – extra points on the crunchy sea bass skin. It was a tasty alternative to steak.

Steve ordered the steak (of course) and after next to no deliberation decided on chips to go with it. His steak came with a field mushroom and tomato and was beautifully cooked – I don’t believe I have ever been disappointed with my Middletons steak, it’s what they do best. 

We both really enjoyed our meals. I must admit that thanks to Middletons set menu I have returned more times than I can count. With masses of choice and 3 courses for £9.99 (even on a Saturday!). As well as the option to not only book your table online but pre-order your food too. Well, you can’t really argue with that. 

Our meal was paid for in exchange for an honest review.