On arrival Eliot and I were met by the Ella's Kitchen team who showed us where to 'park up' before leading us down to the sensory play zone.
The Weeny Weaning Restaurant concept involves babies experiencing sights, smells and sounds so they are able to explore food in many different ways. There were songs to listen to (see video clip at the bottom for Eliot's dancing!) which Eliot wasn't too sure about at first but once he'd settled in, the music was definitely one of his favourite things!
There was play food and real food for babies to get to grips with to touch smell and taste, as well as flash cards and wooden books with pictures of food to look at. Eliot thoroughly enjoyed his experience in the sensory play zone and I think this is a brilliant way to familiarise babies with various foods by stimulating different senses.
Once Eliot had got his taste buds tingling we took a seat in the tasting zone.
Using a tablet, babies (with a bit of parent assistance) were able to choose their main and dessert. First I selected what age best suited Eliot (from 10 months). Next the tablet showed six options for a main and then six options for dessert. The one's that Eliot tapped the most were ordered. Watch the video at the bottom to see how the interactive menu was used.
The Caribbean and Chicken and Mango pouch arrived very swiftly for Eliot to get stuck into. He particularly loved the lid that covered the tablet and the tablet itself so they were a bit of a distraction for him. He continuously picked up the lid and swiped the screen with his messy fingers, hence the smeared screen above! Eliot enjoyed his Caribbean Chicken and Mango but didn't finish it all, he's very nosy and was very interested in what was going on around him.
For dessert Eliot had chosen 'Berry Yummy' yogurt. He does have a sweet tooth so he made sure he finished his pud even though he was constantly looking around to see what everyone else was up to!
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| Funny face!
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We had a great time at Ella's Weeny Weaning restaurant and I think this is a wonderful concept to get babies excited about food. There is a gap in the market for such restaurants, so I personally think they should pop up permanently in the future!
The Ella's Kitchen team will also be analysing what babies chose using the interactive menu and I'm very interested to see what they find!
Would you like to see Ella's Kitchen Weeny Weaning restaurants across the country?
