Bluestone Diaries #3

On our last proper day (Thursday) at Bluestone, we began the day with the historical walk which started off from Village Central. I definitely recommend going on the walk if you’re interested in finding out a bit of background about the land Bluestone is situated on. You’ll also be treated to a couple of spooky stories! I won’t give too much away but if you find yourself on the path/trail which runs in front of the car park and behind some lodges in Preseli View at dusk, keep an eye out for a lady in white!

Both myself and the OH found it enjoyable and very interesting, Eliot on the other hand got cranky when we stopped walking and we had to ply him with apple crisps! That’s something to bear in mind if you have toddlers or older children, the walk only lasted an hour but that’s a long time if you’re a little one.

 Our guide was very friendly, clued up on local history and very relaxed about the whole thing.

After the walk we headed back to the lodge as the OH had tree climbing (£13) booked and wanted to grab a cuppa before heading off to Camp Smokey. Eliot was booked in for toddler sensory (£7) at 1:30pm and therefore needed a nap and lunch beforehand. So we didn’t go down to the woods to watch daddy’s tree climb. He enjoyed it but found it challenging and daunting with the height.

When we arrived for toddler sensory in the circus room at the adventure centre there were lots of other tots there too. The session had a space theme and the girl who ran it was fantastic! She was bubbly, enthusiastic and made every effort to engage with the children. Eliot took quite a shine to her and they built a Lego tower together.

 The session started with free play where everyone did their own thing. Eliot had lots of fun exploring the toys and equipment in the room. The host did call everyone together for a few different activities but Eliot would just not keep still and wanted to do what he wanted to do, which meant me following him around the room. He did participate in a bit of dancing and became very excited when the bubble machine came on. I thought it was a lovely session and great for tots but perhaps older toddlers would gain more from it.

Once the session was over we took a stroll down to Camp Smokey where there were a few outdoor activities taking place. The OH showed us the trees he climbed on his tree climb and they looked blooming difficult! He hadn’t done anything like it before and it’s given him an urge to be more ‘outdoorsy’.

I found the woods such a calm, peaceful setting. The fresh air and sound of running water really made me feel like I was away from it all!

Next we finally got round to visiting the Blue Lagoon swimming pool which I’d really been looking forward to taking Eliot to. We were given passes and headed downstairs to the changing rooms. There are separate male and female areas but also quite a few family changing rooms. We managed to get in to one both before and after swimming, they were busy though and I imagine you may have to wait if you visit the resort at busier periods.

Eliot was so excited when he saw the pool an ran towards the little fountains as you walk in. He was happy playing with these for a while, splashing the water everywhere. We took a couple of trips around the lazy river which takes you outdoors. Eliot wasn’t too sure about this and preferred being able to stand in the shallower areas. There was a wave machine which you were warned about before they came on with a loud horn. This enabled you to move or get out if you didn’t fancy riding the waves. We also spent a very short time in the toddler pool, it had a little slide for tots go down and was nice and shallow.

After our splash around we showered back at our lodge and walked down to Village Central for dinner at the Farmhouse Grill. The restaurant offers a range of meat and fish dishes which are locally sourced. There was quite a selection to choose from, They had an offer where if you ordered a starter and main course you’d receive a dessert free. So we decided to share and ordered mushrooms for a starter. For mains I opted for the burger and the OH ordered the pork chop. When ordering, our waitress informed me that the burger was slightly spiced. This didn’t bother me as I love a but of spice! We chose the kids buffet (£4.95) for Eliot which had a small variety of options, pasta, chicken goujons, meatballs, pizza and chips. Unfortunately some of the food didn’t look too appetising as I presume it had been there for a while. If we’d been there when it was all freshly put out I think it would have been good value for money as kids could eat as much as they wanted.

The mushroom starter was gorgeous, we both really enjoyed it and found it very tasty. Salad and bread are also included with meals so you are able to go up and help yourself.

I was actually feeling a bit full after the starter and didn’t eat all of my burger. It was more on the spicy side than I'd expected, so it was a good job the staff were pre-warning people as if you don’t like spicy food I don’t think you would’ve enjoyed it. The OH enjoyed his main and ate every bit!

For dessert we had the Bailey’s ice cream pudding which was had crushed fudge and a shot of Baileys poured over with toffee sauce. We ordered a kids ice cream for Eliot as it’s normally his favourite but I think he was too tired from the busy day to enjoy it.

Our bill came to over £40 which I felt was more than what we normally pay when we eat out. We didn’t have any alcohol which can obviously increase the bill by a large amount. However I think you have to expect to pay a little more when eating on site at a resort. If all the ingredients are fresh and local then I suppose the prices are justified.

We were sad that this was our last day at Bluestone and returned to our lodge for our last night.

ALWAYS CHECK THE LABEL!!!



I've been sitting on this post for a while now because I waited a long time for a response to a complaint. I then escalated it further by contacting the CEO. Please share with other parents! Here's why you should always check the label...

On route to our holiday last month we stopped off at a Harvester restaurant for dinner, the Harvester in Beaconsfield to be more exact! I've always found them family friendly, certainly not gourmet but not a rip off for the food they sell.

We ordered our food and a jar of baby food for Eliot. We wanted to eat quick and continue with our journey so a jar seemed like the best option for him. Our meal arrived but there was no sign of Eliot's. I asked the waitress who apologised it hadn't been warmed and she bought the jar in some hot water to the table. And boy am I glad it wasn't served out of the jar! When I went to open it I happened to catch the use by date, March 2014. We were now in APRIL!

I'll continue via the complaint I sent via Harvester's online form...



Myself, partner and nine month old baby boy visited the restaurant whilst on route to our holiday destination.

We ordered our meal and asked what baby food options were available, there was only one.

When our meal arrived there was no sign of the baby food and I had to mention it to the waitress. It had not been prepared so it was brought to the table in a cup of hot water and my hungry son had to wait. As I was about to open the jar I happened to check the use by date which was 03/2014. As well as being served food after ours, my son was served food that could potentially make him unwell. I told the next member of staff who came by and asked to speak to the manager. When the manager came over several minutes later he didn't appear too concerned about the matter. He apologised and when asked, said there were systems in place to check the baby food and he would sort some more quickly.

The waitress who served us came over and also apologised. We could then see her searching for more baby food. It was apparent there wasn't any and after some time she returned to apologise again for not having any more baby food available. She said that not many people order baby food so they don't stock much. As a chain of restaurants that won an award for being family friendly in 2013 I think it's poor to say the least that there was only one jar in stock. One that was out of date! You cannot have staff giving that excuse to customers when baby food is advertised on the kids menu and you hold a family friendly award!

We ordered some pasta off the children's menu for our son to eat, who had obviously then been waiting a long time.

The manager came over and said he would take half off the bill, then later said he would take care of the whole bill. I'm fairly satisfied that the situation was rectified as well as it could be in the restaurant.

However,I would like to know what systems as a company you have in place for keeping on top of sell by dates of baby food? Why was there only one jar available when the menu says something along the lines of 'choose from a selection'?

 I expected to get a response pretty quickly, even to just acknowledge they'd received my complaint. A couple of days passed and I hadn't heard a peep. I called Mitchells & Butlers who manage a range of brands including Harvester to follow up my complaint. The first time it was the weekend and I spoke with security. When I tried again I was told the Harvester customer care team were not in and to call back later. I was annoyed to say the least so I attempted to find another way of contacting them. I'd already discovered they didn't have a Twitter account but found a page on facebook, so I sent them a message.

I was told my complaint was being investigated by the area manager and that I would hear from someone soon. I left it at that, intrigued to find out how long it would actually take for them to get back to me. A week passed...nothing.  It had been over two weeks since I'd sent my original complaint, I was fuming. Was my sons health and that of other babies of little concern?! Ok, Eliot didn't eat it, it didn't make him ill but the fact was it could have done, not to mention they would have been in breach of some sort of health and safety regulations.

 So  I wrote another message via facebook asking them to give me the CEO contact details (which I'd already found through the wonder of the web, I was just curious to see their response) as I felt my complaint hadn't been taken seriously.

Shortly after I received this response...

                           

No mention of the CEO's contact details as expected! Then another response... 

I'm assuming Julie got in contact with the relevant people with a bit more haste as an hour or so later I received a phone call from the area manager.

To cut a long phone call short...He apologised and took full responsibility for nobody getting in contact with me sooner, he told me what measures had taken place since the incident and I was told I would receive some gift codes if we chose to visit a Harvester in the future.

I still felt unhappy that it took so long to get back to me, I felt unhappy that I didn't really get a clear explanation as to why there was out of date baby food in the restaurant. Was my sons health to the value of a Harvester meal?

Prior to the phone call with the area manager I already knew I would be contacting the CEO of Mitchells and Butlers, Alistair Darby.  

The only real positive I got from this was how long it took for him to respond, he was very swift! But all he did was pass it back down to the people below to deal with.

 I understand he's the 'big fish in the pond' but I'd specifically asked him questions that were directed at him. Questions that required his personal response but he didn't answer them. No 'sorry' was received either. It's an utter disgrace that a CEO couldn't apologise that Eliot was served out of date baby food in one of their brands. Ok, not his fault but sorry doesn't cost a thing!

 The fact that Harvester has won an award for being 'Best Friendly Restaurant 2013' is a joke considering how we were treated.



Have you ever experienced something similar? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

                                                    

#MorrisonsMum 2 Fooood!

I've split my #MorrisonMum post into two as I didn't want to overload with photos and video, you can read my first post here about our shop in Morrisons and our picnic.

In this second post I'll be sharing some of the food we bought and what we thought of it.

 

We did our shop on Friday afternoon, on our way home we got stuck in bad London traffic and Eliot's dinner time was getting nearer and then it passed. By the time we got home Eliot was hungry so we needed something quickly. I hadn't taken anything I'd pre-made out of the freezer as I'd been planning to cook something from our shop but now there wasn't enough time. Luckily we'd picked up a couple of meals (two for £3) from Morrison's 'Just For Kids' range that would only take a few minutes.





 



Meals like this are always handy if you find yourself needing dinner pronto. Eliot enjoyed it and wolfed down the lot! I had a little taster too and thought it was really tasty. Eliot also had his first ever taste of strawberries and yogurt for his pudding.

 





As everything had been a rush we found ourselves wanting something quick and easy too! We'd bought a Morrison's Indian from the reduced section for the bargain price of £3.75. Pretty amazing for two curries, rice and sides. The original price is £7.50 which is still good value considering how much an actual takeaway will cost.

Indian is one of my favourite cuisines, therefore I'm always opinionated when I try dishes that don't come from an Indian restaurant. 



 

We had chicken korma and chicken tikka masala, both of which were very nice and I was more than pleasantly surprised. We also enjoyed the rice, onion bhajis and naan breads.



 The dish I've probably enjoyed most has to be good old steak and chips! I picked up a sirloin steak on Market Street priced at £3.17 which I thought was amazing value for sirloin! I selected peppercorn sauce to accompany my steak which was only £1. I must admit we were a bit lazy with our cooking over the weekend but as I mentioned in my previous post we wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to enjoy the weather!

The steak was delicious, it was tender and the peppercorn sauce went with it perfectly!

As a family our favourite recipe was tuna and roasted veg pizza! You can see it in the you tube video below...



Such a cheap, quick and easy meal to make and of course you can add whatever toppings you fancy. Here's a breakdown of the cost

• Pizza  bases £1.69
• Cheddar cheese £1.00
• Tinned Tuna £1.00 (£4.00 for a pack of 4)
• Tomato puree 12p  (49p for a tube)
• Pepper 33p (3 pack 99p)
• Half Red Onion 10p
• Quarter pack of cherry tomatoes 24p 

Therefore it cost £2.24 per person. We had the pizza for lunch and shared it between the three of us but I've calculated the cost for two people as that's how many adults it would feed.

 

Have you done a Morrisons shop since their price cuts?

*We were sent vouchers to spend in Morrisons

Review-The Lobster House Restaurant

Last week Eliot's Nana M was kind enough to babysit one evening so we could steal a rare few hours of 'us time'! We headed down to The Lobster House,  a 'seafood, steak & champagne pontoon bar', nicely situated on The River Thames in Wandsworth. A perfect setting for dinner.
When we arrived we were greeted by the pleasant staff who showed us to a table in the window, overlooking the Thames.

We ordered some drinks and began browsing the menu. I opted for a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, which was served chilled to perfection! A bug bear I've inherited from my parents is serving wine at the wrong temperature, so I'm happy to report there were no issues in the 'vino' area here!

 

On the menu there were a selection of starters, predominantly seafood based with a vegetarian option. We didn't order any starters, instead we went for a couple of side dishes with our main courses instead.

No prizes for guessing that lobster is at the top of the menu in this restaurant, however it wasn't the dish I selected. I'm not keen on lobster, the taste,  having it served in its full form before having to break and crack it open. Not for me. However it was what the other half ordered and what the other diners went for.

I had a struggle choosing between a fish or meat dish. I do love a good steak but I  was also drawn to the Atlantic cod in a tempura batter. In the end I went for the cod.

Dinner was served and we got stuck in! The fish was cooked perfectly and 'fell away' as it should. The batter was light and crispy, certainly not heavy or greasy like some batters can be. It was served with fries, peas and tarter sauce.

For our extra sides we ordered sautéed spinach and onion rings. Like the fish, the onion ring batter was not greasy and they tasted great. I loved the sautéed spinach but couldn't eat too much as it was a little salty for me.

The OH was impressed with his lobster, he described as 'succulent and fresh'. Apart from it being, as expected a bit fiddly, the OH thoroughly enjoyed his meal choice!

We had just enough space to share a dessert which again was a tricky decision as there were a couple that caught my eye. The OH managed to narrow it down for us and I singled out the chocolate fondant. I was more than happy with that choice, it was delicious! All in all melt in the middle chocolate goodness beautifully presented!

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here and a few hours off from parent duties for some 'us time'. Definitely worth checking out particularly if you're a lobster or seafood fan! This would be an ideal venue for date nights, celebrations or simply catching up with friends. On first impressions I assumed the restaurant wasn't particularly family friendly but I soon discovered they have changing facilities and highchairs available.

* We were given £40 off our bill in exchange for a review. All views and opinions are entirely my own.