Ian Waller and his family enjoy a meal out at the new Bar + Block steakhouse in Bath With so many new restaurants in Bath, it can be quite a challenge choosing the best one for a family meal out. We always look for somewhere that’s not going to be too posh so that the...
Category: Reviews
Review – Bring Your Own Baby at Komedia Bath
Jessica Sage and her one year old enjoy an afternoon of comedy for parents at Komedia Bath There is nothing amusing about having a bad night with a teething baby, praying and hoping that your little bundle of joy will finally close their eyes and you might have a few precious hours of sleep. However,...
Review – The Railway Children at The Theatre Royal Bath
Ian Waller visits a bygone era of gentle manners and daring deeds in a classic children’s tale of The Railway Children Beloved by generations of readers, E Nesbitt’s classic children’s tale The Railway Children is currently showing at the Theatre Royal Bath in what is an unashamedly faithful telling of a very traditional tale that...
Review – Goodnight Mister Tom at the Mission Theatre Bath
Ian Waller and his family enjoy a wonderful retelling of a classic children’s tale When a family favourite is brought to the stage, there’s always the chance that it won’t somehow live up to expectations. Fortunately this was certainly not the case with Goodnight Mister Tom, which is about to start a five day run...
Review – family meal at Buttermilk and Maple in Bristol
With her young family, Hannah Millbank checks out the latest addition to Bristol harbourside’s dining scene I’ll be totally upfront here – we are not easy customers. With a just-about-toddling one-year-old and a curious three-year-old, we have approximately ten-minute intervals to sit down and eat, before having to chase one or both boys as they...
Review – Shackleton at Pound Arts, Corsham
Holly Taylor and her young family enjoy a ‘seamless show bursting with creativity’ Shackleton is a dog. I wasn’t expecting that. I’d half expected the show to be a story for 4-7 year olds about Ernest Shackleton, and the thought had crossed my mind that that would be quite a tricky story to set for...
Review – Tiny Tourists: Greece
Tiny Tourists: Greece £7.99 www.amazon.co.uk Susannah Douch and her family reviews a new travel book for children For our recent family holiday to Crete, we were lucky enough to be offered a copy of Tiny Tourists: Greece for review, part of a children’s activity and keepsake series which also covers France, Spain, Italy, Tenerife, Lanzarote,...
Review – IQ Focus game
IQ Focus £9.99 smarttoysandgames.co.uk Do you remember that pre-computer game era when children would play board games and puzzles that didn’t need a screen? Well the great news is that there are still some cracking old-school board games and puzzles available, and one of the best that I’ve seen for a long time is IQ...
Review – Salad Days at the Theatre Royal Bath
Nicola Harvey enjoys a musical evening at the Theatre Royal Bath Salad Days is on this week at the Theatre Royal. For those of you who don’t know the story, it’s set in the early 1950s and follows Tim and Jane, recent graduates from a university that felt suspiciously like Cambridge who are at a...
Review – eating out at Absurd Bird
Steve Cornwall and his family enjoy a chicken feast at one of Bath’s growing range of eateries We couldn’t decide whether the interior styling of the new Absurd Bird chicken restaurant in Bath was inspired by a cowboy lounge, steam punk or gothic burlesque, or indeed a combination of the three. Whichever, for a Monday...
Review – North by Northwest at the Theatre Royal, Bath
Ian Waller enjoys a hugely entertaining adaptation of a Hitchcock classic Take a classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller, complete with panoramic action scenes, famous natural landmarks and a plot that transports the audience across America, and transfer it to the confines of the Theatre Royal stage – simple, right? Well, as it turns out, yes, if...
Review – family breakfast at the 3 Cafe & Kitchen, Bath
A family breakfast at the 3 Cafe & Kitchen unveils a real gem, complete with free parking, free wifi and an outdoor seating area I might well just have had the best smoked salmon and scrambled eggs in Bath! And judging by the empty plates from the rest of my family, they were pretty happy...
Review – The Brutalist Playground at The Edge Exhibition
Ian Waller and his family visit the excellent Brutalist Playground installation at Edge Arts. Photos by Paul Blakemore Can you imagine a time when it was deemed a good idea to build children’s play areas out of concrete? Look back to photos of 1950s London and that’s exactly what you’ll see, with abstract, concrete play...
Review – Go Splash Swim Vest
Local mum of two Briony tries the Go Splash Swim Vest with her two year old daughter Splash About Go Splash Swim Vest £17.99 (currently over the summer for £13.49) www.splashabout.com My husband and I are keen swimmers and we wanted our daughter to be confident in the water. We have taken her swimming since...
Review – Infantino Grow-With-Me Playtime Gym Teepee
Grow-With-Me Playtime Teepee £89.99 www.mothercare.co.uk Mum of two Briony test a new infant gym that transforms into a play teepee The Infantino Grow-With-Me Gym Teepee has become a firm favourite in our house. While my five-month-old enjoys kicking about and playing with the mobile, his two-year-old sister thinks it’s her new den. They have even...
Review – Teddy Bear’s Picnic at the egg theatre, Bath
Mum of two Finola take her daughters along to see this ballet production of a children’s classic If you go down to the egg theatre today, tomorrow or Sunday, you’re sure for a big…. treat! Teddy Bear’s Picnic is a delightful children’s dance performance, showing until Sunday 25 June. Two Teddy Bears dance playfully around...
Review – Good Night, Sleep Tight
Good Night, Sleep Tight Lisa Robson, illustrated by Annabel Spenceley £6.99 Peahen Publishing www.peahenpublishing.com Mum of two Briony reviews a lovely bedtime storybook for younger children Good Night, Sleep Tight is a new title from local publishers Peahen Publishing designed to offer a calming, cuddle up and share bedtime story experience, and it’s certainly proving...
Review – The Addams Family at the Theatre Royal, Bath
Ian Waller and his 11 year old daughter enjoy a spooky and kooky evening with The Addams Family As a kid, 11 o’clock on Sunday morning meant The Addams Family, the original black and white American TV series, offering a creepy and kooky break from mainstream TV and a trip into a surreal, Gothic world...
Review – Gangsta Granny at the Bristol Hippodrome
Ian Waller and his family enjoy a clever adaptation of a David Williams tale Granny’s can be, well, a bit boring, can’t they? You know, sweet and loving and all that, but not really that interesting and with a liking for weird things like cabbage soup and Murray Mints. At least, that’s Ben’s experience of...
Review – Fantastic Mr Fox at the Theatre Royal Bath
Ian Waller and his family enjoy a fun-filled production of the Roald Dahl classic Fantastic Mr Fox So who is your money on, the cunning, funky, super sly fox out to steal a fresh chicken for tea or the miserable farmers with their guns, tractors and questionable hygiene habits, ready and waiting to stop him?...
Review – My First Ballet: Cinderella at the Bristol Hippodrome
Holly Taylor and her three year old daughter both pay their first visits to the ballet at a special production designed for your children I’ve never been to the ballet before. I’m 35 years old and consider myself pretty interested in culture, theatre and the arts, but somehow dance has passed me by somewhat. So...