Celebrating La Famiglia at Prezzo

This week, we were lucky enough to enjoy a lovely meal courtesy of Britmums and Prezzo in The Printworks in Manchester. Over the years, Manchester has become like a second home to us. My eldest daughter Megan went to university there, shortly followed by her younger sister Ella who has now completed her degree and is about to start her Masters. We love Manchester's vibrancy, its heritage, its sporting and musical history, its cultural diversity, the shopping and the restaurants. It's a great city to visit and a place where we feel at home. 

The recent attack on Manchester left us feeling utterly shocked and heartbroken. This wonderful, welcoming city has been violated in the cruelest and most callous way, but in the aftermath has showed itself to be more resilient, proud and defiant than ever. People from all walks of life are standing together, holding each other closer and finding strength and love through unity. 

As a mother, I have held my children even closer than usual, reminding myself of the importance of living the best lives that we can, becoming the best versions of ourselves that we can be, and celebrating the blessings that come from being a family. Family means everything to me. Being the matriarch of my wonderful, ever-growing family defines me and gives me purpose and so much joy in this world.

We love to do things together and eating out as a family is always a lot of fun, allowing us all to relax without worrying about the cooking or washing up afterwards.  Dining out always means lots of laughs, plenty of uninterrupted conversations and the opportunity for spending quality time together away from the TV, laptops or iPads. Exactly what we need to be doing; consolidating our togetherness and celebrating family life.

The Prezzo restaurant in The Printworks in Manchester is a really great venue to grab a family meal. It has a very welcoming atmosphere, with cosy booths that allow families to sit together comfortably. The staff were very friendly and helpful and we felt very relaxed and ready to experience their La Famiglia Feast.

Little ones have colouring sheets to keep them entertained while they wait for the food to arrive and Freddy enjoyed doing the wordsearch and crossword with his big sisters.

Prezzo's La Famiglia concept makes ordering for a family really easy. You simply choose a big sharing bowl of  Penne Arrabiata, Spaghetti Bolognese, Spaghetti Carbonara or Penne Alla Rusticana and it arrives at your table with a serving spoon and four bowls. It embraces family dining as you serve yourselves at the table. It adds an element of home style intimacy and fun to your mealtime. No squabbling, no food envy and no stress over choosing from the menu - you all eat the same, together. As you serve yourselves, you can adjust everyone's portion size to suit their appetite. More for daddy and less for the little ones, so there is no waste. There really was plenty to go round and it was nice to be able to serve up some seconds when our first bowls were empty. All the perks of eating at home with none of the hassle!

We chose the vegetarian choice, Penne Arrabiata, which is penne pasta served in a tomato and chilli sauce. We asked if the chef could make it mild so everyone could enjoy it and they were more than happy to oblige. It's good to know that everything is freshly made in the open plan kitchen. The dish had some lovely chunky pieces of tomato running through it. It had the appeal of being made from scratch, using real ingredients, just like I'd do myself (but with none of the effort!)

The pasta was really tasty with a gentle kick of heat. Perfect to suit everyone's taste.  I played 'Mama' and served everyone a delicious bowlful of Penne Arrabiata from the sharing bowl. The pasta was served with garlic flat bread, and we all ate our fill. I loved the novelty of the La Famiglia sharing bowl. We felt far more engaged as a family, embracing the theatre of intimate Italian family mealtimes within the restaurant setting. It really was fun and made a real change to traditional restaurant dining.

I love to see my kids having fun together. Food is often at the centre of family celebrations. There is something about sitting down and eating delicious food together that creates a relaxed atmosphere. Smartphones are cast aside for a while and we can give each other undivided attention. Everyone from the youngest to the oldest gets a chance to shine and be a part of something bigger than themselves - a part of La Famiglia!

Rounding off our meal with some Italian ice cream and sorbet was the perfect ending for our La Famiglia Feast. The Blood Orange sorbet was really fresh and fruity and came in a perfectly chilled glass bowl. It's the little things like that, which make dining out such an enjoyable experience.

We had a lovely time celebrating family life, eating some authentic tasting Italian food and enjoying the Prezzo La Famiglia dining experience. In these times where we are all reeling from the negative things happening in our world, it is more important than ever for us to stand together and stand up for our right to celebrate our lives in the most positive and enjoyable way: spending quality time with the people we love, sharing good food and supporting the community that we feel such a part of.

“This post is an entry for the BritMums #PrezzoLaFamiglia Challenge, sponsored by Prezzo.  https://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/LaFamiglia/."

Frankie and Benny's Specials Menu - Our Review

Frankie and Benny's have a new Specials Menu where diners can select two courses for £10.95 (a third course can be included for an extra £2.25)  Drinks are not included in the Specials Menu and a fizzy drink costs £2.55.  The offer is available all day Sunday to Friday.  

As a family of vegetarians, I was pleased to be see not one, but two veggie options in both the starters and the main course options.  We were looking forward to sampling them when we were sent to test out the Specials Menu!

Our closest F & B's is about 20 miles away from home in Telford.  The menu was well advertised both indoors and out, and the sound of old rock n roll songs being played over the loud speaker got us well in the mood!  We really like the layout and decor of Frankie and Benny's with its New York Italian styling.  We were greeted at the door and escorted to a comfortable booth where we were given the menus to look through.

Our orders were taken and the starters arrived very promptly.  The Cajun Blue Cheese Mushroom Crostini looked good.  A good portion of creamy mushrooms was heaped on two slices of garlic ciabatta bread.  My only criticism was that by the time it reached the table the bread under the mushrooms was really soggy.  Other than that it was a tasty and well conceived starter.

The Warm Dough Sticks with Philly Cheese Dip consisted of four large freshly baked dough sticks and a pot of spicy cheese sauce.  I really liked this starter as the dough sticks were perfectly cooked and still warm.  The cheese sauce complemented them well but you couldn't eat too much of it as it was so intensely flavoured.

For the main course, we sampled the Cajun Mushroom Pizza. The thin base was topped with a handful of spiced sauteed mushrooms, chopped red onion and tomato bruschetta mix and a drizzle of philly cheese sauce.  It was a good pizza and I enjoyed the mix of toppings.  However it was basically the same as the children's margherita pizza except with the toppings added on top.  Given that the kids' pizza comes with a dessert and a full size drink and costs just £3.95, it would be nice to add a side dish to the adult's pizza to justify the huge difference in price.

The Veggie Gnocchi Bake was a bowl of gnocchi tossed in Neapolitan tomato sauce, red onion and green chillies, topped with Mozarella and glazed in the oven.  The gnocchi itself was incredibly filling.  I feel it could have done with a bit more sauce to make it more palatable and less heavy to eat.  The tomato sauce tasted nice and the red onion was crunchy and added texture. It had hardly any cheese on top which was a shame.  It had a sprinkling rather than a topping.  It was almost a nice dish, but was just too dense and was a bit of a struggle to eat.  A higher sauce to gnocchi ratio would have definitely helped.

Our meal that consisted of the above two specials meals of two courses and two glasses of fizzy drinks cost £27.00.   We were two full for pudding but could have added a cheesecake, waffle, brownie or crumble for an extra £2.25 each, which is great value.

The service we received  was attentive, friendly, speedy and efficient.  The surroundings are attractive and well maintained and the atmosphere is fun and relaxed with the added bonus of a great soundtrack.  The food was mostly pretty good and I was glad to have some new and different vegetarian choices to choose from on the Specials Menu.

Find out more at www.frankieandbennys.com

Premium Dining For Vegetarians At Butlin's Bognor Regis

Part of our Ambassador's holiday at Butlin's Bognor Regis included testing out the Premium Dining Plan.  This is a flexible half board plan which provides breakfast and an evening meal throughout your stay.  As we are all vegetarians, this was something that I was particularly interested in trying out, to see how well it would cater for our family. 

The Deck restaurant is close to the Wave Hotel and is a self-service buffet.  The atmosphere is very relaxed and perfect for family dining.  There is ample seating in different arrangements to suit families of all sizes.  Hosts show you to your table after you are greeted at the door.

The evening buffet counter includes a carvery alongside an array of international and traditional dishes.  There are daily fish and veggie options.  Two live stations prepare fresh food to order while you wait.  One is a grill for burgers and kebabs and one is for pasta.  A children's buffet counter features kids' favourites and is low enough for them to help themselves.  There is also a salad bar, soup and bread rolls.  A hot dessert counter with two pudding choices, an ice cream machine and a selection of cold desserts and fruit caters for sweet toothed guests!  There are two self-serve drink stations serving both hot and cold drinks.

The choices on offer changed everyday and I was delighted to see a fair few vegetarian options being rotated, so we didn't end end eating the same everyday.  A spicy chickpea burger, spinach and ricotta canneloni, cheese tortellini, macaroni cheese, vegetable kebab, vegetable curry and mushroom stroganoff were among the options we had. We also had a pick of the carvery vegetables, noodles, rice and potato options.  The Pasta station made delicious dishes to order which we really enjoyed.  The desserts included cheesecakes, gateaux, crumbles, hot sponge puddings, cheese and biscuits and jellies.  We enjoyed sampling the different dishes and the children liked being able to serve themselves.  Being buffet style meant we never had to wait for food which helped prevent Freddy getting restless between courses.  Also, if there was something the children didn't enjoy, they could go and get something different (or help themselves to seconds if they did like it!)

The breakfast set up was similar.  Hot and cold drinks are available from dispensing machines.  There are hot cooked English breakfast items served buffet style and I was delighted to see the inclusion of vegetarian sausages.  Continental breakfast foods such as Danish pastries and croissants along with cereals, fruit, yogurts and toast add some lighter options.  There are also boiled eggs, porridge, pancakes and kippers on offer.  The live stations make up toasted sandwiches and omelettes.  I loved the cheese and onion omelette for my breakfast along with a veggie sausage and some beans.

For a restaurant catering to so many guests, I felt The Deck had got it very right!  Huge choice, efficient service, continually stocked up pots of food and plenty of plates made the experience very positive.  The vegetarian options were varied and very good.  I did not feel cheated in any way, knowing that our plan cost the same as those who could eat the meaty dishes too.

My only criticism would be the labeling of the dishes, as it was sometimes difficult to work out what something was.  With things like soups, breaded burgers and curries it can be hard to tell exactly what's in them.  Even more important if you are a vegetarian or have an allergy.  The staff were happy to answer questions, but labels would have made it much easier. 

The cold drinks were OK but the juice drinks tasted a bit artificial and very sweet and the kids were not keen on them.  We stuck to the chilled water.  It would have been nice to see a real fruit juice on offer.  However, drinks could be purchased from the bar at an extra cost.

The Premium Dining Plan allows guests to swap a dinner for vouchers to spend at one of the other restaurants on site such as Turners, Papa Johns or the Beachcomber Inn.  We did intend to take advantage of this, but we all really liked the flexibility, the choices and the atmosphere of The Deck and decided to eat there everyday.  Freddy can be difficult when eating out but loved The Deck.  Although he didn't eat much (as he doesn't have a big appetite) he enjoyed what he had and liked trying different things, so it suited us perfectly.  We loved not having to think about food or where to eat, and having the pre-purchased plan mad
kes it very simple to feed the family.  I'd definitely recommend this option.  It was such a treat not to have to worry about cooking or clearing up!

The cost our plan was £21 per adult and £10.50 per child per day for half board dining.

We were given a four night break with a Premium Dining Plan as part of the Butlin's Ambassador Program 2012/13.

A Romantic Meal for Six

Chiquito Restaurant Review

The whole date night thing...I just can't do it!  The idea of sloping off with Ian to a restaurant, leaving our children at home just does not appeal to me.  If it's a special occasion I can just about be persuaded to have a date night, but otherwise, I am just as happy being with Ian along with our children.  In fact, the pleasure that the kids get spending quality time with us and eating quality food makes for a perfect evening.  One day when the kids are all grown-up we will have our time together, but for now, romantic meals out are for two + the kids!  I know it's not everyone's idea of fun, but it's how we roll and we love it!

When the opportunity to review Chiquito's new menu came up, we tied it in with a visit to see Megan in Manchester.  The Chiquito restaurant in Salford Quays is ideally placed with its own car park, near the waterfront.  It was warm and welcoming which was exactly what we needed on a cold winter's evening in Manchester!

I love the Mexican themed decor of the restaurant with its authentic artworks and cosy, wooden booths.  The atmosphere is very relaxed and informal, and the soundtrack gives a very cool vibe to the place.  Chiquito is definitely one of my favourite restaurant chains!

We were able to book our table online in advance to guarantee a table which is a really useful feature on their website.  The new menu features many old favourites alongside some brand new dishes. I was glad to see some good vegetarian options on offer for both adults and children.  We were given bowls of complementary seasoned popcorn to munch on while we perused the menu.

The kids ate from the children's menus which consisted of a main meal, a drink and a dessert.  Freddy had the £4.95 meal and chose the flatbread pizza.  Kizzy had the £7.95 Young Adult meal and chose roasted veggie fajitas that you make up yourself.

One of the new meals on the menu is the warm Goat's Cheese and Roasted Veg Wrap which I ordered.  It was absolutely delicious, packed with tasty veg and creamy goat's cheese.  It came with house fries, salad and coleslaw and cost £9.45.

Ella opted for the Veggie Burger topped with veggie chilli. again it came with fries and coleslaw and cost £9.95.

Ian picked his old favourite Baked Veggie Chilli Enchiladas for £10.95.  Megan went for a winter special of chimichangas with sweet potato fries.  The chimichangas were meant to be filled with veggie chilli but Megan requested a roasted vegetable filling instead.  They were happy to oblige. 

We had a delicious feast, all sampling each other's dishes.  

The food was plentiful and very delicious.  we couldn't leave without sampling the desserts so we ordered a selection to share between us.  We ordered the Banana Taquito which was a banana wrapped in a tortilla, deep fried and flavoured with cinnamon sugar.  It was amazing!

We also got the Churros which came with chocolate dipping sauce.

The ice cream that Ian ordered came in a cinnamon, tortilla bowl which was such a lovely touch.  Desserts start at £3.25 and round off the meal perfectly.  

Freddy and Kizzy had ice cream sundaes as part of their meal deal.  I was so impressed with the size and quality of their desserts.  Freddy's strawberry sauce was absolutely fab, made with real fruit and not like the synthetic sauces you normally get on a kids' pudding.  Freddy actually said to our waitress, completely unprompted "It's the best food I've ever eaten!"  For my fussy boy to say this, it must have been good!

The staff were very friendly and accommodating.  The food was great and we really enjoyed everything we ordered.  The atmosphere of the restaurant is very relaxed making Chiquito a great venue for family dining, eating out with friends or for a romantic meal for two (Valentine's Day is coming up!)  They also have a lunch time menu available until 5pm weekdays where you can eat a main for £5.95 and add on a dessert or starter for £2.50 each, which is excellent value.

We were there for over two hours as service wasn't very swift,  but as it was late afternoon the restaurant and kitchen wasn't fully staffed.  But as we were enjoying each other's company and making full use of the free wi-fi we were perfectly happy relaxing, chatting and having fun.

To find out more about Chiquito, to view the menus and to book a table, take a look at the website at www.chiquito.co.uk

We received a £50 voucher to put towards our meal for the purpose of doing this review.

Frankie & Benny's Restaurant Review

It was perfect timing to be asked to review the Frankie & Benny's restaurant chain at a time which coincided with my birthday.  So yesterday we headed off to the Telford branch to see how their food and service fared  up against the scrutiny of the Wendy House team!

Frankie & Benny's oozes pure Americana with great attention to detail ensuring that you feel immersed into a fun, 50's vibe that included authentic memorabilia and music.  The booth style seating adds to the American feel and the open plan kitchen area provides entertainment for the children as they watch the chefs at work.

We arrived at 4.50pm and the restaurant was very quiet allowing us to be quickly seated with an assortment of menus to hand.  The new Specials Menu was unfortunately not much use to us as there was only one vegetarian option on it.  However, although we were cutting it fine, we were allowed to order from the lunchtime menu that had much more choice and was much more reasonable than ordering from the Main Menu (a consideration when dining with the whole family) at only £8.25 for two courses.  The Children's Menu has offerings for children up to 11 so both Freddy and Kizzy ordered from that.  A Kids' main, dessert and drink costs £3.95.  The Junior version for larger appetites costs £7.55.  Both include a side of vegetables. We also got bottomless sodas for us grown-ups allowing free refills of fizzy drinks which proved great value.

After ordering, I inquired about the kids' activity packs to keep Freddy occupied while he waited for his meal, as no-one had mentioned them.  Unfortunately we were told that they were out of stock but instead gave him a colouring sheet and a handful of colouring pencils to use.  He was quite happy with that.

I started with the Garlic and Cheese Mushrooms with Garlic Ciabatta.  It was very nice but I ended up with bowl of sauce after I had eaten the mushrooms that was too much for the ciabatta to mop up.  I contemplated slurping it from the bowl but thought better of it!

My main was a Mediterranean Vegetable Burger which is a patty of peppers, tomatoes, olives and cheese in a bun served with garnish fries and a pot of relish.  The burger was very moist and tasty and I was impressed with the lettuce, onion, dill and tomato packed into the bun.  The fries were a very nice accompaniment and made for a very feeling and tasty vegetarian meal.

Meanwhile Freddy and Kizzy had their children's meals.  Freddy's Margherita was huge and he tucked into the freshly made pizza with gusto.  For £3.95 this was excellent value.  Kizzy's Junior meal was a Vegetable Pasta Bake which was some penne pasta with tomato sauce with a handful of carrots and broccoli thrown in.  Coincidentally, carrots and broccoli were the free side vegetable that the children received, so I felt that it was not really worth the extra money paid to get the upgraded kids' meal for her.  She did however really enjoy it.

We were really enjoying our meals and were receiving friendly and efficient service from the waiting staff who brought us refills of drinks and regularly asked if we needed anything.  We were very excited to test out the new dessert menu.  Freddy and Kizzy had their free ice creams from the Children's menu, but we ordered from the new range of sundaes.  I opted for Banoffee and Ian and Ella went for East Coast.  Having seen the photos on the front of the menu we were looking forward to tucking in to our sweet treat, which at £5.25 each promised to be good.  Sadly, this was not the case.

 My sundae was described as:

"To die for! Layers of toffee ice cream, banana, chocolate covered honeycomb and toffee sauce all topped with lashings of cream."

I  had visions of a delicious sundae, chockablock with good stuff.  Unfortunately, disappointment was all I felt when I received it.  One very small scoop of ice cream at the very bottom of the glass was topped with half a sliced banana and about 4" of aerosol cream.  Some toffee sauce was squeezed over the top, but it was really pitiful.  Not at all like the photos on the menu or posters advertising their new sundae range. The cream which constituted more than 50% of the dessert, virtually evaporated in seconds and the sundae was not worth the price at all.  In fact I can not believe that who ever made them up thought that the pathetic contents justified the price tag.  The East Coast sundae was no better.  Ella actually laughed at how little ice cream was in her ice-cream sundae!  I thought this was really unfortunate, sullying an otherwise very good meal.  As the sundaes are one of the new dishes being promoted, I would have hoped that Frankie & Benny's would have put effort into making them live up to the menu description.  It was a disappointing end to an otherwise good meal.

The bill came to £51.65 for five of us which is a reasonable price for a family meal including unlimited soft drinks  in a themed restaurant such as Frankie & Benny's.  I liked the ambience and the relaxed atmosphere; the lunch menu (available 11-5 Mon-Fri) is great value and there is a good choice for vegetarians on it....but seriously, forget the sundaes...what a let down!!

*We received a voucher in order to review the restaurant.*

Taybarns for Family Dining

Going out for a meal as a family can sometimes be a bit daunting!  Fussy eaters, troublesome toddlers and diverse tastes can create worries even before you've left home.  Deliberating over menu choices, waiting to be served and then waiting for the meal itself can make the children get a bit fed up.  I have to be honest, going to traditional restaurants with my brood often ends in someone throwing a tantrum!

However I was delighted to be invited along with the family to try out Taybarns "The Ultimate Eatery" offering an all-you-can-eat experience, giving amazing value, choice and convenience.  It sounded just perfect for us!  A relaxed restaurant geared up for family dining.

Taybarns philosophy is fresh, fun and different, providing good food at an all in one price, all under one roof.

We arrived to be warmly greeted and shown to our table in the spacious dining area. The decor and furnishings were bright, funky and modern.  Everything was clean and tidy.  We had a great view of the impressive 34 metre food line.  

The food line is divided into counters : Soups, Salads, Chip Shop, Grill, Kitchen Italia, Carvery and Desserts.

There was an area for collecting plates, bowls and cutlery, which was kept well stocked.  You could then help yourself to as much or as little as you liked from the range of over 100 freshly prepared dishes.  

Everyone was able to tuck in at their own speed, enjoying what they liked, when they wanted.

Everything was well labelled so you could see exactly what was what.  The food was well attended to and the areas were kept clean and tidy.  We are vegetarian so we were looking closely at the suitability of the choices for us.  We were also looking to see if there was cross contamination of meat into the veggie options, and also the provision of separate serving utensils.  I have to say I was impressed with both of these issues.  I had no worries eating at Taybarns as a vegetarian family. 

 Behind the scenes you could see the chefs hard at work preparing pizzas and salads.  Food was baking fresh in the ovens.  It was very interesting to be able to see so much of the "behind the scenes" operation.  It is an incredibly busy, bustling restaurant but it is managed incredibly well and efficiently.

As you can go up as often as you liked, the used plates and bowls on tables could easily mount up.  However, a team of friendly staff stay on top of it.  They were polite, unobtrusive and always asked whether you had finished with your crockery before taking it away. (I once had a bowl of soup whisked away from me in a restaurant when I put my spoon down for a second...so I was very pleased that Taybarns adopted a much more considerate approach!)

As for the food itself, it was good.  Between us we sampled Spicy Mediterranean Bake, Cheesey Pasta Bake, Doughballs, Garlic Bread, Potato Wedges, Mushroom and Thyme Pizza, Mediterranean Pizza, Grilled Corn, Tomato Soup, Roasted Vegetables, Chips, lots of different vegetables and salads.  It was all well cooked and hot.  The Handmade Pizzas were actually fantastic...on a par with a Pizzeria and with a range of different toppings.  The Kitchen Italia counter boasted a big selection of pasta dishes and accompaniments...the veggie options were very well received by my children.

A mini flip-over sign on the tables made it easy to request a drink at your table.  Flipping it to FILL saw a member of staff come swiftly to take my drinks order.  Very attentive!

The Desserts were wonderful!  I am a sucker for a cake and I was spoilt for choice with Chocolate Fudge Cake, Carrot Cake, Bakewell Tart, Victoria Sponge and Cheesecake.  There was also Profiteroles, Hot Lemon Sponge, Apple Crumble, An Ice Cream Machine and for the healthier diners, a Fruit Salad!

The place is so family friendly supplying high chairs and booster seats as well as colouring sheets and crayons for the little ones.  There is baby changing facilities in both the Gents' and Ladies' toilets.  While we were there a Chef Character came round to meet and greet the children.  The relaxed nature of the restaurant kept children happy and the atmosphere was perfect for family dining.

Prices for weekdays are £6.20 between 11.30pm and 5pm and £8.25 from 5pm to late.  At weekends it costs £8.75 per head.  Children under 10 are charged £4.15.  A bottomless soda costs £2.30 and can be refilled at the Drinks Station.  OAP's and Students can get special deals. This represents such good value for money.

                                        

Taybarns caters for the whole family, providing a diverse range of good quality food at one all inclusive price. It is friendly, fun and relaxed.  It is definitely a great venue for a family meal out.  As vegetarians we were well catered for with plenty of good choices for even the fussiest eaters!  It's a "Cheap and cheerful" family restaurant where we felt completely at ease and unhurried.

It does get incredibly busy at peak times.  Some diners had to wait up to 45 minutes for a table, but there is a bar area with TV to accommodate them.  People can't get enough of the Taybarns' Experience!!

For more information and to find a Taybarns near you check out their website.  Sign up to their newsletter for exclusive news and offers.

*Our meal was complimentary but the opinions expressed are my own.*