A Great Family Day Out: Peppa Pig World

Our darling daughter Bridget, like most two year olds, is obsessed with Peppa Pig and so as a treat for her second birthday a couple of weeks back, we ventured to Paulton's Park, specifically to the Peppa Pig World section for a day of pig-filled fun and frolics.

We were journeying the following day to Cornwall for a week's holiday, and so broke our journey this way too - something I would recommend, if a) travelling with a toddler and b) travelling 5.5 months pregnant.

Paulton's Park is a huge park in Romsey, on the outskirts of Southampton - a sprawling mass of theme parks all rolled into one - as well as Peppa Pig World, there is the Critter Creek and The Lost Kingdom tons of fairground rides, a 4D cinema, adventure golf and even a water park, all included in the £30.00 ticket – it’s free for children under 1 metre) which really does pose good value. It also means if you have a family with children of varying ages, there is something for everyone.

Peppa Pig World was incredibly sweet and twee - everything you would expect in such a space. Several tame, toddler-aimed fairground rides, all of which Bridget absolutely delighted in. There was about a twenty-minute queue for most of these rides though as we visited on a Sunday, so if you are able to visit during the week instead, I'd recommend it. Toddlers' attention span lasts for about five minutes in such queues, cue lots of singing, games and coaxing to stay in said queues by yours truly. I would imagine in the heart of the summer the place gets even busier too.

Enjoying the day at Peppa Pig World

Driving a car at Peppa Pig World

We enjoyed the cars, train and balloon ride but the favourite ride by far was George’s Dinosaur Adventure Ride, which Bridget went on with Glen (Daddy) and it's hard to tell who enjoyed it more.

George's Dinosaur Adventure Ride

Peppa Pig World

Also within Peppa Pig World is an outdoor adventure park with climbing frames, bouncers, swings and slides, all of which were greatly appreciated by Bridget and were a good distraction between rides, or when queues were particularly bad. In addition a huge soft play area with dedicated areas for little tots provided an hour of fun for Bridget - as with most children her age, it's Ok to get her into these playing areas, getting her out was not as easy. This area gets very busy and I would suggest you bring socks with you (or pay the prices for Peppa Pig themed ones in the shop) and go in with your child at all times. After the recent, horrendous incident at Legoland, it goes without saying that supervised play is the order of the day.

There is the chance to pop into Peppa Pig's house and other attractions from the popular programme and the whole area is colourful and follows the theme from Peppa so if your child is a fan, there is something there they are sure to delight in.

Peppa Pig's house

As with all of these type of theme parks - there are costumes characters such as Peppa, George, Mummy & Daddy Pig as well as Suzie Sheep, Rebecca Rabbit et. all for your little one to meet and greet with and or have their photograph taken with. Bridget is rather hilariously petrified of said characters and has been since our visit to Hong Kong's Disneyland when she was only one so we refrained.

We had a little mooch around some of the animals within the zoo section too and had we got there earlier, and not been in a rush to get to Exeter for the evening, we could have spent several more hours at Paulton's Park enjoying the various attractions. For £30.00 each and having not had to pay for Bridget yet it really does offer great value and we'd return again in a heartbeat.

We are hopeful that Bridget might soon grow out of favour of Peppa Pig (this time last year it was The Furchester Hotel she adored) but with another baby due in the new year, it's likely we will have at least one more visit to Peppa Pig World in the not-so-distant future.

The theme park is open throughout October and then just weekends for the winter months of November and December.

Hong Kong: Top Thing To Do

This post brings to a close my Hong Kong series – having spent a fortnight there just before Christmas last year, we took in a lot of sights and restaurants and here are my top ten things to do if visiting including sights, bars and restaurants too.

The Peak

The 125-year old tram ride up to The Peak alone is worth doing for the experience – it’s the highest viewing point in Hong Kong and is well worth a visit for some fantastic views. We actually visited on a slightly cloudy day, but the views were still phenomenal. We had a lovely high tea of sandwiches and pastries at Café Deco that I can recommend but there’s a huge array of cafes and restaurants at The Peak which allows you a meal with some seriously beautiful views.

Ladies Market

This is a truly wonderful and unique shopping experience that brings new meaning to the phrase ‘hustle and bustle’, located in Mong Kok, this place sells plenty of ‘designer’ gear, but if you’re not interested in Sch-Mulberry and Des-Prada and the likes, don’t despair – this is the best place to pick up souvenirs for back home, from gorgeous silk scarves and pashminas, traditionally Chinese crockery and chopstick sets, traditional robes and pretty much everything else you can think of. Bartering is absolutely essential here – expect to get a good 30% off the original price.

Disneyland

Whether young or old this for me was a must-see attraction. I may be into my thirties now, but the magic of Disney was very much alive in the parades and seeing the likes of Cinderella’s castle and the characters wandering around. 

Disneyland

Star Ferries Journeys

These ferries have been in operation since 1881 and are truly iconic – for me knowing I was taking the same journey my Grandad would have took was back in the 1950’s was quite awe-inspiring and it’s the best way of taking in the view of both the Kowloon and Central harbour sides. Also let’s face it, this is a far more enjoyable way to travel that jumping onto the MTR underground system or buses.

Symphony of Lights

Victoria Harbour is a pretty impressive sight in the evening with all the bright lights and when coupled with the nightly 8pm Symphony of Lights – a light and sound show it makes for a breath-taking experience.

Symphony of Lights at Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour with my Dad

The family

Lan Kwai Fong

Officially pitted as an eating and drinking location in Hong Kong – my experience here was purely boozey. For females, visit on Ladies Night (Wednesday and Thursday) where spirits and mixers are free all night to all women – expect a hangover the following day.

Lan Kwai Fong

Stanley

Stanley is a great seaside, fishing village with a cosmopolitan vibe and plenty of restaurants and bars plus a bustling market – a great day trip.

Stanley Bay

Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula

A Hong Kong institution and one of the most impressive hotels in the world – take tea here in the opulent surroundings of The Lobby. 

Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula

Mid-Levels Drinks

The world’s largest undercover escalator acts as a pathway up a hill full of bars – with opportunity to hop off at various watering holes. During the rush hour it is jam-packed full of post-work drinkers and the atmosphere is buzzing.

Dim Sum at Maxim’s Palace

The Hong Kong institution in City Hall is traditional with waitresses bringing round dishes for diners to choose on trolleys – a rarity now. Try the scallop and chive dumplings!

Maxim's Palace

There are plenty of other places, bars and restaurants to visit in Hong Kong but these were my favourites.

Hong Kong: Foodie Highlights

For me one of the joys of travel is embracing new and excitingly different foods to the ones you might ordinarily have. During our fortnight’s stay in Hong Kong, back in November, presented to me the ultimate foodie destination.

Every day, a new, delicious delicacy revealed itself – whether it was one of the incredibly varied and wonderful dumplings (that vary from region to restaurant), or one of the fantastically dainty pastries, of which I wasn’t expecting to find such a huge array of. Our holiday confirmed to me how expensive eating in London can be too – we failed to have a ‘bad meal’ and frequented an array of different types of eateries from casual cafes to fine-dining establishments and the food was cheaper than you would expect in the UK and generally very, very good quality.

I’ve included here just a few of my culinary highlights – but Hong Kong is such a cultural melting pot with influences from all over the world so if you find yourself in this wonderful place, explore and enjoy and I’m sure you’ll discover a few foodie hotspots of your own.


We enjoyed a couple of different meals at Jade Garden in Kowloon’s Star House mall including both dim sum and an evening meal. Stand out dishes here from our dim sum experience included the taro croquettes, or as my family refer to them ‘hairy monsters’ (childhood nickname that stuck), some tasty and tender squid tentacles that my (at the time) 14 month old daughter, Bridget adored and a lovely duo of roasted meats including char sui (barbecued pork) and roast duck – both very traditionally Cantonese and both sensational. For our evening meal the absolute standout dish had to be the Peking duck – brought to the table roasted whole (head and beak included) to show freshness, the taste was out of this world good, crispy skin, fatty middle and gorgeous meaty flesh – just outstanding. Also I found it really interesting watching the waitress carve – unlike the shredding of duck here in the UK it was like watching an art form.

Peking Duck at Jade Garden

Maxim's Palace located in the City Hall building in Central was one of my favourite dim sum venues. Very traditional, the dim sum dishes come around on trolleys for you to select which you'd like.

Here we had a real selection and as well as the usual sui mai, har gau dumplings we tried some scallop and chive dumplings that were really good, some beef dumplings that reminded me of an aromatic spiced meatball, some fantastically crispy chicken wontons and some prawn rolls in a crunchy exterior that were juicy and garlicy inside - perfect with just a smidge of chilli oil. Delicious. 

Sui Mai & Scallop & Chive Dumplings at Maxim's Palace

Crispy Prawn Rolls at Maxim's Palace

The Tasty Wonton & Congee Shop outlets are dotted around in different places around Hong Kong and are a really economic venue to enjoy authentic yet delicious Cantonese food – we popped into the IFC outlet frequently. The Wonton Mian - or soup with wontons and noodles will set you back about a fiver in British money and is utterly addictive -true to the name sake very tasty. Another favourite spot for wonton mian was the Praise House Congee and Noodle Cuisine in Maritime Square shopping mall at Tsing Yi – which was often part of our route home to Ma Wan of an evening.

I had a lovely meal with my friend Vickie who lives in Hong Kong at Crystal Jade in IFC shopping mall in Central. This was my first time trying Xiao Long Bao - Shanghai dumplings with pork inside surrounded by piping hot soup - I was then hunting them every day after as they are really nice. The outer casing is a bit more dough-y than some of the dumplings - really moreish. We also had war tips - crispy fried pork dumplings and smoked fried pigeon - both delicious.

Xiao Long Bao at Crystal Jade

Pigeon at Crystal Jade

War tips at Crystal Jade

We headed to the fishing market village of Stanley for one of the days, and enjoyed some fantastic dim sum at Chung’s Cuisine in Stanley Plaza. As well as our usual dishes we had by now become accustomed to ordering char sui bao for Bridget - her favourite dish, and we also enjoyed some tasty cuttlefish cakes, and two different types of crispy fried prawn fish - one was simply in a tasty batter and deep fried - beautiful with the soy dipping sauce. The other was encased in a thicker dumpling surround and came with some salad cream but I loved these with the chilli oil again. Incidentally if you are visiting Hong Kong, Stanley is well worth a visit. 

Crispy Fried Prawns at Chung's Cuisine, Stanley

Cuttlefish Cakes, Chung's Cuisine, Stanley

Outside of traditional Cantonese food, We had a lovely high tea at Cafe Deco when visiting The Peak which included sandwiches, mini sliders, cheese tartlets, sausage rolls and other little savoury bites as well as scones with clotted cream and jam, macarons, a lovely blueberry pastry, a lemon filled selection of mini choux buns, raspberry tartlets, trifle and a couple of slices of Madeira cake.

High Tea at Cafe Deco, The Peak

Another great meal was at The Ivy in the IFC Mall in Central which I had with my Mum - a gorgeous Seabass en papillote dish that I've since recreated at home as well as a seafood linguine for Mum. 

Seafood Linguine, The Ivy, IFC

Seabass en Papillote, The Ivy, IFC

I had some delicious pork fried dumplings in a shopping mall food court which cost about £3 and were one of my favourite things.

In Ma Wan my favourite meal was a traditional Malaysian chicken curry that was particularly welcome after a few too many Tsingtao's the night before.

We also had a fantastic Michelin starred dim sum experience at Yue at City Garden Hotel which I've already posted about.

Hong Kong is jam packed full of foodie gems – some overt and some quite well hidden so go explore!

Hong Kong: Michelin Star Dim Sum at Yue, City Garden Hotel

My paternal grandfather hailed from Hong Kong before he settled here in London back in the sixties, and so whilst he is no longer with us, we have some family that remain in various parts of Hong Kong.

During our stay, we were invited by my Dad's two first cousins Wai Hung and Wai Lock and their wives invited us to join them, alongside my Grandad's two brothers, to visit the Michelin starred Cantonese restaurant, Yue at the City Garden Hotel in the Fortress Hill area.

As well as some of the more traditional dim sum dishes with which we are very familiar, such as sui mai and har gau (steamed crab and pork dumplings and pork dumplings) we also enjoyed something a little more unusual and experienced why Yue has that Michelin star. 

Sui Mai at Yue

Har Gau at Yue

One of the signature dishes we had was a beautiful looking confection that looked more like a dessert on first glance. It was a well-seasoned small piece of fried grouper with fish maw placed a top of a three layered blancmange-looking jelly; that was in actual fact, egg white with truffle sauce. As I don't eat egg, it was a shame, I did try the truffled egg white but it wasn't to my taste which was a shame as overall it looked very impressive. The grouper, however, was utterly delicious and the dish was awarded the Gold with Distinction Award, 2010 Best of the Culinary Awards by Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Seared Grouper with Fish Maw on Truffled Egg White

We also enjoyed some char sui - which we did most days during our stay in Hong Kong but this pork was exquisite. It was the perfect balance of sweet and umami and just beautifully melt-in-the-mouth tender too and sat upon some gorgeously seasoned soya beans - a definite stand out dish here.

Char Sui on Soya Beans

Equally delicious was a dish I was surprised to have in Hong Kong - crispy pork served with a dipping sauce of English mustard. Again the meat was fantastically tender and the crispy skin was addictively good. 

Crispy Roast Pork at Yue

We had crispy noodles with seafood - another of our favourites whenever we enjoy Chinese food, but this again was something extra special with gorgeous prawns, scallops and squid - everything was just so, seasoned really well and cooked perfectly.

Crispy Noodles with Seafood

Other new dishes we enjoyed at Yue included chicken & pineapple buns that sound like an odd combination but were actually really delicious; like so many exceptional Cantonese dishes, they combine the sweet with the savoury with great results. 

Chicken & Pineapple Buns

We also had a dish of which I'm unsure of the name of, the outside were rice rolls, like with Cheung Fun, but the inside was crispy fried noodles - a really lovely textural contrast. We had fried rice with XO sauce which was another winner, vegetable spring rolls, turnip paste, that was infinitely better than any I've tried in the UK, glutinous rice in lotus leaf and tried the steamed sponge cake for the first time at any dim sum, of which my daughter adored and we now get every time we have dim sum. 

Fried Rice with XO Sauce

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Turnip Paste at Yue

Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf at Yue, City Garden Hotel

This was a really great meal - an elevated experience from your average dim sum experience; and one of my favourite meals in Hong Kong - it was extra special as was spent with family members who we don't often see. If visiting Hong Kong make sure Yue is on your restaurant wish list.

The Cheung family

Hong Kong: Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula Hotel

The Peninsula Afternoon Tea

During my stay in Hong Kong in November with my little girl and parents, we were invited as guests to The Peninsula Hotel for their much lauded afternoon tea.

One of the top hotels in Hong Kong, overlooking the impressive Victoria Harbour, The Peninsula, is an impressively luxurious space. The lobby is decked with high, gilded and ornate ceilings, the room is traditionally decked out with extremely high spec furnishings, with staff in immaculate formal white dress who possess an incredible attention to detail. The shops within the lobby included the likes of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton – to name just a few. This is a five star establishment and it shows from the offset.

My parents and I enjoyed the traditional afternoon tea which arrived, dainty and beautifully presented - with a slightly Oriental take on some British classics.

The savouries included a selection of sandwiches, such a chicken with ginger mayonnaise - the chicken was so fragrantly light and moist it was delicious. There was a multi-coloured club sandwich which included a couple of different smoked fish, which was absolutely superb, a cucumber and then there was a little cheese and crab tartlet, which had the lightest, flakiest pastry and was just enough for a mouthful. We ordered more of the same. 

Traditional scones were accompanied by clotted cream and jams and were crumbly, light and delicious. 

Scones

Pastries included a chocolate tartlet that was rich, opulent and clearly made from some seriously dark chocolate - delicious. 

Pastries

A shot glass filled with a confection that was a nod towards a Pina Colada - a coconut creamy mousse at the bottom with a pineapple coulis on top, really unusual and really beautiful.

We had a small, delicate raspberry panna cotta - my Mum's favourite and a small slice of fruit cake too, rich and dense, exactly as fruit cake should be.

Considering the decadent surroundings of The Peninsula, Bridget, who was keen to be wondering around holding onto one of our hands, was welcomed most warmly by the staff, and indeed other guests. There isn't anything 'stuffy' about this venue. We ordered for her some homemade chicken nuggets with chips from the children's menu which came with on Peninsula crockery and cutlery too, which I thought was a lovely touch - we actually went to the hotel store after to try and purchase them as a souvenir but sadly they were out of stock.

Children's crockery

Bridget's children's meal

Afternoon tea costs $358HK per person which equates to approximately £35 - however on this occasion we were guests of the hotel.

The Peninsula is one of the most revered hotels in the world so if you are visiting Hong Kong, I'd highly recommend you visit and take tea to enjoy a fantastic tradition in truly gorgeous settings.

My family in the lobby

Me and Bridget in the lobby at The Peninsula

Hong Kong: A Family Travel Destination

In November, I journeyed to Hong Kong for a fortnight with my (at the time) 14-month-old daughter, Bridget, and my parents for a fortnight's holiday.

My partner was unable to join due to work commitments and I worried about Bridget coping with the journey, the crowds and what she might eat - I needn't have worried, she had an absolute ball and nothing phased her.

I have a few posts to cover off some of the wonderful places we visited and ate during our stay, but this post is to share some of the fantastically family-friendly places we enjoyed during our stay.

Firstly Hong Kong, like the rest of the world was geared up for Christmas, and so the entire place was decked out with the most lavish decorations and trees I’ve encountered anywhere in the world and these festivities meant some of the shopping centres, especially the 1881 Heritage had a hundred photo opportunities and excited even the most Scrooge-minded person – Bridget absolutely loved it. 

Bridget enjoying Christmas display at Tsing Yi

Equally everywhere we went in terms of tourist attractions and restaurants, people made a real fuss of Bridget too, which was lovely. Highchairs were easily accumulated and she enjoyed a fantastic array of new foods with her favourites being char sui bao, steamed dim sum cake, steamed rice, noodles in all their wonderful guises and weirdly enough, octopus tentacles! 

Beach

We stayed on Ma Wan Island, or the modern day name; Park Island so the first place I should mention is Tung Wan Beach. Hong Kong might not strike you as a beach resort, but the beach here is cleaned daily and immaculate and aside from the weekend when the beach becomes busy with residents of the island, during the week it is often completely empty which is idyllic for spending time with your little ones – unusually temperatures were over 80 degrees for our entire stay so this was a happy escape from the heat. This was Bridget's first time on a beach since she began walking, and she was a little nervous of the sand to begin with, but by the second time on the beach she was running around happy as can be. 

Tung Wan Beach, Ma Wan

Bridget at Tung Wan Beach

Enjoying Milk Cake at Tung Wan Beach

If spending the day at Tung Wan Beach you could bring a picnic and the Fusion supermarket is a great place to collect supplies - their fresh baos and baked goods as well as the fruit produce is splendid. If you'd rather leave the catering to the professionals you're spoilt with a parade of beach-front restaurants that are open all week.

We were regulars at Cafe Roma where our favourite dishes were the Wagyu Beef and the Four Cheese Pizzas plus the breakfast smoothies which Bridget loved. We also loved the chocolate fondant too.

Pizza, Cafe Roma, Ma Wan

Smoothie at Cafe Roma, Ma Wan

We also tried the Pattaya Thai Island and the Chinese restaurants along the front of Tung Wan Beach - both offering good, well priced food.

Pattaya Thai Island restaurant, Ma Wan

Hong Kong also has some other great beaches such as Repulse Bay and Cheung Chau. Travelling to Hong Kong, there is literally so much to see and do, so the days spent on Ma Wan were usually when we were completely shattered from walking endlessly for a few days!

Disneyland

A place where dreams are made is a true description of Hong Kong's Disneyland. The magic begins on arrival where everything is Mickey or Minnie themed – Bridget absolutely adores Minnie Mouse so was in her absolute element. Excited children and adults ran around in an excited mode throughout the day at Disneyland and there are tons of rides and attractions throughout the park; but the true wonder was in watching the parade late in the afternoon. I was completely mesmerised by the scenes and my parents just loved seeing Bridget so excited by everything. Children under three enter for free and the price per adult is approximately £50 - worth every penny/dollar. 

Getting into the Disney spirit

At the entrance enjoying the Disney themed gardens

Disney parade

Ocean Park

This theme park, located in Wong Chuk Hang Valley, in the south, is more animal-based – with the most amazing 3-storey aquarium displaying an impressive array of sea life. The park is also home to likes of penguins, seals, dolphins and excitingly a pair of pandas who we got a really close glimpse of. There are tons of rides there too; including a selection suitable for toddlers like Bridget, as well as some more hair-rising thrill-seeking types. Prices per adult at Ocean Park are priced at the equivalent of just under £40 and again, Bridget went free. This is an entire-day out experience – there are fast-food outlets and sit down restaurants throughout the park, a cable car ride takes you from one level up to a more mountainous section which offers fantastic views over Hong Kong and the park is set in a huge space so wear your most comfortable shoes here as you will cover a lot of ground. 

Bridget on a ride with Nan & Grandad at Ocean Park

Panda at Ocean Park

Noah’s Ark

Situated on Ma Wan, this was a great morning spot for our group. Based on the story of the Biblical Ark, there is a giant wooden ark, within which, are tons of educational rooms teaching visitors all about animals, evolution, the story of the ark and the outside grounds contain an impressive array of lifelike, and similarly sized, wooden animals. Bridget really loved running wild in this area and pointing out the different animals. She also enjoyed the play area and role play sections inside – including mocked up kitchens. Noah’s Ark is aimed more at primary school aged children and there is a ton more activity they could get involved in but it’s still worth a visit if your little one is toddler age. Noah’s Ark is priced at around £16 per adult and free for under 3’s and as I mentioned is on Ma Wan, so if you’re travelling in from elsewhere on Hong Kong, plan your day to spend the afternoon on Tung Wan Beach. 

Bridget at Noah's Ark

Animals at Noah's Ark

Kowloon Park

Based in Tsing Tsa Tsui, Kowloon Park is a great, free national park and, is absolutely huge and runs parallel to Nathan Road but has entrances all around – including Haiphong Road, Austin road and Canton Road so you can enter from a number of directions. The gardens are some of the most picturesque and well kept, with impressive topiary and floral displays all around – and the serenity played a great backdrop for the Tai Chi displays taking place when we visited . A large adventure park had Bridget incredibly excited and was filled with excitable children when we were there. The aviary and bird lake were where Bridget really enjoyed herself – especially her first glimpse of the pink flamingos. Kowloon Park is a great place to spend some quiet time and let the children run off some energy.

Bridget at Bird Lake, Kowloon Park

Hong Kong is a fantastic place to visit for all ages but there really are an absolute wealth of activities to do with little ones here so it should definitely be on your wish list for a fun-filled, adventure-packed family holiday.