The Museum of Childhood - Chinese New Year 2019

Last month marked Chinese New Year – The year of the Pig, and as my Grandad hailed from Hong Kong, we are always keen to encourage the girls to embrace their heritage, so my Mum and I took them to The Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

As a celebration the museum had teamed up with Mothers Bridge of Love Charity and the Chinese Association of Tower Hamlets to put on a free celebratory day with lots of fun activities taking place throughout the day on the ground floor of the museum.

With mandatory Lion dancing, martial arts and tai chi performances as well as a number of arts and crafts activities available as well as the usual attractions of the museum, it made for a really great couple of hours out with the girls, on a particularly mild February Saturday.

The girls particularly enjoyed the arts and crafts area which included making their own red envelope for ‘lucky money’ and colouring in masks with lots of other children from the area. 

Chinese masks at The Museum of Childhood

There was a stall at the entrance to the museum selling various nik naks such as dragons on a stick and some slightly more expensive items – these cost £1 each so didn’t break the bank.

Bridget's £1 dragon from The Museum of Childhood

Bridget was enthralled by the various folk dancing shows and both the girls loved the dragon dancing too.

Unfortunately, as there was a massive queue to get in we missed out on the fan dance which was participatory for the children, so that was a shame, but it was lovely to see so many people engaged by the event. We queued for about 20-25 minutes.

If you haven’t visited the Museum of Childhood with your children, it is a must visit place in London for a variety of reasons.

Aside from the fact there are lots of things to do for the children, it will also be a walk down memory lane for you too. I absolutely adore the historical side to the museum and seeing not just toys, games and the like from my era of growing up in the eighties and nineties, but from my Mum and Dad’s in the sixties and even my Nan’s in the forties. It’s fascinating and the children stay engaged as it is all toy related. 

Bridget and Beatrice finding the Chinese toys at The Museum of Childhood

Who else remembers that Teapot House from the 1980's? (The Museum of Childhood)

And it's not just displays of old toys either, there are things like historical prams, highchairs and baby related products too, as well as children’s clothing through the ages, which ticked the box for my Mum and made her incredibly nostalgic. 

The girls loved the doll's houses and dressing up in historical attire although unfortunately the lady who was organising this, was so bombarded we didn't get the chance to find out from which era the outfits came from. 

Fancy dress at The Museum of Childhood

Beatrice has recently become interested in Sylvanian Families and they were a big hit at Christmas and her birthday so imagine her delight at seeing a range of them on display.

Beatrice admiring the Sylvanian Families at The Museum of Childhood

The arts and crafts area is a mainstay for the museum too, which is a good little interactive activity to keep the children occupied – I had to drag mine away, despite it being packed, as they can never get enough of colouring in and the like, even though they do it daily at home!

There is a Lego and Duplo play station for children too and the Pirate play area is just fab. As well as a variety of pirate’s hats and accessories to try out, there is also an excellent pirate ship, treasure chest to explore and a few learning Q&A type areas for slightly older children. Once again, I had to drag my children away. 

Pirate Bridget at The Museum of Childhood

Beatrice steering the pirate ship at The Museum of Childhood

My treasures finding treasure at The Museum of Childhood

Bridget on the pirate ship at The Museum of Childhood

We ended our Chinese New Year day out with dim sum in Gerrard Street, Chinatown and enjoyed some more dragon dancing as well as the fabulous and pretty lanterns that adorn the area every year for Chinese New Year. 

Me with the girls at Gerrard Street, Chinatown for Chinese New Year, 2019

My Mum with the girls at Gerrard Street, Chinatown

Bridget with the Lion dancer at Gerrard St, Chinatown

The Museum of Childhood is a great museum and one I’ve enjoyed since my own childhood. It’s perfect for a family day out on either a dry or a rainy day, and if you visit on a bright day and it doesn’t take up too many hours – you’re not far from wonderful Victoria Park which is, in my opinion one of the best parks in London for small children.

Entrance to the museum is free, but works on a donation basis, and they do a variety of groups for storytelling during the week and even at the weekend which are also free. This was our first visit with both of the girls; and I’ll be sure to return soon.

Family Day Out: Stepney City Farm

We enjoyed a fabulous afternoon out this week at Stepney City Farm, in the East End of London; a gem I'd never visited before and that was fun for all of the family.

Stepney City Farm



Bridget saying hi to the chickens

Fun at Stepney City Farm

Stepney City Farm
 


The city farm is fairly compact as far as farms go, but packs in plenty.

Animal feed is available to purchase at the farm reception so children are able to try their hand at feeding their favourite animals, Bridget loves animals so she found this super fun.

There are lots of 'buzz facts' boards up around the farm with interesting little nuggets of information about farm life and the animals within, which provide an interest and an educational side to the trip - perfect for older, more curious children.

Stepney City Farm buzz fact

In the centre of the farm is a huge area dedicated to some allotments for local residents. My Dad has recently took over an allotment so this proved to be quite interesting to my Mum and I, less so for Bridget and Beatrice and my brother Dan who came along for the fun. You can tell a real care and dedication goes into these small growing patches, every effort has been made to repel birds and bugs from eating the produce and we saw some impressive things growing, from courgettes, tomatoes, squash, onions and an abundance of beautiful smelling fresh herbs. The farm apparently sells 'veg boxes' to locals too, which I thought was great. 

 

Allotment at Stepney City Farm

The farm hosts a number of events for locals - there was a music group for toddlers taking place when we arrived and there's a play section with lots of toys and ride ons available to enjoy - again popular with Bridget.

There is a little farm shop, which was unfortunately shut on Friday when we visited, and a picnic area too.

Stepney City Farm runs as a charity organisation, so rather than ask for an entry price fee, there are simply donation points to offer up what you can afford or would like to pay. This makes for an affordable day out for the family, especially if you have more than one child; a lot of farms or petting zoos charge a fair amount per adult and child, so for the summer holidays, this is a great shout as a cheap way of keeping them entertained for a day!

Stepney City Farm has a heart and soul that is based all around the local community, and there's something really special about that.

 

Stepney City Farm is open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm and is about a ten minute walk from both Limehouse and Stepney Stations.

Nopi

Yesterday I visited Nopi on Warwick Street, London, Ottelenghi's more upmarket outpost and a take on his Middle Eastern sharing plates for which he is so synonymous.

I visited with the lovely Chloe Pierre LDN and we were seated downstairs in the less formal communal dining area - where two large canteen-style tables invite diners to sit among each other. We were in with the supplies in open plan shelving - from Cretan olive oil, coriander seeds and large jars of vine leaves, Chloe mentioned it was like being in the store cupboard but I liked the quirkiness and open-ness of it all. 

Downstairs at Nopi

We also had easy viewing of the open plan kitchen, which for me, is always a winner. The atmosphere was light, chatty and relaxed, perfect for a lunch time meeting and diners were a complete mix of business lunchers and friends catching up.

Open plan kitchen at Nopi

The waitress we had was knowledgeable and informative about dishes on the menu, giving us clues to her favourites and the ones that have stood the test of time.

We opted for a selection of six sharing plates between us, and the first to arrive was a crushed beetroot plate with goat's cheese and toasted hazelnuts. It had the vivid trademark purple beetroot colour and looked incredibly vibrant and beautiful to look at, happily the flavours matched and even excelled the appearance, it was a delicious dish. The earthiness of the beetroot was there but with an underlying sweetness that was perfectly offset by the tangy goat's cheese and the toasted hazelnuts. A really well executed dish.

Crushed beetroot at Nopi

With the beetroot arrived the burrata - one of my absolute favourite things to eat, it was well served with a portion of coriander seeds, roasted peach a flourish of micro herbs and a plum reduction, and another good dish. It I had a minor criticism, it would be that the burrata could be slightly creamier - I've purchased some wonderful burrata myself recently from a stall at Borough Market and this wasn't up to the same unctuous, creamy quality.

Burrata at Nopi

We had the twice cooked baby chicken, with lemon myrtle salt and a simple chilli sauce - one of the best dishes for me, the chicken was crispy and charred with that barbecue flavour on the outside but soft and moist inside and perfectly seasoned. Delicious.

Twice cooked baby chicken at Nopi

The beef short rib was a revelation; I was expecting a slow-cooked concoction, maybe even stew-like, as opposed to the perfectly pink arrival. It was tender, seasoned well and utterly gorgeous. I've been avoiding 'rare' meat during pregnancy but this was a temptation too far and I couldn't resist - it was totally worth it too! The accompaniments, pickled styled shallots with a shitake mushroom all complemented the dish perfectly.

Beef short rib at Nopi

We ordered the truffled polenta chips, and whilst they looked great, I wasn't keen on the polenta - I'm unsure on the texture and the taste and we both agreed it was the one dish we could have done without.

Truffled polenta chips at Nopi

Another side dish we ordered was one of the stars of the show for me - heritage tomatoes dressed in sumac, red onion and basil. An almost pickled taste overall, and stunning brightly hued tomatoes that just tasted divine. A flavourful reminder of just how great, supposed 'side dishes' can be, and why Ottolenghi's style is so widely emulated and revered. Fantastic.

Heritage tomatoes at Nopi

We both had a mocktail and the entire meal at Nopi came in at £82 including service. As is often the case with anywhere proffering 'small plates' they may be small but the price soon adds up. Probably a fair price given the name and the location in the heart of the West End. I'll definitely return and next time will be trying the fishy choices of rainbow trout and sea bass as well as the roasted butternut squash.

If you like Middle Eastern food and are in the area, definitely give Nopi a try – but be warned, booking is wise as they were packed during the lunchtime service yesterday.

Balthazar London, The Bobbi Brown Afternoon Tea

Recently my very good friend, Jade, was in London for a whistle-stop break, having recently moved to Abu Dhabi. This coincided with a family wedding and trip to Ireland for a week of her stay, so we had a very small window of opportunity to catch up so booked something lovely, befitting the occasion.

We both love an afternoon tea in London, and both love good make up, so the Bobbi Brown Afternoon Tea at Balthazar – a celebration of the brands’ 25th year, in sandwiches and confectionary was the obvious choice.

These were some of the best afternoon tea sandwiches I’ve had in a while, with a nod to tradition in the cucumber sandwiches and smoked salmon with a lemon crème fraiche – both delicious. We opted out of the egg mayonnaise, as neither of us is keen on egg, so just loaded up on more of the alternatives, but absolutely devoured the grilled chicken with guacamole – slightly more modern and a mouthful of heaven. 

Bobbi Brown afternoon tea at Balthazar, London

The true star of the sandwich show though, was a definite homage to the New York heritage of both the Bobbi Brown make up brand and Balthazar; a pastrami, pickle and mustard fougasse - insanely good. The bread alone was like a culmination of all that’s good in Mediterranean produce, olive oil, olives, sun dried tomato and then topped with a strong, salty melted cheese – just divine, and the filling oh-so New York and oh-so good. Perfection.

Staff here, were very willing to replenish the sandwiches too and offered before we could ask which is a nice touch and isn’t offered everywhere.

There was a plate of both plain and raisin scones – equally warm, soft and crumbly with the mandatory clotted cream and jam – perfectly acceptable and glorious with our English breakfast tea.

However the true masterpiece from the kitchen’s head pastry chef, Regis Bearegard and his team of artists, were the very recognisable and iconic Bobbi Brown make up items in confectionary format. 

Bobbi Brown confectionary at Balthazar, London

There was a sache torte, the traditional Austrian chocolate torte with a rich, unctuous chocolate cream filling, but this had been re-imagined as the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner and the filling was in fact, a blackberry jam. Visually very attractive and a treat for the taste buds too.

A marshmallow red dusted kiss was perfectly edible but did fall slightly short of the taste and artwork sensations of the remaining cakes.

The foundation stick was a tempered chocolate cylinder filled with a delicious praline mousse and on top of a passion fruit sticky biscuit – it looked fantastic and tasted great too.

My favourite two items were the infamous shimmer brick that Bobbi Brown is well-known for and any self-respecting make up lover has in their armour, this was a rhubarb tart, infused with Champagne – what’s not to like? The other favourite being the rouge; a redcurrant macaroon with a lemon Chantilly filling, really delicious and very recognisable.

The Balthazar Bobbi Brown afternoon tea is reasonably priced at £27.50 for the basic afternoon tea or £37.50 with a cocktail or glass of Champagne. I can’t indulge at the moment due to my pregnancy, but Jade certainly did.

Each guest also receives an invitation to have a personalised lip make-up lesson at the Covent Garden Bobbi Brown store too, which is a fantastic coup.

My daughter, Bridget is nearly two and she woke up from her pram thirty minutes before we left – the staff were incredibly accommodating of her too, and this made all the difference for me. This is the second time I’d been to Balthazar with her in as many months – it’s becoming a family favourite for us.

The Bobbi Brown Afternoon Tea will be available at Balthazar until Thursday 29th September and is available daily.

The London Sea Life Centre Aquarium with Toddlers

A week back, I ventured in from Essex to The London Sea Life Centre Aquarium with Bridget and my friend Tatum and her little boy Cruz for a lovely afternoon out in the capital. Bridget and Cruz are 19 and 18 months.

Whilst there are plenty of museums and attractions in London for older children, I've yet to find much indoor entertainment, for this toddler age but the aquarium did tick the boxes and is perfect for a rainy day and really good family fun.

With plenty of fish, sealife, such as sharks, and turtles there's plenty to see, and with clear tanks from floor up high, the two tiny terrors were able to do so at their own pace. There’s also a glass tunnel to walk through, whereby you can take in shoals of fish, Green Sea Turtles and the likes of Bonnethead sharks passing overhead. 

Green Seat Turtle at the London Sea Life Aquarium Centre

Shark at The London Sea Life Aquarium Centre

We chose this day, thinking it would be quiet after the half term, not realising some children were still on holiday, so it was quite hectic running after the pair, whilst navigating all the other tourists and manning our respective Bugaboos, but it was good fun too.

Bridget has been in a few aquariums now, including the Sea Life Centre at Southend and Ocean Park in Hong Kong, and is really fascinated by them. I love that it's something fun for her to enjoy whilst also being educational. Both her and Cruz have been learning about lots of different animals and their attempt to both say 'fish' had my friend and I giggling.

Fascinated by the fish

Happy toddlers

Annoyingly, the penguin section of the aquarium was shut for some refurbishments, which was a shame to miss out on, so I’ll definitely return with Bridget at some point once it’s re-opened.

The aquarium is priced at £25 per adult, but you can get discounted entry for £19.50 if you pre-purchase your tickets online. The toddlers go for free, but aged 3-15 are priced at £17.55.

There's plenty to do and see at The London Sea Life Centre Aquarium, with several little activities and games for older children, which could keep you entertained for a couple of hours at least.

Breakfast at Caravan, Exmouth Market

There are tons of places in London where you can enjoy a completely delicious, and no doubt, bang-on-trend breakfast in London, and Caravan, Exmouth Market remains up there.

I chose this last Thursday for a working breakfast as it was close to where I needed to be later that morning and mainly for the laid back vibe, prompt yet un-stuffy service and some of the best coffee in the City.

The entire Caravan breakfast menu shouts of delicious combinations such as Coconut Bread with poached rhubarb cream cheese and lemon curd and plenty of different items on toast, but I chose for the Instagram breakfast of choice, Avocado on Toast (granary), with a side of crispy streaky bacon and roasted tomatoes. 

Avocado on Toast, Caravan

The avocado was mashed and topped with a drizzle of olive oil and some chilli and every mouthful positively sung and was only improved by the addition of bacon and the tomatoes were slow roasted, sweet and absolutely gorgeous.

I've long loved the coffee at Caravan and enjoyed a latte plus some fresh apple juice.

Latte, Caravan

My colleague had a scrambled egg dish on toast, a flat white and a juice too and the entire breakfast came in at £35 which I didn't think was bad considering the location and ambience.

Some of my other favourite breakfast spots in London:
1. The Modern Pantry’s Turmeric and Coconut Waffle with Rhubarb Compote
2. Duck & Waffle’s Full Elvis
3. Roast – The Full Borough breakfast and some of the best black pudding I've tried
4. Black Forest Pancakes at The Table
5. The Bacon Naan Roll at Dishoom – the perfect hangover fodder