Monkey Business in Lewes - soft play review

I'd only been to Monkey Madness once before, soft plays can get pretty expensive when you have two kids to pay for plus an adult entry, then inevitable snacks, drinks, etc as you can't bring your own in.  Luckily, when a friend suggested it on a recent blustery day, they had a deal on so it was only £9 for me and the twins to get in.  The last time we went they were only one so it was a very different experience now they're four and can properly climb and go off and have fun on their own in the giant climbing frames!  Plus it was a term-time Tuesday so it wasn't too busy and there were no big kids charging around to be fearful of.

We stayed there all morning and for a while after lunch too.  Kalyan has been asking to go back to "hotplay" ever since so we'll have to check when their next deal is on.

Sunday Roast review at the Abergavenny Arms near Lewes

Not to be confused with the one in Tunbridge Wells!  (Yep, we started driving in the wrong direction before a slightly heated discussion and a quick phone call to check before a swift turnaround!)

We met friends at the Abergavenny Arms near Lewes recently (not to be confused with the one in Frant where Nik started driving to, in the opposite direction), and had a lovely afternoon.  They're dog and child friendly so it was perfect for us and our friends with their fur baby.  The pub is traditional style with a lovely beer garden out the back.  It was a bit cold and windy the day we went so we sat inside where it was nice and cosy.

Up Country garden centre & cafe - review

We had a really fun day out at Up Country garden centre near Haywards Heath.  I've driven past it so many times but never ventured in until my friend suggested we meet there for the kids to play on the bus.  I had no idea they could play in the old bus in the back, I always thought that was the cafe as it has a big cafe sign on it, lol.  Turns out the cafe is inside the shop and the bus is just there for fun!

Chailey Windmill

Our visit to Chailey Windmill was a totally random stop on the way home from a play-date at a nearby garden centre.  It was such a lovely sunny day and I spotted a windmill sign as we drove home so I turned round, parked the car and off I went with the twins to try to find the windmill.  It was just a short 5 minute walk away and looked glorious in the big blue sky with not a cloud to be seen!

Sunday Roast at Framptons, Tunbridge Wells - review

I was struggling with a few deadlines last month so wasn't able to get this review written until now but our Sunday roast at Framptons in The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells was definitely one of the best I've had locally!  It's not a cheap option with roasts costing £16.50 - £19.50 but I honestly think it's worth it if you can splash out.

I went with the twins and my in-laws while Nik was working one weekend in February and we had the most amazing meal.  I've reviewed Framptons before and have always been impressed by their food and I love the surroundings with vintage touches around, a rustic look upstairs and lots of lovely wood in the bar area downstairs.  I also like that you can see openly into the kitchen where the chefs are working hard plating these delicious dishes.

We skipped starters and went straight for the roast, I had the salt marsh lamb with salsa verde, the twins opted for beef which came with a Marmite hollandaise sauce (I was a little dubious but it was actually very tasty!) and the in-laws had beef too.  All the meat was served pink, they did check I was happy with that for the twins.

It was all amazing and came with a drizzle of gravy over the meat but we were given a huge jug of extra gravy on the side (a big plus in my eyes).  The meat was so tender and flavourful and the Yorkshires had the perfect fresh texture.  I often find with pub roasts they seem like they've been reheated as they dry out but these were lovely.

We also received a massive bowl of vegetables including some amazing crispy roasties, parsnips, a carrot mash and kale.  Our server offered to bring us more which we initally declined as we thought we had plenty but after tasting the kale (and with Priya loving it too!), we asked for more of that and got a new fresh bowl of the buttery greens.

Of course, I couldn't resist dessert and the twins always get a scoop of ice-cream if they've behaved and eaten well when we go out.  Priya opted for "manilla" and K had mango sorbet.  They were thrilled with the little edible flowers on top!  I chose the chocolate delice which was heaven, served with clotted cream ice-cream!

Puddings range from £5 to £7.50.  There isn't a kids menu but they make smaller portions of some of the menu items so they had a kids roast (I'm not sure of the cost of this as my father-in-law kindly treated us).

Service is friendly and efficient, not overbearing but attentive.  We had a really good meal, it's such a great place to chill and enjoy eating.  I'd highly recommend it!

Cuckoo Trail - the ultimate bike ride

I'd never been to The Cuckoo Trail before so was really excited when we had a lovely sunny day in February and my friend suggested we meet there with the kids and bikes for the afternoon.  For those of you who don't know (hi Mum!), it's a path than runs for miles starting in Heathfield and going all the way to Eastbourne.  We obviously didn't go that far with our 4-year-olds but still had a jolly good ride along the sheltered fairly flat  path, having parked for free in the car park opposite Waitrose.  We found a small park part-way along too during one of the road crossings and stopped there for a little while on our way back to let the kids get a run about too.  Of course, it was finished off perfectly with ice-cream in the Waitrose cafe when we got back with 4 tuckered out little ones and two tiddly ones!

Carafe Cafe, Lewes - review

I'd been past this cafe a few times but never been in, it seemed like a good idea to check it out when we fancied going somewhere for lunch after a visit to Raystede one weekend.

Carafe is an independent coffee shop with a Turkish twist.  They serve the usual cafe fare but also have some Turkish delicacies and Turkish coffee.  Nik and I loved their Turkish pastries and breads (and the kids enjoyed their massive sausage rolls!)  The sweet treats were good too, Nik and the twins all had cookies and I had a lovely sticky chocolate orange cake which was too irresistible to photograph (I forgot before I wolfed it down!)  The staff were so friendly, the cafe was light and airy with cool photos of coffee on the walls and the food was beautifully laid out.  We'll definitely be back!

Sunday Roast at The Guildford Arms, Greenwich - review

There are roasts and then there are ROASTS!  This was the best Sunday roast I've had in a long time.  Seriously amazing.

The twins and I joined my in-laws for lunch one weekend Nik was on a course in London, at the Guildford Arms in Greenwich.  It's a modern pub with big bright windows and rustic furniture and a lovely daily menu.

Chef's Table & Sunday Roast at Malmaison Brighton - review

We had a Sunday roast at Malmaison Brighton recently and enjoyed their Chef's Table as our starter.  It's an epic array of yummy things you can visit as many times as you like!  Nik found a voucher on Living Social which got us a discount but it's usually £19.95 for 2 courses (the chef's table and a main course) and dessert is an extra £3.50.  Kid's meals are £9.95 and also include the chef's table, much to Priya's delight as they had all her favourite things!

Uck FM Feb

Well there I was, planning to hibernate for most of January but we've been busy again, although admittedly did have a couple of play-dates hibernating in my warm house with cake and hiding under blankets!  

This month the twins and I had a lovely trip to Scotney Castle with friends, making the most of our National Trust membership, I had a very fun weekend with fellow photographers at a convention in London, there was a lot of great stuff to see at the trade show and a lot of silliness from us as we travelled to and from the venue.  I also enjoyed a spa day with some friends in Hastings which was amazing (although I haven't blogged about that as I have no photos) and I have a few fun photography related projects and competitions to share with you this month, I'm so excited about everything that's happening in February!  

As a family we've been to Oast Farm wassail (Nik and the twins also went to Bignose & Beardy's wassail while I was in London) and a Sunday Roast in Brighton followed by fun in Hempstead park. 

Oh and I'm sharing some bright and happy rainbow wardrobe finds from me and the kids as I had no space last month!

Scotney Castle

We had an awesome time at Scotney Castle.  The play area is brilliant with something a bit different with ball runs, a log cabin and tree swing.  The food in the cafe was lovely, the baked potatoes were huge and the kids all ate really well, always a plus on a day out!  After our friends went home after lunch (with napping babies), the twins and I explored some more of the grounds, climbing trees and running around the castle with me pretending to be a witch, counting ducks and admiring the views.  It was such a lovely day out.

Photography Convention in London

I met up with some photographer friends I met on a workshop last year.  There was an SWPP convention in London and we all got tickets to go to the trade show to explore all the amazing books, albums and frames on offer (I've got some gorgeous samples coming soon to show my clients) and we had lunch together before some of them headed to a podcast recording and we met up afterwards for dinner and drinks in Pergola Olympia before heading for various trains home (I crashed on Kirsty's sofa before heading home the next day).  

So much fun!  It's great to just spend time with fellow creatives, being silly, inspiring each other and just having so much in common.  Good for the soul!

Oast Farm Wassail

This was our second wassail at Oast Farm.  We love the tradition and fun involved with chanting, singing, fire, noise and merriment.  The apple cake is always good too!  The twins had a great time again, watching Spirimawgus the Morris dancers and shopping in the farm shop afterwards.

So excited to have his own basket in the shop!

Rainbow clothes

They make me so happy!  Bright colourful clothing really does boost my mood.

Rainbow Kids clothes

Of course the kids needed some new clothes too and although I've always dressed them in rainbow colours, I'm finding even more rainbow clothes for them at the moment as it seems to be so popular now.  I have actually always found loads of bright colours in Next and have listed a few other recent finds on the blog if you want to see what else is available for kids at the moment.

Newborn Twins

One of my best friends had twins at the end of last year and I of course went to meet them armed with my camera.  I finally managed to edit their photos and love them so much!  It was amazing just hanging out taking photos as we caught up.  It was mainly documentary as Gemma just got on with looking after her babies and toddler but I did get a few family portraits in there too, despite a reluctant dad ;)

Colour Chase Challenge

One of the projects I've taken on this year is a fun and colourful one - the Color Chase Challenge (it started in America).  Each month is assigned a colour and we hunt for images based on the colour to try to end up with a collage of beautiful, similarly tones images.  January's colour was white which I had a bit of difficulty doing actually, especially as our minute snowfall didn't come until February!

In the end I bought some fancy eggs in Waitrose, some white flowers and some skooshie cream!  ;)

February's colour is pink!

Shoot & Share Contest

Last year was my first time entering the Shoot & Share contest and it was so much fun and SO addictive.  Anyone can vote but fair warning, you might get sucked in for hours!  Voting is open now until 22nd Feb and is totally random, you get shown four images and choose your favourite, then the next four...  You can't vote for anyone specific unless you recognise their image of course if it comes up.

I was chuffed to get two images in the final round last year, including this image of my twins which came in 165th out of 19,300 in the Lifestyle/Family Documentary category.  I'm hoping to get in the top 100 this year so fingers crossed!

Chef's Table at Malmaison Brighton

We booked a meal out in Brighton Malmaison with a voucher giving us a discount on the Chef's Table and Sunday Roast.  It's a pretty epic meal with an all you can eat buffet of delicious meats, salads, fish and cheese as well as a soup of the day and fresh bread.

After that you have a choice of Sunday roast, brunch dish or main course (such as a burger).  All of the above is usually £19.95 (£9.95 for the kids) and for an extra £3.50 you can have dessert too.

We all had the roast, everyone choosing the beef except me as I fancied the pork belly.  I know this is a fatty cut which doesn't bother me but unfortunately the 3 slices I received were excessively fatty with tiny slivers of meat throughout.  I tried a bit but couldn't eat it so asked to swap to the beef.  Thankfully this wasn't an issue as I hate being a fussy diner but the beef was so much better, served pink and very tender.  The rest of the roast was nice but we weren't keen on the gravy.  Nik and I both loved the Chef's table and puddings and would return but would choose another option as the main course.  I'd like to try the waffles next time I think.

Priya's 3 favourite foods - smoked salmon, salami and blue cheese!

You can read the rest of my review and see more photos of the food over on Olive Dragonfly.

Young Minds Charity Portrait Project

I am SO excited about this project.  Since launching it on Sunday evening I have already managed to sign up a few local businesses and have £115 in the pot so far!

I'm taking portraits for local businesses (big and small) in return for a suggested donation to the charity Young Minds.  They support young people (and their parents) with mental health issues which is a cause close to my heart having experienced how hard it is to cope with depression myself.

Any business that would like to raise their online profile with a new head-shot or even a group photo, please get in touch - you just have to donate (it all goes to the charity), include something yellow (the charity colour) and mention the project when using the image to help raise awareness.  You also get the added bonus of a link on my own website in the list of amazing supportive businesses taking part and your image will be added to the gallery which I will be sharing often!

If you'd like to donate and/or take part, please see the fundraising link here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/bexphoto

Next month:

We'll be reviewing a day out at Drusilla's during the colder months and the Picture House Restaurant film quiz and dinner on Oscar's night!