Zizzi's - Bournemouth

Last weekend was very sunny so we decided to head to the seaside. After a walk along the sea front we headed towards town for our lunch. Henry was getting hungry. We decided to go to Zizzi's Italian Pizza and Pasta Restaurant.
We were given the opportunity to choose our table so we chose one near to the cooking area so Henry could be nosey and watch the chefs make the pizzas.
We ordered Henry's lunch straight away. The children's menu is excellent, it is called the Bambini menu, which includes dough sticks for starter, a choice of main course and ice cream for dessert, all for £5.95. Excellent value. A bit too much food for a 1 year old but excellent value for a 7 year old.

The restaurant was soon busy but the staff still managed to keep to a reasonable standard of service.
I did think that the tables were a little small for 4 people to enjoy a meal comfortably, we did end up moving the condiments and wine glasses out of the way to make room.

Overall I give Zizzi's a 3.5* out of a possible 5*

I found the service to be a little slow and the waitress was not sure if the changing facilities were available when I first asked.
Access: Plenty of space to place your pushchair when you have unloaded but if you had to leave your baby in the pushchair I think it would be a bit of a squeeze.
Welcome: Average service.
Cleanliness: The baby changing room did eventually open, otherwise we were told to change Henry's nappy on the sofas upstairs. This would not have been very pleasant.
Highchairs: Plenty of highchairs, the nice wooden ones that bring Henry right up to the table.
Coffee, Cake & Children's menu: Excellent children's menu, great value even for older children. Craig even allowed Henry to try his ice-cream this time.


We finished our trip to the seaside by building sand castles, whilst Henry enjoyed knocking them down.

Cottonbudz - Rodley, Leeds

A fabulous children's adventure and soft play centre. If only we had one as nice as this in Wiltshire. If you find yourself in the Rodley area of Leeds one day and your toddler or young child wants to let off some steam then head straight to Cottonbudz. It's great. It is not really built for large children and I believe there is an age restriction, it is perfect for the little ones to enjoy climbing without been barged over by a big 10 year old.
The centre has a large play area which has climbing frames, slides and ball pools. A smaller area for the small and less mobile little ones to play in. Nice tables scattered around the centre so that where ever you are sat you can see your child. A great menu for lunch, drinks and best of all home made cakes!
The facilities are well thought through, a small junior toilet, plenty of little steps for toddlers to reach the toilet and a large baby changing area. Wipes and nappy bags are also available.

You can visit their website at www.cottonbudz.co.uk

There is also a great little children's shop just around the corner for those special treats. www.thelittlehencompany.com

Overall I give Cottonbudz a fabulous 5* out of a possible 5
Access: Great, plenty of parking too.
Welcome: Everyone is made to feel very welcome.
Cleanliness: A very high standard of cleanliness is kept all through the day. There are plenty of facilities for toddler and baby. I love the nice touches, baby wipes and nappy bags are provided.
Highchairs: There are plenty or highchairs available and toddler chairs.
Coffee & Cake: The menu is great for lunch, nice sandwiches, jacket potatoes. The children's menu has a great selection too. The cakes, you must try the cakes, they are home made.

Slug & Lettuce - Salisbury

I never thought I'd have lunch with Henry in what used to be a place where I'd drink pint after pint of Peroni. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, we all needed lunch. We intended to have a picnic but the weather wasn't helping. After thinking where can we go we decided to check if the Slug and Lettuce had high chairs, to our surprise they did. Wow. I'd love a large Peroni!
Henry is now at an age where we can easily choose him something from the children's menu that he will be happy with. Although he won't eat it all it saves us relying on taking a pack lunch for him every time we head out for the day. The children's menu is very well priced and has a good selection. A drink and dessert is also included. Craig enjoyed Henry's 5alive and his portion of chocolate ice cream. Henry enjoyed his battered fish, chips and peas. He loves peas!
A waitress will come to the table to take your order, the atmosphere is very pleasant and it does seem to be popular with families within your children. There is plenty of room for your high chair and pushchair if you need it to be near your table.
It's a shame we have found this lunch location after my maternity leave!
Overall I give the Slug and Lettuce a 3.5* out of a possible 5.
Access: Very large doors and plenty of room to move the pushchair around the tables.
Welcome: Not bad, considering it's a pub/wine bar I thought the welcome was okay.
Cleanliness: Okay, average. The baby changing is downstairs in the disabled toilet, it's a very large room so there is plenty of space for a pushchair if you needed to wee whilst your baby slept. You can't leave your bundle of joy outside if you're lunching alone.
Highchairs: Very good, it is the wooden ones so Henry is nice and close to the table.
Coffee & Cake: I think I should change this heading now to "children menu", I'll think about it. I did not have the coffee or cake. I would have loved a nice cool refreshing pint but I resisted. Craig did say that the ice cream was nice.