Tag: Manchester

Days Out: Manchester Airport Viewing Park

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a family holiday from Jet2. We were beyond excited about this news as we’ve not been abroad since before the small boy was born. Keen to build holiday excitement levels further we hot footed it down to the Manchester Airport Viewing Park to spend a few hours watching the planes.

The Runway Visitors Park is free to visit but you will have to pay to park there. It’s only £5 for two hours which is I admit a lot for parking, but if you think of it as two hours of watching the planes and exploring the visitors park for a whole family, then it’s a bit of a bargain.

The Manchester Airport Viewing Park has some open air viewing platforms which you can go and stand and watch the planes as they take off and land. Manchester is quite a busy airport, so you don’t have to stand there for long before seeing some airplane action.

There are quite a few different retired airplanes in the park, most famous of all is the Concorde G-BOAC which is housed in a special hangar and you need to be part of a tour to go and see, so we didn’t. But we did have a look inside the Trident, the AVRO RJX and the DC-10.

The interior of the planes fascinated the boy who has never been in one before. He especially loved looking at the cockpits and wondering what all the buttons did.

Manchester Airport Viewing Park

We stopped for coffee at the “Concorde Restaurant and Coffee House” which was decent but very busy. There are lots of picnic tables outside, so on a nice day you could happily sit with your own flask of tea and sandwiches if you wanted. There is also a children’s play area which is free to use, though there is a small charge if you want to use the bouncy castle etc.

We think that the Manchester Airport Viewing Park is a good place to visit on a sunny day, it’s certainly interesting and the planes are good to explore, with information and staff on hand to ask any questions. The small boy enjoyed it and he’s now got a better idea of what the inside of a plane looks like. Visiting the park is a great way to prepare children for their first flight, or a place to explore the world of aviation. 

For more information about the Manchester Airport Viewing Park visit the website.

Brunch at Neighbourhood in Manchester

Weekends are made for brunching. After a busy week of work, one of my favourite things is to go out for brunch with my boys, or meet some friends for a catch up over a plate of good eggs, endless coffee and maybe a breakfast cocktail or two. I was invited to a blogger brunch by Neighbourhood in Manchester, to try out their new brunch menu and sample a couple of breakfast mimosas. 

Arriving early on a rainy Saturday morning, my fragrant friend Liz and I were ushered to a table near the bar. Neighbourhood was busy and buzzing, during the week I suspect it’s busy with ladies who lunch, business lunches and people going for after work drinks. It’s known for being a celebrity hang out and whilst we were there I did spy a couple of familiar faces from the TV. 

We ordered drinks, tea and coffee and a couple of breakfast drinkies (rude not to) on offer were Bellinis and mimosas. We were there for a bloggers breakfast where some of the key dishes from the brunch menu were being showcased. 

Neighbourhood

The first brunch item we tried were the buttermilk pancakes with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The chocolate sauce was so glossy Mary Berry would have wept with joy. The stack of four buttermilk pancakes were smothered in the sauce and came with a small (too small?)  dollop of whipped cream, the pancakes were sweet and good and I know my son would have gobbled them all up and then wanted to lick the plate clean afterwards.

Between pancakes and brunch we were brought a Breakfast Sandwich to sample which consisted of a toasted muffin, sausage, bacon and fried egg. The chef kindly made a vegetarian version for me which contained a nice crispy fried egg, spinach and mushrooms, although I can’t eat mushrooms so I had to take those out and give them to Liz. We both particularly enjoyed our crispy eggs and my spinach was well cooked and seasoned and was not watery.

Neighbourhood

We ordered our brunch proper, Liz plumped for the Full English which came with bacon, scrambled egg, black pudding, sausages, tomato, baked beans and toast. One of the failings of the brunch menu for me is the lack of vegetarian options, thankfully the kitchen were happy to specially make me my own veggie brunch which consisted of two buttermilk pancakes, scrambled egg, tomato, baked beans, spinach and mushrooms.

Neighbourhood

There were some very lovely elements to my breakfast. The scrambled egg was among the best I’ve had, I loved the sauteed spinach which was perfectly seasoned. I found the pancakes an unusual addition, but actually they worked well but could have perhaps done with a dab of salty butter on them. The beans were beans but served in a pot to appease the “don’t let my baked beans touch any of my food” crowd. I was slightly less keen on the tomato, which although it was perfectly cooked, had a garlicky aftertaste which seemed to throw off the balance of flavours on my plate a little.

I had to give my mushrooms to Liz because they make me poorly, she was not unhappy with this. There was a really interesting mix of mushrooms on offer, they’d been well cooked and seasoned and smelt so good. Shame I couldn’t eat more than a tiny nibble.

Neighbourhood

Neighbourhood is a bustling busy place, and the staff were just the right amount of friendly, chatty and helpful. I think the new Neighbourhood brunch menu is solidly interesting, with some crowd pleasers on there. I’m a little disappointed that there isn’t a vegetarian option listed on their menu, I know you can always ask for them to make something for you, but if it’s not on the menu then as a vegetarian I’d probably be put off by that. It’s such a shame, especially as the veggie brunch I had I would happily order again.

Neighbourhood is located on The Avenue North, Spinningfields, Manchester. Their brunch menu is available on weekends 10am to 2pm. Visit their website for more information or to view their menu.

We were invited guests of the restaurant and were not asked to pay for our food or drink. Nevertheless, all images and opinions are my own.

Well-Being: Experiencing an AromaTouch Massage

Earlier this year my local holistic health centre, Healthyspirit in South Manchester added a new massage treatment to their already impressive list – AromaTouch. I was keen to find out more, and when a friend tried it and recommended it I knew I had to get myself booked in.

The massage sounded blissful, “a light relaxing massage technique of applying therapeutic grade essential oils to produce a profound whole-body experience. The many benefits of this massage include stress management, immune support, and support of your body’s autonomic balance. AromaTouch enhances essential oils activity and stimulates known body meridians and energy zones, while balancing body systems and function.”

I was shown up to the Crystal Room, a cosy and comfortable therapy room at Healthyspirit. The therapist, Helen Scott sat down and talked me through the treatment and asked me some questions about my physical and emotional health. I explained about my spinal injury and Helen reassured me that it was very gentle and the massage wouldn’t hurt me. We talked about how I was feeling at the moment and the reasons why I was feeling stressed and under pressure. Helen then left the room while I got ready for the massage and made myself comfortable on the massage table.

AromaTouch

As Helen would be touching my back, ears and feet, I lay on my front covered in a warm towel. I had taken my jewellery, clothes and socks off, but she let me keep my leggings on as I was comfortable wearing them.

Helen began by getting me to breathe deeply several times to relax me, and as soothing music played in the background she gently and rhythmically massaged a series of essential oils into my back. Her hands felt like warm waves moving from my spine to my side, very gentle, but with each application of oil I could feel some of my stresses being stroked out of me. 

Several different essential oils were used on me in a specific sequence, after each one was applied Helen would massage the oils into my back in that same wave like motion. It was blissful and I was incredibly comfortable, almost dosing off at one point. 

Helen then moved onto my feet, applying peppermint and orange essential oils to them, she massaged them using a gentle rhythmic motion and I felt incredibly relaxed, I didn’t want it to stop. I have eczema on my feet which wasn’t a problem and Helen double checked if I was happy for essential oils to be applied before she started, which I was.

The AromaTouch massage was incredible. Afterwards I felt a bit woozy so I sat for a while and sipped some water. I often feel this way after a particularly relaxing treatment. Helen suggested I have a bath the following day so that the oils could stay on my skin for as long as possible, so I went home and snuggled under a blanket for a few hours whilst I enjoyed feeling blissfully relaxed. 

The AromaTouch massage is currently £35 for an hour long massage. It’s very gentle and soothing, but I’ve rarely felt so deeply relaxed. The effects lasted for quite a few days and it was gentle enough that my rickety spine felt no ill effects afterwards. AromaTouch is so pampering and blissful, if you need some time out from life for an hour, a serious stress release or a pamper I can very much recommend this treatment.

The AromaTouch massage is available from Healthyspirit in South Manchester. For more information and to book, visit their website.

Review: Vapiano Manchester

Since the dark days of uni when I was packed off each term with a 10kg sack of fusilli pasta I have shied away from ordering pasta in restaurants. I have a hard and fast rule, pasta must only be ordered in proper Italian restaurants, so when I visited proper Italian restaurant Vapiano in Manchester I knew I’d be ordering pasta.

Vapiano opened in the recently revamped Corn Exchange in Manchester in November last year. It has two light and airy floors, the first floor being the more popular and bustling space, as that’s where the kitchens are located.

Vapiano Manchester

Vapiano has a slightly different way of operating, there is no table service, you are given a card to use each time you order food or drink. You order directly from the chefs and watch them cook your meal in front of you, this takes minutes and it allows you to tailor your dish to your own tastes. Want more chilli? Ask for it. Less cheese? You got it.

Choosing a comfortable table next to the balcony, we ordered a couple of glasses of a red wine from their wine list, while we checked out their extensive menu.

For someone so picky about pasta I do have very simple tastes. I opted for the Pesto Rosso – cherry tomatoes, tomato pesto, pine nuts with ricotta cheese. I chose the freshly made Campanelle pasta. I went over to the kitchen and put my order in with the chef, I swiped my card on the counter and within minutes my pasta dish was being whipped up in front of me. They use fresh pasta made every day on site, so it only takes a few minutes to cook.

Once cooked I took my Pesto Rosso back to the table, the pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce was rich with a little hint of background heat. The pine nuts were plentiful, the grated ricotta was generous. It was superb, I enjoyed every forkful and couldn’t fault it.

Vapiano Manchester

On the side, I ordered garlic bread with cheese. As pizza takes a little longer to cook they operate a pager system. You order at the pizza kitchen, swipe your card and get a pager which goes off when your pizza is ready, you return to the kitchen and pick up your pizza.  It seems a very efficient system.

The garlic bread was oozing with cheese and a generous amount of fresh garlic. It was delicious but I think it could have done with another minute or two in the oven for me, so the crust was a little darker. The dough, again made that morning, was light and crispy and everything I want in a pizza dough.

My companion opted for the strawberry and spinach salad – a salad of fresh spinach, strawberries, goats cheese, red onion and pine nuts with a raspberry and maple dressing. It was a light, colourful salad with well balanced flavours which was consumed with much approval.

They then moved on to the pasta course, choosing a salmon carbonara which contained smoked salmon, onions, egg and cream. The dish contained lots of lovely chunky pieces of salmon, which did look delicious and made for a more interesting alternative to the traditional carbonara.

We barely had room for pudding, but we persisted. I chose my favourite, Tiramisu whilst my friend opted for the Bacio, a chocolate and hazelnut mousse on a biscuit base topped with chopped hazelnuts. I adore Tiramisu and I’ve eaten a fair few in my time, the sponge was light and the cream and mascarpone had been whipped so it was airy, it was excellent, a little light on the coffee flavour for me, but I do like it strong.

Vapiano Manchester

The Bacio was as pretty as a picture, presented in a jar it was a little like a cheesecake but with a mousse layer. I had a little taste and I was pleased that the chocolate wasn’t too overpowering, I liked the generous sprinkle of hazelnuts on top and the biscuit base added some extra texture.

Although the card system probably isn’t for everyone,I think it’s probably useful for large groups who might haggle over splitting the bill, or for those watching their pennies. I did enjoy watching my food being cooked in front of me and I loved that it was so fresh and hadn’t been sat around waiting for a waiter to bring it to my table.

Between us the bill came to around £70 which for three courses, wine, soft drinks and coffee was very respectable. The meal was delicious and probably the best pasta dish I’ve eaten in years. The menu is extensive and there will be something on there for everyone, whatever dietary requirements you may have I’m sure most dishes could be tailored to accommodate even the pickiest eater (me). I now know why Vapiano is considered one of the best Italian restaurants in Manchester.

Vapiano is now firmly on my ladies who lunch rota, we’ll be back, and we’ll be back again soon!

Vapiano is located in the Corn Exchange in Manchester, for more information and to view their menu visit their website.

We were invited guests of Vapiano and were not asked to pay for our food or drinks. All images and opinions are our own.

Manchester Gin Festival 2016

Over the Easter weekend Manchester played host to the Gin Festival, a touring two day festival of all things gin. I’m a gin enthusiast but not an expert, so I went along to sample the delights of the festival and hopefully sample a few new gins along the way.

Arriving at Victoria Baths, a building I’ve not set foot in for nearly 30 years, my memories were of a rather grotty municipal swimming baths, but I was very pleasantly surprised by its beautifully restored Edwardian features.

Gin Festival

Once through the door, I was handed a large gin glass (horrah!), a gin guide and pointed in the direction of the gin. My first stop was “The Brand Room”, a room where lots of gin brands had set up stands where gin lovers could go and sample their wares, as well as learn a little more about each gin. It was an interesting room to find out a little more about gin and to suss out any which warranted further tasting and investigation later on.

Gin Festival

Moving on to “The Gin” which was a huge room with four bar areas which housed UK gins, International Gins and Fruit Gin Liqueurs and other novelties. This was where you could consult your gin guide and make your selection. It works just like a beer festival, you buy a number of tokens on a card and when you buy your G&T a token gets crossed off. Each token cost £5 and I bought three.

Gin Festival

My first port of call was to try a Daffy’s and Indian tonic, garnished with mint and lime. A gin drinking friend had recommended Daffy’s as the best gin they’d ever had, so I had to try it on pain of death. It was a very excellent G&T, the tasting notes say it is woody on the nose with lively juniper and citrus flavours and a buttery finish. It was one of those incredibly refreshing G&T’s and I was sad to finish it.

After consulting the gin guide (I fancied everything in the gin guide, but I had to ration myself), I opted to try Curio Cornish Gin, which contained hand foraged botanicals from the Cornish cliffs including rock samphire. The tasting notes suggested that it would be reminiscent of the sea, gentle and citrussy with an aniseed finish. It was paired with Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic and garnished with chopped fennel, not something I’ve ever had in a G&T but it was a delicious and almost savory combination which I enjoyed tremendously.

Gin Festival

Needing a sit down and something to set me up for a bit more gin, I headed to the “Still & Stove” area which had a number of food stalls offering the now ubiquitous pulled pork. I opted for a hearty Spanish stew of spinach and chickpeas served with cous cous which was very tasty.

Suitably replete I was ready for a masterclass in gin. I opted to find out more about Masons Yorkshire Gin, having sampled their three quite different and quite beautiful gins earlier in the brand room. I was especially taken with their gin which had been infused with Yorkshire tea, which was delicate and unusual and possibly my favourite gin at the festival.

Gin Festival

Held in another beautiful room complete with stunning stained glass, a full room of gin lovers listened to the history of Masons gin as told by their brand ambassador Sophie. Sophie then passed around samples of the gin to an approving crowd, many of which I’m sure headed straight for the shop in the gin hall and bought a bottle (or two) to take home.

Gin Festival

I had one G&T token left so I had to choose wisely. On the recommendation of Laura, one of the Gin Festival team I selected the Edinburgh Rhubarb & Ginger Gin Liqueur, a beautiful and delicately flavoured gin which was garnished with apple. I was told to try it first before adding soda water because the flavour changed when diluted, and I’m glad I did, it was gorgeous. I regretted adding the soda water as it really watered down the delicious liqueur, I’ll know better next time.

I can’t actually think of a better way to spend a Bank Holiday Sunday than in the beautiful surroundings of Victoria Baths drinking and enjoying gin. It’s such an amazing venue for the Gin Festival. The Gin Festival itself was very relaxed, well laid out with the stands and bar areas having plenty of space around them for the gathering crowds of gin lovers. I can’t fault the selection of gin on offer and I’ve discovered a gin or two I’ll be searching out in the future.

I’ll be watching and waiting for the Gin Festival to swing back into town again, it was so interesting and a lovely social and civilised afternoon, if you like gin then this is an event not to be missed. This weekend was a sell out so you do have to book your tickets (£7.50) early to avoid disappointment.

To find out more about the Gin Festival and to see if there’s one in your area, visit their website for more information.

Days Out: Wythenshawe Community Farm

Last weekend we headed to our local community farm, it’s small but is home to cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, a little Shetland pony, a gaggle of ducks and a peacock. We’d heard that a calf had been born that morning so we were keen to go along and meet the new arrival.

Wythenshawe Community Farm

Wythenshawe Community Farm is a lovely little farm which we visit on a regular basis. It’s especially charming in spring when they have newborn lambs and calves to ahh over. We were not disappointed, there were several calves including one which was just 3 hours old and still wobbly on his legs, as well as tiny triplet newborn lambs and some slightly older lambs frolicking in a paddock tucked away in the walled garden.

Wythenshawe Community Farm

Our first stop was to see the newborn calf, both baby and mum were in a pen of their own. Mum was nuzzling and looking after her baby and it was a lovely sight. The calf was very wobbly on its legs but it had a drink of milk and then curled up for a rest.

Wythenshawe Community Farm

Tucked away in a nearby shed was a Jacob cross sheep and her day old triplets. You can’t see the lambs too well, but I didn’t want to intrude on her, but they were incredibly sweet.

Wythenshawe Community Farm

We heard (and could hear) that there were more lambs in a paddock in the walled garden, so we wandered over to have a look. In the walled garden there was a pony, some goats, some older sheep and a paddock full of ewes and their lambs. Its also a good space for little ones to run around (under supervision) and there were teams of volunteers digging out the vegetable beds ready for some spring planting.

Wythenshawe Community Farm

There were a lot of twin lambs and they were all cheeky and a joy to watch as they jumped and played, baa-ing their heads off.

Wythenshawe Community Farm

The small boy LOVED the cheeky lambs and we couldn’t tear him away. I suspect we have another sheep enthusiast in the family!

Although Wythenshawe Community Farm is small, we spent a couple of hours there exploring, talking about the animals, falling in love with the lambs and having a lovely spring afternoon together.

Wythenshawe Community Farm

Whilst the boys went to have another look at the cows I visited the on-site farm shop. It’s small but excellent value. I picked up  large jar of local honey, 6 duck eggs, two blocks of Greenfields Lancashire cheese and 12 primulas (they sell plants, they’re always really good quality). I bought all of that for a few pence shy of £15 and I know that any profit will be ploughed back into this great community resource.

Next to Wythenshawe Community Farm is a huge playground to explore, and on the other side of that is a community cafe and Wythenshawe Hall, which had a fire last week so is not at present open to the public.

If you’re in South Manchester I can thoroughly recommend a visit to Wythenshawe Community Farm to meet the animals, we’ll be going again soon to check on the progress of the triplets and see how the baby calf is doing. It’s free to visit, there is parking nearby and they always have such a lot going on for local families to enjoy. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more information and updates.

Easter at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre & SEA LIFE Manchester

If you’re looking for some Easter fun for all the family this coming half term, families can have the ultimate fun day in Manchester at not one, but two fantastic attractions this Easter! LEGOLAND Discovery Centre and SEA LIFE Manchester have a fun-filled week planned, with lots of exciting activities and a taste of some brand new additions at the attractions to show off.

LEGO fans will soon get a fresh fix of their favourite heroes as this Easter “The LEGO Movie 4D, A New Adventure”, a brand new 4D attraction, re-unites the characters from the original movie at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester from Saturday 12th March.

The riotous, action-packed plot sees Emmet, Wyldstyle, Unikitty, Benny and MetalBeard receive a mysterious invitation leading them to a new theme park, bearing a suspicious resemblance to LEGOLAND. But all is not as it seems as the heroes are once again thrust into the middle of an evil secret plot masterminded by a totally new character, the scheming Risky Business. The larger-than-life experience will sweep the audience right into the action as the gang hurtle through a fast paced adventure featuring some very special theme park attractions, from Unikitty’s cute and colourful ‘Wainbow Wubble World’ to Wyldstyle’s ‘Super Cycle Mega Ride’ and MetalBeard’s ‘Pirate Plunder Danger Cave’. It’s up to Emmet and Wyldstyle, enlisting the Master Builder skills of the audience, to try and save the day.

Easter at Legoland Manchester

Fans will love the chance to immerse themselves in The LEGO Movie world in a totally new way with 4D elements such as wind, water, smoke and special lighting effects bringing the story to life.

Enjoy the most amazing city in the world, the brand new play area, City Builder. Visitors can create cities and buildings in the most unique city that can be imagined. From the creativity of countless budding architects will flourish the most beautiful and imaginative buildings and stories. Girls and boys can meet the heroes of City and the girlfriends of Heart Lake City, and they’ll see everything from huge skyscrapers to cosy family houses all made from LEGO.

Visitors can also lose themselves in 1.5 million LEGO bricks and explore the wonders of MINILAND, have an adventurous ride in LEGO City Forest Pursuit, try dodging the lasers in LEGO Ninjago Laser Training Camp, play in the soft play area at the LEGO Construction Site and much more.

If that wasn’t enough, visitors should prepare to be amazed by the brand new exhibition Octopus Hideout just next door at SEA LIFE Manchester, which gives guests a unique opportunity to come face to sucker with one of the oceans most intelligent creatures.

Meet the star of Octopus Hideout, Hank, the Giant Pacific Octopus that has eight arms, blue blood, three hearts and can grow up to a jaw-dropping five metres in length and weigh up to 50 kilograms! One of the biggest octopus species in the world, Giant Pacific Octopuses can solve mazes, blend into their environment and even open jars.

Easter at Legoland Manchester

Families will also not want to miss the jet-propelled, gas-fuelled prehistoric nautilus, a primitive octopus in a spiral shell, the cuttlefish, a captivating type of mollusc which can change colour to give itself the perfect camouflage against any background, or the teeny tiny Atlantic Long Arm Octopus, a small sea creature with arms longer than its 90 millimetre body!

SEA LIFE Manchester is also home to an incredible array of sea creatures from all over the planet, including family favourite Ernie, the Giant Green Sea Turtle, captivating seahorses, colourful clownfish, Black Tip Reef Sharks, rays and more.

My Sunday Photo 28.2.16

This Sunday may I present to you my Manchester Tart….

Manchester Tart

I’m doing a spot of recipe writing for something which I can tell you more about in April, and this is the happy and rather delicious result of one of those recipes.

My Grandma taught me how to cook, she was a school cook and a pastry chef, so this, the famous Manchester Tart was one of her favourite things to make. I followed her handwritten recipe in a rather battered handwritten book and this was the delicious outcome.

If you’ve never had Manchester Tart before, it is shortcrust pastry blind baked, smothered with a layer of raspberry jam, topped with creme patissiere and sprinkled with toasted dessicated coconut. Some recipes (some very wrong recipes IMHO) include a layer of sliced banana on top of the jam, and most use much more coconut than I did, but it’s all personal taste.

Regardless of whether you are pro or anti banana, this Manchester Tart was a fine tribute to my Grandma, and I like to think she’d be tucking into seconds right now if she were still with us.

Half Term Fun at SEA LIFE Manchester

February half term is a tough one, the weather is unrelentingly gloomy, and I have no desire at all to stand shivering in the park afternoon after afternoon watching the boy hit muddy puddles with an equally muddy stick. The sensible thing to do is to plan a week of mainly indoor activities, where they can explore, have fun and maybe learn a little something too. SEA LIFE Manchester have launched a new attraction just in time for half term, so we went along to check out the new Octopus Hideout.

SEA LIFE Manchester

We’ve never been to SEA LIFE Manchester before, the small boy loves an aquarium, so he was very much looking forward to his visit. We were in for a real treat, the layout and design of the centre has been incredibly well thought out, with atmospheric lighting and mood music playing throughout, as well as lots of interactive displays so you don’t just feel like you’re looking at things, you’re getting involved too.

We were wowed by the range of aquatic life they’d managed to fit into the aquarium, with sharks, turtles and rays swimming about, as well as more fish than we dared to count. There were weird and wonderful species of fish, most of which were imaginatively displayed in shaped tanks, some of which you could walk under, peep into through portholes, or just stand in awe at the underwater scene in front of you. 

SEA LIFE Manchester

The Octopus Hideout is a brand new attraction which was launched just in time for this half term, we met up with Dan the curator who was able to tell us more about the creatures in the new Octopus Hideout. Although technically we were looking at more than just octopus, we were looking at cephalopods.

Cephalopods include octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus, they can change colour, texture and body shape to blend into their surroundings, and if threatened they can squirt a cloud of ink as a smokescreen or decoy. Cephalopods have three hearts and blue blood, and they are thought to be among the most intelligent creatures in the ocean.

We met the Nautilus, a slightly weird looking cephalopod with a hard shell. It can alter its buoyancy by filling its chambers with water. They were quite hypnotic to look at, pulsating and bobbing up and down in the water. Nautilus is an ancient creature which has been around for more than 500 million years. We also met the Common Octopus (called Octopus Prime), as well as the tiny Atlantic Long Arm Octopus and Cuttlefish. 

SEA LIFE Manchester
Hank the Giant Pacific Octopus, Photo courtesy of SEA LIFE Manchester

Dan showed us Hank the Giant Pacific Octopus, he explained that octopus were nocturnal and Hank, like me, isn’t great in the mornings. Hank was pretty big, but was fast asleep on a rock, having disguised himself as a rock, so he was grey. Dan told us when they fed him earlier (he enjoys a crab three times a week) he was bright red. Hank was fascinating and we learned a great deal about this mysterious creature.

We took our time looking around everything, paused mid way to let off some steam in the soft play room half way around, had a funny photograph taken, touched a starfish or two and learned all about life under the sea. It beats shivering in the park any day!

To find out more about the Octopus Hideout and to book tickets for this half term and beyond, visit the SEA LIFE Manchester website.

Note: We were invited guests of SEA LIFE Manchester. All opinions are our own.

7 different ways with Nestlé Cereals for Breakfast Week

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and for the last week we have been celebrating Breakfast Week, a week in which we were challenged to “Shake Up Our Wake Up”. I have been Instagramming a new breakfast each morning, all made with Nestlé Cereals, and all have been delicious and a good healthy and balanced start to the day. They’ve also been pretty fun to make and eat too.

We started off Breakfast Week with Nestlé Shreddies Pancakes, made with wholemeal flour, agave syrup and sultanas, these were surprisingly filling and very tasty.

On Monday, we went off to work with our bellies filled with a couple of Shredded Wheat with some seasonal rhubarb which had been roasted in manuka honey and the zest and juice of an orange.

Tuesday we breakfasted on the hop, so a couple of Shredded Wheat and blueberry muffins were the order of the day, and very nice they were too! These were the most popular breakfast of the week with the boys, and I’m getting constant requests to make another batch, so these will be a regular part of our breakfast menu.

Wednesday brought a Cheerios trifle – a layer of Cheerios, topped with thick yoghurt and layered with fresh fruit – a delicious start to the day.

It was back to basics for me on Thursday with a bowl of Shreddies and dried fruit, but served in my own hand-painted breakfast bowl (you can read about our pottery painting experience here).

Friday was breakfast treat time with these Cheerios Crispie Slices, fat-free and full of wholegrains and dried fruit, you can pretty much forgive the marshmallow “glue” I used to stick it all together.

Saturday, the final day of Breakfast Week brought a chocolatey treat – Nestlé Nesquik cereal in Nesquik chocolate milk. Double chocolate and a rare treat to get the weekend going in style!

Breakfast Week has been fab. We’ve all made a special effort to have a proper breakfast each day. What we’ve really loved has been trying out more interesting ways of eating our Nestlé Cereal than just in a bowl with some milk. By adding our own twist, some fresh or dried fruit, chocolate milk, or baking tasty but healthy treats with them, we’ve really managed to shake up our wake up this week.

Looking at the #BreakfastWeek hashtag on both Instagram and Twitter it’s clear that so many people have been making an extra effort with their breakfasts this week. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I think Nestlé Cereals and Breakfast Week has spurred people like me on to make the effort to have a proper breakfast, not to skip it altogether or grab something unhealthy on the hop.

I do feel livelier and more alert because I’m making the effort to have something sensible for breakfast every day and I’ve noticed that with the wholegrain in the Nestlé Cereals I’ve been eating I’m feeling fuller for longer. They boys have loved mixing things up and if I take one thing away from this, it’s that Shredded Wheat muffins can make 5 year old boys very happy indeed.

things to do with cereal

= In collaboration with Nestlé Cereals =