With a wet weekend forecast, the timing couldn’t have been better to be invited to spend a family day at Fort Kinnaird. Although my kids would happily run about in the rain, it’s really lovely to have indoor options available again too. With the summer holidays drawing to a close, it was also nice to be able to spend time as a family before we all get lost in the chaos of term again!
Bread Meats Bread
We hadn’t eaten at Bread Meats Bread before, but I had heard good things and the menu looked amazing. Sure enough, both of the children were indecisive when presented with the kid’s options, utterly torn between a cheese burger, hot dog, or grilled cheese toastie!
With light filtering in from the large windows at the front, the restaurant itself feels spacious and allows for each of the tables to be set far apart from each other. The kids were delighted to be given a booth – maybe it’s the novelty but there’s always something fun about them! – and soon were happily completing some activities on the backs of their menus.
For adults, the menu choice is also far from easy. I was impressed with the wide range of plant based options – including a number of other vegetarian options dotted around the menu as well. But felt like I had to go for a cheese burger to fairly compare it to other places we’ve been. I’m happy to report, it was cooked to perfection and utterly delicious. I would definitely return!
Waterstones
We’re huge bookshop fans, particularly when there is a good kid’s section, and the Waterstones branch at Fort Kinnaird is a lovely one. Tucked up on the first floor, it’s got the perfect combination of the smell of coffee from the cafe and lots of books!
Thomas was immediately drawn to the large array of LEGO books – of which he has several already – but it was good to explore some ‘chapter book’ options with him. He is a big fan of the picture book, ‘The Pirates Next Door; by Jonny Duddle but we hadn’t realised he had also produced an array of books for slightly older children with the same characters. Waterstones had one featured with a staff recommendation – so it was an easy choice for Thomas!
Katie has recently discovered graphic novels, initially enjoying ‘The Babysitters Club’ series before discovering Raina Telgemeier’s ‘Ghosts’. She was delighted to find ‘Drama’, also by Raina Tegemeier in the Older Readers section. Whilst marketed above her age range, after reading a couple of chapters, she wasn’t about to pass it by! As a dyslexic reader, she finds these books easily accessible but complex enough to keep her interest.
Odeon Cinema
The biggest treat of the day was undoubtedly returning to the Odeon cinema, as a family, for the first time in almost two years! Things were slightly different, in that both tickets and snacks either had to be pre-ordered, or bought from the machines in the corner of the lobby – before collecting from the food kiosk. But crucially, Costa is operating exactly the same as before, so I was able to buy a large coffee to take into the film!
As big fans of The Croods, we were really looking forward to seeing the sequel, ‘A New Age’, so I was glad that it lived up to expectation! Aside from the usual array of laugh out loud moments, the scenery was stunning with a lot of creativity thrown in – think spider wolves, crocodile dogs, walking sharks… there was a huge amount to ignite the imagination but lots of layers to the plot as well.
Rather than focus on a single dynamic, each family member seemed to have a storyline of their own. Although I enjoyed all of it, my hands down favourite had to be Grandma’s return to being a Warrior Queen! It’s on my to-do list to find that part of the sound track to add to my running playlist.
All in all, visiting Fort Kinnaird was not only an easy way to escape the bad weather but turned what could’ve been a ‘throwaway day’ into a memorable one.
