Category Archives: Essex

My Pre-Uni Wish List

So there is now less than 6 weeks till I become a mature (that still makes me laugh) student.

For those of you who don’t know I will be starting at South Essex University to study Journalism for the next 3 years (you can read more about that here on the South Essex website). Before I start though I have made a list of things I would like to do, before I become to busy studying to do anything!

Spa Day with my girlfriends

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The Poolhouse At Masion Talbooth

I love a girly day of gossip and relaxation. Us Essex girls are completely spoilt for choice when it comes to spa day locations but my top three would have to be Maison Talbooth for its beautiful setting and amazing afternoon teas, Lifehouse for total relaxation and state of the art facilities and Greenwoods for its spectacular grounds.

 

 

A family adventure with my little gang

We love to get out and explore as a family. However with Scarlett starting school, me starting Uni and Orlaith being looked after by the nanny 2 days a week, our time together will be limited. Therefore the time we do have will need to be super special. Nothing like a few time restrictions for you to make the moments you do have count.

I’m hoping the weather improves before the schools go back so that we can have one last day at the beach all together before the madness of her first term starts. Frinton is my beach of choice, however Mersea and Walton come a close second.

Beach Huts At Frinton

Beach Huts At Frinton

Dinner with The Essex Husband

Quality time as a couple is very important, especially once little ones arrive. I’m incredibly lucky that I have a supportive husband and as a thank you I would like to treat him to dinner before my course starts. My choice would be The Pier in Harwich however he is a HUGE fan of The Rare Cow in Writtle, I guess we may just have to toss a coin.

Finally I just need one day to myself, to get my head round how much life is a bout to change. Its going to be a rollercoster, massive highs and heartbreaking lows, but my goodness its going to be worth it.

Wish me luck…

 

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Marsh Farm KidsFest 2013 – Review

Marsh Farm KidsFest, the newest children’s festival to hit the scene, hosted its inaugural fun filled weekend in Essex last Saturday and Sunday.

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There was so much to see and do, and with everything included in the entrance price, it was really great value for money.

We arrived about 11am and things were already in full swing.  Alongside the normal offerings from Marsh Farm there were also the added extras of great acts on the main stage, a full scale circus, shopping village and fun-fair to name but a few.

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After a busy day of fun and games we headed over to the main arena about 4pm to see Mr Maker live on stage.  I’m not sure who was more excited about this, Scarlett or myself, but either way we were not disappointed. He was brilliant!

Straight after Mr Maker the lovely JImbo took to the stage. He was hilarious.  Totally and utterly side splittingly funny.  He is being booked for the next birthday party we have for sure (even if its not a children’s party)

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A great day was had all round by this little Essex family and, judging from the smiling parents and weary children on the way out, I don’t think we were the only ones.

Marsh Farm KidsFest is set to be a HUGH annual event – I cannot recommend getting an early bird ticket next year highly enough.

 

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Rare Cow, Writtle, Essex – Review

Fed up with having to travel into London every time he wanted a good steak Rare Cow owner Richard Lester decided that he would open up a restaurant on his doorstep. With a background in both the cruise and food industries he has found himself well placed in the picture perfect village of Writtle to create a brand that is sure to take Essex foodies by storm.

Rare Cow promises that your food will be ‘served to your table with happiness and passion‘; well they certainly lived up to that claim.

Our waitresses were attentive and informative, owner Richard is one of the friendliest (and steak loving) men you’d ever be lucky enough to meet and the food, well that surpassed all expectations we arrived with.

Rare Cow, Writtle

My starter of Scallops with fried quails egg with caper balsamic reduction was divine and The Essex Husband couldn’t stop raving about his fried calamari with Maldon salt and micro sliced naga chili (well once he could talk again anyway, after the burning in his mouth had subsided).

For mains we opted for steak and a chicken burger. The steak, the best my husband had ever eaten, was huge, and my burger (I’m not really a big meat eater so having a steak wasn’t for me) was delicious, and fully loaded to say the least.

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Alongside their regular menus Rare Cow have two stand-out exclusive packages that are simply too good to miss.

Rare Cow The Chefs Table. Starting from £39 a head you get a starter, unlimited selections of steak cooked to perfection, sides and a choice of dessert with soft drinks, unlimited house wine and a selection of bottle beers to wash it down with.

Rare Cow BBQ Weekends

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Rare Cow was summed up perfectly on the night by my husband when he announced ‘I love a restaurant where you can get high-end food that’s relaxed enough I don’t have to wear socks’.

I do love that man!

www.rarecow.co.uk

Disclaimer – we were given our meal as a gift from Rare Cow, but all views expressed are our own.

 

 

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Strawberry Picking In Essex – Lathcotes Farm

Is there anything better to do during the summer months than go strawberry picking in Essex? Its certainly up there with posing in a beer garden wearing oversized sunglasses as a qunitessinally ‘Essexy’ summer thing to do.

One of the best places to go Strawberry picking in Essex is Lathcoates Farm in Chelmsford.

Lathcoates is a wonderful farm shop and recently opened tea room, with a handful of small animals to pet and feed. It can be found nestled in between the orchards that provide apples for the most delicious apple juice I have ever tasted.

Strawberry Picking In Essex

For about 8 weeks each summer Lathcoates Farm plays host to a strawberry picking sensation. We visited last week and had such a lovely afternoon. It was the first time I had taken the girls  and they loved it. Handy really, as this is something I plan to drag them to each summer till they reach an age where they no long want to hang about with their old mum (which I’m hoping is never).

Just look at how beautiful Lathcotes Farm is…

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For more information on Lathcotes Farm and Strawberry Picking In Essex please visit their website

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Camping In Essex – Waldergraves Family Holiday Park, Mersea

Waldergraves Family Holiday Park on Mersea Island is a family run site voted ‘Best Holiday Park in Essex’ two years running in 2010 and 2011, what better place for the Essex family’s first camping trip.

We arrived at Waldergraves around lunch time, just in time to enjoy a picnic lunch with our holiday buddies (my MIL and her partner) and then headed down to the beach that is adjacent to the holiday park. Being this close to the seafront, close enough that I could see the water from the view outside my tent and smell the salt in the air, made me feel so relaxed.

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I love being by the water, I think I must have been a fish in a past life.

After our walk we made use of the heated outdoor swimming pool, another great attraction of Waldergraves, and its sunbathing areas (can’t beat camping in a heat-wave) and it was back to the tent to start prepping the food for our BBQ dinner.

Waldergaves was a busy campsite, and extremely noisy until late into the night.  I was worried this may affect the girls sleeping, but luckily once they got to sleep the noise didn’t worry them.  I was wiped out from the heat and headed to my sleeping bag about 10.30pm (yes, I’m so rock’n'roll) but due to the noise of the other campers, and then the ‘merry’ campers heading back to their tents from the club house, did keep me awake till after midnight.

The facilities at Waldergraves Family Holiday Park were very good.  The pool was clean, the shop reasonably priced and the toilet and shower block surpassed all my exceptions of camping washrooms, certainly was step up from the places I stayed while completing my Duke of Edinburgh awards as a teenager.

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Yes it was noisy, yes some people were smoking and throwing the cigarette butts on the ground where children were playing (massive pet hate of mine) and yes someone was riding a motocross bike in on the Waldergraves fields near the beach around families trying to play with their young children (that I tweeted Waldergraves about and still havent had a response) but I think I would try the campsite out again as the children had an amazing time.

The weather helped, it’s easier to ignore the bad bits when the sun is shining on the good parts, but all in all I came away happy.  I just think may a reponce via social media to their customers would have been nice.  That, and maybe free earplugs for the Waldergraves campers that want to get some sleep.

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Maldon Promenade Park – Free Family Day Out In Essex

If you are looking for a free family day out in Essex then Maldon Promenade Park could be just what you are after.

Maldon Promenade Park is fun family day out set beside the River Blackwater.  Having undergone a huge transformation over the past few years, Maldon Prom is now one of out favorite places to visit for a local waterside day out.

As the sun was shining last weekend we decided a little bucket and spade action was in order.  Unfortunately The Essex Husband had to work a late shift so we only had till 1pm to enjoy time as a family.  With Maldon Promenade Park on our doorstep we decided to head on down and enjoy the good weather.

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Parking at Promenade Park is pay and display but there is ample free street parking on the surrounding roads (watch the yellow lines) so you don’t have to be watching the clock all day for when your ticket runs out.

There are plenty of free activities at Prom Park. A lovely waterside sandpit and pump, a huge Pirate Gallon climbing frame and, my personal favorite, the crabbing pool.  There is also an outdoor Splash Park with lots of water activities costing £2 per 20 minute play, but I always find that we are having so much fun crabbing or sandcastle building that we never get round to joining the queues to enter.

This Sunday they had a free to enter Classic Car Show, a complete bonus as we didn’t know it was taking place, with live music and a vintage fair.  Alongside our usual sand play and frisbee games, Scarlett loved looking at the old busses and I was in complete V Dub heaven looking at all the old camper vans.

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We had such fun, I love seeing how much the girls thrive when playing outdoors, and it would have been a crime not to make the most of this awesome weather we have been having. Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face.

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If you are looking for other free family days out in Essex aside from Maldon Promenade Park then why not check out our visit to The Gruffalo Woods, Brentwood in the Travel section.

 

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Gruffalo Hunt Essex, Thorndon Country Park

If you are looking for a great day out in Essex with little ones then the Gruffalo Hunt at Thorndon Country Park is certainly for you.

The Gruffalo Hunt

Great for outdoor loving children. With tress to climb and woods to explore, and the added bonus of a real life Grufflao to hunt.

Standing pride of place in the middle of the woods, The Gruffalo is joined by Mouse, Snake, Owl, Fox and The Gruffalo’s Child, all ready and waiting to be found with the help of the free map available from the gift shop.

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Costing only £2.20 for an all day car parking ticket (you will need change for this as it’s a pay and display machine) and no entry change to the Gruafflo hunt itself, this really is a low-cost family day out.

A small cafe can be found at the back of the gift shop and there are a number of picnic areas (one undercover for the more typically ‘British’ summer days) that can be utilised by visitors.

I would recommend visiting on a weekday, as the weekends can get extremely busy (the car park can be one in one out at times), but if peak times are the only ones available to you then ‘liking’ Thorndon County Park on Facebook is always a good idea, as they keep it up to date daily with how busy they are.

Thorndon Gruffalo Hunt is a big hit with my girls and all their little friends.  It’s such a simple idea that has grown into such an iconic Essex based visitor attraction.

To find out more about the Gruffalo Hunt in Essex you can find Thorndon County Park on Facebook

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A Visit To Flatford Bridge Cottage and Flatford Mill

It was over 2nd wedding anniversary last week and we decided to treat ourselves to a child-free break to celebrate.  We stayed in The Pier Hotel, Hariwch the night before and then enjoyed the day together in Frinton, Flatford and Dedham.  I had a wonderful time with a wonderful man, I’m a very lucky girl.

I have already blogged about our stay at The Pier and our morning walk in Frinton, now here is the next part of our adventures…

Whenever we go away I like to try to make use of our National Trust membership. For a while now I had been wanting to visit Flatford as people kept telling me how much I would love it, so staying so close by the night before it seamed silly not to go.

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From the moment we arrived and walked down towards the river I was in love.  It’s just so beautiful. We first had a look round the John Constable exhibition and then took a stroll down to Flatford Mill to see the location of his famous painting, The Hay Wain.

Making sure we are in the right spot...

Making sure we are in the right spot…

The scene of The Hay Wain

The scene of The Hay Wain

I had heard rumor of a tearoom located back up by the visitor centre so we headed off to find it.

It was set on the river, overlooking a pontoon where cute rowing boats can be hired.  Being the silly people that we are we didn’t have any cash on us to hire a boat, but in a way I was glad as this is now a good excuse to go back and visit again with the children.

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We had such a lovely time walking around together chatting and enjoying each others company, I really do love spending some one on one time with my darling man.

For more information on Flatford Bridge Cottage and Flatford Mill visit the National Trust website.

 

 

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A Seaside Stroll In Frinton

It was over 2nd wedding anniversary last week and we decided to treat ourselves to a child-free break to celebrate.  We stayed in The Pier Hotel, Harwich the night before and then enjoyed the day together in Frinton, Flatford and Dedham.  I had a wonderful time with a wonderful man, I’m a very lucky girl.

I have already blogged about our stay at The Pier, now here is the second part of our adventures…

After breakfast we decided to drive the short distance to Frinton for a morning walk to blow away the cobwebs, and to ease the guilt of the 1 million calories I had consumed thanks to the amazing food at The Pier.

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I love the British seaside, and walking along the front at Frinton is one of the places where I feel the most happiest in the world.  To me it is what real seaside towns should be like.  I love how old-fashioned and quaint it is. No gaudy amusement arcades or groups of hen and stag doos. Just people walking around enjoying their surroundings, appreciating how lucky they are that places like this still exist.

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My other favorite pastime when in Frinton is indulging myself in a spot of beach hut envy.

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Is there anything more British that a beach hut? One at Frinton is right at the top if my ‘Lottery List’.

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The Pier in Harwich – A Review

It was our 2nd wedding anniversary last week and we decided to treat ourselves to a child-free break to celebrate.  We stayed in The Pier Hotel, Hariwch the night before and then enjoyed the day together in Frinton, Flatford and Dedham.  I had a wonderful time with a wonderful man, I’m a very lucky girl.

Here is the first part of our adventures…

The first part of our wedding anniversary break was spent at The Pier in Harwich.  I love the Milsons Hotel group, we have stayed with then in the past at their other properties and always had a wonderful time.

The Pier Hotel in Harwich is set right on the waterfront in this very British seaside town. Harwich is a place that holds very happy memories for me.  It is where my beloved aunt and uncle live and where both my girls have had their first feel of sand between their toes.  Being so close to Walton and Frinton it often gets overlooked, but I think people don’t know what they are missing.

The town is a real working port. With ferries and cruise-liners leaving many times a day I never fail to be amazed by the size of the ships that go past. It is also one of the best places to go for fresh fish, you couldn’t get restaurants closer to where the fish is landed if you tried!

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The hotel its self is as part of the coastline as the Ha’Penny Pier and docks, composed of two listed buildings loving restored by Milsoms to their former glory.

Our room was great; very spacious, with the most comfortable bed and a view that took my breath away.

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The view from our bedroom window at sunset

Before dinner we popped round the corner to meet my Aunt and Uncle for a quick drink in The Alma, a very quaint local pub that I have become extremely fond of over the years and one I certainly recommend trying out if you are ever in the area.

After a quick catch up over a couple of G&Ts we headed back to The Pier to have dinner.  We ate in the downstairs Bistro as the upstairs restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday evening.  It’s a lovely relaxed dining area with wonderful views over the water and very attentive staff.

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Spanish Omelet

I had a Spanish omelet to start and a spiced aubergine dish for my main while Rob had a 70′s style prawn cocktail followed by a fully loaded burger. The food, as I have come to expect from any Milsons restaurant, was fantastic.  I could have eaten my starter about ten times over.

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Spiced Aubergine and Chapati

For dessert I had a chocolate pot with warm cookies and marshmallows.  It was divine, a melt in your mouth taste explosion.

After dinner we took the rest of wine up to our room and, as it was almost midnight, opened our cards and reminisced about all the amazing things that have happened in our first two years of marriage.

It was the perfect way to start our anniversary.

If you would like to find out more about staying at The Pier in Harwich visit www.milsomhotels.com

 

Disclaimer – we were given the stay free of charge for the purpose of this review but the views expressed are all my own.

 

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