25th August 2010

Sometimes a trip into Birmingham is a delight. Sometimes it is unavoidable! Todays' visit was a bit of both. Had to buy some uniform stuff, some provisions for a weekend camping trip and some 'bits'. The children were actually very good and the sneaky coffee at the end was right up their street!

Krispy Kreme Donuts, Selfriges, Bullring
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie
Bought: Coffee for me, original glazed donut for Ethan, Powder blueberry donut for Naomi, Strawberry Kreme donut for Edward, Cinnamon apple donut for Susie
Cost: £7.15 - eeeeek!

And: The coffee was actually amazingly nice. AND I got the last bite of Susie's donut - also very nice.

24th August 2010

It's Tuesday and, much as they regret the fact, the children eat so must also shop! On the plus side was the promise of a sneaky coffee with a myriad of friends afterwards.

Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Me and younger three (Ethan occupied elsewhere), Danni and her younger two, Viv and Alex
Bought: A coffee for me and drinks for the children. Made the interesting discovery that you can buy a 'children's coke' for 50p.
Cost: £3.50 ish
Sat: Table 28! Need you ask?

And: A coffee with friends is always welcome. A coffee with children is sometimes a little stressful!

18th August 2010

In contrast to the previous day today was dry and even warm!

Cafe Main, Cromer
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Marjorie, Naomi and Edward
Bought: Two coffees, two smoothies and three pieces of cake
Cost: Nanny paid! (Anyone notice a theme emerging?!)
Cafe: Functional, not unpleasant. We sat outside overlooking a road like yesterday but in the sunshine roads look much nicer it seems!
And: The cake was nice, the smoothies were really nice and the coffee was excellent. The loos were a long way away though.

14th August 2010 - part one of two

We are on holiday in Cromer with Simon's extended family. The house we're staying in has nine bedrooms and can technically sleep eighteen. There are fourteen of us. Our holiday house is immaculately decorated and I quickly wished I had photographed it when we first arrived before all our 'kid junk' started to clutter up the place! We had a sea view from almost every window and only a five minute walk into town. It promised to be a good week, with plenty of coffee!

Cromer Esplanade
This might not count as a sneaky coffee under normal circumstances but as the first 'coffee out' of the holiday I am going to include it anyway!
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Auntie Anna, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Cody and Kian
Bought: Eight donuts (I do realise there are only seven of us, but they came in bags of four) and a coffee
Cost: Anna paid - but it would have been about £4.75
Cafe: A caravan on the esplanade with patio chairs! A great sea view and in the sunshine it was quite pleasant!
And: Not great coffee, but the donuts were hot, fresh and sugary and the promise of a whole holiday stretching before us was enough to make me overlook slightly bland beverages!

12th August 2010

My National Trust membership has really been worth its weight in gold over the last week! As a child I was taken (dragged?) to NT places and I swore never to do that to my children. Now I take (drag?) my children to NT places regularly because they are free (or at least our pre-paid card gets us in free), educational, wholesome, etc etc....! The easiest way to make a NT visit palatable to them though is to combine it with a get together. Today we not only met my parents and Grannie but also my Uncle, Aunt and two cousins who although technically are the the same generation as me are much closer in age to my children and thus great favourites with them.

Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie; Mum, Dad and Grannie; Uncle Lloyd, Auntie Isobel, Mark and Tim
Bought: Our family had a cafetiere of coffee, two 'afternoon tea' for kids (carton of apple juice and a chocolate crispie cake), a glass of milk and a bottle of posh juice. Lactose intolerance has made cream tea a treat of the past.
Cost: Dad paid! Thanks Dad!
Cafe: In the actual hall - unusual and charming. A bit on the small side and we were lucky to get three tables on which to spread out.
And: I was on a table with Auntie Isobel, Tim and Susie. We had fun. Susie shared her drink and cake with her doll.

10th August 2010

It's Tuesday, it's eleven am.... but ti's the school holidays! It is far enough into the school holidays for a 9am start to be unrealistic (unless by start you mean breakfast) but still near enough the beginning for me to imagine a sneaky coffee with all the kids might just be, in some small way, a little bit idyllic!

Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Danni, Maddie, Laura, Rachel, Amanda, Ben, Elizabeth, Daniel, Naomi W and James
Served by: A tolerant and sweet bar lady. I had to order five drinks and four of those drinking (mentioning no names but NOT me) changed their choice of drinks several times during the process!
Bought: A black coffee, a hot chocolate, two Pepsi and a smoothie carton
Cost: a bit over a fiver

And: Well the kids got table 28 and the grown ups were relegated to table 29! They weren't awful but it wasn't the most peaceful coffee ever!

9th August 2010

School holidays present long periods of trying to keep the children entertained and busy without spending too much money. National Trust properties are ideal but the kids are not always enthusiastic! However - this lack of enthusiasm can be avoided if the visit is made with another family. Today we did exactly that!

Croome Park, Worcestershire
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Sarah, Chris, Elliot, Maddie, Esther
Bought: I bought a cream tea (scone for Ethan and Naomi to share, tea for me) three cartons of drink, one can of drink and a large hunk of shortbread for Edward and Susie to share.
Cost: £9.60 (eye watering I know, I know I previously suggested that Heaven would contain a National Trust tea room but since have decided this will only be so if it is free - and as many people have pointed out it WOULD be free because Jesus has already paid the price!!!)
And: The cafe here is in an old RAF base which makes it spacious and suitable for a cafe if a little featureless otherwise. In fact the main feature was copious amounts of wasps.

8th August 2010

I should point out that the date here is a SUNDAY! Sunday sneaky coffee is extremely rare for two main reasons. Firstly church - which takes up the first half of the day. And secondly church - which leaves me too exhausted to go out again.... only kidding! The second reason is that Simon is at home at weekends and Sunday is designated as a family day and he doesn't seem to get the glory of the sneaky coffee!

Kinver Rock Tea Room, Kinver Edge
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Simon, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie
Bought: A cup of Earl Grey tea, three cans of fizzy stuff and two fruit shoots
Cost: £5.05
Cafe: Built into the cliff which is sandstone. However, it also has a garden which we sat in. Very peaceful little garden with a lawn and old fashioned cottage-y flower beds.
And: The kids don't quite get the restorative point of sneaky coffee so it was fortunate that the 'upper terrace' of the Kinver Rock Houses (to all intents a purposes a series of room sized caves connected by tunnels) were just the other side of the gate. They went off and played, the grown ups enjoyed the garden and the drink.

4th August 2010, part two of two

Armed with the exciting news that the pregnant woman we shared a curry with last night has actually gone into labour AND delivered a baby boy I met my crowd at Aston Hall for coffee and to take advantage of the free children's activities on offer.

Aston Hall
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Auntie Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Amanda, Ben, Elizabeth, Daniel, Naomi, James, Danni, Naomi, Maddie, Laura, Rachel, Viv and Alex
Bought: Tonnes! Anna bought for us... a coffee, a tea, two slices of cake and three ice creams
Cost: £9
Sat: Outside - the patio was crowded when we arrived and emptied when we left (although threatening weather may have contributed to this as well as the foghorn like racket the kids were making!)

And: This time I asked for my coffee in a mug instead of a cup - which made my drink twice the size. I don't even think I was charged more for it. I noted on the menu that you could buy a 'Cafeteria of coffee' (as opposed to a Cafetiere) which irritated my inner (or not so inner!) pedant!

4th August 2010, part one of two

My sister in law (also called Anna!) is staying with us at the moment. One of her many qualities is that of extremely devoted Auntie to the kids! Thus, when a trip to Tesco was offered this morning the kids jumped at the chance knowing Auntie Anna would probably buy them each a present! They were not disappointed. Whilst I had my mind of fruit, meal plans and freezer contents the kids weighed up various clothes, toys and CD options. Just as the whole lengthy process was drawing to a close Anna offered to buy me something but I was so weary by now that a quick coffee upstairs was the only treat my mind responded to with any enthusiasm!

Tesco, Aston Lane
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie and Anna Mary
Bought: A coffee, a tea, an innocent smoothie, a fruit shoot, two soft drinks, two ham sandwiches and two jam sandwiches and a prawn sandwich
Cost: £7.15 I think - staggeringly reasonable
Sat: On two of the high tables as we were eating too
And: Improved coffee I think

3rd August 2010

It's been a while! School holidays do rather infringe on time which should rightfully be devoted to sneaky coffee-ing so today I bit the bullet and suggested an aptly titled 'child infested' sneaky coffee!

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Danni, Naomi S, Maddie, Laura, Rachel, Viv and Alex
Bought: I used a filled up stamp voucher for my free coffee and bought the children a pepsi, two orange juice and lemonades and a fruit shoot (The filled up voucher was given to me a couple of weeks ago at a promotion in the downstairs mall designed to enlighten people of the fact that The Arthur Robertson actually serves coffee! The man who gave it to me knew me well - and presumably was fully aware of my full awareness of said fact!)
Cost: £5.05
Sat: The adults got table 28, the children rather charmingly sat at the next table and even managed to instigate a 'sort of educational grammar' game!
And: A child infested sneaky coffee may not be quite the same, but it can be fun anyway!

26th July 2010

My wonderful parents have taken my adorable children away for the first week of the holidays. They have only gone as far as Stafford and they are camping... but it's at a Bible Week which the kids really get a lot out of as well as having a lot of fun. I nurtured the idea of romantic interludes with Simon but various work and church commitments have got in the way. So I have decorated Susie's bedroom! It looks so good and, amazingly, can be done very quickly when there are no interruptions! Anyway - on the Monday of the Bible Week there is no daytime meetings so I went up and joined them for a day. We ventured out to Sudbury Hall, a National Trust property which has the National Museum of Childhood on site, and (crucially!) a National Trust tea room! (I suspect Heaven will feature National Trust tea rooms!)

Sudbury Hall
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Mum and Dad
Bought: Three coffees, four ice creams, three variations of cake (fruit for me, millionaires shortbread for Mum, a tea cake for Dad), then later on three mugs of coffee
Cost: Not cheap! The first round was £15.?? and the second was nearly £6.
Cafe: Typical of the genre, a converted stable block (or similar!) with light pine tables and chairs, canteen style service with unutterably tempting cakes on display!
Position: But we sat on the picnic tables outside!
And: Nice coffee BUT the cheapest option (still £1.60) was a CUP, a small cup! You can pay more for a mug or even more for a large mug but I think the cup is too small.

However - the rest of the museum and the play area are excellent and very well worth a re-visit.

1st June 2010

I feel like I should add 'finally' to the heading of this blog entry. I spent a few days in Essex staying with my mother-in-law who is kind and generous but not as attuned to 'sneaky coffee-ing' as I. (Though in fairness - few are!) We had two utter (and disappointing) failures in sneaky coffee terms and both times her response was 'Well - we can have a coffee at home' which is accurate and pragmatic but entirely misses the point! Maybe I can see the true source of Simon's inability to grasp the concept properly!

The first incident would have featured a coffee trip for eleven - all six of our family, Nanny (aka Mother in Law or Marjorie), and Simon's sister Wendy and her family (husband Phil and two children). We went for a walk along the shores of Hanningfield Reservoir in windy, chilly and slightly damp weather - all the time bribing the children with the promise of sneaky coffee (or equivalent) at the Fishing Lodge cafe - about a mile along the path. We arrived at the cafe to find that they only served meals between 12.00 and 2.30 and no 'drinks only customers'. It was 12.30. The cafe was packed and our chance at coffee scuppered. The children were each appeased by a packet of crisps or bar of chocolate from the adjoining shop but there was no consolation for me (both foodstuffs were offered and declined - I wanted a coffee!)

The second time was the following day. It was cold, it was wet, it was grey and any plans for 'outings' had long since been abandoned. However - the kids were a little 'cabin feverish' so I suggested a trip to a local garden centre. I have found that garden centres are surprisingly good family destinations. They often have a pet section so kids can look at birds, fish, small mammals, reptiles. They also often have quite interesting shops and products to marvel and giggle at! (Honestly - some of the water features must have been designed as a joke!) They also often feature coffee shops - as this one did. The smell of the coffee was amazing as we pottered around looking at scented candles, silk flowers, hose pipe attachments and bird tables. We selected a few items for purchase (as I said - my Mother in Law is very kind - we all got something!) and then took them to the car as I had seen on a quick recce to to the cafe that baskets were forbidden. We then hastened back to the cafe - arriving there at 16.02 and finding it closed!!!! It closed at 16.00. I was sad.

But then... success.... sort of

Tesco, Mayflower Retail Park, Basildon, Essex

We ended up in Tesco. I needed to buy groceries to bring home to Birmingham. The others went into the cafe while I did a 10 minute run around an unfamiliar Tesco looking for familiar products. I finished, I joined them and was gratified to learn that the children still had just about enough stamina left for me to have a drink too.

Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna - and Simon, Marjorie, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie
Bought: Well I had a coffee but I couldn't say for certain what else was bought. I saw hot chocolate, more coffee, fruit shoots....
Cost: Don't know - Marjorie paid while I wasn't there. My coffee was 95p.
Cafe: Typically Tesco - in the corner of a vast store. It had some coffee tables with bucket red leather seats but table choice was made for me as I arrived last.
Position: Views of the car-park and a distant A127? Not much to comment on.

And? Well I got a coffee but it wasn't quite the experience I had hoped for!

23rd May 2010

My Mum turned 60 on the sunniest weekend of the year so far (and possibly the sunniest weekend of the year in its totality judging by recent years) and the whole family were at Center Parcs. We were so busy enjoying the facilities, weather and necessary icecream that it took us until Sunday morning to make use of one of the many Starbucks outlets on site.

Starbucks, Sherwood Forest Center Parcs
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Simon, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie; Mum and Dad; Grannie; James, Heidi, Luca, Theo and Ellis; Paul and Angela
Served by: A slightly inpolite young lady - I expected that my Starbucks card (which is empty of credit but usually qualifies me for a free shot of syrup) would not be accepted but other similar outlets allow me the free syrup even if they don't accept the card as payment. She wasn't exactly impolite... but not apologetic either.
Bought: Our family had two flavoured spring water drinks (to share between the four children) a decaff coffee for Simon and a black coffee with a shot of almond syrup for me.
Cost: £7.20 - prices noticeably higher
Cafe: It was a nice place - spacious and well equipped with soft comfy chairs. However - we took advantage of the terrace area - mainly because the weather was stunning but also because we had seven children in our party and spilled drinks and noise matter less in the great outdoors!
Position: In the Center Parc 'village' which feels like an upmarket pedestrianised market town street.
Food: The others bought cakes etc. They were the standard menu items.
Complaints: No - all was well.

And? It was a nice time. However - such a big party does limit the feeling of 'having coffee together' as you can realistically only chat to a few people.

Mac Banana, April 2010

I am a blessed lady! One of the recent blessings in my life was the chance to go to South Africa on holiday (and for my brother's wedding!) in April 2010. Sneaky coffee-ing over in South Africa was so cheap that even Simon couldn't object! Thus we did it a fair amount!

Thus - the next entry is not intended to provide information (unless you plan to go all the way to South Africa for your sneaky coffee), but rather a nostalgia fest for me!

Mac Banana, Kaw-Zulu Natal, South Africa

Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Simon, Mum, Dad, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie
Served by: Smiling, polite, helpful staff - they all earned their generous tips many times over. Especially the lady who replaced Susie's spilled milkshake (no use crying!) and didn't charge extra.
Bought: Coffee (black) and Cappuccino. Banana Milkshakes. Beer. Pineapple milkshakes.
Cost: Can't remember exactly but eight drinks were less than the equivalent of £12
Cafe: GORGEOUS! We sat outside in a colonial dream of a garden. Peacocks strutted past, weaving between banana trees. The sun shone and we sheltered under a parasol next to the fountain.
Position: There was an indoor cafe but who would want to sit there?! The gently sloping terrace was perfection!
Food: We bought pancakes on one visit - banana and cinnamon! Hmmmmmm - though a dollop of cream would have improved it further that is no longer permitted due to the lactose intolerance. The bananas grown there (and available for silly money) taste amazing. Juicy, intense.... It's because they are ripened on the tree.... I can no longer eat bananas from Tesco. My eyes have been opened.
Complaints: Why don't they open a branch in Birmingham?

And? Everything about this place was lovely (though it probably benefits from the holiday mood factor) and I was delighted to have had it recommended. It also had a large shop selling fresh produce, homemade goodies and knick knacks. We got a lot of stuff there! The banana milkshakes (and I must confess I sneaked a sip - naughty girl) were to die for. I wouldn't normally be so enthused about a milkshake (or any other drink) but these really were. Freshly picked and ripe bananas, blended with honey and soft ice cream.... delicious.

6th May 2010

The Arthur Robertson, One Stop Shopping Centre, Perry Barr, B42 1AA

Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Naomi (aged 10) and Edward (aged 6)
Bought: A small coffee and two J2O drinks
Cost: £4.19
Served by: A manager type figure, seen him before.
Cafe: It's a pub! But there are two leather sofas facing each other over a coffee table and next to a fire. It's a nice ambience.
Busy: Not really
Food: I read the menu because it was new!

And? Well - going for coffee with your children can be nice... or not. In this case they made mess with ice cubes, crawled under tables and didn't make nice conversation! They were only off school because it was general election day and their school was closed.
The Arthur Robertson is a regular haunt for us as a group. The coffee is ok (apparently the cappucino is good but I can't have that) and it is a nice local place.