Perfect summer picnic check list

No better way to spend a day in the summer holidays then by having a picnic, We often pack one for days out to keep costs down on a day out as a family, The whole event of a picnic should be something to celebrate and lets face it we don't get much of a summer so lets make the most of it ! 

Doesn't matter if its a picnic in your garden at home or in some lovely woodlands , As long as your with the right people and know what to pack you'll have a great time. 

Picnic check list 

Potty ( not all picnic locations will have toilets near by ) 

Picnic basket or cool box

Disposable plates & cups

Baby wipes ( not just for babies! ) 

Rubbish bags 

Blankets 

Drinks ( take a flask with hot water for teas/coffees ) 

Picnic food ! ( A given really no? ) 

Ice packs ( no one wants a hot pork pie come lunch time ) 

Sun cream & hats

Umbrella ( incase of rain but also good for shade on hot days ) 

Money for the ice cream van ( doesn't matter that treats you pack for pudding the kids will ALL want a 99 from the ice cream van, And so will you ) 

We have a whole host of local places we plan to visit over the summer holidays places such as our local zoo, woodlands, splash park , flying kites up over the downs, play dates with friends at the park and lots more just in the garden. I hope you all have a lovely summer and get to enjoy a few picnics yourself. 

                                

Forest feast Perfect picnic foods * Review *

Summer Holidays are just days away and i for one can not wait! Lazy days and no school runs, Getting to spend time together with Bodhi before he starts big school in September. We was very kindly sent a bag full of yummy snacks and treats from forest feast.



They stock a huge range of nuts/seeds/fruits and street foods, I couldn't wait to try them out and with my mums birthday coming up i planned to take her for a picnic with the snacks. We packed the wonder berries / sour cherries and coconut flakes along with the coated peas.



We had a lovely picnic and we all enjoyed the forest feast items, My dad ate most of the peas but i did get to try some of the BBQ flavours and they were very tasty and just slightly on the spicy side. A perfect change from other snacks . Bodhi enjoyed them and asked for them the next day with his lunch.

    

The dried fruit was also a huge hit, I have always struggled with dried fruit as Bodhi can't have raisins and most mixed fruits (Always) have raisins in them but i was pleased to find the wonder berry mix was packed full of yummy berries we mixed these with the sour cherries and coconut and we all tucked in and enjoyed. I have future plans to make flapjacks with this mix of fruit for more summer picnics and days out. The Wonder berry mix is also one of your 5 a day per 25G 

To make the most of the summer we have lots of days out planed that i will be taking snacks along with me to keep costs down. 

* day at the beach 

* zoo 

* soft play 

* play dates at the park 

* family visits

* summer holiday to Spain 

* picnics ( At home or out and about ) 

Hope you all have a lovely summer Holidays and i would definitely recommend them check out the summer snacks that forest feast stock you can buy online from amazon and also online via Ocado. 

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo family day out

We are so lucky that we live just around the corner from ZSL Whipsnade Zoo , the Zoo is located in bedfordshire and is very easy to find.

 Family passes are worth there weight in gold in the Hughes household. Our pass costs £286 for the year this is a family pass and can be for up to five children ( you need to prove that the children live with you when buying the pass ) now £286 sounds like a lot of money... and yes it is.. but let me brake it down. A
one off trip to the Zoo for two adults and one child £62.10 ( adults £22.80 / child £16.50 ) so rough maths, we got five times in the space of the year and thats the covered the cost of the pass, now imagine if you did have five children ( shudder ) it would cost you £128 to visit for one day so a pass really isn't such a bad idea, not only will this pass get you into Whipsnade zoo but also London Zoo and you also get 10% off in the gift shop , train and the cafes & restaurants.

The zoo is a fun family day our for the whole family, Whipsnade also has a huge outside playspace and a soft play ( price covered but ticket cost ) They have talks about the animals from the keepers and the sealion show & bird show are a must, Its easy to spend the day enjoying the wide open spaces and watching the animals.

i would advice taking own food and drinks into the zoo are the price of these is a little eye watering, i am looking forward to many more Zoo trips this year ( and many more years to come after )

Whipsnade also holds special meaning to us as a family, Chris and i had our first real date at the zoo and we also got married at whipsnade in 2008 , we went in with the lemurs and got to feed the giraffes is a day i will never forget for so many reasons.




you can check out more details from the zoo website this also is the London zoo site so make sure your looking on the right one

whipsnade & london zoo website