A Christmassy Day in London

I love London, especially as Christmas approaches and they go all out on lighting up the city so spectacularly.  I will find any excuse for a day up there with the boys as we can always find something to do, something new to see and an adventure to have.  There is something so magical about the big city and they do everything on a different level to our local towns.

Last weekend we headed up first thing in the morning to go and see the Snowman.  I took Dylan last year and it was just amazing.  I knew it would be something that would become a family tradition and this year all five us turned up at the Peacock Theatre to watch the show.  The Snowman brings the classic book and film to life on stage and is perfectly designed for toddlers and small children.  With two halves, both under an hour it isn't too long to expect them to sit still and with all the magic on stage even Archie coped (the child who doesn't understand the concept of sitting or still).  

The snowman really does fly across the stage and the dancing is spectacular.  The boys loved when all the snowmen meet Father Christmas in the forest and we loved watching their faces light up.  Even Finn seemed amused although he did snooze through at least half of the show.

Once it was all over, we walked over to Covent Gardens which is less than 10 minutes on foot as we had reservations at Jamie Oliver's Italian.  None of us have ever eaten at one of Jamie's restaurants before and we were keen to try the fresh food and check out the kids menu that is more adventurous than your average chicken nuggets and chips.

The service was fantastic and I loved the choice that the boys had, with titles like 'chicken lollipops', everything sounded really appealing and all the food was fresh.  Our waiter was fantastic with Finn, we struggle sometimes as he is allergic to dairy and egg but he gave us different options and made sure Finn's came straight away so that he could tuck in.  The boys' meals looked delicious, although the salad in a jar wasn't a hit as both are completely scared off as soon as you put lettuce in there. 

The bloke and I ordered starters and mains, and they were all lovely.  The desert definitely stole the show though, the chocolate pudding was soft and exquisite and the salted caramel ice cream had so much flavour and a perfect texture.  The service definitely made the meal that bit more special as every member of staff seemed to go above and beyond what I expect in a restaraunt.

After lunch we took a leisurely stroll back to the centre of Covent Garden as it is my favourite part of London.  It was our second time this season, but the boys were desperate to see the giant Christmas tree again.  Last year we loved the Lego santa's sleigh and this year's Santa Express didn't disappoint.  The queue was pretty small at 4pm and so we didn't have long to wait before the boys could board the train and press the buttons to make the steam come out.  (The sleigh is there until the 29th December).

There was plenty to see and do, from street performers to watch and shops to browse to the spectacular lights and trees all around.  It really brought Christmas alive and we came home feeling festive and ready for the big day.

Thank you to Sadler's Wells for our tickets to see The Snowman and to Jamie's Italian for our meal