Center Parcs Revisited

We're back! 

S'funny how I feel like a character from C.S.Lewis' 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' by saying that. Going to Center Parcs feels a little bit like stepping into another world - quite possibly Narnia, due to the forest location. 

This feeling (of being in another world) was heightened by the fact that our accommodation didn't have WiFi (this time). We had some mobile reception, but not enough to do much on the Internet, so it left us feeling a little bit 'cut off' from the outside world. There was the telly, but somehow it seemed wrong to be watching it - when we could be out and about, or relaxing with our friends.

Morning!

Of course we hadn't gone for long. Previous trips to Center Parcs left us gagging for more, so we opted to return for a slightly shorter weekend slot (term time again, which makes it cheaper). The other advantages (it being Autumn) was a distinct lack of  both mosquitoes and hayfever. When we last visited (in June) I was bitten by wee critters and the wildflower meadow was in full bloom. There was one afternoon, down by the lake, when both The Hub and I suffered terrible hayfever. 

Guests for breakfast.

This time there was definitely an Autumnal nip in the air, as we wandered the site. The fireplace (something we'd not considered using before) definitely came into its own. Thankfully, the chalets were warm, there was sunshine during the day and a subtropical swimming pool 'Paradise' to keep us warm.

There were still the ducks and other wild life clamouring to be fed, including, on the first night, this badger!

Poor quality pic, I'm afraid!

The badger was after the remains of some bread left out for the ducks and came right up to our patio door! Having not seen a badger up close and personal before, I was very excited and couldn't believe how unfazed it was by our presence. Unfortunately, in my excitement, I rushed to take a photo on my new phone, not realising that there was a flash. Of course, the flash went off and scared the poor badger away. It was never to return. Doh!

On previous occasions, we visited local supermarkets, before arriving, to make sure we had all our gluten free and dairy free provisions lined up. However, last time we visited about four* before we got all the things that we thought we needed, so this time, as we were only going for a weekend we decided to try and do without the added supermarket hop. 

We decided to buy as much as we could from the onsite supermarket (otherwise known as the 'Parcmarket'). We still made sure that we took certain essentials: Genius bread (the Parcmaket does stock gluten free bread, but not the one loaf that I can comfortably eat), our long life milks (the Parcmarket sells soya milk and lactofree, neither of which are any use to me), Bolognese sauce, Orgran dried pasta (made with rice), some Dove's gluten free flour, Marigold Bouillion (we use it instead of gravy), our favourite snacks and a few extra cooking utensils. Oh, and some dairy free chocolate of course - they don't sell any at Center Parcs and I couldn't go without! 

As for everything else, I knew we could get Vitalite dairy free margarine in the supermarket on site, and for just a few days, I thought I could forgo my recently found dairy free cheese and yoghurt, after all, I've managed without for quite a while now.

Our confidence in the Parcmarket was dented somewhat by the lack of gluten free sausages and burgers (last time we brought our own, in a cool box) but restored by tasty apples and minced beef and... finding these: 

The more it snows, tiddly pom!

a new limited edition of gluten and dairy free Pom Bear snowmen (for a full list of ingredients, see below**)! 

The flavour was apparently 'Pigs in Blankets'. To be honest, I didn't think they tasted like Pigs in Blankets. Baby didn't like them (too spicy) but I did! Of course not all flavours (of Pom Bears) are dairy free, so I had to double check, and triple check, just to make sure!

Our 'Lodge' being closer to the main Plaza, this time, we didn't eat out as much as we have previously - we were able to return to the lodge for lunch. BUT it was good to know that the option was there, should the need arise... we still enjoyed our post-swim dairy and gluten free chocolate and hazelnut loaf from Starbucks though (said coffee shop is handily located in the reception area). 

Last time we discovered (to my joy) that I could eat one dish at Strada (there's one on site) which was dairy and gluten free! We've also eaten at 'The Sports Cafe,' and  'The Canopy' poolside cafe and bar, where we took a bit of a risk - by selecting dishes that had neither gluten or dairy listed as ingredients. I asked the staff to confirm that they didn't contain gluten/dairy, however, as to how well-trained they were about the need to avoid cross-contamination I've no idea. 

I don't like to take these kind of risks, but sometimes we lost track of time, or found ourselves further away from our accommodation than we thought - minus food and with a hungry little one in tow...

Of course this approach is, not to be recommended if you're at risk of an extreme reaction, such as an anaphylactic shock (Baby is not, and in fact has been okay more recently with tiny traces of cooked milk in her food) or if you're Coeliac (I'm intolerant to wheat/gluten, but not a diagnosed Coeliac). 

Neither of us came to any harm, although at the poolside cafe there wasn't much available for me to eat - just some salted 'Proper Popcorn' (a snack to keep me going, until we left the pool). However, the next time we were there, none of the salted variety of the Popcorn were left, so The Hub ordered me some corn on the cob - specifying no butter. When it arrived it was practically swimming in butter, but as 'no butter' was clearly written on the tab, the staff apologised and replaced it. 

We were far more sensible about exploring what options might be available at 'The Pancake House' - we went when we weren't desperate for food (just in search of a treat). We discovered that the Pancake House had gluten free and vegan options, but couldn't make me a pancake that was both gluten and dairy free - the gluten free mix contained skimmed milk. I was offered an omelette made purely with egg, but I would really have loved a pancake. 'Oh well!' I thought, 'I'll just have to stick to my own for now, then!'

I have to say, all in all, we had a great time (we spent most of our time in the pool, which Baby loved) and the weekend was over far too quickly. Now we're back, I'm already thinking ahead to next time - I'm writing a slightly modified list of essentials!

Homeward bound.

*On our previous visit, we visited the nearest Co-op (which turned out to be too small to stock Free From), Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Tesco. Tesco at Trowbridge turned out to be the winner for us, as it had most of the items we wanted. 

**Pom Bear Snowmen Ingredients: potato powder, sunflower oil, potato starch, modified starch, salt, sugar, yeast extract emulsifier: soya lecithins, spice, pigs in blankets seasoning: maltodextrin, yeast powder, yeast extract, onion powder, salt, sugar, garlic powder, spices, smoked salt, flavourings, herbs, colour (paprika extract), spice extracts

Update August 2015:

The 'Treats' sweet shop in the Plaza at Longleat Center Parcs now sells dairy free chocolate - you can buy Moo Free, or Kinnerton chocolate lollies. The Parc Market (onsite supermarket) now sell Black Farmer suasages which are dairy and gluten free, but bizarrely these were not placed alongside the other sausages! However, they no longer sell Vitalite or the higher end crisps/popcorn that are dairy/gluten free. AND nowhere sells those lovely Pom Bear snowmen anymore as Pom Bear have discontinued them! :(

Some of the menus in the restaurants/cafes at the site have changed. You can view them online before you go. You can buy dairy OR gluten free pancakes at the Pancake House, but none that are both. The Sport's Cafe at the Jardin du Sports has proved one again to be our best bet when eating out - with many more choices and a free soft play area for little ones! The Sport's cafe menu can be viewed online here. 

The only thing to watch out for are the disclaimers that cross-contamination cannot be guaranteed - hence the 'Gluten Free' menu at the Sport's Cafe has been named the 'Gluten Sensitive' menu. That said, the Canopy Cafe at the swimming pool were able to offer me gluten free fries that had been prepared in a separate fryer and then did warn kitchen staff about my needs. The lady who served me there has been there during our previous visits and was excellent. 

One thing I would like to have seen at the poolside cafe was some pre-packaged safe snacks as even the crisps were Walkers - which 'may contain' just about everything you could wish to avoid!

Previous Post:

We're all going on a... dairy free summer holiday

Supping at Strada

We'd not tried Strada before. Well, I say we, more strictly speaking, I mean Baby and I. The Hub has apparently eaten there before. Of course I knew of Strada - they're a fairly well-known Italian-style restaurant chain and appear in high streets all over the UK. I think I'd heard someone said they hadn't been much good on the allergic front, but the other day, being on holiday at Center Parcs and needing a place to lunch (we'd already lunched at our 'usual' twice during the week) we ended up there anyway. 

The Hub had checked it out (online) the night before. Me being the awkward one (or so we thought) - requiring food which is both gluten and dairy free (which can be quite difficult) we were delighted to find that, among the 'Mains,' there was a lamb option I could have. Well, The Hub thought I could, but wasn't sure - the menu can, apparently ,vary from location to location. 

To our disappointment, the lamb option didn't appear on the menu board, outside the restaurant. Feeling braver than I sometimes do, I sighed and decided to go inside and ask anyway. 

The young chap at the desk was punctiliousness personified, but I believe I detected a slight look of horror/apprehensiveness as I coyly approached the subject of 'dietary requirements.' 'Not a very reassuring sign!' I thought. However, he managed to locate THE folder - you know, the one with all the allergy listings and was quite happy for me to rifle my way through the pages. The dishes were listed in alphabetical order with a whole raft of food allergies laid out across the top of the page. This made the table fairly difficult to read. Handily for me, wheat and dairy were listed alongside each other!

I soon discovered, that the lamb dish did indeed exist in this restaurant. The confusion  had occurred due to the fact that more than one menu seemed to be available. One was a main menu and another the lunch menu. There may even have been another kind drifting around, but only two (alongside the drinks menu) made it to our table!

We decided to go in and eat - reassured by the waiter that any dishes ordered from the kitchen, by us, would be accompanied by a notification to the chef, concerning our dietary requirements.

Drinks ordered, we set about ordering food. Me? Lamb with new potatoes, simple! Baby? Spaghetti Bolognese, a dish she loves, that we often make at home, simple! 

Baby's choice

Not so simple! The waiter soon returned, to (very apologetically) explain that the ragu sauce in the Spaghetti Bolognese was not dairy free. 'How strange!' I thought, 'we've never used milk to make our Spaghetti Bolognese! Are we missing something?' It turned out, as it often seems to do, these days, that the only dish available to the Dairy Free Baby or child, is pasta with a pomodoro tomato sauce. Disappointing!! And hardly nutritious - where's the protein?

Why is it, when us mums manage to make all manner of dairy free dishes at home, that restaurant chefs, with all their food training and expertise, can only come up with the same old one? Still, the twisty pasta looked nice! And Baby ate it quite willingly - although she couldn't manage the whole bowl!

Baby, being served from the 'Kid's Menu,' was entitled to Antipastini, but we decided she could probably skip those, as we knew she wouldn't eat the carrot sticks and couldn't be bothered to go through the rigmarole of checking the bread sticks. However, she also received a 'Fruit Cooler' (she had Apple & Blackcurrant) as well as a dessert. 

There was a dairy free dessert option - a 'Chilly Billy' ice lolly, made from natural fruit juices. She's had one of these before, at Nando's, but this one was more child sized and perhaps thus more 'small child friendly' than the one she'd had before. She gave it a good licking, for a while, but to be honest (having tried it) The Hub and I agreed that it wouldn't appeal to many kids that we knew, especially as it was a bit sharp.

My choice

Agnello Al Rosmarino (Lazio) - it sounds so nice in Italian, doesn't it? That's roasted lamb with potatoes and some greens, to you and me (I always go straight to the main course). The Hub, knowing my horror of being served meat containing blood, ordered it well done. It certainly was! 

Unaccustomed as I am, to eating my meat, 'well done,' in restaurant terms, I wasn't sure if what I got was turned out to perfection. I usually forget to order my meat, 'well done,' so end up with meat that is swimming in red juice - which I consume whilst silently praying that I won't fall ill! This meat, however, was so well done, that it was in fact a bit tough - but at least I knew I wouldn't catch anything from it. 

The potatoes and the greens, which accompanied it were nice enough, but the 'olive oil sauce' seemed more like a bath! I like olive oil, but not this much!

The Hub's Choice

Rigatoni Speck - A pasta dish, with ham and a creamy cheesey sauce - a dish that once upon a time would have been my choice too! The Hub's comment was that he found it a bit rich, but he said that he'd had it before and knew it would be quite rich. The Hub thought that what with Baby and me both being dairy free (meaning that cream and cheese had been off the menu for quite a while) he'd become unaccustomed to it! However, he thought that the dish itself was fine, for what it was.

What about the price?

Prices are listed online. Our meals broke down as follows:

Baby's Pasta, Drink and Dessert - £6.50

My lamb - £15.75


The Hub - Rigatoni - £9.95

Drinks - The Hub and I both chose San Pellegrino Limonata - a light and refreshing drink but at £2.30 for a can which your pour yourself...

Anything to add?

With all our food requirements, I was pleased that at least we could eat something and we didn't go hungry, which I would have done, if I'd gone to some of the other restaurants at Center Parcs (I still haven't found anything on the menu at Cafe Rouge which is both dairy and gluten free). However, I think I was a bit underwhelmed by the quality of both my food and Baby's food, especially for the price - I think I could do better if I ordered roast lamb in a country pub. 


That said, I might try Strada again, if options were limited, just to find out if the quality of the lamb was better elsewhere, when cooked by another chef. The waiter, however, definitely did his very best!

One more thing - it was nice to see that Strada had dedicated space to a children's play area, with some nice toys. Do they do this in all their restaurants, or is this just for Center Parcs? It was definitely a plus for Baby!!


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We're all going on a... dairy free summer holiday!

We're going on our summer holiday next week and despite the stress of all the packing (I've been working on the washing all week) that I know will precede this wondrous event, I'm still excited! The Hub has been working hard in his newish contracting role in the City and I know we could all do with a good break, so hopefully it will be just that.

Where are we going? 

Well, that's a good question. Before Baby was born, the world was our oyster. Since Baby was born, our priorities have changed somewhat - after all we have the dairy free thing to consider and then there's my gluten free thing and we won't go into all the rest...

I read other blogs from time to time of people with food allergies/intolerances jetting off to other lands, but I don't fancy loading my suitcase with all the extra dietary stuff as well as all the Baby stuff. I rather suspect that we'd be charged for extra weight! 

We did drive through France, for a skiing trip, when Baby was four months old. Hideous! The screaming that emanated  from the back of the car for a large portion of the journey (even though we stopped for a night halfway and services almost hourly) shattered the nerves of both of us, and although Baby is generally better in the back, these days... I don't think that, at this point in time, a journey of that length would be advisable for us!

At that point, I was still OK with wheat/gluten, and, apart from lunch, the catering was done for us, by chalet staff. They were there to ski basically, but were trainee chefs... apparently. It was almost amusing spelling out what dairy meant (so many people think that includes eggs) but slightly worrying at the same time. Still, at least they had their special recipe folder!

The main sticking point appeared to be dessert, which I didn't mind missing, as we don't have dessert that often, anyway. Then, one night, they decided to pull all the stops out. Thankfully, I kept my eyes open and managed not to tuck in to their 'dairy free dessert' before they realised their mistake. I thought it looked too good to be true! I felt so bad for them - they looked so crestfallen!

Center Parcs

So, anyway, this year, we've decided to do a repeat of last summer's expedition - as it is based only a few hours drive away and we can stop off at The Hub's sister en route. That way, no planes or services to consider or debate, and oh, did I mention? We're know where we're going, we know what the set-up is like, and we're going to self-cater - it's just easier and less stressful all round. We're going to Center Parcs.

OK, so we're unlikely to see much sunshine, but I'm not much of a one for lying still on a beach, anyway! Besides which, last year's trip was a huge success - even though Baby came down with a tummy bug on the first night, which lasted until the day we left. Despite that we still had an enjoyable time. In fact, it was such a success that Baby howled on the way home 'cos she missed her (slightly) older cousin, her aunt... and probably the beach, as well!

Center Parcs (Longleat) is an ideal set-up for us, for the following reasons:

1. Self-catering - this way, there's no anxiety about the food. The kitchen we had last year was not too badly equipped (although, this year, we're taking our own  potato peeler, chopping knives and frying pan) and bonus - it came with a dishwasher!

2. Free 'Land Train' - to get around the site (it only comes with this particular site). I'm not a cyclist - particularly uphill.

3. Beach with sand - Baby loves sand! 

4. Free play areas all over the site - Baby can't resist a swing!

5. The Forest - it provides a lovely back drop, which deadens noise, is full of wildlife (we had ducks come to our patio for breakfast each morning) and is wonderfully relaxing to stroll though.

6. Family orientated - there's activities for everyone of all ages/interests, most of which you have to pay extra for, but you don't have to pay for the swimming pool, unless you have lessons. I'm not such a fan of the effort involved in getting into a swimming cozzie, but baby needs to start learning soon.

Coffee and cake!

7. Starbucks - which means I can still stop for coffee and cake (gluten and dairy free Chocolate and Hazelnut Loaf) just like everyone else.

8. The Sports Cafe - where, if we so desire, we can get lunch. This is no mean feat, if you want dairy free - rarer still if you're gluten free as well! Well, there was last year, anyway. Of course this year, I'll just have to check it's still the same. But yes! It was jacket potato with tuna mayonnaise (had to check the mayo.) for me, and fish fingers and chips, for Baby. But at least that's something! And the cafe came with a soft play area. Baby wasn't big enough last year, but this year...

9. Shopping - Apart from a little shopping arcade which features a shop selling Fat Face clothing (yes really) there's a supermarket on site. It's well-stocked and their prices are pretty much comparable to the supermarkets around where we live. And, wonder of wonders, it includes a free from section! That said, I'm still taking my own particular brand of bread (it's only stocked in certain places) and Baby's milk, spread and snacks - just to be sure!

10. Company! Last year it was the elder of my two sisters and her daughter, this year it's my parents, both my sisters, their husbands and my youngest niece. That way Baby has her cousin to play with and we get adult company in the evenings - something that happens oh, so rarely.

With company, comes added complications - sharing food. Breakfast and lunch people can sort out for themselves - after all everyone is different, and we may be spread out all over the site anyway (doing various activities). Dinner, I thought, might be nice to eat together. So, I've come up with a rota, and a working menu, so that we can all take turns, and it looks something like this:

We're safer self-catering!

Monday - Pan-fried Sea Bass with Sautéed Potatoes 

- cooked in olive oil.

Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognese 

- with my gluten free, dairyfree, chickpea (Del Ugo) pasta cooked separately.

Wednesday - Shepherd's Pie 

- with my gravy and dairy free spread in the mash. 

Thursday - BBQ

- we'll cook gluten and dairy free sausages and burgers. Baby and I will have the gluten and dairy free rolls.

We may even have dessert! After all, I have a few meringue nests knocking around, somewhere!

That's the plan anyway! Now, let's see if it works!

What about you? Where do you go for a stress free break?


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