As a family, we are always on the lookout for different ways to celebrate Easter. Every year we organise a easter egg hunt or we visit Mark’s sister who organises one. Easter egg hunts are still as entertaining but I do like variety. Since writing the What’s On guide for the school holidays events like Breakfast/Tea with the EasterBunny are becoming more popular. One of the stores that offer this event is Wyevale Garden Centre. The event costs £10.95 per child and you need at least 1 paying adult which depending on which food option costs from as little as £5.
We were advised to arrive 15 minutes early but due to the A1 being closed we were lucky to arrive 2 minutes to 3 pm! When we arrived we were welcomed by Emily who then gave each of the boys a name label, we were then shown to our table. Each table is reserved for each family. There was also an Easter activity sheet for each of the boys. With our family, there were 3 other families plus a small group of rainbows. Another lady called Sally arrived and then the event started.
Sally and Emily were both dressed up, Sally as Alice from Alice in Wonderland and in all honesty I wasn’t sure who Emily was supposed to be. Her dress, however, looked lovely! Sally retold the story of Alice in Wonderland to the whole group, she has such a lovely bubbly personality and managed to entrance around 15 children. Whilst Sally was busy entertaining us all, Emily was busy going around pouring drinks and when the time arrived she helped the servers to serve our food.
We had already expressed what we wanted to eat when we booked the event. For the children the options were-
- Pork sausages with chips, seasonal veg
- Crispy Chicken nuggets with chips, seasonal veg
- Jacket Potato with Beans
- Jacket Potato with Cheese
These come with unlimited squash. There is also a cold tea option where you can choose any 4 items plus drink from their Little Diggers My Picnic range.
For the adults there was –
- Chicken, ham and leek pie with seasonal veg, mash and gravy,
- Fish and Chips with garden peas and tartare sauce,,
- Cherry tomato, caramelised red onion and Davidstow cheddar cheese tart with new potatoes and seasonal salad
These are also served with a pot of tea or regular filter coffee. There was also the option of a mini Tea which consisted of a slice of cake, or bowl of seasonal soup or Afternoon Tea. The Afternoon Tea was made up from fresh finger sandwiches, colourful patisserie and scones with jam and clotted cream.
All throughout the meal both Sally and Emily were on hand to make sure everyone was happy and had everything they needed. Going around each of the tables they were there If we needed them and made small talk whilst we ate. At about 3.40pm everyone had finished and we were able to do the next part of the event.
The Easter Hunt
Throughout the store there are 5 signs hidden, each sign was a bunny fact. Before we left the room she gave each child a little sheet (to collect the stickers) and a little bag. She then led us outside to find the first clue. The boys loved the hunt and Sally was really great at keeping the children entertained. My only criticism was that the stamps being used were Pink and Blue. Sally used Pink for the girls and Blue for the boys. It didn’t really affect the event, but Pink is Oliver’s favourite colour so it was something that we did pick up on.
Along with a stamp they each got given a small chocolate egg or a marshmallow they were alternated for each clue. Sally was fab and making the hunt fun and engaging getting all the children to take lots of quick little steps, big long strides, bunny hops and walking really low to each clue. There was lots of laughter and smiles from everybody including the adults who found the whole thing entertaining!
Decorating Biscuits
When the hunt was over we were taken back to the room. Emily had cleared the tables and set out the next activity which was Biscuit decorating. That wasn’t all though, when we walked in the Easter Bunny was sitting there waiting for us! All the children were really excited. One by one they walked up to the Easter Bunny and gave him (or her) a high five! Everyone then returned to their seats for the next activity. The boys were so excited to decorate biscuits!! Each child was given an egg-shaped biscuit, a black icing tube and a bowl of marshmallows, chocolate drops and sprinkles.
As all the children decorated their eggs the Easter Bunny walked around the room giving each a child a thumbs up! The boys, in particular, were really happy to have him (or her) come to the table. The boys loved decorating the biscuits and each had a look of concertation on them.
Receiving their soft toys
When the biscuit decorating came to an end, Sally asked all the children to close their eyes. Whilst she kept them entertained Emily brought 3 baskets of soft toys to the Easter Bunny. She placed the baskets in front of him (or her). Table by table the children were invited to come up to the Easter Bunny. Each child was also able to choose a soft toy (a pig, cow or lamb). We took this opportunity for a photo too!
Everything was rounded off lovely and at no point did we feel rushed. The whole event was advertised between 3 and 4.30pm and we did overrun on time. I was really surprised at how smooth the whole event felt. Everyone from the servers, to Sally and Emily to the Easter Bunny knew what they were doing, and they did great! This was our first experience with Huntingdon Wyevale Garden Centre and we were not disappointed!
I wanted to end the review with a big thank you to both Sally and Emily for making it a wonderful experience, so if you read this, Thank you!
*We were invited to come along and review Tea with the Easter Bunny in return for an honest review*
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