“Shrek The Musical,” where the movie we have all grown up with and love is adapted for the stage!
Now I have seen Shrek The Musical before, around 12 years ago in London West End when Amanda Holden was Fiona, I have to admit, the performance I experienced at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry was just as amazing!
The talented cast effortlessly immerses the audience in the fairy-tale universe, with brilliant set changes creating an atmosphere that is both visually stunning and emotionally engaging for all the family. There were so many different characters, details, and personalities to get to know, each wearing amazing thought-out costumes adding an extra layer of magic to the overall experience, making every scene engaging and spectacular.
“Shrek The Musical” has a diverse cast and an amazing mix of fairy-tale characters my little lad loved spotting the classics like Pinocchio and Peter Pan, each with their quirks and charm. Shrek, the lovable ogre with a heart of gold played by Antony Lawrence, takes centre stage alongside his hilarious companion Donkey played by the extremely talented Brandon Lee Sears, and the fierce Princess Fiona played by Strictly Come Dancing Pro Joanne Clifton. The magical interactions between these characters provide a delightful blend of humour, adventure, and heartfelt moments.
One of the standout features of “Shrek The Musical” is its incredible musical talent. Hearing new and classic songs played throughout with insane vocals! A special mention to Cherece Richards who played the dragon, she’s incredibly talented. I could listen to her voice all day. Also, Georgie Buckland who played Ginge (The gingerbread man) amongst other characters, her vocal range is insane and blew us all away with her talents. Of course, the band was on point!
The choreography and dance sequences were flawless, I loved there was a Tap number! There was energy from the start right until the curtain fell, the stage was non-stop drama, entertainment, and excitement.
“Im a Believer! “
A must-see!! if you’re looking for a night of laughter, heart-warming moments, and a dash of fairy-tale magic,
“Shrek The Musical” is one for your theatre bucket list.
Book tickets here – showing from Tuesday 30th January – Sunday 4th February
* Thank you The Belgrade & AnrPR for inviting me down to review. Gifted Experience*
It’s that time of year again, would it be Christmas without a trip to the Belgrade Theatre? This year we were in for a treat with Cinderella as their theme!
We took our two boys E who is 11, and L who is 8 and as you can imagine they were both so excited about going after enjoying the previous years, it’s not becoming a fun tradition.
Some of you who have followed for years will know that we have a child who is SEN and we normally attend The Belgrade’s “Relax Performances” but this year with him being 11 we thought we would try for the Press Night.
If you are a family with SEN or other disabilities please read a past blog here where we talk about what a relaxed performance is.
I have said it before and I will say it again, every year Iain manages to top the last show, it was truly brilliant from start to finish, super engaging for the children and they absolutely loved it. They have been speaking about it nonstop, singing the songs, and talking about the characters. Liam’s lucky, he gets to go again with his school soon!
Proper belly laughs!
As always there are loads of jokes for the adults, myself and husband enjoyed it just as much as the kids for our reasons.
Now, the set? Transformations were on point with such stunning vibrant backdrops, and amazing elements that were engaging and surprised us adding fun engaging aspects to the show.
This year’s special effects and magic were absolutely amazing, there were a couple of moments where I was like how did that happen? There was one point in the show where they did a tongue twister without saying too much it was… well, amazing!
So, the cast? Absolute gems. Cinderella’s journey from scruffy to fabulous was spot-on, and the wicked stepfamily? Hilarious doesn’t even cut it—these guys had us belly laughing, gasping, and looking at one another “Did they really say that”
We had two dames too which was so fun! Ian Lauchlan plays Flatula & Andy Hockley plays Aroma. We of course had Craig Hollingsworth as Buttons!
The Costumes were so well thought out and absolutely beautiful or outrageously acentric!
And the music? Oh, it was a party. With catchy tunes, and amazing dance moves the boys have been asking to play the songs they heard on repeat. The vocal talent this year was brilliant with excellent choreography!
Cinderella at the Belgrade will leave you feeling all the festive feels, if you get the chance, get tickets ASAP. Trust me; it’s a magical experience for the whole family.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Especially over at Hatton Country world where we were invited down to review there Enchanted Christmas Experience.
From the moment we stepped foot into the kingdom, we were transported to a winter wonderland that felt like something straight out of a fairy-tale. The attention to detail, with pretty twinkling fairy lights, festive decorations and Elves wondering around welcoming the children in full character. I wished we could experience this after dark, it would feel even more magical.
On arrival we were given a passport and map showing us everything they had on offer, from Reindeer food making, to a 3D glowing forest there were lots of exciting things dotted around the kingdom in which the children could collect stamps from along the way.
Everything is free roam on the day apart from your group visit with santa that time you choose when booking your tickets, and Mr Hollys Creation Station Show which runs shows throughout the day. This makes it very easy to be able to pick and choose what you want to do, plan food and drinks breaks when needed.
The park’s main features and themes include:
The Gingerbread factory – Meet Mrs Claus who guides you into the “Factory” where you each get to ice and decorate a gingerbread man. This was a great self-lead activity and a chance to sit down, the kids could either eat it there or take it away. Handy sinks close by for the messy pups like my two.
Wishing tree – Make a wish and hang it on the special Christmas tree.
Reindeer Food Making – Create your own reindeer food to sprinkle out on Christmas eve.
3D glowing forest – A little walk around where you wear special glasses that change the lights to look like a 3D image, make sure to each get a different pair as the theme on the glasses is the 3D image you will see on the lights as you go round. If you each get a different theme you can mix and match.
Mr Hollys Creation Station Show – A funny entertaining family festive magic and puppet show.
North Pole Postal Station – Deliver your letter to Santa
Secret Toy Shop – Choose a toy as a gift from Santa and his Elves.
Lastly of course the MAIN event seeing Santa, this was a lovely group experience where you go and see the big man himself. He talks to the children, and they have a chance to have their photo taken.
There are loads more things to do a see, with some little fairground rides for the children, a big Helter Skelter style slide, trampolines, mini bowling, play parks and lots of animals.
There’s a lovely farm walk you can do, tractor safari, hold guinea pigs in the guinea pig village & reptiles in scales and tales.
Let’s not forget the festive food and drink options there were lots of lovely independents scattered around Hatton selling Pizzas, Burgers, Hot Chocs even marshmallows to toast on the fire. We were kindly gifted all our food and drinks in Hatton’s onsite Restaurant Snortys which is also where the soft play is located.
We tried a selection of their food to be able to give you our thoughts, E had the 8oz cheeseburger and chips he said it was 10/10. L had the chicken cheese burger and chips; the chicken was so delish. Luke opted for something on their festive menu, the Turkey stuffing and cranberry burger which he thoroughly enjoyed and I had a Jacket potato with cheese and beans but got major food envy over L’s Chicken burger. Luke had a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and they boys had 2 milkshakes each and the total came to £40.00 which for a family of 4 all adult meals I think is very reasonable.
What impressed us was the seamless organization of the event baring in mind we came on opening day despite the large number of visitors, the day flowed smoothly, and the staff’s effirt to ensuring everyone had a magical time was lovely to see. The genuine warmth and kindness of the staff added an extra layer of magic to the day.
Hatton Adventure World’s Enchanted Christmas Kingdom exceeded our expectations and provided an exciting experience which left us with all the festive feels. We highly recommend it to anyone looking to create lasting memories and experience the festive fun
I would recommend if you’re planning on visiting Hatton this festive season, please book in advance online to avoid missing out. With their new features to their experience, I know it’s going to be a sell out!
A few key things to note, lots of the activities are indoors but I would recommend wrapping up warm as it got a little chilly at times and we were blessed with great sunny weather mid-November.
Wear wellies or shoes you wouldn’t mind getting muddy as the paths were muddy as to be expected when on a farm.
Accessibility wise, we saw loads of prams being pushed around at ease, but there is a few hills to take into consideration. I would say the place isn’t manual wheel chair friendly unless you have a career to push or an electric with the mud being slippery.
There were lots of toilets around and places to wash hands after activities, but as always I advise you bring hand gel!
There were plenty of benches for you to enjoy your own picnics.
Be sure to check out the independent shops that are at Hatton, there’s lots of cute boutiques, a Christmas shop and Market stalls to explore.
If you’re visiting Hatton please let me know your thoughts and I would love to know what other festive things you have planned this year?
Saff xo
Huge thank you to the Team at Hatton Country world for gifting us the tickets to experience there Enchanted Christmas Kingdom along with the Food and Drink in Snorty’s Restaurant. This was a gifted experience in exchange for content.
Date night, it’s been a while and my gosh don’t myself and the husband need it with the summer holidays in full swing, and have been looking forward to the time together.
We were very kindly invited down to the Queens Road Restaurant situated in the Ramada Hotel in Coventry to review their food.
Firstly, I want to just say how amazing the staff were, we feel so blessed to have had the loveliest staff looking after us and making us for so relaxed and accommodated.
The setting is lovely, I didn’t expect it to be so comfy and pretty inside. We started off with some drinks, I had a Passion Fruit Martini of course. The husband had a beer.
Starters we were spoiled for choice we tried the Hot Golden Brie, Chicken, Beef Croquette and the Jasmine Cured Salmon. We split each dish so we could both get a good taste of them all.
Starting with the Hot Golden Brie, this was absolutely delish, and was my favourit. If you’re a cheese lover you HAVE to try it paired with the tomato chutney it was bursting with flavour.
The Beef Croquette was super yummy and gave Chinese vibes, I love the prawn cracker texter noodles, they were something I’ve never seen or experienced before which was fun and unique.
The salmon was so good Luke’s favourite, and tasted so fresh, the perfect light starter.
Lastly the Chicken, this was too spicey for me, but Luke loved it and said it was the perfect amount of spice and flavour, it was a messy one, we both joked how it wouldn’t be something you would choose on a first date!
While we waiting for the mains, we were brought an Apple sorbet to help cleanse the pallet. This was so good super refreshing and was presented in a desert glass with pretty edible flowers. Just the perfect little treat before your main and it did really help cleanse the pallet.
For mains Luke choose the Lamb Rump and I went for the Sirloin both came presented beautifully, a full vine of tomatoes laid on the steak which was a lovely touch. The chunkiest chips you ever did see both meats cooked to perfection. The steak was perfect and the lamb full of flavour.
After mains we were brought a selection of mini desserts. We had a pistachio, chocolate, and lemon they were a lovely little touch while we waited for our treats to come. We were both absolutely stuffed but were persuaded to get a dessert. We choose the brownie and the Red Velvet cheese cake.
Now I would go back to the Queens Road JUST for the cheese cake it was the best cheese cake we have ever tasted; it was absolutely divine and presented so beautifully, we have spoken about it craved it ever since.
A huge thank you to the team at the Ramada and the Queens Road Staff for making date night so lovely.
We had a lovely time and recommend checking it out if you’re looking for somewhere a bit different and special for date night, or time with friends and family. Parking was super easy and convenient which always makes the experience better.
Have you been to Queens Road Restaurant before? I would love to know?
Saff xo
Huge thank you to Queens Road & The Ramada for having us for our GIFTED experaince
We were very kindly gifted a voucher to order a take away from Turtle Bay Coventry through Deliveroo and of course we were over the moon.
We both love Turtle Bay especially the husband it’s his absolute fave so you can imagine this was one collaboration he was definitely up for.
With the weather being so lush we decided to take our Turtle Bay order outside to enjoy in the evening sun. We accompanied ours with a cool Beer.
Placing the order was super easy on the Deliveroo app, bonus was the evening we placed our order, there was a 20% a £20 spend. We ordered the, Crispy Chilli Squid, Kingston Fried Chicken + Spiced Fries, Curry Goat & Rice, Side of Spiced fries.
Mine and Luke’s go too, is normally the Shack Stack Burger with side pots of Jerk Mayo, Fiery Jerk Gravy & Mango BBQ Sauce. They have all been removed from the menu which is devastating…. but also great as it forced us to try something new.
The Goat curry was delish, perfect blend of spices and the meat 10/10, it was a littler on the spicy side for me but perfect for Luke who likes a little kick to his flavour.
The Kingston Fried chicken was perfect for me, great flavour… and the one to go for if your on of those who arnt a huge fan of spice. It was really yummy and paired perfectly with the Chips, which provided the perfect amount of spice for me.
All the portions were ace, we were stuffed. We couldn’t finish the Chilli Squid which for a side we were surprised about you expect a small taster, this wasnt the case.
I’m looking forward to enjoying some of our favourite meals from the comfort of home in the garden this summer.
Would love to know what you’re go to meal at Turtle Bay is?
Coventry has needed a place like FOMO for the longest time and I’m so chuffed it’s here!
I was kindly invited down with a +1 to the Press evening Prelaunch night to experience all FOMO has to offer.
The Japanese themed aesthetics when you walk through those doors… it does not feel like you are in Coventry, the flowers, all the textures, the neon signs the colours and art on the walls are just perfect with loads of photo opportunities.
The seating is well-spaced out, you don’t feel like you’re sitting on the next table’s lap, and it’s all super comfy and spacious. They have these cute swinging chairs at some of their tables which is a fun idea!
The dance floor area is stunning! With a big tree in the center, it’s going to be the perfect place to end your night. The whole vibe of the place is spot on.
They have sooo many toilets, which I know doesn’t sound like a big deal but believe me, you don’t want to have to spend half your night queuing.
FOMO is located on the Skydome strip which I feel is the perfect location and I will explain why. Not only is FOMO going to be amazing for nights out at the weekend, cocktails and dancing it is going to be perfect for midweek date nights and catch-ups with the girls for food and a few drinks. Means the location is perfect, easy to get to and safety-wise you don’t need to walk through town on your own.
Im excited to go on a Friday or Saturday when they have a DJ playing. Midweek they have great music in the background at just the right level to set a vibe but you are still able to chat and hear one another.
COCKTAILS * COCKTAILS * COCKTAILS !
My gosh, the selection is amazing, and I hear there’s even more to come!
I had to start with my absolute favourite and go-to cocktail the Passionfruit Martini!
It was top notch! One of the best I have had. We then tried a whole host of their signature drinks, and they were not only full of flavour but stunning to look at following the Japanese theme perfectly.
We had edible flowers (which look so real I didn’t know we could eat them until we were told) dry ice with the smoke effect, chocolate, and fruit caviar all presented with stunning glass wear, we especially loved the teapot!
LETS TALK FOOD!
The menu is so unique and different I love it, such a good range and variation of dishes and sizes something for everyone to enjoy. I rarely struggle to choose what to have because there are so many different dishes I want to try. I already have my order ready for the next time I visit!
In the end, we went for 2 mains and a small plate to share.
Eve had the “Mr Miyagi Burger – 6oz prime beef burger with spiced slaw chilli cheese & Korean bbq sauce” for £10.95
Mr Miyagi Burger £10.95
Eve enjoyed the burger a lot, I had a little taste and it was a little spicy but not too overpowering which is amazing and I’m a wuss when it comes to spicy foods. Loads of flavour and the texture of the meat was spot on.
I had the “Aged Beef Fillet – with grilled asparagus, oyster mushrooms & watercress and schezwan pepper sauce” for £24.95
Aged Beef Fillet £24.95
Incredible, the meat was cooked to perfection and presented perfectly. The portion size was just right and it was full of flavour, I would highly recommend this dish. The Schezwan pepper went perfectly with the meal my new favourite.
For the small dish, there were so many good options to choose from it was a struggle, I really want to try the Sushi and also the Salt and Pepper Ribs.
Then spotted the Beo buns. Now I have heard of Beo bun (pronounced bow if anyone was interested like me ) before and have always been intrigued so when I saw them on the menu, I knew we had to try them, they had a selection of filling you could choose from. “Fluffy Steamed Bao Buns – BBQ pulled Pork with crispy shallots pickles, sweet BBQ sauce” For £5.95
Bao Buns – BBQ Pulled Pork £5.95
We opted for BBQ as I love anything BBQ. These were so good, like nothing I’ve ever had before. A fluffy cloud-like texture that melts in the mouth. Full of flavour and made the perfect dish to share, definitely one I recommend you try. I want to try the Aromatic duck one next time.
Deserts….we were stuffed, they have some amazing looking desserts I can’t wait to try, Lotus Bischoff Cheesecake sounds unreal.
FOMO opens its door to the public this Friday the 8th of April 2022 and I can’t wait to hear the response from everyone. One thing I do suggest is to make sure to book your tables to avoid missing out!
Itssaffb 