Chaopraya Edinburgh

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019Leave a comment

Recently we were lucky enough to be asked to sample the lunch menu at Chaopraya in Edinburgh and we sure picked the right day. The sun was out and we got a table with the most amazing view of Edinburgh Castle.

Recently Chaopraya has introduced a free kids meals with every paying adult Sunday-Thursday 12-5pm so we took our troops along to sample.

My kids aren’t fussy at all luckily and they were happy to sample their first taste of Thai cuisine. The kids menu has a great selection to suit even the fussiest of taste buds. Joy had chicken fried rice and Lewis chose chicken satay, they both loved their meals and had a bit of each others. The staff were smart enough to serve the kids meals with our starters meaning the kids didn’t have to wait while we ate… and we didn’t have to share.

It was out first visit to Chaopraya and it certainly won’t be the last. We had a delectable starter of Thai tapas to share which I’d highly recommend to try a little bit of lots of dishes and I had Singapore noodles for my main, while Steve had black pepper chicken. My main was the best Singapore noodles I’ve had although after trying Steve’s main I was slightly gutted I hadn’t chosen that. So tasty and just the right amount of kick for me.

The menu boasts an impressive range of cocktails and equally exciting mocktails. I had a gorgeous watermelon mocktail which the kids drank most of so of course I ordered a cocktail so I didn’t need to share that one.

Although we were utterly stuffed we decided to go with dessert on the basis it was for review purposes (obviously) and I’m so glad we did. I had the chocolate box which tasted as delicious as it looked and Steve went for the classic sticky toffee pudding which is his favourite dessert ever. Both desserts were fantastic and the kids inhaled their ice cream, leaving us in peace to eat while the lovely staff showed them the massive fish tank inside the restaurant.

All in all it was a lovely meal and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. The food was awesome and more importantly the staff were super friendly with kids and we were made to feel extremely welcome.

*in the interest of transparency we were kindly given a £60 voucher towards the cost of our meal.

Yvonne x

Lucas ice cream family race day

July 31, 2018July 31, 2018Leave a comment

Living on the doorstep of Musselburgh racecourse we do a lot of race days but this year we were lucky enough to be invited along to family day. This is a day for everyone. There’s still the races for a flutter and the all important bars but there’s also bags of entertainment for kids of all ages.

The whole day is sponsored by Lucas ice cream which is a famous Edinburgh based family business who make the best ice cream you’ll ever taste. Kids go free on the day and even get a free ice cream. All rides are included too so it really is a great value day. How many times do we get stung by the usual £3 a ride? once your in its all free apart from any food and drink you many wish to buy.

There is everything from chips and cheese to fine dining so there’s bound to be something for even the fussiest of cherubs. You can also take a picnic along too if you’d rather and there are picnic benches are available.

My kids are 2 and 8 and both were thrilled with the entertainment options. Both rode the tea cups at least 5 times and my youngest got so excited to see mini ‘horses’ for her to ride on. We were there from 12 and had to drag the kids away after the last race at 5.30. Thankfully the sun shone all day so it was a really lovely day for us all.

There’s even a selfie wall and if you tag your selfie there’s a chance to win a years supply of ice cream. We all had fun getting involved with that. Much hilarity! I think the adults had more fun than the kids.

We live in East Lothian so may be slightly biased but it’s such a lovely place to visit and really easy to get to by bus or train plus there is free parking available. It’s seriously worth a trip for the ice cream alone.

I’d highly recommend the family day for next year. we’ll definitely be back. Keep an eye out as it’s always slightly cheaper to get your tickets on an early bird deal. Thank you for having us!

Yvonne x

Introducing my Husband

December 30, 2017December 30, 20173 Comments

I haven’t told my husband I’m writing this and he’ll most likely keel over when he sees it. I’m not usually the soppy type- unless my kids are involved but I think it’s time he got a mention.

You may know Steve as the one who doesn’t do very well at keeping on top of the recycling and as true as this is he is so much more.

I met Steve 5 years ago when I was 27. He was 37 and we met a few times before we actually spoke. I assumed he was married and I’m still not sure why. He was always a gentleman and made sure I had a seat and a drink. I’ve always been partial to a man who makes sure I have a drink.

Lewis was 2 and I had had a few causal relationships after his Dad but none of which I’d write home about. They were all pretty rocky, slightly dramatic and just as I’d decided enough was enough there was Steve.

We joke about who pursued who but none of that matters (he pursued me FYI). He asked me out for drinks and I was slightly reluctant. I’d swore off men on the Wednesday and here I was on the Sunday contemplating a date. Madness surely? My friends talked me round. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that and I went. It was lovely and we agreed to meet again. We met again the following week and then he cooked me dinner at mine the week after. I knew then he was different.

He was romantic and there we’re no games. I’d never been treated so well before and as much as it took some getting used to I really liked it. Steve saw my worth and helped me realise it.

When we got together people praised him to high heavens for ‘taking on’ my child. Steve never seen it like this. He was just grateful I’d allowed him to be part of our life and 5 years on Lewis is very much our child.

A lot has happened in the time I’ve know Steve. We’ve crammed in an engagement, moved house twice, 4 lots of major surgery, numerous new jobs, a marriage, the loss of my dear Nan and the birth of our beautiful Joy. One thing has remained consistent throughout and that’s the love we have for each other. It’s different from any other love I’ve had. It’s simple, uncomplicated and being married to Steve is easy.

It’s never boring, we argue like all couples about recycling and who’s more tired (me) but it’s not high maintenance. There’s no unnecessary drama at all and we put work into having fun.

Once you have two kids fun changes completely so instead of cocktails at the Balmoral we now listen to TTF at home and play battleships with a glass of Malbec. It’s still fun though, even when we’re exhausted and can barely get a conversation going we still have that love for each other.

Steve buys me flowers weekly. The cheap ones he knows I like best as they last longer. He runs me nice baths and makes sure I’m feeling ok. I’m rubbish at sharing feelings so it’s not easy for him at times but he always knows when I’m down and just needing a cuddle.

He’s came to accept that doing insta stories in Lidl is the norm for me and will happily take 300 pictures of me in front of a wall just so I can find 1 I like. He may roll his eyes but he does it and for that I’m very thankful.

The most important thing about Steve is he supports me. He backs me up always and supports every ridiculous idea I’ve ever had (and there’s been plenty!) He never says I told you so even though he really should at times and he always picks me up when things go wrong.

He’s the positive to my negative and it works. We bring out the best in each other and he cares for our kids better than I could have ever dreamed. Watching him grow as a Daddy has been the most beautiful transition ever. Our kids have cemented our love for each other.

When he comes in from work I still get butterflies and he still takes any opportunity for a quick grab of my arse. We still flirt and even if we’re drinking at home we make an effort to dress up. He takes longer than any man I’ve ever known to get ready but he takes pride in his appearance and always looks so handsome.

We’re a team and we make mistakes but we can admit them and learn from them. In my eyes that makes us the perfect team.

Love you DB

Yvonne x