On Sunday we were invited along to Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at our local Wyevale Garden Centre. We often visit the garden centre as they have a lovely, spacious cafe and good facilities for those of us with children. With Easter just a week away we thought it would be the perfect event to get us all in the Spring spirit!
We arrived 15 minutes before our 9am slot and although the garden centre wasn’t officially open the staff couldn’t have been more welcoming. We were shown to our table which was laid up ready for us with activity placemats and crayons for the children and handwritten name badges for them to wear. No sooner had we sat down the staff had fetched us tea, coffee and squash for the kids. Matt and I also wanted to change some of the items on our breakfast order (after all, who likes black pudding?) but it wasn’t a problem and the staff took care of our request.
We enjoyed the peace before the other guests arrived and helped the girls with their activities. Elsie’s favourite thing to do at the moment is draw so she was as happy as a pig in muck!
After a few minutes a character arrived at our table, which I presumed to be the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, and a little later Alice herself also made an appearance. I’ve got to be honest here; they were a little lifeless. It felt us though Matt and I had to do the entertaining as the characters seemed awkward and unsure of what to say.
As the other guests arrived we were brought our full english breakfast which was delicious and the extra bacon instead of black pudding was most welcome! Mabel tried her first ever hash brown and it’s safe to say she loved it! The kids get a breakfast included in the price of their ticket and it was the perfect size for little appetites. Breakfast for adults is not included in the price of the event.
After breakfast we could have done with having the table cleared a little quicker than it was as the girls wanted to draw more and everything was a little messy. However, once everyone had finished their food the egg hunt got underway. Again, the organisational skills of the characters leading this left something to be desired. I couldn’t work out whether they didn’t have a clue what they were doing or whether they just didn’t care but either way it was a little chaotic. None of the parents really knew what was happening or how the hunt would be ran so couldn’t guide the children and some of the kids were getting a little wayward.
The hunt consisted of locating five ‘facts’ around the garden centre and collecting stickers along the way. At the end of the hunt the children were all offered a chocolate egg which they all seemed pleased with.
The final part of the event was meeting the Easter Bunny himself and the kids loved shouting and calling for him to come out. After a little song and dance the bunny made his way around the tables offering cuddly toys and a stroke of his cheek to all the children. I don’t think Elsie or Mabel knew what to make of it to be honest….after all, it’s not every day you see a 7ft bunny!
Whilst the Easter Bunny passed around the cafe the children decorated their own Easter cookies with icing and sweeties which the girls really enjoyed.
The event is aimed at children aged 3-8 years old but I’d suggest 2-6 years would be a more suitable age range. Florence is almost 6 and, although she enjoyed the crafts and the hunt, she was well aware that the bunny was a man dressed up. Elsie on the other hand is only just about to turn 2 years old and she loved getting stuck in with the other kids and was able to take part in all the craft and activities that had been organised.
On reflection my only criticism would be the characters being so dull. They needed a little more ‘banter’ and to take control of the event so it felt a little more organised and slick. Having said that, it was an enjoyable morning and at £10.95 per ‘Little Digger’ it’s a nice way to spend a couple of hours over Easter – especially given the atrocious weather we seem to have at the moment!
