So you’ve looked at a tourism website such as www.gloucestershirerevealed.co.uk and found where you want to take the family for the day. You’ve planned how to get there and how long it will take, but when it comes to eating and drinking during your visit what can you expect?
When we’re on a family day out there are all types of food we can hope for, savoury, sweet, filling, good value etc. but whatever the destination or activity, we all need some sustenance at some point, either to keep us going or as a good way of rounding off a visit. Some prefer to eat on arrival, at least a coffee and cake as it gives a chance to soak up the ambience and means if we’re with young children that they aren’t saying “I’m hungry” within a few minutes of entering a museum! Most museums and attractions offer some sort of refreshments as they recognise that this is beneficial to the family on a day out, whether it is basic fuel to keep you going or treats and sweets for the younger generation.
If you’re in the Forest of Dean you should look at combining food with a visit to the Dean Heritage Centre at Soudley. Because it is tucked in a quiet valley in the Forest, they have a captive market but luckily it is a very good place to be captive. You can enter the Cafe without having to buy an admission ticket and there is plenty of choice from all day breakfasts to locally sourced bangers and mash, teas are served in a mug and the portions are generous and tasty. Together you can to sit and eat (high chairs are available) while you look out he across the lake with its water birds providing plenty of entertainment.
After your meal or snack why not go in and look around? As a family you can go downstairs (or in the lift if you have a pushchair) and together explore the Centre itself through a mixture of indoor galleries and outdoor exhibits, the latter found on a walk around the lake. While moving through the galleries focusing on the Royal Forest’s history, you will find activities for children, from brass rubbing to dressing up clothes in the recreated old school room. The site’s atmosphere is rustic and feels remote from the hustle and bustle of the modern world and is open throughout the year except between 24th – 26th December: allow an hour for the exhibits inside.
Another good food stop, especially if you or any members of your family have an interest in art, is Nature in Art at Twigworth, north of Gloucester. The cafe area looks out over the garden with plenty of sculptures to see and then visit after you have eaten. Part of the seating area is in a conservatory so you have a light and airy feel for your coffee and cake or meal. Food ranges from Jacket potatoes to quiches and soups, so it is simple but filling and you can be assured a friendly service - the cookies are definitely worth sampling with a hot drink!. There are books to browse through too if you want to make your visit more leisurely. After you have eaten you can discover the various rooms in the 1700’s Georgian Mansion, which houses art featuring many different types of animals, birds, insects etc in pictures and sculptures. Some are abstract, others life studies, but plenty to look at and enjoy for children and adults. As a year round attraction you and the family can enjoy it throughout the year as it only closes between December 24th – 26th and on Mondays.
The Corinium Museum in Cirencester deserves a long visit and although doesn’t have its own cafe area has open direct access to the cafe “Jacks” next door. It is featured part way around the museum and you can sit in a glass covered atrium, drinking hot chocolate or ordering more substantial meals for lunch. Obviously being set in Cirencester town there are plenty of food and refreshment options around the town and your ticket to the museum allows you as a family to come and go, so you can explore the town as well!
The museum itself has lots of things to keep all the family amused here, with reconstructions of Roman shops and domestic rooms, clothes for children to dress up in, plenty of interactive information through computer terminals, and hands on fun such as building mosaics in the Atrium area. Many events are aimed at family activities so check the website for more details before your visit. The Museum is open all year, except for Christmas and New Year and has lots of child friendly activities to keep the youngsters amused. There is excellent access for pushchairs throughout the museum with good toilet facilities too.
Another town setting offering plenty of food choice is in Tewkesbury. The John Moore Countryside Museum focuses on rural Gloucestershire and its wildlife and being set on the main street through the town means you can easily uncover a good place to eat. You can stop at the nearby 1471 Delicatessen (named after the Battle of Tewkesbury) or walk round the corner to the Abbey, which has a small cafe run by volunteers. The Bell Hotel does good teas and coffees as well as some unusual bar snacks. After you have eaten head back to the museum in its 15th Century building. Make sure your kids have washed their hands because they can stroke a fox, mole, otter and hedgehog (although they are examples of taxidermy rather than live inhabitants) with further birds and animals to be discovered over the next two floors. To help families explore there are quizzes for children with Moore the Mole providing you with a score at the end. A trip around the museum should be about an hour. Just a few doors further down the street is The Merchant’s House another 15th Century building which was a home and shop, now restored to as near original condition as possible. See if as a family you would have been willing to cook your meals around the open hearth and not have a fridge to keep it all fresh. The Museum has limited opening during the winter but is open most Saturdays and school half terms: because the buildings are so old there are steep stairs and steps up into them, so access for pushchairs is compromised but not impossible. The museum is cosy and welcoming and the staff will be happy to help you get the most from your visit and point you in the right direction of more food stops!
Another museum set in a beautiful setting blessed with many food options is the Cotswolds Motor Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water. This picture perfect village is a popular destination so caters well for tourists. Although the museum doesn’t offer refreshments at the moment they are developing an area next to the stream for light snacks. Inside your children will discover Brum, the little car that starred in his own TV show, but there are lots more finds to make together, with delivery vans, sports cars and even a Formula 1 racing car to see. As well as the cars there are plenty of motoring items and toys dotted throughout the museum with one area devoted to displaying the vintage Toy collection. Just around the corner, just a minute’s walk, is the Windrush Garden Cafe, which can give you everything from an Eccles cake to a full meal. It is popular so if it is full you have the whole High Street to explore including tea rooms, pubs, pizzerias etc. The museum is open all year except for January and February and allow an hour to visit.
The Museum in the Park, Stroud, is set a little way from the car park it shares with the sports facilities, but on the way you will pass a cafe where you can stop to eat. In the museum there are instant hot drink facilities and biscuits on sale, so you can sit down and have a drink together before you investigate the museum itself. In addition to the history of Stroud there are lots of talks and drop in activities throughout the year for all ages, typically making things so that you have something you can all take home with you at the end of your visit. Most rooms have areas where children are encouraged to try themed games, such as making mosaics, creating gearing systems, and using interactive screens plus there is a dedicated play area/reading room. There are baby changing facilities, a lift and toilets all accessible from the foyer; access for pushchairs is good, with ramps up to the exhibition rooms. It is suggested you allow two to three hours for your visit.
If you want to bring your own picnic or sandwiches then there is the parkland to explore, with tarmac paths to keep you off the grass and benches to sit on. A walk down to the bridge across the bottom of the lake, around the water and up takes about twenty minutes and the water birds and swans can provide plenty of fun if you sit and watch them. In Stroud itself there are again many places you can get food, but you’ll need to head back into town to find them.
Finally the Edward Jenner Museum, in Berkeley is a place where you and your family will discover all about “the Speckled Monster” that was smallpox. Situated in Edward Jenner’s 300 year old former home, there are lots of gruesome pictures of smallpox victims, and medical instruments to look at so you’ll have to decide whether you want to eat before or after seeing them! An Attic tour when running is a fascinating insight into the servants’ quarters and going up two flights of stairs may build quite an appetite.
The museum is happy for you to bring a picnic and eat it in the large gardens, either in the sheltered area behind the Vinery or the larger main lawns, with soft drinks and ice cream on sale. They also offer tea/coffee, biscuits and cake in The Old Cyder House, but if you want more substantial meals, there is the neighbouring Berkeley Arms Hotel and a good value tea room on the corner of the High Street. If you want sandwiches, try the Berkeley Bakery which makes freshly made food for you while you wait. The museum has toilets and room to leave pushchairs, although there are gravel paths around the garden.
So if you fancy something to eat while you and the children or grandchildren are out and about there are just some suggestions from Gloucestershire’s museums. If the destination you go to doesn’t offer food or refreshments just ask the staff at the museum - they will be able to point you to somewhere they are happy to recommend.
All the museums listed above are open during winter months for visits, some featuring seasonal events and can give your family a fun day out, staying warm while sharing new experiences. Most admissions are either free or less than £5 for an adult and there are discounts available for over 65s. So why not plan some trips with food to the fore?
For more information on specific opening times and to see what other museums you can visit in Gloucestershire visit www.gloucestershirerevealed.co.uk
Words - Tim Davies, Copper Phoenix
Pictures - Rupert Marlow, Rupert Marlow Photgraphy
