Did you know The Kitchen in Poole Park now serve a delicious afternoon tea for you to enjoy with family or friends?  I was thrilled to be invited to the launch event and happily left the children with Daddy so I could actually enjoy and savour the treats without having to share with my greedy monkeys.

The Kitchen is a firmly established and well loved restaurant sitting right in the middle of Poole Park with views of the lake and wildlife.

Dining here is perfect for any season and it’s up to you if you’d like to stay inside in the warm or dine on the terrace which is especially pretty as the sun starts to go down.

When I arrived our table was set with a crisp white table cloth, traditional crockery and pretty flowers in a vase. 



First impressions of the food were that this was not an average afternoon tea.  I’ve had quite a few in Dorset now (as my waistline shows) and I’m pleased to say that none of it came out of a box and each cake was beautifully handmade with lots of care and attention.



We were offered a nice cup of Dorset Tea to enjoy with a choice of smoked salmon and dill cream cheese, cucumber, Dorset cheddar and homemade chutney fingers sandwiches which were delightful.  The homemade chutney was so tasty that it ended up in my cucumber sandwich too!



I was being careful not to enjoy the sandwiches too much as my favourite part of afternoon tea is always the sweet stuff and didn’t want to be too full.  The homemade scones were a perfect size and these were accompanied with little pots of jam and clotted cream.  After this we tried the mini Victoria sponge, chocolate dipped shortbread and my personal favourite, the fruit tart.  All washed down with a glass of prosecco and I was in heaven!

Good to know…………

Afternoon Tea is now being served at The Kitchen from 4 – 6pm Monday to Saturday and must be pre booked in advance by calling 01202 742842 or by emailing [email protected]

The Kitchen is very child friendly with highchairs and baby change facilities.

There is plenty of free parking nearby or you can easily reach the park by public transport.

For more details and prices visit The Kitchen Website.

Please note – Dorsetmums was invited to review the new afternoon tea however all views are my own.

Last weekend we met a lovely Poole based photographer for a Christmas shoot on the beach and I was overjoyed by the outcome.

We didn’t have the weather on our side which was a shame, especially as we’d had glorious sunshine first thing in the morning but that didn’t matter when myself, my husband and the children were warmly welcomed.

It may sound odd to have a Christmas shoot on the beach but I loved it.  It’s unique and the views are simply stunning.  We had a little set up ready with a decorated Christmas tree, rocking horse (which my little girl was straight on) and some other Christmassy props and seating for the children.



There was no time to lose with the rain in sight and our photographer let the children explore and play with the props before encouraging them to take a seat and enjoy a cup of milk.  Sadly I am not blessed with model children who do as they are told so I spent my time silently begging my daughter to stick her tongue back in and praying my boy wouldn’t break anything else (we won’t go there).



I honestly didn’t expect to get any good pictures of my children, not because I had doubts in the photographer but more that I knew what my children were like.  You can imagine how pleased I was to have received my digital prints and see photo upon photo of my little darlings looking utterly adorable.  I’ll even be honest enough to admit that one of them brought a tear to my eye and I can’t wait to get it printed off so I can frame it for the hallway.  I’d also like to turn them into Christmas cards this year which I know the family will love. 



After the shoot I asked our photographer to tell me a little about herself and her style and she said ‘As a mum of two small girls I know how important it is to capture everyday moments as those photos are the ones which really stay in your memory and therefore my preferred photoshoots are lifestyle photography.  I do these mainly outdoors with my favourite locations being Avon Heath Country Park, Coy Pond, Upton Park or the Beach however I can also do photo shoots in your own home, especially for newborns.  I am a strong believer that babies don't belong in baskets but Mums arms and I just love capturing those first moments of a babies life.  As well as children and family shoots I also do maternity, birthdays and cake smashes.’

I can highly recommend In the Moments Photography.  The Christmas shoot we did costs £40 which includes digital prints for you to do with as you wish.  For more info please visit the Facebook page.

Please note – Dorsetmums was invited to review the Christmas photo shoot however all opinions are my own.