What makes a family friendly pub? Share and you could win £100 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

As part of the Mumsnet Family Friendly Programme we'd love to know what you think makes a family friendly pub and to name any pubs in your local area which you believe have a great family friendly environment.

Here's what Carrie Longton, co-founder of Mumsnet says "we all know you can have a great family time in your local - but also that it can often be disappointing. We'd love to know what's good and not so good in your local pub - or even about one you discovered on holiday!"

So how do you think pubs could be more family friendly? Should they include a nutritious family friendly menu? Maybe there should be adequate baby changing facilities in the bathrooms? Perhaps slot machines should be replaced with a toy chest for younger children? How about older children - how would you like to see them catered for in pubs? What about customer service - how important is this? Would well-insulated outdoor areas do it for you? What do you NOT want to see?

We'd also love to hear what local pubs you think have a really good family friendly environment. Please state their name, and location (town or village) where they're situated.

Add your views (and pubs!) and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 Amazon voucher!

Click here to learn more about companies who are working to make the UK a more family friendly place

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&C apply

A safe area where the children can play and you can still see them!

Warm welcome, great menu choices, free refills on drinks and a safe, challenging outdoor play area.

Free drink refills is a great idea - that would definitely get me through the doors.

Not being asked to leave at 6pm when you've escaped the monotony of babydom to have half an hour and a glass of wine in a grown up environment and your rather vocal baby disagrees. Such a humiliating experience and not a pub I shall revisit with children. Shame it's across the road from my house. Also smaller portions of adult meals for children, rather than sausage and chips.

We went to a good Hungry Horse recently. They brought boxes of Lego to the table, had shelves of games, books and puzzles and around the restaurant were smaller tables with blackboards and chalk. All quiet activities but kept our DD busy.

They MUST have a play area!
Activity sheets.
when they bring the kids food out as soon as its ready.

Great food menu with smaller portions of proper food available for children.

Not looking daggers at you when you walk through the door (although maybe I can understand it where my kids are concerned as they're not the quietest )

My DS gets quite 'offended' by the kids menu when it's lazy i.e. fish fingers and chips. Means we have to buy adult food for him so is an expensive business eating out as a family!

For me, a family friendly pub is one where other customers don't cast scornful glances if your children dare to do something they don't like, but it's also one where parents don't let their kids run riot.

We're also interested in knowing what families of teens things about family friendly pubs: what's good and bad when visiting a pub with your teens? Do share your thoughts!

Up thread I spoke about teens :) family means little ones, inbetweens, teens, parents and grandparents!

A family friendly pub has:

• a variety of food options for children not just junk. Just smaller portions of the main menu would be great

• serves the food to the children first so that the parents can chop it up etc with out their own meal getting cold and because little ones have lower waiting levels
• understands that children can be a little on the loud side so has areas where families can sit that do not disturb others
• has child friendly sized cutlery
• doesn't bombard the family with toy machines and other money making (kid pestering) things

My kids are 9 and 12 and want the adult food menu not the kids one. We like pubs where there are plenty of adult options in the £8 - £12 range and would appreciate a two-course deal, as they will always want dessert (even if it's just ice cream).

We also appreciate a pool table (without an adults only sign of course), and access to a few family friendly games (e.g. jenga, chess, dominoes).

We love country pubs with a real fire and friendly dogs under the tables.

Traditional crisps (rather than fancy expensive ones) would be appreciated too.

I forgot to mention, a smoke free beer garden please!

We like a good range of food to chose from with a few classics and a children's menu for our youngest. Our oldest likes to chose from the adult menu so needs the classics so she knows what she is getting. We like a play area in view of some nicely spaced tables for the summer and we like everything to be very very clean. We also need to not feel rushed or crowded in.

A healthier menu for children, instead of chips and nuggets. Children eating out have too many fried food and not many choices to choose from. Maybe a smaller portion of the adult menu.

Clear walkways past tables, play area and pleasant staff

I think that depends on the ages of your children, but overall I would say:

• decent sized parking spaces so that you can get your children out of the car easily.
• pre-booking online for large family groups
• family seating areas with partitions between tables to make it more private and so noise doesn't carry from other tables.
• good value children's mix'n' match menu with options for flush and vegetarian, and a decent choice of healthy side dishes.
• the option of a smaller portion of an adult meal for older children.
• healthier drink options like a glass of milk or flavoured waters included in the menu options, not just Fruit Shoots or fizzy drinks.
• boosters and high chairs which are clean
• a kids pack targeted at all age ranges, not just colouring, word search or dot-to-dot. A scene setter with stickers would be good or simple card game.
• no TVs or screens at tables. We don't eat out as a family to sit glued to a screen!
• fast service or something on the table like breadsticks or crudités so that kids can nibble whilst we wait for food.
• suitable cutlery and glasses for kids. Maybe tip-proof, plastic beakers and certainly no razor sharp steak knives on tables!
• clean floors between customers if a toddler has littered the floor with food
• toilets accessible with a pushchair or family toilet big enough for a parent and child. Decent, clean changing facilities with disposable paper mats.
• sanitizer or wipes available at or near tables.
• play area linked to but not necessarily inside the restaurant.

To be family friendly it would need to be accepting of a higher level of noise, and activity packs available to keep children busy.

Plastic cups! I am always so terrified when they are given GLASS!!!

Clean - highchairs, toilets, baby changing facilities. Nappy bins that are regularly emptied so that you aren't knocked out by overpowering smell when you open the lid.

Food - good quality, small portions for children that come on cool plates and appear when they're ready rather than waiting for whole table's order. Toddler cutlery also a big thumbs up, and plastic cups for drinks.

Play areas - don't really like indoor play areas as they tend to be grubby and noisy. If I want softplay or ball pits I'll go to a soft play centre. Outside ones are great but only if they're fenced in adequately - more than one child and the other/s tend to make a break for freedom/ want to play on different equipment.

Attitude - happy to welcome families but also to ask people to keep their little darlings under control if they're running riot. Being breast-feeding friendly, stating so and supporting women who want to so i.e if anyone complains

Car park - big enough bays to be able to open car doors and get kids in and out. Buggy parking area with bike locks available so that you can leave it securely tethered if you've walked.

Kids menu, high chairs, space for prams, activities or colouring for the kids and a good friendly attitude. Pizza express, strada, carluccios, girraffe are good examples of how the pubs need to be better. We tend not to visit any locally as they aren't child friendly but they improve in the summer as some have playareas. Still haven't found a good pub that feels as child friendly as the kid friendly restaurants unfortunately.

baby change facilities that are easy to access, good healthy childrens menu and colouring sheets and pencils!

I don't really take mine to the pub. If I was going to I would agree that clean high chairs are helpful. Also plastic glasses for the kids. Some activities for them are also good, even if it is just colouring in and pencils/crayons. Having a sort of family orientated area is good to avoid pissing off other customers. I'd also expect stuff like pointy edges/glass topped tables to be out of the way at family times.

We went to a kids disco in the pub once. It made me realise that I don't like taking kids to family events in pubs. Too noisy and crazy and crowded.

A nice outdoor area or childrens play area
Children size meals but with the option of other things not just chips.