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

Lots of options

Soft play inside or toy area that children can play in if they get bored and a nice big garden that children can run around and a park to play on :)

A nice family pub would serve food for all types of eaters and fussy children and must supply plenty of highchairs and activity colouring packs that the children can do while they wait for their food to arrive.

I Like the idea of family pubs to be separate so the drinking bar and the eating part separate.

Some board games or toys on a shelf, placemats we can colour on and a jar of crayons. No-spill cups are a dream, but that's about it, as well as a warm smile and a hello.

A pub with good healthy child friendly food, child friendly staff, an outside play area and preferably an indoor supervised play area

It has to have a play ground & have things that get to catch the kids attention, & keep the entertained

A children's menu that includes some decent vegetarian options (tomato pasta, or some vegetarian soups, are not too hard to offer, surely?). A play area outdoors is obviously a great bonus - we don't expect to get that everywhere.
Although we are beyond the nappy changing stage, I've been to a couple of pubs recently (Trigger Pond in Bucknell, Oxfordshire - I'm looking at you! For example) who seem to offer lovely clean, well provided changing areas, including some nappies in different sizes. Now, that is a nice touch! And it immediately signals to me that children are welcome.

Space - i hate forcing DS on other families becuase we've only got a two inch gap between them.
Something to keep kids entertained - one of my favourite locals has a petting zoo in the garden. Even an activity sheet would be something. Another local pub i know has a ships wheel, all the kids have great fun pretending to be captain :-)

Tylers Kiln in Canterbury is good - nothing special for the kids but spacey with staff with a good attitude towards children

nice outdoor area, child menus and tables not too close together

For me a great family friendly pub would have;

• good choice of food - not always chips with something.
• opportunity to have smaller adult sized dishes maybe not the whole menu but more than one choice available
• team/staff who understand we may need to order quickly and serve food before adult dishes (especially with hungry toddlers!)
• play area / safe space for wandering toddlers
• somewhere for buggies to park up - otherwise table area gets really cramped
• plastic plates and cutlery - so easy to do!
• colouring/activity pack available
• clean changing facilities (some can be disgusting!)
• quick payment at the end of a meal

Hope that helps...x

Our local Fullers pubs are fab - The Papermill in Apsley, Herts & The Boat, Berkhamsted, Herts

NO SKY SPORTS

Space to park a pram (or car seat) next to the table. I feel uncomfortable taking up aisle space and getting in people's way.

things to keep the children entertained and a good childrens menu

no crusty annoying drunks making you uncomfortable to let your kids out your sight

A decent play area for DC to play, a lower cost menu for children. It means kids can play while the adults talk and because children do not eat large meals a menu for them means the price reflect this.

Plenty of space between tables so you don't feel too crammed in with a pushchair/highchair and paraphernalia. Somewhere to hang coats so you don't have to leave them on your chair where they get pasta sauce spilled on them. Wide choice on children's menu, not just the usual safe choices. Flexible meal deals - older dc can eat adult portions but will only have soft drinks, so no good having an adults meal deal with wine/beer.

Decent food - either smaller portions of adults menu or a kids menu that is like the adults but maybe include a drink/desert - not everything in breadcrumbs/with chips

Thinking about when to serve food - last place we went to served kids mains at same time as adults but we'd had starters...ds ready to eat the table by teh time it arrived- we forgot to ask as our usual place does...lesson learnt..

Drinks- options for plain milk/water simple juices not stuff full of sweetners/additives

happy for pubs to have adult only areas too if big enough..

space around tables
also square/rectangle tables rather than round ones..generally smaller footprint easier to attach high chairs stop drinks a tumblingetc

ideally some space outside

A good hearty child's menu, with choice of nutrious menu , more choice with side choices for the kids . Big jugs of juice avalible for the kids.
Nice area outside for kids to play and also an area for older kids to play .
Family friendly areas within the pubs would be nice so it's sectioned off in case people want a quiet area to eat without having kids around .

I think as most people have mentioned, healthy children's meal options (or at least a jacket potato option), not ridiculously expensive. We recently visited a newly opened brasserie/restaurant and they had this wonderful little play area with a dolls house, books, trainset, and the tables were seated around it. All the families with children were seated in this area and it was one of the most relaxing sunday lunches myself and my husband have had in a long time. They were literally next to us playing and we all had a great time. A supervised creche would be amazing but mine are 2 and 4 so still little.

I LOVE to lunch but I am constantly frustrated by the slightly underwhelming effort that most establishments put into accommodating families.

Firstly I would like to see more changing tables in men's bathrooms! If I go out for lunch at a weekend with my husband and children it is a treat for me and so my husband will be in charge of changing babies so I can have a hot uninterrupted meal but unless there is a disabled loo there is usually only changing facilities in ladies loos. I think we are far past the point of society assuming women will be responsible for the hygiene needs of their children!

I also think that pubs should consider the height of their tables when getting high chairs, it is infuriating when the high chair can't reach the table properly to allow toddlers to reach their meal easily. They are often too high too low or can't get close enough.

I love to see places that have activities for small children to keep them entertained while waiting for their food. Colouring crayons are always appreciated. A pub (the jubilee in flax bourton) does this great little activity bag for £1.50 that goes to charity that has a little toy car, a mask, crayons and other bits and pieces in which my little boy loved and made our lunch that bit easier.

Children's menus should include the option of just having a small portion of something from the main menu. Just because they are small and sticky does not mean they need to have chips and baked beans with every option. Simmilarly if you are going to put 'proper sausages' on the menu for adults why is it necessary to give children those revolting reconstitution 90's school dinner sausages to the kids? Has Jamie Oliver taught you nothing?

Wait staff should always bring the children's meals first. I can't count the number of times all the adult meals have come out and the staff have gone back to get the children's meals! you then have about 90 seconds of trying to frantically distract a small child from completely losing their whatnot while you wait for them to return! Just bring the bloody kids meals first!

DONT PUT BABY IN THE CORNER!!! If a booking is made for a family and they have explicitly stated that they need a high chair and space for a pram, don't reserve the table at the far side of the pub in the back corner past all the other tables. This is such a ridiculous choice to make! I completely understand that if you receive a booking for a family with babies and toddlers you are expecting them to be loud and messy and it is tempting to tuck them out the way... But don't! Inevitably some poor parent has to push a pram, maybe a double, piled high with nappy bags and crayons and other small distractions, passed all the other already seated diners, banging into the tables that are too close together and having to embarrassingly ask other guests to stand and tuck their chairs in so they can get to the table. They then have to repeatedly dusturb the already disgruntled patrons every time a child needs to pee, have a new nappy or just cant sit still.

Here Endeth the rant!

I think the most important thing for a pub to be child friendly is to have a play area...indoor or out. Preferably both! Young children hate sitting still for any length of time and need to run off steam well before the grown ups are ready to leave. Having a play area means they are happy, and the adults have time to relax too.

We love a pub with a play area. Near us there is The Boathouse in Dawlish Warren and the Penn Inn in Newton Abbot.

Healthly food options for all. Good play areas, inside or out. (or both) Some smallish games on offer, even if it is just cards or something. Most importantly of all friendly, welcoming publicans.

I agree with a lot that has been said. An additional one - appropriate size puddings. It seems things like brownies/cakes are pre cut and children are given the same portions as the grown ups. If we order a child's pudding for DS (2.5) they are generally too big, cue me trying to take some away and an angry DS because I am stealing his pudding!

a CHILD FRIENDLY PUB WOULD BE SOME CHILD FACILITIES LIKE FABULOUS CHILD MENU CHILD SWEET DISPENSERS OR A TOY GRABBING MACHINE ALSO A A FAMILY AREA WOULD BE GOOD FOR MEALS A BABY CHANGING FACILITIES

THE PUB I WOULD RECOMMEND FROM MY EXPERIENCE IS THE Merry go round in hartlepool cleveland as they have good child facilities