Ikea

I love a 'day out' to IKEA. The experience in-store is what you make it - either the snail-pace grand tour or a combination of short-cuts to get where you need to go. My only recent criticism would be for the café - we went on a busy Saturday and everything felt a bit grimy - dirty cutlery and mugs, no plates for the desserts and no clean tables. There was a small hair in my Daim cake too. The hot food is still great in taste and price, but the café struggles with standards in busier times. The staff do a great job where they can - I think there just needs to be more of them on weekends to keep everything running smoothly.

We love Ikea, even if we don’t need to buy anything it’s a great option on a rainy day. Great value meals in the restaurant, the creche is usually open and free for a 45 minute session which the kids love. There are seasonal activities available (face painting, arts and crafts, bookable activities etc) and the children love just wandering round to explore all of the home scene rooms! Very child friendly, doesn’t need to cost a lot to take a trip there, generally lovely staff.

Enjoyed our visit on Saturday, my husband tho hates it. He feels trapped in the one way system and refuses to wait in the mega long queues for food, which is a shame as the food looked nice….. but he puts up with it for me with the promise of a carvery from the Cedar Tree pub just up the road lol. 😜 I love it here tho, the way they display the different rooms Kitchens, Bathrooms, Living rooms, Bedroom is outstanding & inspirating, it gives you ideas on decorating your own home. There’s a lot of walking around as it’s one way system so I can see it’s annoying if you just wanted a particular item but personally I enjoyed going from the different rooms. Parking is plentiful and easy to access.