Restaurant
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The Block House, Staffordshire

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Disclosure - We were invited to visit The Block House. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

As a family we spend a lot of time in and around the Staffordshire area and after a day at Trentham Gardens, The Monkey Forest or Alton Towers we are always looking for somewhere to eat which is close and family friendly. We recently visited The Block House which delivered everything we needed after a long day. A relaxed atmosphere, an appetising menu and a very warm welcome. 

The Block House



The Block House exterior


The Block House, Newcastle Road, Whitmore, ST5 5BU

The Block House


When arriving at The Block House you are first drawn to The Sheet Anchor which is a pub situated at the front however The Block House is at the rear of the pub and can be entered via the pub or its own separate entrance. To look at, The Block House is very stylish. Lots of lovely decor both inside and out with a choice of tables or booths and also an outdoor area. 

The Block House garden area
The menu has everything you would want from a grill based restaurant including succulent burgers and sizzling steaks. 

popcorn halloumi

cheese and bacon skins

chicken wings


For starters we chose Popcorn Halloumi with a chilli and pineapple dip, Cheese and Bacon Potato Skins with a cheese, bacon, sour cream and chive dip and a small portion of Smoked Jumbo Chicken Wings with the Block Barbecue sauce. 

popcorn chicken


The kids menu has a choice of two starters Nachos or Buttermilk Popcorn Chicken. We went for the Popcorn Chicken. 

The portion size of the starters was large. We received three large potato skins, plenty of halloumi and a big portion of wings even though it was 'small'. Everything was nicely presented and unbelievably tasty. A statement of 'The nicest Chicken Wings I've ever tasted' could be heard between mouthfuls.

If you are looking to order a main meal too I would definitely recommend sharing a starter between two people or two starters between three of four people. 

Mex burger with loaded fries

loaded fries

BlockBurger


For our mains the boys all chose burgers. The BlockHouse (Two beef patties, cheese, burger sauce, lettuce, beef tomato +seeded brioche bun) and The Mex Burger (Two beef patties, chilli cheese, brisket chilli, fried jalapeƱos, chipotle sour cream +seeded brioche bun) with the option to upgrade your fries to loaded fries.

kids build your own burger


The kids 'Build Your Own Burger' is perfect for little ones who can choose exactly what they want on their burger.  First choose your patty Beef or Buttermilk Chicken then add your extras of lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayo, pickles, cheese, French's Mustard or onion. Served with skin on fries and ketchup. 

Smoked Chicken Caesar Salad
I went for the Smoked Chicken Caesar Salad, maple bacon, croutons, Italian cheese and baby gem.

Again the portion sizes were huge and everything was delicious. The boys managed to finish their burgers but I couldn't finish my salad even after a little break half way. 

Malteaser cheesecake


I do always try to leave room for dessert but I was beaten and so was John however the boys managed to squeeze in an ice cream cone and a Malteaser Cheesecake. I honestly don't know how, but they did and enjoyed every mouthful. 

block house

block house

block house
You always know you have had a delicious meal when someone says "when can we come again?" A return visit is definitely on the cards and I would say if you are local or like us regular visitors to the area then I would definitely pop in to The Block House and give it a try. 

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Michelle
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Bella Italia was one of the first restaurants Daddy and I went to as a couple almost 15 years ago and although we have been a few times over the years we haven't been together as a family. Bella Italia have just launched a new kids menu and we were lucky to be invited to try it out on a visit to York.
We pre booked a table for 3pm which was a little early for Dinner but we hadn't had any lunch so little J was feeling very peckish by now. He had only had a snack followed by a snooze so I knew his little stomach would be rumbling. 
When we arrived we were seated quickly and was offered a highchair for little J. We were sat right by the kitchen so could see the food being prepared as we waited for the waitress to take our drinks order.
The kids menu was split into two. A menu for little ones and a larger portion menu for up to 11 year olds. Each menu included a starter, main, desert and refillable drink. There is plenty of choice available. If the kids want pizza they can choose a flavour off the main menu and it just comes in a smaller portion.

Daddy and I both got diet coca cola, Big J and little J were eating off the kids menu so they got a refillable drink each. Big J ordered diet coca cola and we order fruit squash for little J. When the kids drinks arrived they were in glass bottle with a plastic straw. They were great and very retro.
We ordered a sharing garlic mozzarella bread to start while the boys each got a garlic bread started included on the kids menu. 
Little J was really hungry at this point and I was a little disappointed that our wait for just the starters was almost 45 minutes. They arrived at the table at 3:45pm even though we had been sat since 3pm. This was a long time for a 1 year old to sit still and it was hard for us to try and keep him entertained as he was very hungry. He played on his tablet for a while.
Daddy and big J also played on their phones while we waited.
I had noticed earlier that our garlic bread sitting under the hot lamps for almost 10 minutes but there was no kids garlic breads there. One of the waitresses mentioned to the chef who swiftly moved the garlic bread and looked like he threw it in the bin.
Minutes later we were told our starters were on the way. 

The sharing garlic bread was cut into 8 slices and was very filling. Big J and little J's garlic bread was cut into strips and they both seemed to enjoy it. 
Once we had finished little J was very restless. He just didn't want to sit in the highchair any longer. Our mains still took another 10 - 15 minutes after we had finished. So before we had even got onto our main course we had been seated for almost 1hr20.


Daddy and I ordered lasagne which came in an oven dish and was very hot but very tasty. Big J's pizza was almost adult size even though it was from the kids menu. Little J's margarita pizza was a good size too and perfect for him to nibble on. He did eat some of it stood up on the seat watching the other guests.

It was clear he wasn't going to eat it all so after we had finished I asked the waitress could we take it home and she took it away and brought it back in a brown takeaway box which was perfect as he ate some more on the way home. 


Big J enjoyed his pizza and had room left to visit the Gelato cart for a scoop of bubblegum ice-cream. Little J also got one too, just vanilla. 
Overall our experience was okay. The restaurant itself was clean and the waitress was very friendly. It was just the waiting time which let it down. I don't mind waiting for food but 45 minutes for some garlic bread is crazy.
Have you tried the new Bella Italia Kids Menu yet?


*I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have no paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity*

www.mumsnet.com/bloggers-network
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