Half Term fun at intu Merry Hill & Nando's

With Half Term on the horizon, many families will be looking for places to go and things to do. It's always nice visiting somewhere new or making a day out of a trip to the shops, which is just what we did the other weekend. We haven't been to intu Merry Hill many times, with our last visit being to see their Santa grotto, but we went along to try out the children's menu at Nando's.

We're Nando's fans in our house, and I often cook with some of the sauces and spices at home. I mean, what's not to love? Roast chicken, tasty peri-peri flavours to suit your taste then add a tasty side - corn on the cob, rice, mash, fries, macho peas... mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I wasn't sure if it would appeal to our bambino, but upon arriving to a warm welcome by the manager, Adam, and seeing both the colouring pages and crayons laid out and the Nandino's menu, I had a good feeling.

Nando's intu Merry Hill is quite different to others we have been to, and it had a bright, colourful and well laid out tables. It's just as bustling and popular as Nando's always seems to be and looking through the menu, despite chicken being the core theme (naturally), there was still a lot to take in. New sweet potato wedges. Primo side options. Chicken thighs. Superfood salads.

The Nandino's menu has plenty of options to piece together so you can create a plate to suit your toddler / little person. You can choose a sauce too - mild, and there's a sweet barbecue option - and there's veggies to enjoy and frozen yoghurt and ice pops to finish everything off. It's great value too - Ethan's meal beat even his insatiable appetite.

He opted for chicken, chips and a bowl of tomatoes - which obviously appealed the most as he polished these off first - and he enjoyed tucking into it all for himself.

Ethan, aged 3.5 years, on his visit to Nando's:

"I like chicken and tomatoes and chips - AND sauce! I ate all my tomatoes first and then the chicken strips. Mmm!"

"Look at my pictures - they're marvellous! I like colouring."

"I'm a chicken Mummy!"

Hubs went for a sunrise chicken thigh burger, which I had been tempted by, with a side of macho peas, but instead I opted for one of the salads. I've never had one at Nando's before, and had trouble picking one, but was so glad that I did.

Mine was full of avocado (not just a couple of small cubes), grains and flavour and I opted for chicken thighs to accompany it, with mango and lime sauce. Hubs and I then split some sweet potato wedges that went just perfectly with my salad - and made for a really filling lunch.

Our thoughts on the food:

"We like coming to Nando's as we like their style of cooking and choosing different sides to suit what we fancy."

"I tried something different this time - a super grain salad - which I've never usually gone for but it was super tasty and the chicken thighs were a delicious addition."

"Try the sweet potato wedges too for something different - they're good for you and little ones like them too!"

"The Nandinos menu is great as you can mix and match options to suit the taste (and mood) of your toddler, and there's plenty of veggies too. You can also choose plain or mild sauce for the chicken for delicate tastebuds, plus a frozen yoghurt or ice pop as a less sugary treat afterwards."

Our complete meal, including Ethan's mean, drink and dessert deal and two refillable soft drinks for us, came to just under £34, which was actually a surprise and just the right kind of budget for a family like us, out for the day.

The hospitality at the restaurant, despite how obviously busy it was, and their open approach to families and children was great and the food I, or Ethan, could not fault.

* We were invited to enjoy a complimentary meal in return for an honest review - and that's just what we have done. Also, look out for Ethan's critique in the intu Merry Hill Half Term leaflet!