Life behind the SQUARES with Sarah Anderson

Each person attending will require a ticket and the experience includes a savoury bun or sweet treat elf-endorsed sugary breakfast plate (or lunch box) at our eatery. Included in the ticket price is a chocolate themed (of course) reusable gift, a NICE list certificate, activity sheet with colouring, and of course your private photo opportunity with the big man himself in our fully decked out, cosy Christmas grotto. You can take as many of your own photos as you want. 

During your session the shop will also be closed to the general public, but open to you, so if you wish to use your hour to stock up on last minute gifts or to get those bits and bobs to add to Christmas Eve boxes, we will have the tills on and be ready to serve. 

This would be an amazing opportunity to relight the magic in older children who are on the cusp of believing - we had overwhelmingly positive feedback last year, with everyone who attended telling us he encompassed everything you'd imagine the real Santa to do so... real beard included! He has the voice, the glasses, even the twinkle of fairy lights in his eyes (this might be a reflection of the decor in the shop, but still 👀🤣) 

On top of that, really, there's a part of me that just thinks it's... rude?

I can understand taking your own little picnic with you on a day out to the zoo, where the main income for said venue is the animals, not the food. But to bring your own food into an establishment that sells food, and relies entirely on that food being sold to keep afloat, cover costs, pay wages and pay bills, results in substantial loss of income. 

So, in short, we don't accept food being brought onto the premises because of the risks associated with doing so. We are a very flexible place to eat, the majority of our foods can be made to suit, for specific dietary requirements and optional food choices. 

The six weeks summer holiday break can be so daunting for families, especially with an ever-increasing number of bills to pay that are being hiked higher than ever. 

It can be difficult to find days out that fall within budget, or days out at all, with so many seeing closure over the last few years post-covid, Brexit, and bills.