The Post • Family Favourites


Family Favourites Ideas for what to do with little ones.


“Lovely weather for ducks.” How many times have I heard that muttered in disgust this winter and even now heading into spring? The rain has been ridiculous. And so my son Rafa and I thought we’d see whether our feathered friends were really enjoy- ing themselves, splashing out in their webbing- ton boots and generally delighting in the misery that this god awful weather brings to the human race and, in particular, to parents who cannot face yet another day in soft-play hell. We started in South Pool and were graced by


the presence of my husband for once. A heavenly little village off the beaten track – turn left at Chilling- ton and head towards the sea up some debatable “roads” – at its centre you’ll find a stone bridge and ford with stepping stones; close enough together and shal- low enough for a toddler to cross with hand held. And hanging out in the middle of all this quintessential English scenery, some very contented looking ducks, of the traditional sort, eyeing up every passing soul in case their pockets bear something by way of snack. Unsurprisingly it was rain-


By Philippa Hutton


road but no less scenic, we visited the nature reserve at Slapton Ley. The largest natural lake in South West England (I’m reliably told), the Ley boasts several species of waterfowl – my personal favourite being the boisterous and rather hand- some moorhen; with his black plumage, trendy yellow feet and funky scarlet beak he looks a bit too edgy for a South Devon village and might better belong on the runway at London fashion week. Smaller than your average duck, he didn’t let his size stand in his way when it came for vying for a bit of our budget-busting loaf. Rafa sat on the bench mesmerised, until a swan came a little too close for comfort. We beat a hasty retreat to the car. Outing number three


This was Rafa’s first encounter with a turkey and he was fairly flabbergasted


ing, but the ducks were, nonetheless, lovely and very appreciative of the non-soggy bread that we proffered. Traffic minimal, picturesqueness – is that a word? – spot on. We congratulated ourselves on having done something outdoorsy and then headed for the pub, The Millbrook Inn, for lunch and a nappy change for Rafa on the floor of the top bar; the barman was very accommodating of my young man. I devoured delicious Skate in Ca- per Butter Sauce, Nick had moules frites and Rafa munched on parsnip and apple (one of my finer creations – not courtesy of Ella’s Kitchen for once). After a few sips of Merlot, we decided that duck spotting wasn’t so bad a past time after all and planned our next venture. This time, more main


was further afield but worth the trip. One of our preferred pubs for lunch on Dartmoor is the Rugglestone Inn at Widecombe (“The Ruggles” to locals). We met family there on Christmas Eve for my niece’s birthday. A bit of a tradition; the icing on the cake of this get to-


gether is our annual visit to see the pub’s resident turkey; reassuringly still prancing about in his pen the day before Christmas dinner. This was Rafa’s first encounter with a turkey and he was fairly flabbergasted; what on earth was this mystical creature doing its best to take a peck of his toes? And there’s no denying this bird is a character – after years of greeting the pub’s guests, he is completely unperturbed by your average drunken human and hence very enter- taining. In fact I strongly believe that it was his wild antics that, one year, sent my sister-in-law into labour in the car on the way home from this annual rendez-vous (hence the niece). The turkey himself remains a firm family favourite.•


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