Handmade By You based in Alfie's Antique Marking on Church Street is running a Summer Craft programme for parents and children. More information about the various classes running can be found on their website www.handmade-by-you.co.uk

Marylebone is becoming increasingly trendy, which is lovely, but not necessarily child-friendly. 

Everyone must have heard about the Chiltern Firehouse by now. The building has been magnificently restored and is beautiful. There is a lovely courtyard inside and a fantastic restaurant and bar. Great! And all on our doorstep! One problem - you can't actually go in. And the next table available is in 2 months time. Such a shame. Maybe one the celebs move on to the next fashionable place, locals might be able to try the place out. 

Next up, Fischers. Take a peek inside, it looks fabulous. Except they don't want you in there. Their website says:
 "due to limited space, we are unable to accommodate prams or buggies" 
 I believe this is code for "we don't want families with young children in here" - which is a shame given the menu is basically schintzel or sausage, which even the fussiest child will generally gobble down. 

Over on Blandford St in August we will see Carousel opening which sounds very exciting but again seems like it will be a very trendy and not child-friendly place (though this is purely speculation on my part)

But on a more positive note, the Michelin-starred restaurant Trishna on Blandford St has been in touch to mention their Express Menu lunch deal. From 12-2.30pm every day (including weekends) for £15 you get a main (from a large selection), sides and a bottle of Cobra or a 100ml glass of wine selected by their (Zagat 30 under 30) award winning sommelier, Sunaina Sethi or a lassi. It does sound like a great deal, and having dined there in the past I can say that the food is rather yummy.  

Also Opso has just opened at 10 Paddington Street serving modern and traditional Greek food. A quick visit today and I was impressed by the lovely design of the inside as well as the rather yummy looking menu. They are open as of 23rd June for Breakfast and Lunch only (until 3.30pm Monday - Friday) and weekend brunch from 9am – 4pm; and from 3rd July for All Day Dining. I picked up a nice cup of coffee and rather yummy chicken sandwich this morning so this should be a nice addition to the area's restaurants. There is seating outside as well so should be lovely during the summer. 

Tata Isla French Music classes arrive in Marylebone in September - Designed for preschoolers from 6 months old to expose them to the French language through music and song in a fun interactive way using puppetry and musical props. 

The classes will run on a regular basis from September and be drop in - first intro class on 3rd July free to all at 11.15am at Marylebone Library  . For further info anyone can contact atusebohn@gmail.com 

The wonderful people at the Marylebone Village Nursery School have organised a Summer Holiday Fun Camp for 1-3 year olds this year. 

There will be a meet-up on Friday 20th June at 10.30am until 12pm at Carluccios on Paddington Street, just off Marylebone High St. See you there!

If you are looking for a great food delivery option, check out Deliveroo. For a very reasonable delivery charge, they deliver meals from many of our favourite local restaurants including Busaba Eathai, Tommi's Burger Joint, and even Strada and GBK as well as some more interesting options such as Ergon and Samarqand. 

They have a great list of restaurants in Marylebone and are constantly adding new options. Just type in your post code so see who delivers. They are growing in lots of other areas in London - in fact I am a bit jealous of some of the options that people closer to Soho and Notting Hill get! 

Having used the service, I can say that the food arrived hot and fresh and just as delicious as when I eat in the restaurant, and you can track your order in real time. No more rubbish take-aways for us!

(I am writing this totally unprompted by Deliveroo - we used it as we had a flyer through the door and I was just really impressed by the service and idea)

There will be a meet up this Thursday 10.30am - 12.00pm (or later) - please do join! 

We will be at the Carluccio's on Paddington Street (just off Marylebone High St, by Paddington St Gardens)

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Loads on in the Marylebone are this weekend - let's hope the weather stays glorious! If you know of anything else going on, do let me know!

Hampden Gurney Summer Fair 14th June around Nutford Place
Marylebone Library Open Day 14th June
Gloucester Square Garden Party 14th June for those in the Lancaster Gate area
Open Squares Weekend 14th and 15th June
Cabbages and Frocks huge market 14th and 15th June in St Marylebone Parich Churchyard
Monocle Summer Fayre 14th and 15th June at Midori House
Marylebone Village Fayre 15th June

…and Fathers Day on Sunday too!

Some information about Boys and Mixed prep schools has been added to my list of Private schools around the Marylebone area. Please see the Eduction - Private Schools page for details. More to follow!

The information about private schools in the area seems to have been quite popular, and I will be adding more schools to the list soon (including boys schools). 

I'm also hoping to organise a chat during the Summer break with someone who has in depth experience of both the private and state sector. I am totally confused about the state system (to the extent that I don't even understand what age Year 1 means!), and have found few resources that explain it all. So do stay tuned for further information.

The Summer break begins mid-July  -  no playgroups or organised activities til September! Eek! The under-2 age group is too young for any of the summer camp type organised activities so I am hoping to organise regular meet-ups during the summer so that looking after the little ones doesn't get too much. Some lunches, picnics in Paddington St Gardens (near to lots of cafes so if the weather changes on us its not to far from shelter!), or just the usual meet-ups… Any ideas about things you'd like on in the Summer?