Lunch at Jamie’s Italian #HappyMum

I have always felt nervous while going out for meals with my 3 year old because he can easily get restless sitting at one place. When a child is not happy, you just cannot make him sit or you can’t instruct what to do. Last week was a bit special as I saw huge change in my son. He became more confident, a bit more accepting and understanding. I thought of sharing my happiness with you all via this post but to keep everyone interested I have added a bit of Outfit and makeup deets too ;).

Outfit | A knitted floral pastel pink top from Next and a Zara Leatherette pencil skirt

Accessories & Shoes | Minimal is my approach for most occasions. I chose my Daniel Wellington Rose gold classic petite watch with rose gold cuff ( Review). This watch is great for day time or night out.

For shoes, I wanted plain yet chic so I went for Call It Spring – Black ‘Aliniel’ high stiletto heel pointed shoes from Debenhams. For fragrance, I chose Marc Jacobs Daisy Dreams Kiss (review)

I had to keep my DSLR as well as some other bits and bobs so I preferred my Zara basic tote in Off-white which is a classic neutral option and works with most outfits. Moreover, its a very blogger-friendly bag!

Makeup | My makeup had hues of pinks and plums from my pastel top.

Base | I prepped my skin with Murad Rapid Resurfacing Peel (Review) to achieve a radiant and well exfoliated base. I chose Murad Essential-C Day Moisturiser because it has SPF 30 and it also provides a bit of glow. For foundation I picked New Cid Cosmetics i-perfection Foundation in Cappuccino (this foundation has perfect shade match and formula for me, Love this! This is now available in Minis) and Nip & Fab Corrector in Terracotta (this corrector is one of the best ones and doesn’t crease) , Nars radiant creamy Concealer & Cover Fx Illuminating Spray (to give me radiant complexion).

Makeup Enhancers | New Cid Cosmetics Bronzer in Rio (Post) which is a bronzer and contour in one and i-glow Coral Crush Blush mini because it has beautiful sheen to it so I didn’t need any highlighter (Post). These two are travel size so I could easily pop these into my Love Me Beauty makeup bag for refreshing my makeup before Kiehls x Nyx event that I attended just after my lunch.

I filled in my brows with my favourite New Cid i-groom brow liner. This pencil and brush duo is a necessity for me and is amazing.

Eyes | Mark & Spencer Rosie for Autograph – Movie Star Crush eye shadow stick for plum hues and Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara (the wand is everything).

Lips | Mac Mehr This is such a gorgeous pink with blue undertones that always works for medium skintones.

I also made sure I carry my trusty Merci Handy hand sanitizing gel (smells nice, leaves my hands clean and are so easy to travel with) and Caudalie Beauty Elixir to freshen up my makeup before going to next event.

So on to the exciting part (if you didn’t follow my insta stories that day)..

We had our table pre-booked at Jamie’s Italian, Milton Keynes*. We were running late due to my husband’s official commitments (as the lunch was planned for a weekday), I rang them up before reaching and requested them to hold my reservation for approx 15 mins which they kindly did.

Upon Arrival, we were greeted at the Reception and were escorted to our table. The setting was very inviting and comfortable.

As I mentioned earlier, I was slightly nervous at first but the setting appealed to my son as it was very child-friendly. They had activity sheets and crayons to keep the kids busy and also 3D lookup thing in which kids menu was visible with 3 dimensional photos and figures like dinosaurs to keep them curious.

A shoutout to Ben who was looking after us and he kept our son happy by answering all his 10,000 questions about trucks, scrapers and diggers :).

We decided to go for three courses meal from the Super Lunch Menu. For starters, we ordered Tomato Bruschetta which is Slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, whipped ricotta, basil & extra virgin olive oil and my dear husband had Pea & Mint Soup which was Blitzed up pea & mint soup with a dollop of organic yoghurt, lemon zest & our freshly baked foccacia. Husband says the soup was amazing but I think the Tomato Bruschetta was more delicious. We didn’t taste from eachother’s plate so can’t compare but I wish I could tell you about the taste and aroma of the food.

For Mains, I decided to go for Gnocchi Sorrentina which is Organic potato gnocchi in slow-roasted tomato sauce with garlic, basil & baby mozzarella. My dear husband went for Jamie’s Big Five Salad which is Your five a day dished up in a refreshing bowl of quinoa, fennel, peas, crunchy red chicory, grapes, radish & plenty of herbs with a lemony extra virgin olive oil dressing with Fish of the day (Salmon). The Gnocchi Sorrentina was superb and I am definitely going to order this again when I visit next.

For drinks we had fresh fruit juice and homemade lemonade.

My son chose Margherita Pizza which is Crispy sourdough with Jamie’s organic seven-veg sauce & oozy mozzarella, baked & topped with fresh basil. The pizza’s crust was very thin and my son ate the pizza without any fuss. His pizza arrived with a fresh shake me jar of chopped salad and fresh juice which he finished as well. I was so proud of him for finishing his food as he never does that when he is outside #AchievementForParents.

For Desserts, my son chose Yummy Organic Ice Lolly in Juicy Fuity Strawberry & Mango swirl which he ordered just because he wanted to have one but it got wasted because he had his tummy full :).

My husband had Chocolate Fudge which had Salted caramel popcorn & chocolate gelatos, brownie pieces & caramelised popcorn. I had Epic Chocolate Brownie which was made of Rich chocolate sauce, salted caramel gelato & caramelised popcorn. I am not a fan of fudge so I will definitely rate my desert high 🙂

Overall, our experience was amazing and I am a happier Mum now as my son is more comfortable in such settings. We can have more family meals outside and I am confident my son will be more settled now 🙂

Have you been to Jamie’s Italian? If you’re a mum, do you experience similar nervousness before going out? Where do you like to go for meals with small kids?

Would you like to see more of Lifestyle content on my blog? Share your thoughts in comments below.

Until next time

Ash xo

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*Jamie’s Italian kindly invited us to their Milton Keynes Restaurant as a complimentary gift but my opinions are honest and unbiased.