Play at Brewers Fayre Lock Keeper Chesterfield Review
Reviewed by Marianne Rowley
Having been to Brewers Fayre a few times for birthday parties, I was excited to hear that it had been refurbished as it hasn’t looked its best for a while. I attended a VIP event to celebrate its launch of the new play zone with my 2 and half year old twins.
As we walked through the restaurant, Dennis the Menace with his side kick dog Gnasher was passing by. We waved at him. He was very friendly and attempted High Five but my little girl wasn’t keen so he didn’t insist.
We were welcomed by one of the staff who was very friendly. She explained where everything was and gave me my table number. As it was a VIP only event , it was well staffed and well organised. The children were given yellow bracelets to wear.
As I walked through the door, I was amazed at how much it had changed. It has been completely redecorated with a Beano theme decor, new flooring, new tables, new chairs, new lighting, new ceiling. Now, there is a reception area with a counter for the staff to check you in and take your order complete with sweet and tattoos machines and ice cream freezer. Walking thought the new dining/sitting area, you access the play frames. The toddler area has been completely redone with a new small slide, Bean bags and soft toys. The children have to climb up to get into it which makes it feel nice and safe. At the front, baby walkers and Little Tikes cars are available to use. The older area hasn’t changed with its 3 floors of ball pool, staircase, corridor, slides and helicopter. They have placed a new ride and machines on the front.
I queued for the face painting whist my little boy took charge of one of the Little Tikes car and my little girl enjoyed the new toddler area. We were provided with soft drinks for the little ones and unlimited tea, coffee and Unlimited Refills on Selected Soft Drinks for the adults. Once we reached the front of the queue, my little girl was happy to sit but wasn’t sure about having her face painted. The lady was very friendly and offered to paint a butterfly on my arm so she could see what it was all about. This meant, my little girl followed by my little boy were happy to have one done on their arm. They loved their “tattoos” and managed to keep them all day.
We were on a bit of a schedule as I had to pick up my son from his morning activity. We were seated in the main area of the pub. On the table, they provided the children with The Beano magazine, crayons and balloons. I asked for our food to arrive for 11.45am and the manager was more than happy to accommodate me. I had preordered the Smothered Chicken (Grilled chicken breast topped with bacon and melted Cheddar cheese, served with chips coleslaw, garlic bread, a lightly dressed salad garnish and BBQ sauce) for myself, Sausage and Mash and peas for my little boy and The Cod-Apult (loaded with crispy cod bites, chips, peas and ketchup) for my little girl. My chicken was nice and the children enjoyed their food. The puddings arrived shortly after Chocolate Fudge Cake for me, Chocolate Brownie and Tricky Minnie Doughnuts for the children. My cake was lukewarm which I love and served with ice cream which I didn’t like very much. The children shared their pudding and loved being able to dip the doughnuts in caramel sauce and in hundreds and thousands. They also liked the brownie but they didn’t really eat the ice cream. The food was nice and just what I expected from a pub lunch. We were done with plenty of time to go and explore the Den.
The Den is situated at the back of the play area. It is the new birthday area. For the event, they had placed all the little tables and chairs in a square and provided us with A3 drawing papers, crayons and felt tip. The room is a nice size and boast a large TV on one wall showing Denis the Menace episode. On the opposite side, soft bench seating is provided for the parents to sit and watch the children. I had noticed that it had been manned previously but when we arrived nobody was there. My 2 enjoyed coloring for 10 minutes and staff arrived in the meantime. When it was time to go my little boy, having been obsessed with the balloons since we arrived, asked if we could take ours home. The manager was more than happy to get them for us and made a little hoop on the string so they could wear them to the car. I am pleased to report that they made it all the way home.
During the event, Dennis kept walking around. The staff were very friendly and attentive. As we left, one of the staff member from the restaurant gave us some more The Beano magazines from previous edition which was a very nice touch.
The refurbishment has definitely made a great improvement to the service provided from being able to serve food next to the play area to the new Den for birthday parties. I can’t wait to bring my older boy and my husband who was never a fan of the old Brewers Fayre.
Play cost £3.00 per child for 90 minutes of play. They have height restrictions from 90cm to 140cm. As soon as your child is a confident walker, he/she is able to use the entire play area. Birthday parties are charged at £8.99 per child.
The Lock Keeper has a large car park with disabled spaces at the front.
Rating: 5/5
For more information, to view menus or to book a table visit:
www.brewersfayre.co.uk/pub-restaurant/Derbyshire/Lock-Keeper-Chesterfield.html
Brewers Fayre, Tapton Lock Hill, Off Rotherway, Chesterfield, S41 7NJ | 01246 560 700
