Mmmondays with St David's Centre, Cardiff

I love shopping. You know that, don't you?  And food.  I definitely love food.  So what better way to make me happy than to combine the two?  And I don't mean going food shopping.  Every Monday in August, St David's shopping centre in Cardiff is hosting Mmmondays, a tasty celebration of all things food.  We popped along this week to find out what it was all about.

I registered on their website before going, and received a voucher which gave me discounts in many of the cafes and restaurants in the centre, as well as access to other special discounts & treats, including 20% off in Hamleys (very welcome, one of our favourite stores).  The vouchers and offers change each week, so it's worth checking what's on offer before you go.  It doesn't matter if you hadn't got a voucher beforehand, as there was a stall in the centre of the main arcade where you could register and get your voucher on the day - handy if you weren't expecting anything going on.

We started out with a spot of lunch in Prezzo, a restaurant I hadn't visited before, but one taking part in the promotion.  They had 2 different children's menus, depending on the age & appetite of your child. At 3, Squeaky opted for the smaller meal, and the garlic bread, pizza & ice cream were just her size.  It makes a refreshing change for her to get through a whole meal out, and the combination of the right foods, and the right portion sizes made a big difference.  They even gave her child sized cutlery, a big plus in my book.  I had goat's cheese bruschetta & penne arrabiata from the adults' set menu, and there was so much I couldn't even finish it - unknown for me!

Then off we headed into the main shopping centre.  There was a definite carnival atmosphere to the Mmmondays experience, with a Test Your Strength game, where you could win prizes from various restaurants (we won a free drink from Nando's), a picture postcard posing place (I don't know... there's probably a word for it!), and a spin the wheel game, where you could win Krispy Kreme doughnuts or packets of sweets.  All really good fun, attracting lots of attention, but not too distracting from the important job of shopping!

Shopping, ah yes, shopping.  As I said, there was a discount in Hamley's, and loads pirate activities, which they've got going on throughout the holidays, yarrrrrrrr.  We made the most of the opportunity to play on some of the toys they have available to try out on the shop floor, even though it did take quite a battle to get Squeaky back out of the store again.  And the Disney store opposite were promoting their latest film, Planes (which Squeaky is now desperate to see), as well as generally being the sparkliest, spangliest place on the whole planet and a three year old's idea of bliss.  Squeaky bought herself a Minnie Mouse helicopter toy with the Tooth Fairy's gift (and a bit of help from Mummy, because the value of money is still a mystery)

We hit a few shops, and spent as much as my wallet could take when it's still a fortnight til payday, and then made our way to the treat zone.  Treat Zone?  Yep!  If you spend more than £10 (in one transaction, as some were finding out), you can take your receipt to the Treat Zone, and choose from popcorn, snowcones or candy floss as a way of saying thank you.  Candy floss for me, every time!  Not sure Squeaky was quite so convinced, but then again the candy floss was bigger than her head.

Want to see more?  St Davids have put together a little film to tell you all about it.

If that's whetted your appetite, maybe we'll see you there next week, there's still 2 more Mmmondays to go!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend this event and provided with a complementary meal on attendance.  I was not told what to write and all opinions remain my own.  Links are provided for convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.