English Heritage Festival 2017

I love living in Medway. We are really lucky that our area is full of lots of activities and full of history! It could be a trip to a castle, Sweeps festival (coming up this weekend) and the Dickens festival to name just a few.

These events are always a wonderful family day out, a little learning adventure and, for me, a family tradition that has carried on from when I was a child to being a parent.

At the weekend we had the English Heritage Festival which is a fun-packed day out for the whole family celebrating the most iconic and ironic of English traditions.

It is always a day full of activities, fun and good food and drink; something that I have always loved and so have the boys. Ember from Relentlessly Purple and I have realised that we don't live too far away and have been getting together more with the kids in the holidays and I thought this event would be brilliant for her, the girls and her Mr to come along to.


Riverside country park is quite large and with a play park in the middle as a central point the grounds are split into three themed areas - The Countryside Experience, Iconic England and Village Square.

Once we had arrived I had to go and pick up the boys from their Mum. She is a NCT Medway support worker and is always keen on volunteering so it's great that we find a way to co-parent and support each others interests at the same time. I also have great respect for the NCT  volunteer team and being available to have tents and supporting people available. If you want to find out more follow the link above.

The NCT tent was based in the village square which seemed like a great place to start looking around!

The square had a vast array of local businesses and farmers market, with a whole array of local producers.

One of the first stalls we bumped into was Joanne's Preserves who offer a range of Jams, Marmalades, Jellies and Pickles.

We couldn't resist getting some and William has already had some ideas on using them in his baking so watch this space for some of the future recipes!

Next we came across the lovely guys at Thomas Cookie Co and we couldn't resist grabbing some for a treat at home. I mean look at the size of these yummy cookies.

Then not too far were the lovely guys at The chocolate hut who offer a range of baked goodies!

I managed to grab this Mars Bar Brownie for an afternoon treat when I knew I wouldn't have the boys!

And finally for the food, we came across the fantastic guys at The Giggly Pig who offered a range of different flavoured sausage products. They were also running a stall to grab some cooked lunch with!

We also had a great time chatting the drink companies like Copper Rivet Distillery who produce, Gin, Vodka and Malt, West Fisher Wines and Goody Ales; some great companies that peaked the interest of all us adults there!

With lunch time looming we grabbed some Giggly pig burgers, and our choice of drink and sat and enjoyed the sun.

After lunch we went and explored the different areas. The first was the iconic England.

Here you had an array of different situations. The first was a classic Punch and Judy show and although I have always found them a tad weird the boys and the girls thought it was great!

Along with funfair type attractions like an inflatable slide and a helter-skelter there were classic sweet stalls, ice cream makers and candyfloss.

Here we also saw the collection of vintage cars, Mini owners club and along with that Dellboy's Robin reliant.

Even whilst we were looking around you could see the owners cleaning and taking car of the cars. The love and attention to something that is a staple of English iconic history was brilliant!

Next we came across the classic Victorian characters. Just like the Sweeps and Dickens festivals it is always fun seeing people volunteers, re-enact and enjoy the history of the area. The moment we approached the actors were straight into character, doing the voices and interacting with the children.

This nicely went into to the countryside experience section.

Here we found a petting farm with Chickens, lambs, pigs, cows and calves and to the side some beautiful shire horses!

My favourite were these absolutely beautiful calves.

The countryside area had a combination of classic rural culture to active farming.

There we found a beautiful Cider company Core Fruit, watched a blacksmith and a real highlight for the boys and myself, sheep sheering!

As in the other area, we also found a selection of classic tractors. Previous years we have been able to get a lot closer but it was still interesting hearing about the different types.

We also has the chance to chat to Medway Bee Keeping who had some great resources available but the boys and the girls loved learning how to make candles! It was an interesting and actually quite simple process that I would love to try again with the boys.

Usually the boys love riding the donkeys but by the time we got there they were having what was probably a well deserved rest!

There were options to have a chance to be physical with a local dance club showing everyone different iconic dances from swing time to waltzes.

There were sporting opportunities for the children too with a tennis net set up and a chance to try some archery with Medway Sport! The Boys, William especially, and Eva wanted to give it a go!

There was also a chance for younger children to go on some smaller fairground rides.

The event was coming to a close and it was almost time to leave but we couldn't go without watching the fabulous George and the Dragon show!

However, it wasn't quite the spectacle of adventure to slay the dragon but more how George was rather silly, clumsy and a little mean to the poor sweet dragon! We were soon shouting and telling him to be nicer although poor Eva was put on the spotlight to tell him off!

Every year this event comes round and the run up to it gets me all excited to see what is going to happen. The day had started off raining and rather miserable but as you can see it brightened up and turned into a fantastic and sunny day.

For me it highlights the fun and love of iconic historic England and highlights some of the finest locally made products. The food and drink quality of these independent companies is amazing and the combination of quality, locally made and stepping back in nostalgia made the event brilliant.

The fact that we invited Ember and her family just made the day even better; two families, with similar but also different interests joining together shows why this event is always an enjoyable one!

We will also be a the Sweeps festival this weekend if anyone would like to say hello! I know most of the companies mentioned in this post will be there too so keep a lookout!

(This is a collaboration. My opinions are my own and I am under no obligations to give a positive review! Please see my full disclosure at the bottom of my blog)