It’s been a very busy time for me this weekend. I have some incredibly exciting news to share with you that I can’t share just yet, but suffice to say that this is a biggie, and one for which I feel truly blessed. I am almost at 2000 followers on my blog and I am so grateful for all the kind comments and support that I receive. This weekend a very kind lady emailed me directly to share some beautiful words about my blog. I have received so much support, that I shall be making this blog into a website soon. Of course, I shall probably have to enlist my daughter’s help for this, as twelve-year-old children tend to be better at tech than their much older parents!

At the weekend we took my son and his friends to two places in Barnsley, that I am going to review. This is a #honest review which means that I receive no gifted or free items, and this allows me to be honest on my blog. You know that you will only get a recommendation if it is justified. I find it incredibly annoying these days that just about every blog post or social media post from a blogger, contains some sort of #AD or affiliate link. I do not want to be another advertising platform.

My son is a teenager and it is often difficult to find anything entertaining that is age-appropriate for him to go to. I did what most parents do when faced with trying to find something to do for his birthday, and asked Google. The most cited place happened to be called CRYPTOLOGY also known as Barnsley Escape Rooms. Situated right in the centre of Barnsley, it sounded like a sort of live action Crystal Maze game. My son and his friends enjoy computer games, where they must use their intelligence and so this sounded like the perfect fit. The reviews were excellent, and many mentioned how helpful the staff were and how much fun the activity was.

Cryptology is located at 20-26 Eldon Street, Barnsley, S70 2JB. The aim of the game is to encourage teamwork, creating an experience to be shared and remembered with others. Each goal is individual to the room and is revealed upon entering. Working as a team, players need to solve as many clues to complete a goal before the time is up. There are two different games to choose from: HMS Cypher and Insanctuary. Cypher is set in 1943. The game involves travelling back in time to discover the fate of the HMS Cypher and her crew. For the game Insanctuary, criminals have disappeared from the ‘Insanctuary Criminal Rehabilitation Unit’. The aim of the game is to gather all the information you can to help find them.

My son and his friends really enjoyed their time spent in the rooms. I think much of that was down to the very enthusiastic host who stayed with them to assist in solving the clues. They didn’t manage to get out in time, but they had a great deal of fun trying to do this. The cost of the game depends on the amount of people playing with prices ranging from £20 per person for two players to £14 in a group of seven. I would thoroughly recommend it for any parties or team building activities.

Favela Brazilian Grill is an authentic Brazilian dining experience in Barnsley. My husband has travelled quite a lot to Brazil with his work, and so we have often enjoyed going to Brazilian style grill restaurants. This was our first time to Favela,  and we were really impressed with the service, the quality of the food and the price.

For those of you yet to experience a Brazilian grill, then you must give it a try. There is a very large buffet for you to choose from. This contains all kinds of side dishes including salads, vegetarian and vegan options, breads, cheeses and even smoked salmon. Then freshly-cooked meat is brought around to your table for you to try. They have a range of meats cooked in a Brazilian style, and the lunch time menu included sausages, sirloin steak, chicken, and pork belly. It was the perfect place to take hungry teenagers as they really could eat until they were full. What made this such an excellent experience was the service. We had specific requests and the staff went out of their way to meet these. The food was of a very high quality and the buffet was constantly updated. There are so many options that the menu is suitable for vegans, vegetarians and those with special diets. The food is excellent value for money with the lunch menu being £14.95 vegetarians at £7.95 and the fish option at £18.95. The evening menu is £24.95. There is a comprehensive bar featuring Cocktails and Mocktails, beers and spirits, as well as wines, soft drinks and other speciality drinks! The ambience was exceptional and we were able to take our time with our meal. We will be returning soon.