War of the Roses show returns to Warwick Castle for 2018 with an Escape Room

Warwick Castle

We’ve visited Warwick Castle several times over the years (we’ve even stayed onsite in their Knight’s Village) and we always have a wonderful time. So when we were given the opportunity to pop along last week to celebrate the return of their summer jousting show we jumped at the opportunity. The War of the Roses show returns to Warwick Castle for 2018 with an Escape Room held in their Medieval dungeon.

We’ve never taken part in an escape room before so I had no idea how we’d fare but with two adults and three enthusiastic children we decided to give it a go. It was held in the Medieval jail (technically I think that should be written Gaol) which is located behind the courtyard shop, next to the KingMaker exhibit.

After arriving at the jail we were given the back story, the year is 14?? (I’ve forgotten the exact date) and your mission is to help the prisoner escape the Medieval jail before the guards return. You begin by walking down some dark and somewhat treacherous steps before being locked (with a big scary padlock) into your Medieval cell with 30 minutes to save yourself and rescue the prisoner or else face joining them in their captivity!Warwick Castle

The inmate is played by an actor locked up in a higher up cell who talks to you throughout the escape attempt. Across each wall are clues which may help (or hinder) you. There were locked boxes, family trees and chests, I must admit it took me a few minutes to take it all in (it’s also very dark). I won’t give too much away but basically there are several puzzles which you must solve in order to unlock various chests. These chests contain torches and further puzzles which if solved help you to unlock the final chest containing the keys to your (and the inmate’s) freedom.

Once we’d got our bearings we lept into action, running about the cell shouting dates and info to each other. I suspect we were actually doing rather well as the actor distracted my husband (our master code breaker) with various riddles and chatter. However, despite this we did escape the room with the fastest time that day! Cue big cheesy grins from everyone! In fact we would have completed it slightly faster if my daughter hadn’t insisted that one of our codes was wrong, when she was actually trying to open the lock the wrong way!Escape Room Warwick Castle

The adrenaline as the clock ticks away is replaced by a real sense of accomplishment when (or if) you escape and we had an amazing time. In fact it was so much fun that the kids are still talking about it now. The event was so professionally put together and the actors involved so convincing, that it felt like we’d taken part in a big production or a TV show. I’d thoroughly recommend you give it a try if there’s an opportunity, it might even be fun to be caught by the guards!War of the Roses

War of the Roses

We left the escape room (heads significantly larger and higher than before)  and walked straight over the bridge to watch the new War of the Roses show. Every year the show is impressive but this year it has really been taken up a notch with new stories and extra characters. The public is split into supporters of Lancaster and York with both being encouraged to cheer and boo the opposing sides.

War of the Roses

The skill of the actors handling the horses is really something to behold and this year the show even incorporated a messenger eagle, doves and celebratory streamers!

War of the Roses

I won’t give the plot away but the show depicts a poignant and well known period in the War of the Roses. The past can so often be presented in a dry, dull fashion that it’s rendered almost impossible to relate too but this show really brings history to life and inspires its audience. This was evidenced by the various children (including my youngest) who asked for further clarification on various parts of the story afterwards.

War of the Roses

My daughter filmed a few short clips of the show which just gives you a feel for how entertaining this production is.

After visiting several times you’d be forgiven for thinking that the attractions might have become somewhat stale for us but Warwick Castle is brilliant at updating and refreshing all of their attractions so there’s never any chance to be bored!

War of the Roses

We finished our day by visiting several of the other attractions Warwick has to offer, the Flight of the Eagles, Knights School, The Horrible History Maze etc. you can take a look at some of my previous posts if you’d like to learn about them in greater detail.Horrible History Maze

If you can, I definitely recommend you visit the show this summer. For further details and to book, pop over to Warwick Castle’s website.

 

Asda Raspberry & White Chocolate Swiss Roll Bread & Butter Pudding Recipe

Raspberry & white chocolate bread & butter PuddingToday I’m sharing with you my brand new (as in I made it up yesterday) Asda Raspberry & White Chocolate Swiss Roll Bread & Butter Pudding Recipe. It’s super tasty and moreish (even if I do say so myself) and it all came about thanks to a drive to reduce food waste!

Did you know that in 2015 an estimated 7.3m tonnes of food was thrown away!? Such a figure seems like an unbelievable truth but I assure you that it’s happening right now and nearer to you than you might think. Now I’m sure there’s a few of you sitting there thinking ‘I know I’m not part of the problem’ and that’s absolutely amazing. Truly I salute you for not letting that lemon dry out or those forgotten peppers in the veg drawer go mouldy. However there’s no need to stop there, just because you’re not part of the problem doesn’t mean you can’t become part of the solution! Across the country waste food apps, community groups and cafes are popping up promising to feed you (often very cheaply) delicious food that would otherwise be destined for landfill. This food can be the result of overstocking, short dating etc but it’s all perfectly edible and needs to be used.Asda Raspberry & White Chocolate Swiss Roll

One such group recently launched near me and I popped along with my youngest to fill a bag. The group has no control over which food products they receive and this week they’d been blessed with an overabundance of Asda Raspberry & White Chocolate Swiss Roll packs. As a result they were encouraging everyone to take one. I’ll admit this isn’t a product I would ordinarily purchase and at first I’d just planned to let the kids partake and leave it at that. On further reflection though I decided we could make more of this humble swiss roll, it needed, nay deserved to become a dessert that could please the entire family!

 

What You’ll Need

1 Asda Raspberry & White Chocolate Swiss Roll

Butter

Raspberry or Cherry Jam

300ml Whole Milk

3 Eggs

3oz (75g) Caster Sugar

1 Punnet Fresh Raspberries

 

Method

Grease a medium pie dish using the butter, I didn’t measure a specific amount here but I’d put on a reasonable layer.

Slice the swiss roll and arrange into the pie dish.

Cover the slices with a generous layer of jam. I actually used Cherry & brandy conserve because I was feeling extra fancy (and it was the only thing I had in the cupboard!)

Whisk the milk, eggs and sugar together and pour evenly over the swiss roll slices.

Cut the raspberries into halves and sprinkle over the top

Bake in a preheated oven approx. 180C (350G,Gask Mark 4) for 35-40minutes.

Enjoy with a dollop of fresh cream or ice cream.raspberry bread and butter pudding

 

Further Info

TooGoodToGo is an app where restaurants and take-aways can advertise food cheaply (most likely at the end of the day) that would otherwise go to waste. I haven’t personally used this service and it’s not yet available in all areas but might be worth checking out.

Olio is another app that claims to be a ‘Food sharing Revolution’ individuals and businesses can advertise items they no longer need/want. Again it will vary by area and availability.

If you know of any other national schemes or services then please email me and I’ll add them in 🙂

Warwick Castle celebrates its 950th Anniversary

Warwick Castle MosaicGreat Britain is full of amazing locations and historical sights but even so there’s not a huge amount of buildings which can claim nearly 1000 years of history! Warwick Castle happens to be one of them and in 2018 Warwick Castle celebrates its 950th Anniversary since William the Conqueror formed their first foundations. To commemorate the occasion Warwick has created a 2m by 2m photo mosaic of children which have visited the castle over the years. Warwick Castle Mosaic

Families from all over the country have provided some of their favourite photo memories of their children to be used in the artwork which is currently on display at the castle. Naturally this was no small feat to organise and then create, if you’d like to see just how it all came together then I have a small time lapse video below which gives you some idea of just how much work went into its creation. To see the mosaic in person all you have to do is take a trip to the castle, although you’ll have to be swift as it will be on display for the remainder of the Easter holidays.

You could even have a go at spotting the pictures which we provided! We’ve made many wonderful memories at Warwick Castle over the years and seeing them slot into this poignant occasion is really exciting. Here’s our pics if you’re setting out on the hunt.

Of course in true Warwick style there are many more events planned out for the coming year including the new evening attraction Dragon Slayer which is set to be a real spectacle including huge visual effects combined with real elements. Plus the return of their fabulous War of the Roses show complete with jousting which this year promises to be their best show yet!Warwick Castle Mosaic

For full details of this and many more exciting events at Warwick Castle, pop over to their website here.