Eating out with children can go one of two ways.

Either everyone sits down, eats nicely and you leave wondering why people ever complain about family meals.

Or somebody is under the table, somebody else has announced they are not hungry after ordering, and one adult is silently eating left over chips that were definitely not meant for them.

Sometimes the answer is not a more child-friendly menu.

It is giving the children something else to do.

Harvest Barn, Farcet — Eat, Wander, Burn Off Some Energy

Harvest Barn on Ramsey Road combines a farm shop and café with animal paddocks, a play area and outdoor space.

That changes the whole rhythm of the visit.

You are not asking children to sit still for the entire outing.

There are animals to see.

Space to move around.

A play area.

And a farm shop to wander through afterwards.

The café sits inside the wider destination rather than being the only reason you are there.

Which is good news if your children need to run about before they stand any chance of sitting down for lunch.

The farm shop also says it works with a range of small businesses and local suppliers.

Ferry Meadows — Let Them Wear Themselves Out First

Ferry Meadows works the other way round.

Do the outing first.

Food can come later.

Lakes, paths and open space mean nobody has to start the day by being told to sit nicely at a table.

Walk.

Explore.

Let everybody burn off some energy.

Then work eating around whatever happens next.

The Visitor Centre has a shop selling fresh and ambient food, locally sourced produce and other items connected to the park.

You can pack part of lunch, buy part there, or simply use food as the reward after everyone has done enough walking to stop arguing for ten minutes.

No promises.

But it improves the odds.Slightly!

Sometimes The Best Family Meal Is Not Really About The Meal

That is what these two options have in common.

At Harvest Barn, food sits alongside animals, play and the farm shop.

At Ferry Meadows, the food can fit around a much bigger day outside.

Neither asks the children to behave like miniature adults for two hours.

And that can make the whole thing a lot easier.

Where do you go when the children need more than a menu to keep them happy?