Family-Friendly Food Stops for the Summer Holidays

"Are we there yet?" is a question parents and grandparents have grown to dread. 

Another question that can fill adults on a long journey is: "I'm hungry! When can we eat?" 

Finding family-friendly (and dog-friendly) places to stop for food can be a bit challenging. However, That's Food and Drink has some goo news for you. 

The best-selling guidebook, The Extra Mile – Delicious Alternatives to Motorway Services, is here to help with you journey planning as the summer holidays loom.

It lists nearly 300 places to stop and eat across Britain, and they are all near motorway and main-road junctions. 

Pop a copy in the glovebox and let passengers search for new favourite pit-stops along the route as you get on with concentrating on your driving or taking aural instructions from your supercilious sounding satnav system.

What can readers of this foodie travel guide expect? 

Use the guide to find farm shops and meet-the-animals experiences; shaded outdoor eateries with play areas; dog-friendly cafés and restaurants and dog-walking fields; ice-cream parlours; and family-friendly attractions with cafés across Britain.

Examples of family-friendly eats

Low Sizergh Barn near J36 of the M6, Kendal, England. Watch cows being milked and explore their 'growing' social enterprise.

Forage Farm Shop near J35, M4, Cowbridge, Wales. Stylish indoor restauration and shopping plus al fresco and tented bench seating. Expect animals, ice-cream pop-ups, and chunky wooden play equipment.

Loch Leven's Larder, near J8, M90, Kinross, Scotland. Delicious, honest home-made food, with a loch-side heritage trail, buggy friendly 'whatever-the-weather' walk, and a play area.

Teals, near the A303, Sparkford, England. A new breed of road-side stop-off with stylish interiors, dog-jog field, orchard, beehives, and a gelato pop-up.

Feature The Extra Mile this summer

This Amazon #1 Bestseller and #1 Most Gifted guide is from Extra Mile Books, the publisher behind companion guides The Coastal Café Guide and The Farm Shop Guide. The Extra Mile has:

Over 275 places to eat and drink with times, descriptions, images, contact details

11 motorway-based maps

6 regional maps

QR codes to help you get directions more easily

Map showing places with EV chargers

Buy for your own glovebox or as a gift.

Find fuller information on The Extra Mile here https://theextramile.guide/product/the-extra-mile-ed-4-2023/

The price is £15.99.

Aldi has healthy snack ideas for your summer holidays!

No summer holidays car journey is complete without some serious snacking opportunities and Aldi’s Organic Mamia range is perfect for those on-the-go bites. 

For a sweet flapjack style treat, shoppers can pick up the Oaty Bars for just £1.95 (6 pack) with a choice of Strawberry and Apple, Banana, and Carrot Cake flavours. And as there are absolutely no added salt or preservatives, these tasty bars will go down a real treat.

For a crisp style snack without added preservatives, parents can pick up the Tomato Wheels (20g, 55p) and Carrot Puffs (20g, 55p). These are more than ideal for a quick bite.

These organic snacks will make for happy tummies. Don’t forget to keep your children (and yourselves!) hydrated on long journeys without any added sugar with Aldi’s Sun Quench Fruity Blasts (8x200ml, £1.59).

Clean and Clear

Car rides can quickly get messy and when toilet stops are few and far between, parents can prepare with Aldi’s Mamia essentials. For young ones still potty training, no travel bag is complete without the award winning Mamia Ultra Fit Nappies (sizes 4-6+, from £2.99).  Or, for when sticky hands go wandering over windows, be sure to pick up the Mamia Baby Wipes (65p per pack).With 60 wipes per pack, these fragrance-free wipes are formulated for even the most sensitive of skin.

Aldi’s Travelling Checklist:

Travel Magnetic Scribbler, £6.99

Licensed Bumper Stationery Wallet, £4.49

Oaty Bars, £1.95

Tomato Wheels, 55p

Carrot Puffs, 55p

Sun Quench Fruity Blasts (8x200ml, £1.59)

Mamia Ultra Fit Nappies (sizes 4-6+, from £2.99)

Mamia Baby Wipes (65p per pack)

TOTAL: £19.76

 Aldi’s Licensed Products are available in store from 27th July, but shoppers will need to be quick as with all Specialbuys once they’re gone, they’re gone!

Aldi announces its biggest ever summer holidays meal donations

Aldi is looking to make its biggest and best ever meal donation over the school holidays so far, with what's the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket expecting to offer something like 1.5 million meals to those in need of food poverty help during the upcoming summer holidays.

All of its over 990 UK stores will support local charities and foodbanks during a period of increased demand by redistributing surplus food via community giving platform Neighbourly, with the supermarket already donating over seven million meals so far this year.

During this summer, Aldi will also be giving every child in the UK a chance to try an Olympic or Paralympic sport for free as part of its ‘Get a Taste for Sport’ initiative.

In partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB, shoppers who spend over £30 in store before Monday 31st July will receive a voucher which will enable a child to a free taster session of an Olympic or Paralympic sport, helping parents meet the cost of extra-curricular activities during the long summer holidays.

Liz Fox, who is the Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK, said: “The school holidays are always an incredibly difficult time for households across the UK, worsened by the continuing cost-of-living crisis. That’s why Aldi is firmly committed to supporting even more families in need this summer via our food donations scheme with Neighbourly, helping vital local charities provide meals to those who need them the most.”

Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “Demand on charities and foodbanks is incredibly high and these organisations are in need of more support than ever before. This push in donations from Aldi will be absolutely vital in helping so many families during the school holidays and we're fully aware how grateful they'll be.”

Since Aldi’s partnership with Neighbourly began back in 2019, stores have already donated in excess of a staggering and heart-warming 35 million meals.

Shoppers can also donate food to local charities, food banks and community groups via the community donation points that are located within Aldi stores nationwide.

Britain’s fourth largest supermarket also works with Company Shop, the UK’s leading redistributor of surplus food and household products, to redistribute surplus food from its Regional Distribution Centres to Community Shops around the country.