My son turned seven this month.
A January birthday makes party organising a little trickier. We can’t risk doing something outdoors because the weather’s so unpredictable. There’s the option of hiring a hall – but while room hire is pretty affordable, the cost of everything else soon adds up.
Last year we did a party at the local independent bowling alley. It was great fun, but two years on the trot would have been a bit much. That just left soft play…or did it?
While out for coffee with a friend, she told me about another option. Until that conversation I’d had no idea that Pizza Express children’s parties existed, but it turned out to be the perfect choice.
Priced at £14.95 per child, kids’ pizza-making parties are available at Pizza Express restaurants up and down the country. The restaurant will require a minimum of eight and a maximum of 30 guests, and there are even printable invitations on their website that you can download.
The booking process was the only thing that frustrated me. I tried to book at our local restaurant (Bury St Edmunds) online, and received a generic email back saying that they couldn’t accept the booking. I ended up going into the restaurant and they recommended booking for a Sunday and as early as possible, which is how we ended up with a 10.30am slot. The fact that it began an hour before the restaurant opened meant that we could do the noisier, messier part of the party before other customers arrived, and we had the entire restaurant to ourselves.
I paid a £5 per head deposit in advance, with the remainder paid once the party was over. We were told that we didn’t need to turn up early, so we rocked up just before 10.30 to get started.
Excitingly for the kids, their long table was right beside the open kitchen so they could see the chefs at work and talk to them during the party, which some of the kids really enjoyed!
The table was laid out with activity sheets for each child, a paper chef’s hat each, and a plastic apron draped over each chair. There were jugs of blackcurrant squash, orange squash and water on the table (replenished regularly), and while we were waiting for everyone to arrive, those who were earliest cracked on with their puzzles, colouring and drawing.
Once everyone was there, the children were marched off to wash their hands before each being presented with a pizza base. They were shown how to use their fingers to press the edges of the dough slightly up the sides of the pan, before spreading out their tomato sauce over the base.
The next step was the toppings. Pizza Express kids’ parties tend to use a standard selection of toppings, but they’ll happily add extras to cater for any dietary requirements (we had one vegetarian in the party who was asked which extra toppings she’d like). I also managed to wangle a bowl of capers for the birthday boy, as he’s obsessed! The bowls were set down on the table, and the kids had a great time choosing how to customise their pizzas.
The cheese went on last, with instructions to space it out as it spreads quite a lot while cooking. Our server (who was absolutely AMAZING, and so good with the kids) added a drizzle of olive oil to each pizza, then it was time for them to be cooked.
You know the chef hats I mentioned earlier? There was an additional purpose for those. Each child’s hat was numbered, and a label with the corresponding number was added to each pan while the pizza was cooked. It meant no mix-ups, no children receiving the wrong pizza, and it made it quicker to get each one to the kids.
Now, the pizzas don’t take long to cook – but it does take time to slice and dish up a party’s-worth! In the meantime, each child was given four dough balls, garlic butter and veg sticks as a starter – a real hit all the way down the table.
And then it was time for the main event. The excitement on the kids’ faces when they saw their own creations brought to the table was brilliant – every single pizza looked delicious! It was also nice to enjoy a little silence while they ate! 😉
When they’d had enough, the team came out with boxes so that they could take the rest home. While they may have been stuffed, there’s always room for pudding – and they happily demolished the gelato that was brought to their table to finish the meal.
We were also allowed to bring a birthday cake, and when the gelato was finished, we brought it over to the table so the birthday boy could blow out the candles (see my Super Mario cake on my Instagram feed!)
For £14.95 per head, the Pizza Express party was really good value for money. The kids all seemed to love it, there was great interaction and it was nice to do something different from the normal party options, too.
If you’re interested in booking a kids’ Pizza Express pizza-making party, you can do so on their website here (just remember to change the restaurant location to your closest one!) They even do adult parties with added Prosecco, too…