There’s nothing better than a delicious roast dinner on a dreary cold day and Key West’s 'Roast by the Coast' menu definitely delivers.

Key West is situated on the end of Bournemouth Pier and offers stunning panoramic views of the coastline.  The staff are very friendly and children are warmly welcomed.  You’ll find some activity sheets and crayons for younger children to use and this kept our daughter amused while we waited for food to arrive.

My husband chose the 3 course menu while I chose the 2 course menu.  Children can choose from a smaller roast dinner or they can have an alternative dish like cheeseburger, giant fish finger, sausages or chicken goujons which are all served with a side of chips.  There was 4 starters to choose from and my husband went with the smoked salmon and avocado ciabatta which is said was really fresh and tasty.  Other options included soup of the day with ciabatta, crispy chicken wings and a goats cheese and beetroot salad.

For main course, myself and the children chose to have the chicken while my husband had the roast beef with horseradish sauce.  All of our dishes were perfect and were served with a generous portion of roast potatoes (always my favourite part of a roast) plus cabbage, roasted carrots and parsnips, a huge Yorkshire pudding and homemade gravy.  There was clean plates all round and everyone really enjoyed their meals.  I will say though that if your children are a little fussy like mine, it might be worth asking for the gravy to be served separately.  The children had chicken gravy which was a first for them, one loved it and the other would have rather had the beef gravy.  If you prefer not to have roast chicken or beef then there is also the option to have honey roast ham or leek and mushroom pie.

Not long after finishing our meals, our puddings arrived and these we had planned to mostly share with the children.  We chose a warm chocolate brownie which was served with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce plus a banoffee sundae which had banana and salted caramel ice cream, toffee sauce and little chewy bits, whipped cream and a biscoff crumble.  Both were divine and not a crumb was left.  Other options include a waffle with vanilla ice cream and sticky toffee pudding.

The restaurant is very spacious so you don’t need to worry about having a pushchair close by.  If you’re sat by the window (which I recommend) then you’ll enjoy watching the world go by and on a summers day you’ll be able to see for miles.

Good to know:

• There are plenty of highchairs and a baby change table is located in a communal area in the toilets.

• Gluten free options are available.

• A water bottle and cups is located near the bar area for you to help yourself.

• Avoid the pier toll charge by booking in advance.

• Sign up to Pier Perks and you’ll receive a huge amount of discounts which include RockReek & Pier Zip, Key West Bar & Grill and more businesses which are located on the Pier.

• Key West Restaurant hosts lots of family friendly events and also evening entertainment so keep an eye on the website and socials for upcoming news.

For more information including menus and to book, please visit Key West Restaurant.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Sunday Roast and braced ourselves for heading back outside in the wind.  The kids had a great time in the arcade which is situated at the entrance to the Pier.  You also have several attractions nearby including RockReef which is an indoor activity with 28 Clip ‘n Climb walls, a Vertical Slide drop, a Leap of Faith jump, a Highline high ropes aerial obstacle course and the Pier Cave which is a 65-linear metre indoor fun cave experience.  If you’re feeling really adventurous then I can recommend the Pier Zip on a nice day.  I’m not great with heights and was petrified walking up to the leaving platform but once you step off, fear turns to extreme enjoyment as you ride over the sea to land on the beach.

For more information and booking, please visit RockReef.

The inspiring story of Floella Benjamin has been brought to life on stage with songs, laughter and an enormous amount of love.  Some of us will remember watching Floella on TV as a child but wouldn’t have known her extraordinary story of coming to England from Trinidad.

The story starts in the 1950's when her father saw an advertisement about starting a new life in England.  He jumped at the chance of them emigrating and travelled here first to set things up before sending for her mum and 2 youngest siblings.  The 4 older children were put in foster care for over a year but sadly they were not treated very kindly.  Finally they received the news they’d been waiting for and the 4 children aged 8-12 travelled by boat for 2 weeks from Trinidad to England with no parent to supervise them.

They were thrilled to be back together again but Floella couldn’t understand why they were treated so differently and both in and out of school she faced racism on a daily basis.  Her hard working parents taught all the children to stand tall and be brave and as she grew older she learnt to use a smile as her armour and went on to have a very successful education and career.

The show is truly inspiring and the cast have incredible energy on stage.  I took my daughter with me and she really enjoyed it from start to finish.  It certainly made me think about how hard life must have been for Floella and her family.

Coming to England is based on an award winning true story written by Floella Benjamin and adapted for the stage by David Wood.

Coming to England is suitable for children 8+ and is on in Poole until Saturday 15th February 2025.  For more information and tickets, please visit Lighthouse Poole.

Dorsetmums was invited to see Coming to England for the purpose of a review however all words are my own.