TRAVEL FOOTLOOSE AND FANCY THREE I

T WAS supposed to be the city break that would see us three girls spend some quality time together.

Trips are never easy to plan for me, a full-time nurse and mum of a final-year university student and a 12-year-old tweenager.

As most families know, keeping everyone happy on away days can be tough at times.

So it was with high hopes and a little trepidation that we booked a two-night stay in London packed full of activities, hoping for more fun and laughter than gripes and grumbles.

The two-hour train journey from Wolverhampton to Euston wasn’t the most relaxing start. The carriages were overcrowded and families spilled into the aisle, some sitting on their suitcases.

A little frazzled but not defeated, we made it London and set off to find our hotel. We’d booked into a family room at the three-star Premier Inn at the heart of Waterloo.

The room was well decorated and had everything we needed for our stay from soft, crisp sheets on the comfortable beds to the clean, bright, mirrored bathroom.

The location – a two-minute walk to the London Eye and Embankment – made it the perfect base.

The staff were attentive, well informed about sights to see (and those to avoid) and there was something for each of us on the freshly cooked breakfast menu, served daily in the basement restaurant.

Shortly after checking in, we set off for our first experience – a trip on the London Eye.

This was something I had been really looking forward to although the daughters, who are both afraid of any height above that of a stepladder, were not so sure.

As we approached the 135m Eye towering over the Thames, the holiday crowds thronged around us. Although we knew it was going to be busy, the queue snaked as far as the, er, eye could see.

The Embankment was so full of people that picking up our fast track tickets (pre-booked before the trip) was a disorientating process in itself. But once we stepped aboard, there was nothing to do but admire the view – and what a view. The clear skies allowed us to see for miles in every direction, from Buckingham Palace in the distance to tiny boats chugging along the river.

The interactive maps within the Pod were full of interesting facts, making this attraction definitely worth a visit.

By now we’d built up an appetite. After a quick change and freshen up at the hotel, we set off for our evening meal at The Laughing Gravy in Waterloo.

The 20-year-old uni student had already said: “Well Mum, it has both Laughing and Gravy in its name – sounds like perfection to me!”

And how right she was. Nestling in tree-lined Blackfriars Road, this modern British restaurant blew all three of us (even with our very different tastes) away.

From the moment we stepped through the door, we felt comfortable and at ease. The décor and attention to detail in every aspect of the service made this a meal to remember.

While the eldest and I enjoyed a cocktail before ordering (try the sharp, tangy, Lemon Drop), the Tweenager – the fussiest amongst us – sipped a mocktail as she made her choices.

For starters we had smoked scallop and crayfish scotch egg (myself ), braised lamb shank (eldest) and the asparagus with slow cooked egg for the youngest.

It is a sign of the quality of the food and ingredients that from the first taste, all three of us notorious chatterboxes were stunned into a very rare silence.

The main courses (venison Wellington, Aberdeen Angus burger and veal) were perfectly proportioned and cooked to perfection.

We couldn’t help ourselves but to plump for a dessert to round off our meal. The white chocolate and raspberry cylinder, rhubarb crème brulee and salted caramel ice cream were the perfect end to the perfect first day.

The owner of the Laughing Gravy, Jon Wiseman, has created a restaurant that should be firmly at the top of eateries to visit in London.

From the delicious selection of warm, crusty bread baked freshly on the premises to the relaxed atmosphere and attention to detail, it is a restaurant I would travel 200 miles to visit again.

Days two and three of the trip went by in a blur as we took in so many sights and sounds of London, a city as exciting as we had all imagined.

We paid a visit to Madame Tussauds but found it to be too full, and too cramped to get the full benefit of the attraction. Meanwhile, the London Dungeons was absolutely amazing, showcasing the darkest history of the city. The attraction was brought to life by a talented cast of actors who really get the crowd involved.

Our final day, of course, involved shopping, where we enjoyed looking for bargains at Camden Market as well as window shopping on Oxford Street. We ended our break in the West End, watching Dreamgirls, a simply amazing show that had us and the rest of the audience on their feet at the end.

Did we achieve what we set out to do – spend quality time together? We most certainly did. We laughed a lot, grumbled only a little, and created memories and special moments we will cherish for a long time.