I guess I do talk about Pizza Express rather a lot on the blog don’t I? But… In my defence it really is the best place to take the children for food as when it comes to dining out with the family they know exactly what they are doing. For us grown ups this is a massive relief because it’s one of the places that we went to pre-kids. I’m not sure there’s many of those you know, places we went before we had them that we can still enjoy (with them) these days too. Pizza Express basically just cater for everyone and from my single pals to the older members of my family, everyone enjoys a visit. It’s a bit like the Great british Bake Off in that regard and offers enjoyment to a massive span of generations.

Another thing that Pizza Express do well is change the menu up regularly to keep things seasonal. They keep their main staples of course but bring in new specials to mix things up a bit and the new Autumn launch has just happened so we couldn’t resist a try. We visited Katy from Modern Mummy at the weekend and because they too are massive PE fans we decided to all go together and indulge in a little Autumnal pizza delights!

We may have been to Pizza Express before but this was our first time in the Haselmere branch and I just adore how each restaurant is so different in decor. The menu might be faultlessly the same wherever you are but you always know you’re somewhere different in each venue and this one is intimate and very inviting. We sat right up by the chefs which Jimmy thought was superb and kept him very entertained all meal (when he wasn’t eating) while the girls happily played with their stickers, chef’s hats and activity menus!

The staff were teriffic with the kids and as it was Halloween they offered them pumpkin shaped dough balls instead of regular which the littlest ones jumped at! Florence had decided that because Daisy sometimes has a grown up meal she wanted to try eating from the main menu too and went for my very own favourite starter of a Mushroom Bruschetta (I usually have to give her half of mine when I order it so I knew she’d manage) but Jimmy thought his pumpkin dough balls were fantastic!

And Katy and I decided to share the new anti pasti on the menu. I love this dish at Pizza Express and the newest version is not a disappointment at all. Yummy salamo with fennel tickled my tatse buds while the grilled aubergines were absolutely scrumptious! Plus, it comes with a pot of the garlic butter which is quite literally the best garlic butter I have ever had. How do Pizza Express do it? Is it some sort of special recipe that no one else can do? I’ve tried and tried to re-create it at home but it never works out just as it is at Pizza Express!

And then it was time to move on into the main courses. Katy opted for a vegan pizza which she says is absolutely amazing and frankly it looked no different at all to any of the others. Florence, still on her ‘I’m ordering from the grown up menu’ went for a margherita and while the other littles stuc to the Piccolo pasta and pizza menu I opted for another from the Autumn menu…

I love it when they bring back an old seasonal special because the cutomers loved it so much (PLEASE PIZZA EXPRESS, NEXT TIME CAN IT BE THE MONTE BIANCO?) and I hadn’t tried this one before so simply HAD to give it a go. It’s basically a Caesar salad on a romana base (thinner and bigger than a classic) and it was utterly yummy!

Katy and I drank red wine and Prosecco respectively and we had a great meal people watching before they went off for a night of ‘Singing In The Rain’ at the local theatre and chatting over supper in our Halloween costumes… Of course no meal is complete without a desert (or six in our party) so we had to squeeze in a little something sweet before we went home and the new desert didn’t disappoint either! Three out of four of us went for the new melting in the middle chocolate pudding while Katy indulged in a little creamy honeycombe cheesecake and the littlest two tucked into ice cream. Even though the two biggest girls had grown up puds they absolutely couldn’t resist still asking for a Bambinoccino (the frothy cup of milk served at the end of the Piccolo menu) and because the staff at Pizza express are so lovely they happily obliged us.

Yet another fabulous meal at Pizza Express had by us all and what fab additions to the new Autumn menu. I may be keeping my fingers crossed (as always) for the Monte bianco to be brought back to the menu one day soon but that Rustichella was a great choice too and I’m definitely ordering it next time we go in! I really can’t speak higher of Pizza Express for eating out with the children in tow and for under £7 they get a starter with a salad, main course and pudding alongside the always loved Bambinoccino so you can’t say fairer than that!

We were invited to review the Autumn Menu at Pizza Express.