malcolm coles

“What’s the first thing you look for in a highchair?”, asked one mother. “Oh, it has to be easy to clean,” everyone agreed. “Machine washable.”

“Yes”, we said, looking sheepish, and agreeing that this was the most important criterion, and that the one we had ordered was definitely easy to clean. Even though we had read that it wasn’t in various high chair reviews.

Who would order a high chair that wasn’t easy to clean? How stupid can you be? Ah.

Eliza in her Bloom Fresco high chair

Bloom fresco review: Good points

The Bloom Fresco looks good. Not as good as you think (the base is a bit ugly) but still good. And when your baby is sitting in it, they look like some sort of James Bond villain. In a good way.

The Fresco has various different positions, and a clip-on tray, and you can buy changeable seats from Bloom in different colours (we’ve got red and orange. There’s a blue, too). But you’re buying it for its looks, aren’t you, so you don’t care about that stuff? And your baby looks good in it.

Bad points

Did I mention it wasn’t easy to clean? It’s got crevices for a start. It gets really dirty, really easily. And although you can remove the seat and straps, they’re not machine washable. Why? Why would Bloom do this? They’re wipe clean, like that’s going to work.

Essentially, you have to live with the Fresco looking good but being covered in food, and then you have to dismantle it and give it a deep clean (as far as a deep clean is possible with wiping …).

Bloom fresco high chair: to sum up

To sum up this review, I’m glad we bought this high chair (I was tempted by the Mozzee originally - but who would buy a high chair with no crotch rod/strap? the sort of person who buys the Fresco i guess …). 

But it’s always covered in food.

We’re buying a nice wooden high chair that’s easy to clean for our second baby. But I bet they end up fighting over who sits in the Bloom Fresco … I wish I could.

Four recent car journeys cost me a lot of money … A puncture, a parking ticket (for meter stuffing, even though I only parked there for 45 minutes. Grrr), a speeding ticket and another puncture.

Kwikfit first: bad review

The first puncture was repaired by Kwikfit. I drove down there at 12, which turned out not to be an appointment as I thought, just an indicative time. I would have to wait.

They quoted almost £200, but when I pointed out the price was cheaper on their website, they said I could have that price (about £30 off) if I bought a print out along.

Somehow, I didn’t feel pleased about the discount, just relieved I hadn’t been ripped off.

Event mobile tyres: good review

So when I somehow got another puncture, I bought a tyre online instead from Event tyres - which was delivered and fitted at my house.

A van turned up at the exact time Event tyres said it would, the cost was £50 less than at Kwikfit for an identical tyre, and it was all over and done with in minutes. Excellent.

Have you used them? What do you think?