Wahaca & KidZania by Paloma Lacy

By Paloma Lacy

It’s never too early to discuss careers with children but better still, there’s a place right in the heart of London that shows them a variety of professionals they could one day follow.

Located at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, KidZania London, this interactive careers village takes you through the possibilities when it comes to earning a living.

Each career is represented by a shop front, with a related talk or activity inside.

There’s room for around six children inside so expect a bit of a wait as each activity lasts around 10 minutes. Adults can stand outside and watch.

Visitors receive a ‘credit card’ and points are earned and spent, depending on the task. Points can be spent in the gift shop at the end.

During my visit, the biggest queues were for the glamorous industries, including airline pilot and crew, illustrated from an aircraft that looms large over the village.

Kids can also get a feel for the realities of working a firefighter, radio DJ, vet, police office and paramedic.

Air conditioning engineer was the biggest hit with kids keen to climb through ceiling partitions, closely followed by window cleaning, with little people dashing around with buckets and cleaning equipment.

The attraction is for four to 14 year olds but I would say children from seven years and up would get the most enjoyment from it.

I took my four-and-a-half year old and she enjoyed the careers that are currently relevant to her – the supermarket was a huge hit, as was the bakery, where she spent time decorating gingerbread men.

Visiting slots last for four hours so despite the steep price – starting from £26 – it is an all-day activity, once you factor in travel time.

There are several cafes so no need to bring food but we decided to make the most of the restaurants at Westfield and popped along to Wahaca before entering KidZania.

We have long missed Wahaca in Brixton, which closed a couple of years ago.

Serving Mexican food with so many fresh flavours, it’s a great place to take kids and introduce them to the cuisine.

Build your own tacos are a favourite – choose a filling of fish, chicken or vegetable, with lettuce, cheese, slaw and black beans, and a side of crudités.

Soft tacos are home-made and so much better than the crispy shell kind we’re normally used to eating.

Wahaca is a good choice for a quick lunch – food arrives within minutes of ordering and keeps coming as it leaves the grill.

The two adults in our party went for one of the set menus so that we could try a little bit of everything.

Seven small plates cost around £20 each representing solid value for money but could easily have served three.

The Favourites set menu includes some fantastic dishes, including grilled halloumi Al Pastor, Devon crab and avocado, crispy cauliflower bites and chargrilled broccoli.

All of these were well received.

The last two, buttermilk chicken tacos and pork pibil tacos were a ‘nice to have’ but not essential.

Go to www.kidzania.co.uk

 

Pictured: Wahaca is a great place to eat before or after visiting KidZania, inset Pictures: Paloma Lacy