Want to make your own candle? (Cheshire Candle Workshops)

Member Name: juleshobs

Product:	Cheshire Candle Workshops
Date:	22/06/08 (844 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of hands on activities for children

Disadvantages: not enough for a full day trip

Having decided last bank holiday that I was going to drag the family away from TV and the X Box we headed off to cries of 'where are we going' and 'where not going shopping are we?' . Having calmed the potential riot in the back of the car I announced that we where going to go to Cheshire Ice Cream Farm when my daughter piper up and asked could we go to the Candle Workshops also. Of course we could as these attractions are only 4 miles apart and its ideal to visit the Candle Workshops 1st then move onto the Cheshire Ice Cream Farm so this is what we did.

Getting to the Cheshire Workshops is quite easy and extremely will signposted from the A41 Whitchurch to Chester road, just follow the brown tourist board signs for the Candle Workshops. It's that easy even I can find my way on the odd occasion that just the children and I go on our own with hubby. The entrance is located on a bend in the road and you may shoot past if you are driving too fast, though it is pretty difficult to speed down the country lanes. There is also a separate coach park.

The car park is fairly large however at peak times it can be difficult to get into the car park let alone find a space but it is always Worthing circling a couple of times as visitors do come and go regularly, bit like trying to find a space in the multi-story on a Saturday afternoon. The car park is gravel and if it is windy as it was on Monday then the dust is whipped up and swirls around an can get in your eyes and cover your clothes.

The entrance to the workshops is at the top of the car park and you cannot miss it at all, there are steps or a ramp for the disabled and pushchairs so a good start here. As you enter the building you have a choice of directions to go and we always go to the left 1st and follow the same pattern as we move through the workshops. The main feature as you enter the building are the candles and there are lots of them. Moving through there are candles of every shape and colour that you could imagine along with matching holders, beads, bowls, lanterns and the range is enormous. Don't worry you can still buy plain church candles also in various sizes along with a plain candle holder if you wish.

Following the room around we come to the candle making part of the showroom and there is always somebody making candles for you to watch. They are not making candles from scratch but actually engraving a fancy design into a candles and gently teasing the coloured layer of wax away from the white centre to form shapes just using a knife. I could watch for hours and the children still stop to watch now even though they are both teenagers, the very small will have to be lifted to see this and on a busy day you will have to wait for a space to get a good view. Just near to this is one of the finer ranges that I always enjoy looking at which is their wedding range of candles, the are exquisite and the range extensive and would suit most tastes. The range comes in white and silver or cream and gold including gels with roses set into them, scatter petals, holders and a multitude of candles to choose from. For me these would make an unusual gift for a bride and wish I knew somebody who was getting married but I don't.

Carrying on around you will come to a set of stairs which leads to the upper floor, however, if you are disabled or have a pushchair then access is difficult. On this floor we have a huge array of craft items for sale and amongst this there are craft tables for the children to make a variety of items, we have badge making, finger puppet making and usually some form of painting to choose from - note there is a charge of each item not much but it could add up if you have a few children with you who want to try a couple of the crafts.

I always find this floor to be very cramped due to the amount of items that seem to have been packed into the floor space and I would be concerned if I had small children in case the accidentally broke one of the items for sale and most are not cheap.

Back down the stair and into the candles again. The Cheshire Workshops also do a range of Christmas candles but naturally I didn't expect to see any of these in May but we have seen them in the past and do own on of their Christmas Pudding candles which is far too nice to actually light, works much better as an ornament at Christmas time.

Once you are past the candles you come to more craft items but not so crowded as the upper floor. This time there was home made fudge on sale with the possibility to try before you buy, we bought as I just can't resist fudge and ended up with caramel, caramel and mars bar, white chocolate and malteaser and rum and raisin flavours (hubby has a really sweet tooth). We did chuckle at the sign next to the fudge stall which advised to always eat fudge responsibly and the fruit flavoured ones that use real fruit in them may count as one of your five a day but they can't be certain of how much you would have to eat.

There was also a stall selling bath and beauty products similar to Lush products but again made locally and I had to have a sniff of the samples and spent the next ten minutes sneezing, though they did smell lovely.

At the end of the building there are more items you children can have a go at with the most popular one being making their own candle and there is always a queue. Thinking that my two are now too old for this I was about to move when there was this disappointed voice from my son who said 'aren't we making a candle then' which I was rather surprised at as he was not happy about have to traipse around here in the 1st place with mum buying candles. Yes they both made a candle.

Candle making is extremely well organized and currently costs £1.20 per candle. You pay for your candle at the desk where you can also decorate a candle holder for an additional £1.50, and you are given a small laminated token with a picture of a candle on so you can use later if you want to come back when the queue has died down a bit. Candles making is split into two groups and before you even start this is a small talk given to the children about what candle wax is made from and what we need to do to a block of paraffin wax to make a candle and the children are given the opportunity to answer here. You do not make your candles from scratch they have already been started off for you and you only have to finish the base and then add the colour (you are actually finishing two candles on the same wick which are twisted at the end to make once candle). 10 dips into the wax and cooled in water in between each dip you are ready to move the coloured wax. There are quite a few colours to choose from and only two dips required here and you candle is complete. The ends of the candle are then trimmed by a member of staff and depending on the age of the child depends on whether they can have ago at twisting their two candles together or not.

Once completed it is then coated in clear wax and placed in cold water to solidify whilst aprons are removed then you can hang up to collect later in the day, remember the number of the hook you placed your candle on though.

There is also an old fashioned arcade with restored arcade games including a Zoltar machine similar to the one in the film Big. You can purchase tokens so play these machines at the kiosk at the entrance to the arcade or you can just wander around and have a look.

If you are feeling hungry there is also a restaurant ( I use the term loosely) where you can buy hot and cold meals, salads, sandwiches, tea and coffee etc though not cheap I don't think the prices are too steep. Outside there is also a children's play area and the view is spectacular as you on a hill and on a good day you can see for miles. Alternatively there is a pub just across the road called the Pheasant which also does meals - I can't comment on their meals as we have not eaten there yet but do plan to do so as it always looks busy and you can often see horses outside where local riders have stopped for lunch.

Toilet and baby change facilities are available including disabled toilet.

Admission is free but there are charges for the activities for children, these are not expensive on their own but can add up overall.

The real cost comes with what you buy, I was very restrained this time and only bought some small scented candles, brand snap, honeycombe and pomegranate punch for £1.00 each and each lasts around 13 hours and they do give off a decent aroma unlike some others I have bought in the past.

On the whole as an attraction I feel there is something here to suit all the family though not a full day out but as it is only 4 miles away from Cheshire Ice Cream Farm combining the two does make the trip worth while.

Summary: A good all round attrraction for all the family.