As a mummy-to-be, I've sampled a lot of pushchairs, prams and strollers, and I went in the end for the iCandy Cherry. Here's why, and I hope it helps others who might be undecided.

**Price**

I would say the iCandy Cherry set is probably at the higher end of the scale in terms of price, certainly from what I have seen. It's not the most expensive but it's up there with the premium brands. We paid £620 from an independent retailer, because they were committed to not passing on the increased VAT charge, were running a 10% off sale, and threw in a parasol which should cost around £20. This is a significant saving on John Lewis.

We purchased our set from Nursery Time in Barrowford, Lancashire, which I cannot rate highly enough as a licenced iCandy retailer.

**What do you get?**

In our Cherry set we got the Maxi Cosi Cabriofit car seat (not the later Pebble model which we have heard doesn't really give enough head support for newborns) - this fits the iCandy base, the pram attachment with rain cover and the stroller attachment with rain cover. I also purchased an isofit car base so there's no hooking and unhooking of seatbelts with baby, and we got the parasol thrown in.

**The Stroller**

As this review is mainly regarding the stroller I'll cover that off in more detail. The stroller is available in a range of colours, we went for black, as it's more stain resistant, but there are girls and boys colours, as well as cream. You can also now get a special edition stroller which is navy blue with a Union Jack motif, which comes with a matching PVC changing bag which hooks over the stroller handle. But as I felt this was quite masculine and we don't yet know what we are having (due March), we went for a plainer black version which we feel will last us.

So, the stroller. It has four wheels of the same size (unlike the Apple model which has two off road style back wheels and smaller front wheels) and is suitable for use in the city and over grass but I wouldn't say it was as suitable for more rural locations - I would go for a more heavy duty wheel in that case. The wheels are fully lockable.

In between the wheels and under the stroller seat there is a waterproof net style carrier for shopping (as I've said, the changing bag hooks over the handle).

You do get a fairly basic clear rain cover with the stroller, and the hood covers the baby's head well, I would recommend a cosy toes for cold weather and these are available via your authorised retailer. Parasols are are fully adjustable and clip onto the side bar of the iCandy frame, and are available in all the colours that the Cherry comes in (or you can buy a darker one, as a cream parasol may not be as effective as a black one for example).

The stroller itself is fairly plain in style with it's block colours and it's white Cherry motif to the front, but it is very well made indeed, easy to clean and very durable. It has three reclinable modes to suit you and your baby, and I find that adjusting the stroller is extremely easy, not at all stiff, or in any way breakable. You can of course have your child front facing or rear facing also.

The stroller is excellent for taller parents, too - both my husband and I are around 6 foot tall, and the height suits us very well.

**Recommend?**

I would highly recommend the iCandy Cherry set, including the stroller, to any parent. I have tested this very rigorously and compared it to similar stroller sets in the price bracket including Mamas and Papas, Silver Cross and Bugaboo, and this one was by far the easiest to use, most compact and easy to transport (the base itself folds down to almost nothing- perfect for small cars) and the most durable in terms of ease of cleaning and longevity.

For me, as my needs as a mother to be living in the city, it is perfect for my needs. Of course you should always try out lots of different sets to see which one suits you - but if you had the iCandy Cherry on your 'maybe' list, then I'd seriously consider it as a purchase, as I am so happy that I went for it.