Lichfield, Tamworth's Snowdome and Rugeley Blithbury Reindeer Lodge - travel review

Lichfield city centre has a fantastic selection of shops – from big High Street names to original boutiques and antique shops – so I was guaranteed to find something for everyone, even the most awkward of people to buy for.

It was a great base for exploring all the attractions the surrounding areas have to offer over the festive period, including Santa's Winter Wonderland at Tamworth's Snowdome.

Every year, we all dream of a white Christmas and over at the spectacular Snowdome is where it becomes a reality.

From the moment the doors opened, we were thrust into a fun-filled festive extravaganza of sleigh rides, snowball fights and snow slides. It encapsulates the Christmas feeling down to a tee.

But it's not all about the snow, the highly-entertaining show with rapping elves and a twerking Santa (who has Donald Trump on his naughty list) was perfect for the whole family. My son was mesmerised by the performance and loved the audience participation with shouts of 'We want Santa' and a sing-along to a festive tune at the end.

And just when we thought our experience was all over, we were taken though to see some of Santa's furry friends in the animal village, including, of course, his reindeer. Getting up close to the bunnies and being able to stroke them was a real treat for my son who loves all things cute and cuddly.

We couldn't leave without posting a letter to the big man himself in his personal post box. It really is what dreams are made of.

After all the excitement of a wonderful day, we made our way back to Lichfield and to the George Hotel. Set in the heart of the city, it was a fantastic place to spend the night with all we needed on our doorstep. The George's spacious executive double room provided us with everything the three of us could possibly need for a cosy night's sleep. And breakfast the following morning was a real treat, offering everything from a full English to croissants, fruit and cereal. It got a thumbs up from all of us.

Just a stone's throw away from the hotel is the delightful Pom's Kitchen and Deli. We stopped by for lunch and had a warm welcome from the staff on the chilly winter afternoon.

Luckily we had booked a table as the independent business was full of families and couples enjoying a bite to eat and many more had to be turned away at the door, which is always a good sign that the food is top notch.

I can highly recommend the open steak sandwich with gorgonzola and scrummy beef dripping chips.

Our table fell into silence as we all tucked in – with my husband opting for the juicy Italian Job burger. The kids fish and chips even kept my chatty two-year-old lost for words other than 'mmm delicious'. It was the perfect winter warmer and having a sweet tooth, I could not resist dessert.

The vanilla crème brulee with chocolate ice cream and mint chocolate crisp on a warm waffle was simply devine. It would be wonderful for this family-run business to branch out into other towns as it has a winning formula – serving the very best local ingredients in a relaxed atmosphere.

After filling up on the luscious lunch, we headed just 20 minutes away to the magical Blithbury Reindeer Lodge in Rugeley.

It's a great chance for youngsters to get up close to the beautiful reindeer and learn more about Santa's sleigh-pullers. If you're child is an animal lover this is a must-visit this Christmas. Not only did we get to stroke and feed the reindeer, but also learned how to train them for the big night and even enjoyed a sleigh ride with them, which was such good fun even if we didn't get to fly high through the sky. And the fun didn't stop there, with a story read by Mrs Claus by the cosy log fire, a lesson at the elf school and meet and greet with Santa, all part of the superb experience. One of the many highlights for my son was the chance to pick a gift from Santa's workshop, although it did prove a tough task with so many choose from. We all headed home full of Christmas cheer and already planning our trip for next year.

By Emma Bradnick