Great little card shop, has great cards, gift wrap, gifts etc. Lovely friendly staff and very cheap…read moreprices and good quality, the cheapest i've found anywhere.

It is long overdue that I write this review. The Heart of the Country is simply a potpourri of fun…read morethings to do for folks of all ages. In terms of value - unless you decide to buy a meal, drinks or goods from the various stores and restaurants it is free! Even the parking is free. Everyone seems to be friendly and welcoming. There are walks too, especially nice for the kids. And yes all the eating and drinking places are good to excellent!

The pear tree creperie is a small French restaurant specialising in you got it crepes. It is…read morelocated in a small crafts place which is called the heart of the country village. Now me and my sister are obsessed with pancakes anyway so when we heard about this place we decided we had to go and find it. So Saturday off we went in the car and found it. Mouths watering at just the thought of pancakes they had a lot to live up to but they managed it and this creperie is such a little find I think I will go there more often now I know where it is. The address is as follows; Heart of the country village Swinfen Near Lichfield Staffordshire WS14 6QR Now in terms of location it is a great place as it is right by Lichfield city centre which is a great place and as it is practically just off a main road it is quite easy to find. I can't really tell you much about the actual craft village as we didn't go around as this was purely a pancake hunting trip only. It did look very sweet though with lots of furniture, garden and even a bridal shop. The actual creperie is tucked away and has an inside and an outdoor area. Outdoors the wooden tables and trellising around is very pretty. Inside and you get a very French feel about the place. The tables have plastic covers which looks very sweet and the decoration is very nice with antique looking things which is nice. The furniture is all a nice wood and everything just looks nice. The menu is lovely with lots of sweet and savoury crepes on offer. I went for a sweet maple syrup one because I really fancied it but they do so many different ones such as cheese and ham ones, pear and chocolate sauce and ones with alcohol which they light at the table which looked great. The prices are not to bad with the cheapest being about £2 and the most expensive being around £6. Drinks were around £1.20 each. The pancakes did not take long to come out and when they did they were massive and they gave us a lot of maple syrup so they do make sure you get full from them. I noticed people having savoury ones with salads and they looked yummy and definitely filling enough to have for lunch or for tea. The crepes were cooked to perfection and I have to say I couldn't have done any better. They taste so nice that when you have eaten one you always want another. Even though I felt quite sick when I had eaten it I still would have had another if my sister would have let me but she dragged me out of there which I am glad of. The craft village is very sweet and the car park is quite big so you will always be ok to park. I think the creperie is lovely and well worth the visit especially if you do take a look around and then maybe go visit Lichfield to finish off your day. I am going to visit again as it was nice and the food is cooked to a high standard. There are plenty of staff there who are all very friendly and I think that you will have a good time. It might be worth mentioning as well that you can reserve tables there as it does get quite busy and as we left there was only 1 table left. What a little find in the middle of the country. Wonderful! Thanks for reading. xxx P.S .Thsi has been posted on other sites but always by me katygriff

Stumbled across this little hidden gem whilst out with my local walking group.. We just managed to…read moreget our group of 16 in the conservatory where they serve delicious cakes and tea/coffee etc. (The fresh cream Victoria sandwich was to die for).This is a newish business still developing (Nov '15) but they have some lovely craft items for sale as well as refreshments. Highly recommend.

A fantastic shop for unique and bespoke cards, gifts, retro goods and handmade items that can't be…read morefound elsewhere. Definitely well worth checking out! It's great for gifts for the hard to buy for people in your life!

Just off the A38 is the Barton Turns Marina, set in sizeable grounds which are part of the National…read moreForest, the many fishing lakes and collection of mature trees, make this a good place to go for a stroll, rain or shine. It is particular popular with anglers, and there is a small caravan site just after the entrance. The Marina itself is quite sizeable, with the space for many narrow boats to moor either temporarily or permanently. Nearest to the spacious car park is the Waterfront, a large pub with outdoor seating overlooking the marina, it is a popular place, with regular live entertainment. Adjacent to this is a Garden4Less, a garden centre and on the other side Toys of Yesteryear, a toy shop, housing a toy museum. There is also one of the top 10 coffee shops in the country here, the Apple Tree, which also has a speciality delicatessen. There are a number of fashion stores including Blue Harbour (high end women's fashion), Sophia's and Start and Tremayne (Handbags etc). There is an impressive art gallery - Gallery 3, adjacent to a large and popular Thai restaurant: Siam Corner; as well as the Butcher, the Baker and the ice cream maker, a great place for specialist food ingredients, which also provides groceries for the mooring narrow boats. There are even shops on narrow boats, including an estate agent, a bookshop and ceramic painting boat for the children. The pick of the bunch is probably Brauz, a gift shop where you are likely to find that present for the person who has everything. Barton Marina is a great place to wile away a few hours.

A Lovely place to visit if the weather is good but also loads to look at and do if weather not that…read moregood see my full review and photos at http://www.kevinsimon.co.uk/?p=2810

While what they sell is lovely, the owner hardly ever opens for business. Which is very…read morefrustrating if you want to mooch and buy something. I've been by several times and I think the shop was only open twice in the spread of my visits across the year!

Smithsonia is an exceptional jewellers and gift shop based in Birmingham's Piccadilly Arcade. They…read moresell many things from gorgeous silver jewellery to Japanese Kokeshi Dolls and amazing sculpted pieces in ceramics and glass. There is something for most budgets in this shop and it's a great place to browse. I bought some cute button earrings for just £10 but there are plenty more extravagant gifts, believe me! You could spend forever just gazing in their windows as you walk past; there is so much to see - it must take them forever to clean! They do beautiful and unique silver rings by up and coming jewellery designers as well as pieces by established brands such as Pilgrim. Every time I walk by I can find at least 15 or so items in their window that I want to buy; I'm sure everyone else can too which is why they are so successful. Smithsonia are the longest running business in Piccadilly Arcade, they've been there for around 30 years. If you are looking for a gift then definitely check them out first and impress your loved one with something a little different.

A wonderful independent gift, card and jewellery shop. If you are looking for a birthday or…read moregreeting card that is a little different to what you might find in one of the chains this is a good place to start. Their collection is not huge but you will definitely find something a little different. They also stock fabulous gift wraps and papers. To entice you into the shop the window displays are made up of some beautiful and unique silver jewellery. Again, here you will find pieces you can't find anywhere else. If you are looking for special pieces of silver jewellery at fairly reasonable prices start with this shop. Inside the staff are welcoming and very helpful.

This is the shop that you go in when you havent got a clue what to buy someone as they have some…read moregreat gifts. They have loads of cards too some handmade. Buy your wrapping paper here aswell and youve done it all in one shop. I could spend hours in here and the shop staff are lovely.

Evolution is a fabulous place to shop for unusual gifts. Everyone has friends and relatives that…read moreare hard to shop for and this is the perfect place to get gifts for them. The atmosphere is really relaxed and peaceful. It is full of Buddhas and Incense sticks and scented candles and novelty candles. They have little sets of candles that spell out I LOVE YOU and HAPPY BIRTHDAY as well as for the festive season candles that spelt out HAPPY NEW YEAR and MERRY CHRISTMAS. They also have a large selection of hand made jewellery as well as ethical begs and accessories. I bought Christmas presents for my best friend there - A glas wall plaque saying PEACE and a gorgeous incense stick holder in the shape of the Buddha. Another great accolade to this store is the friendliness of the staff. They are helpful but not intrusive. They say Hi to you as you enter but in a pleasant polite and friendly way as opposed to being in your face. As the asistant carefully wraped my gifts, we chatted about the holidays and the weather and as I left she wished me farewell and welcomed me back again. I can't wait to visit again - even if it is just to browse.

Entwined is a fantastic florist. They'll make a beautiful bouquet up at just a few minutes notice,…read moreto any price you want. If you can't make it into the shop, call them and they'll deliver. The last time I used this service I think they charged me about £3. If you can make it in, park in Tesco - it's only a 2 minute walk. They'll happilly do wedding flowers too. Ask for an chat with Sophie.

Had the most amazing flowers and chair covers, we had already done stationery by the time we found…read moreEntwined. Staff couldn,t have been more helpful and helped us settle on the perfect colours for our style and theme. Would recommend to anyone !