MotherCulture has been on up and running for eight weeks and it’s got me thinking about when the wee man was the same age.
There were piles of washing everywhere, Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat song on repeat (eight months later, it still has a weirdly calming effect on the wee man) and he seemed to be permanently attached to my boobs.
I wasn’t venturing out much and certainly no further than my own postcode. But on one particularly blustery autumn day some NCT friends and I decided to visit Punk Me Up, a ceramics cafe on the corner of Peckham Rye Park, to get clay imprints of our babies hands and feet.
Now, the first thing to say is that with prices starting at £60, this ain’t no cheap keepsake. When I looked at the website I must admit I thought twice about it. However, still drunk on love hormones, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it nonetheless. My goodness I’m glad I did.
The ladies at Punk Me Up are lovely, and had a table set up for us in the back studio of the shop (incidentally, a space where they also host a range of classes, including Monkey Music; check out their website and Instagram for more info).
There were four of us in the group, and Toni – the owner – took time to discuss with us individually the different options we could go for including paint colours, finishes etc. There are other options too; some in the group got little hand-prints on Christmas baubles (a lovely present idea for doting grandparents!) It was fun! At eight weeks, the babies were a little non-plussed as we moulded their feet and hands in to wet clay but the results were fabulous and after surviving the first – often brutal – eight weeks of motherhood, it definitely felt like a treat we all deserved.
For older kids, the main café offers a treasure trove of ceramics for creative young minds to get busy on. Prices start at £8 for the ceramics and £3.50 for a child over £2. I’ve been with my nine-year-old god-daughter and her big sister, who absolutely loved it; choosing their ceramics (one did a cup and saucer, the other a bowl), paint-colours and working out their designs … it was a lovely way to while away a couple of hours over coffee and cake.
Cost ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s not the cheapest but then neither are the results, plus you get to take home one-of-a-kind ceramics made by your little creative geniuses. Worth every penny.
Accessibility ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There’s a pram-park outside so you don’t have to negotiate the steep step at the front.
Facilities ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good baby changing facilities, high-chairs etc.
Feeding friendly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a family focussed café, making it a comfortable place to feed.
General vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A SE London family favourite!