iCandy at The Harrogate Nursery Fair 2015

Best Buggy spent a long time on the iCandy stand at the Harrogate Nursery Fair. It was excellent to see the iCandy team again, meet new faces and catch up with what is happening in the iCandy world!

We saw familiar favourites such as the Peach 3 in all its colour ways, and the Apple 2 Pear.

The Peach All Terrain (formerly Peach Jogger) was there in its new colours of Sneaker (orange) and Toucan (yellow).

The iCandy Raspberry has had a series of rolling changes over the last year. There have been new pods made from a softer material with an antivibration pad to reduce any noise; lengthened crotch strap; modified brake assembly; rubberised finish to the handle and a modified handle; new anti-shimmer washers; new fork and wheel hub; and even a new softer textured wheel material which feels like a solid rubber – the wheels are now matt black, not shiny black. Phew!!

Master BB was there in his Sunshine yellow iCandy Raspberry. We could feel the improvements in the wheels and suspension as we travelled into the conference centre. As always, the Raspberry was beautiful to use. We managed to fit SO MUCH stuff underneath in the basket – we had a picnic, my bag, changing bag / spare clothes, Little Miss BB’s medical kit, and as the day went on, every nook and cranny was filled with bags, booklets, pens and mugs!
Master BB was being a real pickle with his hood in front of the iCandy team, so we did request that the lovely people at iCandy looked into making lovely canvas / thicker fabric hoods for the Raspberry – as ! So fingers crossed, iCandy will have a think about it, and will maybe give the option of a more traditional style hood in future.
Overall, we are big fans of the Raspberry.

Meanwhile we had a closer look at the two new iCandy Designer Collection Peach 5th Anniversary Editions. It is just over 5 years since we bought our first iCandy Peach. Incredibly, (and don’t tell Mr BB!) we have actually now had 5 Peaches – a Peach Blossom 1, a Peach Blossom 2, a Peach 2, a Limited Edition London, and we currently have a Peach Blossom 3 here on test at BBHQ.  Someone asked me at Harrogate what my personal favourite pushchair has been, and although we have had some beautiful, and some amazing pushchairs, I do always come back to the iCandy Peach. I have so many memories wrapped up from using our Peaches – from the time we trudged through the snow to pick up the first Peach; to my happiness when Mr BB bought me the London Limited edition which he knew I really, really wanted. Best Buggy was born partly because of the Peach. I absolutely love it. So, it was special to see these two Designer Collection Editions – the Classic Edition and the Black Edition – in real life.

I will be absolutely honest, and say these two Designer Collection pushchairs are like chalk and cheese. I suspect you are drawn towards one or the other. I am not entirely sure that iCandy could have got two more polar opposite ideas and colour palettes. On the one hand the Classic is quintessentially English country life. I loved how iCandy put a classic Raleigh bike above the pushchair, because it did really show where the inspiration for this Designer Collection Peach came from. I admit, that from pictures that I had previously seen, I was unsure about this Classic edition, however, there is no doubt that I was won over in real life. This is a pushchair, that I urge you to go and have a look at, and to see before making a judgment. The leatherette handlebar and bumper bar seem softer in real life and are so classically English.
However, it is the attention to detail though, that makes you look hard at both Designer Collection Peaches – the coloured suspension springs; the little pocket which is beautifully lined in orange in the Black Edition hood; the satchel style pocket at the rear of the Classic Edition seat; the orange stitching on the underside of the Black Edition bumper bar; the way the fabrics have been turned inside out to give a unique feel to the hood; or the way the basket has been stitched inside out to ensure that no seams can be seen from above; the silicone ‘DC’ tags; and the new harness straps on the Classic Edition.

I will confess that I was drawn to the Black Edition like a moth to a flame. My first car was a 1980′s Peugeot 205 GTi in black with red styling. The Black Edition reminded me of that sporty little car. I love the contrast of the orange against the black. I love the peek of the colour in places where you do not expect – inside the hood, under the handlebar, inside the pocket. I love the orange suspension springs and the orange wheel hubs. The Black Edition is sleek and stylish but with a zingy twist which makes you stand out from the crowd. Believe me, even with understated black, you will get noticed wherever you travel!

The Peach DC Classic is £1,000 including the carrycot. The accessory pack which includes the footmuff, liner, palm sunshade and car seat adaptors is £210.
The Peach DC Black is £1,100 including the carrycot. The accessory pack which includes the footmuff, liner, palm sunshade and car seat adaptors is £210.

These are two really great contrasting Designer Collection pushchairs – we really hope there are more to follow.
Just to add, the tea, cakes and sandwiches were not just decorative! Yummy!

Finally, we had a good look at the iCandy Strawberry 2. We had seen the Strawberry 2, however, we had not had the Strawberry 2 properly explained to us. iCandy had felt that the price difference between the Peach and the Strawberry was too similar. Thus they wanted to reduce the price of the Strawberry to make it more affordable. A new carrycot was created. This carrycot is amazing! It is a fold flat, pop up carrycot – it reminds me of the children’s play tents that you can get which spring open! The carrycot is tiny and flat when folded, however, when released, it pops up into a full sized carrycot. There is a PE board which slots into a space in the base to give rigidity. The carrycot fabric attaches to the seat frame using velcro tabs. The addition of a mattress, and the hood, completes the carrycot. Once the baby reaches six months of age, the carrycot can then be converted into the seat unit, and the carrycot can be folded flat once again to be easily stored. The last photos in the set above, show the carrycot being converted. They are not the best pictures as the iCandy designer was moving fairly quickly. However, you should get the idea!

Little Miss BB spent ages writing about her experiences on the iCandy stand! You can read her review of her visit to iCandy above! She is now coveting an iCandy snuggly blanket in a cute little suitcase!
Mr BB was happy because he got a new iCandy mug to add to his collection!
Master BB was simply happy with his new wheels.

We have to say a huge thank you to iCandy for having us onto their stand for such a thorough look at all their products. We particularly liked your comfy sofas and hospitality – very much appreciated.