‘Christmas with Cyrus’ at Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen

The indomitable Cyrus Todiwala would make a rather good Father Christmas, being jolly, jocular and- sorry, sahib- slightly rounded. But that bit of extra padding is just testament, were it needed, to his wicked culinary skills. To my knowledge, Cyrus isn’t planning on appearing in fancy dress, but he does have a fulsome festive offering for his fans.

Festive FEAST at the Islington Sorting Office

It was only a matter of time before street food met posh nosh. And FEAST was one of the first to flaunt the culinary collision, hosting a bijou collective of traders and restaurateurs at their inaugural festival at Guy’s Hospital last summer. 5,000 food-lovin’ Londoners can’t all be wrong, and the Christmas FEAST line-up is looking pretty appetising…

Paxton & Whitfield’s festive cheeseboard picks

Please God let this be the year the death knell sounds for those tawdry selection boxes holding a grotesque assemblage of shrink-wrapped specimens nefariously studded with’fruit du jour’ or muddled with metallic herbage. This year we kindly offer you  Paxton & Whitfield’s expert selection, and the opportunity to redeem your own cheeseboard. Seize it with both hands.

Camino Monumento

Spanish food is now easily enjoyed in a number of London tapas bars and cafes, but Camino has already put its mark on the City with a distinctive brand of gourmet Spanish food and a top wine list. The’Camino’it aims to travel is the link between the different regions of Spain which each have their own specialities and tastes

Corrigans Mayfair

The bill was approximately £65.00 each, but that was a la carte with fabulous wines by the glass, so all in all, not bad for fine dining. There were a few’faces’ there, but it would be indiscrete to mention them (even though I really want to!) because I would imagine celebs choose this place for its discretion and unpretentious approach. Now, who am I to sabotage that?

French festivities at Champagne+Fromage

Champagne goes hand in hand with Christmas, so put the fizz into this year’s festivities with Champagne + Fromage. The Covent Garden shop and bistro has a whole host of Christmassy gift boxes, bottles of beautiful grower Champagne, cheese and foodie favourites.

Asda and Leiths Stir Up Sunday 2012

Stir Up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent, kickstarts preparations for Christmas over-indulgence – it’s traditionally the day the Christmas pudding mixture is made and cooked. It’s extraordinarily easy to make, as Joanna Biddolph discovered at a Stir Up Sunday event with Asda and Leiths School of Food and Wine.