Who hasn’t had that awful feeling of sitting down, stomach pleasantly a-rumble, only to have those stirrings of gastric yearning turn to icy needles of dread upon having a cheap paper crown plonked on your bonce and reading the awful incantation’prawn cocktail; turkey with all the trimmings; Christmas pudding; mince pies and coffee’ on a holly-trimmed menu?
European Christmas market breaks with thetrainline.com
Let’s face it, the majority of London’s ‘Christmas Markets’ are grim excuses for the real spirit of festive commerce felt throughout Europe’s more traditional town squares. £50 for a night spent shivering in a mock chalet scoffing lukewarm bratwursts and glugging glogg? No thank you. We’ll get a cheap deal off thetrainline.com and pop off to one of these destinations instead.
Traditional Christmas bakes from around the world
From the North to the South poles, people do like a nice bit of cake at Christmastime. Packed with the prestige indicated by copious fruit-and-nut usage, these are an often boozy, always bountiful, and occasionally barmy bunch.
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?
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
Le Restaurant – Paris
Catherine Jones discovers cuisine in Paris has a certain je ne sais quoi…
Discount Christmas shopping at Covent Garden
The countdown to Christmas has begun and Covent Garden’s Seven Dials and St Martin’s Courtyard are inviting you to enjoy a night of shopping and merriment on November 29th.
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.
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…
‘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.