Christmas
BY PALOMA LACY
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas or at least the planning has begun. Still looking for a Christmas party venue? Why not hire a pub exclusively for your group and no one else.
Pub group Livelyhood is giving revellers the opportunity to throw an exclusive gathering at one of its nine pubs across South London.
Its latest opening, The Rosey Hue, oozes authenticity, highlighting character and charm with its reclaimed and restored interior that its pubs are known for.
A new happy hour sees 2-4-1 on classic cocktails, gin & tonic, and glasses of wine – £12 for two.
Go to www.livelyhood.co.uk to book.
Integral to every festive table is the cheeseboard.
Here are a few tips to make yours a cracker this year.
Here’s how to feel even better about eating cheese, give Ivy’s Reserve Vintage Cheddar a go.
Ivy’s Vintage goes through a careful maturation period, for no fewer than 15 months.
This is Cheddar at its very best, it has a smooth silky texture with a slight crunch.
The flavour is rounded, balancing the sweet notes with creaminess and nuttiness.
Over the years, this recipe has won more awards than any other Cheddar and is loved in over 150 countries.
The cheese is made in Somerset but available to buy at Tesco.com and in store.
RRP: ÂŁ3.75 for a 300g pack.
www.wykefarms.com
As part of its Christmas celebrations, Borough Market welcomes back its annual An Evening of Cheese, returning on December 15 from 6pm-9pm.
Go along and get tips on creating the ultimate festive cheeseboard.
Don’t miss the famous cracking of the Parmesan wheel with Italian cheese monger, Bianca Mora, along with expert advice from Borough Market’s community of knowledgeable cheese traders including Neal’s Yard, Heritage Cheese, Kappacasein and L’Ubriaco.
Borough Market is open from 10am until 5pm daily, with early opening at 8am on Saturday and early closure of 4pm on Sunday.
Restaurant prices are at all-time high, but Bar & Block maintains its reputation at the reasonable end of the market with its Christmas offering.
Its festive two-course menu starts from ÂŁ24.95 (ÂŁ27.95 for three courses), while children can enjoy lunch or dinner for just ÂŁ7.50.
The new Festive Burger; a hand-ground beef patty, made from the best of British and Irish Angus breeds for ultimate taste and tenderness, is topped with pigs in blankets and cranberry sauce and served alongside beef-dripping roasties, pulled beef and a red wine gravy.
There’s the Sirloin Wellington, layered with garlic spinach and flat mushroom in crispy puffed pastry, and the Steak Experience, offering a trio of 4oz sirloin, rump and fillet steak cuts.
Why not pimp your plate with two jumbo king prawns and Canadian scallops?
Traditionalists can opt for the ultimate Festive Turkey Feast, complete with stuffing, beef dripping roasties, pigs in blankets, a golden yorkie and lashes of gravy, with a plant-based alternative also available.
With a 2-4-1 festive happy hour from 5pm-7pm daily, mixologists have created a menu including Cherry Rum Espresso Martini and the spicy Marmalade Mojito, and a Winter Old Fashioned and festive-favourite, Snowflake Martini.
There are restaurants in Southwark and Wimbledon.
A quick turnaround by restaurants is a common moan of diners.
This isn’t the case at Bellefields in Brixton, where guests are encouraged to have a leisurely lunch, followed by an extended visit in its cinema room for free.
The menu is proudly Mediterranean so you’re unlikely to fall asleep but then again, the cosy ambience of the cinema might well put paid to that.
Expect light and fresh flavours, with meat plates of coppa, loma and bresaola that are made for sharing.
Bigger plates include octopus escabache, runner beans and chickpeas and pork souvlaki, tzatziki and pickles will transport you back to that memorable Greek holiday.
This is how to bring sunshine to an otherwise dim and dismal winter’s day.
Every other Sunday, all lunch bookings include a complimentary 3pm film showing in the plush, on-site cinema room, complete with throws, bar and popcorn.
The space is also available for private hire, perfect for screenings and kids’ birthday parties.
On Sunday, it’s the Christmas classic, Home Alone, and on December 18, The Great Gatsby will grace the screen.
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