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LIDO
Set at an open-air Victorian pool, Lido provides a unique setting for a meal anytime, but especially at Christmas. Chef Freddy Bird’s festive menu combines ingredients from Spain, North Africa and the Middle East with local produce. Lunch costs £16 for two courses or £20 for three, with dinner £35 for three courses. The Terrace room beside the pool is available for private hire for groups of up to 42, as well. ✱ lidobristol.com
THE LOCKSBROOK INN Bristol has a couple of floating venues, set right on the river for top views...
from £10 a head. Dishes include venison haunch, beetroot, pomegranate and cocoa; brown butter sprouts, chestnuts, red cabbage and parsnip crisps; and clementine posset. Guests will get a 20-percent discount to use in January, and organisers receive a bottle of fizz. ✱ thegracebristol.uk
THE GREENHOUSE
In the Wiltshire village of Wadswick, the new Greenhouse restaurant on the former Royal Arthur Park site is a stylish spot for festivities. Surrounded by lovely countryside, it’s offering a three-course festive menu for lunch and dinner from 28 November. ✱ wadswickgreen.co.uk
GREEN PARK BRASSERIE
HOLIDAY INN BRISTOL CITY CENTRE
A modern 4-star city centre hotel like Holiday Inn covers all bases when it comes to Christmas, whether it’s a family meal or a party with work colleagues. It’s serving festive lunches throughout November and December, as well as Sunday lunches for families. ✱ hibristolcity.co.uk
HOMEWOOD PARK
With its roaring fires, delicious food and extensive wine list, this hotel and spa offers a sumptuous setting for Christmas. Award-winning head chef Simon Addison is serving his seasonal menus (£25 for lunch, £35 for dinner) from 1 December – think Norfolk bronze turkey and warm Christmas pud. ✱ homewoodpark.co.uk
The first Christmas for the latest Bath Pub Company opening promises to be a memorable one. There are plenty of Christmas cocktails and drinks to accompany your meal (£26 for four courses), including winter berry Bellini and mulled cider. And if you are the party organiser for groups of 10 or more, you get a £25 voucher. ✱ thelocksbrookinn.com
THE LONGS ARMS
Located in the pretty Wiltshire village of South Wraxall, The Longs Arms is serving its festive menu throughout December by pre-order only. There’s a private dining room for larger groups, and the menu costs £22 for two courses or £27 for three. Highlights include Cotswold bronze turkey with ‘fairy’ cabbages and chestnuts. ✱ thelongsarms.com
HOPE & ANCHOR
MACDONALD BATH SPA HOTEL
✱ hopeanchorbristol.com
✱ macdonaldhotels.co.uk/bathspa
Perched at the top of Lansdown Road with beautiful views, this pub’s festive meals cost £27.50 for four courses, which can be accompanied by a seasonal tipple such as Chase Fizz (vodka, elderflower liqueur, lime and soda). Organisers for groups of 10 or more get a £25 voucher, and if you’ve pulled the short straw as the designated driver you’ll get to enjoy complimentary soft drinks for the night.
HOTEL DU VIN
MARLBOROUGH TAVERN
✱ hareandhoundsbath.com
✱ hotelduvin.com
Whether it’s the reduced rate (£25), special rate (£29.50) or regular rate (£38), the three-course Christmas menu at the Green Park Brasserie includes coffee, chocolate mints and that all-important disco. The menu features roast Castlemead turkey crown and slow-roast Tunley Farm pork loin. ✱ greenparkbrasserie.com
HARE & HOUNDS
crumbsmag.com
Hotwells’ Hope & Anchor might be best known for its fantastic range of real ales and ciders, but it also has a growing reputation for its food. This year’s festive buffet costs just £15 for five items from a choice that includes pigs in blankets; cranberry and pistachio roast bites; and vodka and beetroot home-cured salmon.
The Hotel du Vin Bristol Christmas party menu (£29.95 for lunch, £39.95 for dinner) is served in its private dining rooms, which can accommodate up to 72. The bistro is also open on Christmas Day for lunch (£99 including a glass of Champers) that includes lobster thermidor tart and Scottish fillet steak with truffled creamed cabbage.
There’s a packed festive events calendar here, from Gold Party Night at the end of November to the New Year’s Eve ball. On C-Day, there’s a relaxed carvery in the Avon Ballroom (£85 per adult, £45 per child aged 5-12) and a lavish five-course lunch in the grand Vellore restaurant (£135 per adult, £70 per child).
Something of a veteran of the Bath scene these days, the Marlborough Tavern has been the venue for countless Christmas parties over the past decade – and now has it down to a tee. The four-course Christmas meal costs £28, which can be enjoyed with a signature Xmas cocktail or warming mulled wine. ✱ marlborough-tavern.com
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