For the British, the most important meal of the year is, of course, the Christmas dinner, where ritual, atmosphere and food are not missing! The traditional British Christmas dinner consists of an elaborate starter, a hearty main course, and delicious desserts and drinks to bring the festive atmosphere to a climax.
In this article, we will share with you the traditional dishes for Christmas dinner, as well as recommend popular Christmas restaurants in London, Manchester, Birmingham and other popular cities! Whether you’re cooking at home or dining out, you’ll be able to have the most romantic festive experience during the Christmas season!
What do British people eat for Christmas dinner?
Christmas Appetisers
The starter is the prelude to the Christmas meal, and can be both elaborate and extravagant, but also traditional, not to have a sense of ‘overpowering the main’. A good appetiser can open up your taste buds and make the start of the festive season full of surprises ~ here are some traditional Christmas dinner appetisers and how to make them (plating tips):
Smoked Salmon
Smoked salmon was actually created by the Inuit, initially because it was discovered that salted and smoked salmon could be preserved for a long time, and the Inuit probably didn’t realise how popular smoked salmon is now in the British Christmas dinner.
How to eat smoked salmon + plating tips: smoked salmon is basically available in supermarkets in the UK, remember to eat with fresh lemon juice, you can also sprinkle some black pepper. You can also add some bread and vegetables to the dish to make it a healthy, tasty and high value Christmas appetiser.
Classic Prawn Cocktail Salad
The British Christmas appetiser usually like a more refreshing taste, this prawn cocktail salad is also a very classic one of their Christmas appetiser, the British royal family ‘s Christmas appetiser is usually lobster salad, with this prawn cocktail is similar to the match ~ said prawn cocktail, but in fact it is the lettuce and prawns in the cocktail glass, tasty and good-looking, the festive plate always need a little sense of ceremony ~!
Shrimp Cocktail Salad Recipe + Preparation: The preparation of this dish can also be said to be super simple, cocktail glasses with lettuce, you can also add some other vegetables you like you, buy a good shrimp from the supermarket, and then peeled off in addition to the tail of the other parts of the lettuce on the plate, and then the mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper mix seasoning, and finally can be sprinkled with some chilli powder and fine parsley on the top. and fine parsnips on the top.
Christmas Dinner Main Course – Roast Turkey
The main course is the highlight of Christmas dinner, roast turkey with Yorkshire pudding and other ingredients of the classic Christmas main course can always bring the Christmas dinner to a climax ~ the following is the ingredients and recipe for Christmas dinner roast turkey:
Roast turkey is definitely a must for Christmas in the UK ~ if there is no roast turkey, the British people’s Christmas is incomplete, so it can be seen that the roast turkey in the heart of the status of the high. The difference between the American Thanksgiving turkey and the British Christmas turkey is not particularly great.
Christmas roast turkey practice + side dishes: general supermarkets can buy ready-made turkey, and then stuffed with onions and sage in the turkey’s stomach, roasted out after a Christmas meal. Remember to have some side dishes, roasted ball kale is a very good choice, a small one, with butter or something grilled, crisp and sweet, you can also add some bacon according to personal taste ah what ~!
Christmas Desserts – Pudding
A heartfelt Christmas dessert will be a perfect end to the whole Christmas meal, with a special festive drink, can create a strong sense of warmth and Christmas atmosphere~.
Christmas pudding is not the kind of pudding we usually eat, but more similar to the texture of cake. The production of this pudding is still very complicated, oversized, heavy, suitable for the whole family to eat together.
Christmas pudding customs and eating method: there is a particularly interesting custom is that the whole family will be made together in the process of burying a coin ~ who can eat will be better luck ~ Christmas day, the production of good pudding put into the oven to heat up, and then with brandy butter, wine, fruity melt in the taste buds ~
Christmas Drinks
I’ll go ahead and introduce you to a few super easy to make Christmas drinks. Eggnog, mulled wine, whatever, can be arranged!
Mulled wine
If you’ve ever been to a Christmas market, have you tried mulled wine? A traditional British Christmas drink, mulled wine is to die for. Mulled wine has the aroma of red wine, but the flavour of the wine is not so heavy, instead, it has a rich sweetness. Mulled wine actually originated in Germany, but has now become an indispensable Christmas drink in Europe. It’s super easy to make it yourself!
Eggnog
Eggnog is also one of the traditional drinks for Christmas in the UK. This festive drink was invented in the 17th century and could only be quoted by the British middle and upper classes, but now it has been popularised by the common people~Traditional Eggnog is made with brandy as the base, adding milk, egg yolks, and sugar water, etc., and shaking it well until it bubbles, then drinking it, whereas the one that is improved by the Americans is made with rum as the base and it is a bit sweeter, which is more preferable for the girls.
Popular Christmas restaurants in London
What are the recommended Christmas restaurants in London this year? From Michelin to party restaurants, from the 40th floor to the Thames, I’ve rounded it all up for you!
1. Claridge’s Luxury Hotel
- Address: Brook Street, London W1K 4HR
- Price: Christmas Dinner £240, Lunch £495
Claridge’s is one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, located in London’s upper-class Mayfair district, rich in history, full of British atmosphere, where the ritual of Christmas dinner is absolutely pulled full.
Claridge’s hotel annual Christmas dinner starters can choose scallops, salmon, lobster risotto, etc., the main course can choose roast turkey, venison Wellington, roast duck, pumpkin, etc., the dishes are very rich.
2. The Connaught
- Address: 16 Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL
- Prices: Helene Darozze: Christmas Dinner £275 Lunch £385, Jean-Georges: Christmas Dinner/Lunch £250, The Connaught Grill: Lunch £295 (indicative)
Built in 1897, The Connaught is a legendary luxury hotel in London’s Mayfair district, blending classic elegance with modern glamour, and beautifully decorated for Christmas, with gorgeous indoor and outdoor Christmas trees.
The Connaught has three restaurants, the world famous three Michelin starred Helene Darozze at The Connaught, the French restaurant Jean-Georges at The Connaught and the hotel’s own grill, The Connaught Grill. All three restaurants have Christmas dinners, the first two of which also have Christmas lunches, and are relatively easy to book in London hotels.
3. Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester hotel
- Address: 53 Park Ln, London W1K 1QA
- Price: Christmas Dinner £300 (wine pairing + £125), Lunch £450
How can we not mention London’s three-star Michelin restaurant Alain Ducasse, located in The Dorchester, a luxury hotel in Mayfair, without mentioning the restaurant’s chef, who is also a legend, having created a number of restaurants that have been awarded Michelin honours, and is currently the chef with the most Michelin stars. Alain Ducasse’s current chef is Jean-Philippe Blondet, who specialises in seasonal ingredients interpreted in a refined and modern way.
The annual Christmas dinner is a creative six-course dinner that includes a number of prestigious ingredients such as sea bass with black truffle, scallops with caviar, roast duck breast with orange and green onions, and innovative desserts such as Christmas tree trunk cake.
Alain Ducasse’s Christmas lunch is also very grand, with wild boar consommé, foie gras with black truffle and artichokes, not only Cornish turbot fillet and Scottish sea crayfish, but also a festive roast chicken.
4. Le Pont De La Tour
- Address: 36D Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE
- Price: £130 for a five-course Christmas dinner
Restaurant location is key to a romantic atmosphere therefore Le Pont De La Tour, a French restaurant on the Thames, at the foot of Tower Bridge, is a great choice. The restaurant terrace has been designed as a winter garden, soft blankets have been carefully laid out, and a five-course dinner accompanied by a night view of the Thames will satisfy the eyes and stomach at the same time.
Choose from Cornish crab tart, cheese puffs or duck beignets for your Christmas dinner starter, while the main course includes salmon and a roast turkey with a festive twist! Enjoying a roast turkey by the Thames on Christmas Eve is a wonderful thought!
5. Duck & Waffle restaurant
- Address: 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY
- Price: £130 (with wine pairing £180 last year’s price reference)
Duck & Waffle has an irresistible charm in many people’s hearts. Located on the 40th floor, the restaurant boasts unrivalled views of London, 24-hour opening hours, so it’s no surprise that it’s the perfect place for a special celebration.
The restaurant is decorated with snow-covered trees and glittering decorations for a warm, white winter look at Christmas, and the Christmas meal is only available between 11:30-17:00 on 25 December, with a whole roast turkey on the menu!
6. Riding House Fitzrovia
- Address: 43-51 Great Titchfield St., London
- Price: £50-65 for a three-course meal, £95 for a five-course meal.
The Riding House Café is the perfect place to host a Christmas party, the restaurant is open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, from 09.00-16.00 on 24 December and 11.30-16.00 on 25 December for the Christmas Day five-course meal starter of a choice of toasted bread with artichoke sauce, trout with caviar, and smoked duck, and for the main course of a choice of Wellington, halibut and roast turkey.
For Christmas parties, the Riding House Café is highly recommended, with a superb ambience and a wide range of menu options, such as a feast menu for £65 and a three-course group menu for £50.
7. German Gymnasium Grand Cafe
- Address: 1 King’s Blvd, London N1C 4BU
- Price: £75
German Gymnasium in King’s Cross is a modern German restaurant, named after the historic gym that hosted the only indoor Olympics in history in 1866.
The design of the restaurant is breathtaking and award-winning, with high ceilings that make the entire interior spacious, a spectacular Christmas tree in the centre, and an overall relaxed and cosy atmosphere that’s perfect for a date or catching up with friends, or as a Christmas dinner option!
In addition to the 7 popular restaurants in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and other cities also have a wide range of high quality restaurants with a great Christmas atmosphere, catering for the Christmas dining needs of your friends in different parts of the UK.
Established Michelin restaurants such as Simpsons and Adam’s in Birmingham, and creative music venues such as 20 Stories and Menagerie Restaurant in Manchester are all excellent choices for a Christmas party. If you don’t know where to go for Christmas dinner, you can refer to the following guide to Michelin restaurants in the UK and other romantic restaurants in other regions for inspiration!
