Take the stress out of Christmas with festive dining at these London hotels

From ingredient shopping and prepping, to basting and carving the meat and then doing the washing up… hosting Christmas Day can become a big task, taking up precious time that could have been spent celebrating with loved ones.

For those looking to enjoy a stress-free Christmas Day meal, Great Scotland Yard Hotel, Andaz London Liverpool Street, Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars and Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill are offering a tempting alternative: festive menus that leave the cooking and clearing up to someone else. Options range from a three-course group menu priced at £65 to an eight-course, fire-cooked tasting menu priced at £235.

Where to eat on Christmas Day?

40 Elephants, Great Scotland Yard Hotel (£65 per person) – Groups can settle into the hotel’s bar inspired by the notorious all-female crime syndicate for a three-course Christmas Day menu, starting with a glass of prosecco on arrival. Roast turkey ballotine and braised beef featherblade are among the mains, followed by a classic Christmas pudding with brandy anglaise or spiced roasted apple and vanilla custard mousse. The group chooses one dish per course.

Eastway Brasserie, Andaz London Liverpool Street (£90 per person) – The design-led hotel’s relaxed East End brasserie offers a refined way to celebrate. Opening with a celeriac and black truffle soup, highlights include starters like Jerusalem artichoke with wild mushroom, black truffle, aged Parmesan and hazelnuts; refined mains like butternut squash and goat’s cheese Wellington with kohlrabi; and desserts like mulled wine poached pears to finish.

NYnLON, Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars (£95 per person) – With a glass of English sparkling wine per person included, the hotel’s New York bistro is a relaxed, generous option for families. Its Christmas Day buffet has a live oyster station, a carvery of turkey roulade and roast leg of lamb, and a kids corner serving mac and cheese, salmon goujons, and chicken tenders. A sweets corner and chocolate fountain round things off.

The Montagu Kitchen, Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill (£135 per person) – London’s only Mediterranean hotel grill house is hosting a Christmas Day Grande Brunch. Expect seafood like Colchester oysters and smoked salmon gravlax, rigatoni served from a parmesan wheel, a carving station, and a pastry selection with a chocolate fountain. Add a wine pairing for £175 per person.

Ekstedt at The Yard, Great Scotland Yard Hotel (£235 per person) – For a Christmas Day splurge, Ekstedt at The Yard is serving an eight-course tasting menu which puts fire-led cooking techniques to festive use. Standout dishes include oyster flambadou, grilled cock crab with vin jaune and winter truffles, and venison loin with a Swedish meatball. Seasonal touches include partridge with confit leg, parsnip purée, and smoked sprouts; and a pickled pear and blackcurrant leaf soufflé to finish.

Where to celebrate New Year’s Eve?

At The Montagu Kitchen, a four-course set menu (£75 per person) gives New Year’s Eve a classic French accent. It features starters such as provençal seafood bisque with seasonal seafood, tomato and basil and mains such as tournedos Rossini with foie gras, madeira demi-glace and potato pavé. An elderflower and gin sorbet ‘boozy kick’ keeps things going before dessert before a passion fruit semifreddo coined ‘The Clock’ is served to ring-in the new year.

NYnLON’s four-course dinner (£85 per person) features Maldon oysters with a Bloody Mary dressing and shallot mignonette among the starters and roasted monkfish with chorizo and cuttlefish ragout, fondant potatoes, and saffron foam among the mains. Tea, coffee and mince pies are included.

Eastway Brasserie’s festive menu is available until the 31st of December.

Ekstedt at The Yard’s eight-course tasting menu is also available on New Year’s Eve.

How to get into the festive spirit early?

Great Scotland Yard Hotel’s Nutcracker Fantasy afternoon tea runs from late November through December. Inspired by the ballet, its cakes are named after the story’s characters, from The Sugar Plum Fairy (a Black Forest gâteau) to The Nutcracker Soldier (a hazelnut and mandarin cake). The menu is priced at £67 per person, £76 with Boozy Pots or £83 with Champagne.

From 1st November, Eastway Brasserie’s festive menu is priced at £60 per person. Montagu Kitchen’s festive set menu runs from 1st November to 3rd January, at £45 for two courses or £50 for three. Ekstedt at The Yard’s tasting menu offers seven-courses for £150 per person throughout December.