Christmas is a time for family, fun and food - and lots of it. We know it can be an expensive time, especially with the current cost of living crisis. But many people have saved all year and can't wait to indulge in the festivities and it may mean pushing the boat out a little more than usual especially when it comes to eating out.
With the big day just around the corner, restaurants and hotels have mustered up their festive creativity and poured it into Christmas menus, pulling out all the stops to make sure you have a memorable meal in the run up to and on Christmas Day.
From Michelin star chefs to much loved hotels, we are spoilt for choice in Wales when it comes to where to go if you want to treat yourself with three, four, five or six course menus that just scream 'It's Christmas!' and will have you leaving the restaurant somewhat resembling Santa himself...
Read more: The delicious Christmas treats you can indulge in right now in and around Cardiff
Here, we've rounded up some of the more pricey Christmas menus that range from £50 to £150 but the high quality food on offer will have you drooling at the thought of tucking in. Here are the perfect places to book a table if you want to treat yourself and your loved ones...
Holm House, Penarth - £115
Cast you eye over the Bristol channel as you sip on a festive cocktail (upon entry) and tuck into some pretty tasty courses at Holm House this Christmas. The luxurious hotel and spa is offering a three course Christmas Day menu for those who want a sprig of luxury in their lives over the festive season and don't want to face cooking. Relax, unwind, enjoy the seaside location, and feel completely at home (a holm away from home, if you will...) as you wine and dine on dishes like creamy wild potato gnocchi, roast sirloin of beef, sea bass, pine nut and sage coated pant-ys-gawn goats cheese, smoked salmon roulade and a pistachio and morello cherry cheesecake - to name just a few.
For more information, see here.
Where: Holm House Hotel, Marine Parade, Penarth, CF64 3BG
Home by James Sommerin - £100/£115
Now we know this isn't a meal out but imagine having a delicious festive meal cooked for you at Christmas by renowned Welsh chef James Sommerin and then enjoying it in the comfort of your own home? Sounds like the perfect Christmas to me. The chef's Penarth restaurant, Home, is offering this very thing with its exciting 'home boxes' in time for Christmas which come packed with a multi-course meal prepared by Georgia and James Sommerin, ready for collection a few days before the big day with re-heating instructions instructions. Feasters will have three menus to choose from - all of which have five courses ending in Grandma Som’s Christmas pudding.
The vegetarian menu includes dishes such as pea croquettes, potten mushroom and Madeira paste, caeamelised parsnip, shallot and hazelnut terrine and D'Agen prune and vanilla tart. There are two meat-filled menus - starting with Oxtail consommé, followed by Salmon and langoustine rillette, you can then choose between having turkey or Welsh beef as your main, with veggies, potatoes, cabbage and sauce, and D'Agen prune and vanilla tart.
The veggie menu will cost £100 per person (minimum order is for one person), while the meaty one will be £115. Final orders for these boxes ready for collection will need to be placed by Monday, December 12 at 6pm. For more information, see here.
Where: 1, Royal buildings, Penarth CF64 3EB
Celtic Manor's The Olive Tree and Garden Room - £140
If Christmas Day at home isn't quite what you're after this year, indulge in a Christmas Day dinner at The Celtcic Manor. With a buffet lunch, it'll be a festive feast to remember. Dishes in the buffet include braised lamb Breton-style with haricot beans, grilled sea bass with baby gem lettuce, garden peas and pancetta with white wine sauce and Persian squash and pistachio roast with Madeira gravy.
Salads include a Moroccan spiced rice with red onion, apricots, sultanas, peppers, onion and mixed herbs, while a deli bar has pickled cabbage, cucumber, beetroots, pickled onions and more. Hors d'Oeuvres include honey-roasted hand-carved ham, gala pie with a Scotch egg, salmon gravlax and smoked salmon with capers and lemon.
If you have room, fill your boots with a few stunning desserts - Christmas pudd, gingerbread streusel cupcakes, red berry meringue and a few treats from Mrs Claus' Bakehouse.
Prices are £140 per person, £70 per child (3 – 12 years) and free for infants under 2 years For more information, see here.
Where: Celtic Manor, Coldra Wood, The Usk Valley, Chepstow Road, Newport NP18 1HQ
The Parkgate Hotel - £150
Just like its sister hotel, The Celtic Manor, The Parkgate in Cardiff is hosting a Christmas Day celebration with an abundance of drool-worthy plates in their three-course delight. Treat yourself to an extra special dining experience with friends or family with dishes like cauliflower soup and Monmouthshire reared pork Scotch egg for starters and roasted turkey breast, rack of Welsh lamb and Mediterranean roasted vegetable wellington for mains.
For something sweet, alongside the classic Christmas pudd, you can get an Abergavenny cox apple shortbread crumble, a festive bauble - gingerbread and orange mousse with a ginger sponge - and a Welsh cheese platter for those who favour the savoury stuff. Price is £150. For more information, see here. For something festive ahead of the big day, see their festive lunch menu (that doesn't quite pack as much of a financial punch as the Christmas Day bonanza).
Where: Westgate Street, Cardiff CF10 1DA
The Grove of Narberth - £140
Fancy Christmas lunch at an award-winning hotel and restaurant? Well, look no further than The Grove, a stunning 400-year old country house where the restaurants have been awarded with four AA rosettes and five red stars. At £140 pp, you can soak up the season with lobster and salmon ravioli to start, traditional turkey with sprouts, stuffing, broccoli, spiced red cabbage, pigs in blankets or vegetable pithivier with celeriac, truffle and hazelnut as a main (all served with roast potatoes, honey parsnips, sprouts, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, naturally) before finishing your meal with a Christmas pudding, choccy tart or a selection of Welsh cheeses.
Want to get in the festive mood ahead of the big day? Then spend an afternoon there in December and indulge in its 'pre-Christmas Get Together Menu', which costs £37.50 for two courses and £49 for three. See its options here. For more information, see here.
Where: Molleston, Narberth, Pembrokeshire, SA67 8BX
Coast - £100
Christmas by the sea? Now that sounds pretty lush. Tuck into a meal that's been prepared by head chef Fred Clapperton and it'll become even more special. Think dishes like Champagne 'fish & chips', venison terrine, roasted duck breast (with a duck in blanket, pressed potato, spiced date puree, bread sauce and traditional vegetables), sole, Welsh cheese and desserts lke marzipan and Coast trifle.
All in for £100. Now doesn't that sound delightful? Have a dietary requirement? Don't worry, your allergy will be catered for upon request. For more information, see here.
Where: C oast Restaurant, Coppet Hall Beach, Saundersfoot SA69 9AJ
Christmas Day at Llys Meddyg - £80
Does a sloe gin sorbet, a celeriac, wild mushroom, chestnut and cranberry pie, wood fired roasted beetroot, Llys Meddyg smoked salmon and Pembrokeshire free-range turkey with chestnut stuffing sound like a bit of you? Well, all of this and more can be found at Llys Meddyg Hotel and Restaurant in Newport, Pembrokeshire, for its Yuletide celebrations on the big day. You can even chose to have this dinner in the dining room or a secret garden pod - how cosy!
Prices from £80 for the Christmas Day dinner. For more information, see here.
Where: East Street, Newport, Pembrokeshire, SA42 0SY
The Humble Onion - £65
Can't bear the thought of stocking your fridge with oodles of brussel sprouts, ginormous turkeys, thousands of potatoes and honey roasted parsnips? Well, you're in luck because The Humble Onion in Dinas Powys is vowing to take all of that away with its 'Humble at Home' menus.
Taking to Instagram, they wrote: "**CHRISTMAS DAY** humble at home, we prepare everything. You simply warm it through with our easy to follow instructions and pass as your own LOL. for more details dm us".
For more information, see its social media.
Where: Station Road, Dinas Powys CF64 4DE
Festive Dining Menu at The Cliff, St Brides Bay Hotel - £50
Picture this: glass of champers in hand, freshly baked sourdough wafting under your nose and a Christmas dinner made up of artichoke soup, smoked salmon, confit duck and shallot terrine, turkey, beef, cod or nut roast, and Christmas plum pud or sticky toffee pudding (to name a few) being prepared FOR you? Plus you don't even have to help in the clear up. Can you think of a more delicious way to get in the Christmas spirit?
Available from November 21 for groups of eight, this meal comes in at a lower £50 a pop. For more information, see here.
Where: St Brides Hill, Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire SA69 9NH
Chapters, Hay-On-Wye - £52
With two festive menus on offer - a veggie and standard - this stunning restaurant, set in a former meeting room adjoining a chapel in the UK's renowned Book Town, creates dishes from seasonal produce that packs a flavour - and festive - punch.
Writing on its website, Chapters wrote: "Winter menus mean comfort and luxury, with delicious root vegetables taking centre stage, starting the night with warm mulled cider and ending with rich Manjari chocolate...
"Being aware of the rising costs around the UK we have decided to keep our prices fixed to the end of the year so these special festive menus are the same price as our unusual seasonal menu at £52 per person. Plus with the addition of a free glass of mulled cider on arrival." For more information, see here.
Where: Lion St, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford HR3 5AA
Kindle Cardiff - £45/£65
With its brand new 'cabin' welcoming customers in from the cold during the winter months - a new addition to the much loved and award-winning sustainable outdoor restaurant - Kindle is excited to welcome food lovers to come and try their newly created Christmas menu, which features loving curated dishes by head chef Tom Powell, such as: Jerusalem artichoke Massaman Curry, S'more with Honey Granola, red cabbage and fontina gratin, venison loin and, of course, a splash of fizz.
It wrote on its Instagram: "Festive season is FAST APPROACHING and we can’t wait to welcome you to our very special home. Whether you are looking to organise a small gathering or get a large group of you together (wooooo) then we have got you covered!
"We are able to create a bespoke package to suit your needs with two price points (£45/ £65). Our menu pictured highlights a variety of options so dietary requirements are no issue here"
Prices begin at £45. For more information, see here.
Where: Sophia Gardens, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9SZ
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