Festive Food

For many people, Christmas is a time for family. There are some who celebrate it as a religious holiday, some who view it as the party season and others who just look forward to getting presents! However, it’s a fairly universal opinion that the festive season is all about food. Turkey with cranberry sauce, roast potatoes and parsnips, mince pies, cheese and crackers, sweets and candy canes, Christmas pudding... is your mouth watering yet?! In accordance with this notion, Christmas food markets have sprung up all over London.

There are festive-themed markets in the Barbican Centre and Hyde park at the moment, but one of the most popular places to head to for culinary delights this month is the Southbank Centre. It has been hosting the Real Food Festival every week since July, due to the influx of food enthusiasts pouring through the doors. From 16 - 23 December you can catch the Christmas Food Market, every day from 12 - 8pm. If the fairy lights along the river aren’t enough to get you in the spirit, the smell of warming mulled wine should do it! Here, you can pick up the best cuts of ham and wild game, taste countless cheeses, pickles and preserves, or satisfy your sweet tooth with chocolately treats. No doubt you’ll need to book a Waterloo taxi to get you home with your bags bulging full of food!

Soon, we’ll all be vowing to go on a detox, dieting to fit back into our skinny jeans and abstaining from all the yumminess that we’ve become so accustomed to this month. January is the time for signing up to a gym that you’ll probably never set foot in again, and swearing off the fags and booze. But until then, indulge in tasty delights without the guilt; it is Christmas after all!