Divine dining with Christmas tablescape ideas

Karen Neville

dinner

A B Events Hire in Woking have fabulous creative ideas to help you wow your guests with a festive table that’ll really make you the host with the most

Christmas dinner is the time when friends and families come together to spread love and joy over the most special meal of the year. It’s also the perfect time to create an inviting show stopping tablescape for all the family to sit around.

You don’t need to get your tinsel in a tangle, styling a festive table doesn’t need to be expensive and can be created using handmade decoration, hiring items, and using what you have at home.

Here are our top tips for creating a festive table that’ll make you the envy of all

Start with thinking of a theme. Will you go for a white wonderland table, Elf candy canes or something like a natural Scandi Nordic look? Having a theme can add instant fun or a luxurious element to the tablescape. Plus, it helps with the décor decisions.

Do you have enough seats for everyone or chairs that match? You can hire extra chairs and benches to make sure your guests aren’t sitting on the floor or guests aren’t on office chairs. Have a matching set to give your table the extra wow factor. You could hang a little Christmas wreath, mistletoe, bells, or big bow to the back of your chair. This is a great way to bring your theme into all areas of your Christmas tablescape.

Linen always adds a luxurious feel to a table, but you don’t need to necessarily buy it! This can be hired for a fraction of the price. If you don’t want a full tablecloth, you could always use a runner down the centre of the table. This will add texture, a pop of colour without covering the whole table. Napkins matching the colour scheme will look wonderful, plus, you could be creative and fold your napkins into Christmas trees!

Incorporate all the beautiful festive foliage and pretty winter flowers into your table set up. Why not go foraging for ivy, holly, mistletoe, and fire tree to create a table runner? Then add in elements like pinecones, small baubles, faux foliage in golds/silvers etc. Remember to think about the height of the centrepiece, your guests need to be able to see other, without a great big candelabra blocking their view! Use odd numbers of items, it creates a much more pleasing effect on the eye.

A cost-effective décor idea is to make pomanders and place along the table runner and decorate pillar candles by slicing oranges and drying them, to then tie them with cinnamon sticks and twine around the candle. A Christmas tablescape wouldn’t be complete without some fairy lights intertwined around the foliage, and main centrepiece.

A great tablescape is all about layers! At AB Event Hire we’re conscious about the environment and stay away from one-use plastic throw-away items. Instead of buying new tableware, hire it in at a fraction of the price. Not only does it help reduce waste, but we can wash it up for you too! Use matching plates, cutlery and glasses to create an instant cohesive feel to the tablescape. Charger plates add a special element to the table, they can add textures and colours without overpowering the setting, these can easily be hired in too.

Personal touches – will you create name tags for each guest or leave a little Christmas present at their seat? A handmade salt dough decoration or a candy cane with a name tag on could make a heartful gesture to a family member.

For more information about how to hire items & tips on creating Christmas tablescapes, head to AB Event Hire social media pages @ab_event_hire or our website www.abeventhire.co.uk.

AB Event Hire is a family fun wedding, event & catering equipment company. They’re based in Woking and can supply you with all the items you might need to create a perfect festive celebration. Get in touch, they would love to hear from you. Telephone number 01276 856440 and the office email is [email protected].

Join Tom Kerridge’s Pirate Ship

Round & About

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There’s working in the hospitality industry and then there’s working for Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge in the hospitality industry, if you’re looking for an opportunity to work alongside one of the best in the business then hop aboard the pirate ship!

The Tom Kerridge Group includes The Hand & Flowers, The Coach, Lush by Tom Kerridge and The Butcher’s Tap & Grill all in Marlow, as well as Kerridge’s Bar & Grill and Kerridge’s Fish & Chips (both London) and The Bull & Bear (Manchester), and with vacancies ranging from bartender through to front of house and all manner of chef and kitchen roles available you’re sure to find one that will help you in your career.

When you join the ‘pirate ship’ you’ll be joining a band of pirates all contributing to the success and growth of the Tom Kerridge Group. Clear lines of progression mean some of the team have forged thriving careers over 20 years and with a policy of promoting from within and nurturing talent you can be assured you’ll get all the support you need.

Tom says: “Working in hospitality is a way of life. At the top level it’s hard work, but the rewards you can get out of it are huge. It’s not just a job, but the chance to learn new skills, travel the world, meet amazing people and be involved in amazing events, for us, it’s a long-term career. Come and join our pirate ship!”

To find out more about the opportunities on offer visit https://careers.tomkerridge.com/

Bill’s Newbury

Round & About

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Photo credit: Milly Fletcher

It’s time to take a fresh look at a familiar face with the grand re-opening of Bill’s in Newbury today (23rd September).

The popular restaurant and bar in Market Place is staying true to its roots but adding a touch of glamour with modern décor, luxurious velvet seating and sparkling chandeliers.

It’s the ideal spot for lunch, after work cocktails or dinner and to celebrate the relaunch they are offering you the chance to win dinner for six people. Anyone booking a table online during the opening week (23rd to 29th September) will automatically be entered into the prize draw.

And for the first two weeks after the relaunch, diners will be asked to vote for their chosen charity – West Berkshire Mencap, Helen & Douglas House and The Samaritans – to support for the next three months. The successful charity will be revealed on 7th October.

The management team in Newbury have been working to build relationships with the local community and the restaurant will be making a 50p contribution for each ‘burger of the week’ sold with the money going to the chosen charity.

Founder of the restaurant chain, which started in Lewes, Sussex in 2000, Bill Collison said: “Good quality food in a welcoming environment has always been at the core of Bill’s. We have loved being in our current spot in Newbury for the past five years and we felt the time was right for a fresh new look for the restaurant.

“We are proud to create restaurants that are full of vibrant colour and vintage trinkets. I believe that the new look transcends all dining times which will only enhance our diners’ experience and showcase our vibrant food and drinks.”

Book online

Book your table online to enter the prize-draw or to find out more head to Bill’s website

A cut above: best Christmas roasts

Round & About

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Turkey is a traditional favourite but there are so many choices of meat when it comes to the festive table, and many excellent local producers

What scene depicts Christmas more traditionally than a large cooked bird being brought out to the table and carved by the head of the household?

Turkey is, of course, the popular festive choice. Tom Copas Jnr says: “Turkey is what you’re meant to have! We’ve been rearing the best turkeys in Britain for over 60 years and nothing tastes better on Christmas Day, especially knowing all the care and attention that’s gone into their welfare.” Visit www.copasturkeys.co.uk.

Walters Turkeys is a family business running since 1911 on the Yattendon Estate in the Berkshire Downs. The team are passionate about animal welfare and expert in the best way to cook and store your bird for the perfect feast; call 01635 578 251 or visit www.waltersturkeys.co.uk. Tell your butcher how many guests you have (and how greedy!) to select a bird or joint of the perfect size.

Excellent traditional alternatives to turkey include goose and duck, which are more expensive and do not give as much meat per size as a turkey. Cockerels (male chickens) clock in at about the 10lb in weight and are becoming a popular alternative to turkey. For more adventurous of home cooks there is also the three-bird roast, with a wide variety of bird breasts one inside another (such as turkey, pheasant and partridge). These have plenty of meat but need to be carefully cooked.

Hungerford butcher Christian Alba says: “In all the places I’ve worked, Christmas meat is usually turkey. But I grew up on a turkey farm, so I have beef fore rib.” Phil Currie, head chef at The Greyhound in Letcombe Regis says: “I like to use beef shin as the bone provides so much flavour which leaves you with a great sauce. For Christmas we serve it with classic bourguignon garnish and a twist with a blue cheese dumpling. It’s a great alternative to turkey.” Visit www.thegreyhoundletcombe.co.uk or call 01235 771969.

Jesse Smith Butcher & W.J Castle in Cirencester has a unique dry-aging process for its beef featuring a room lined with Himalayan salt bricks. The company, which goes back for several generations, are passionate about animal husbandry and welfare and also offer the very finest poultry, game, pork and lamb for the well-stocked Christmas larder; visit www.jessesmith.co.uk or call 01285 653352.

Recipe queen Lyn Deveson says: “I’ve always cooked turkey and a gammon; cold turkey, ham, turkey curried, stir fried, in sandwiches is a big part of the appeal. But I cooked a cockerel last Christmas and won’t go back to turkey – it has more flavour. I remember my mother cooking the turkey all night on a low heat but the French way is best; higher heat and less time. People complain it can be dry but if cooked properly, it isn’t. Good gravy makes all the difference, too!

“I also remember my mother cooking the turkey all night on a low heat, but the French way is best – higher heat and less time. People complain it can be dry but if cooked properly, it isn’t. Traditionally we cook turkey, stuffing, bread sauce, sausages wrapped in bacon etc. with the head male at the top of the table, carving! That’s the  picture we all have in our heads and everyone wearing paper hats and pulling crackers! Because turkey meat can be quite bland, you can go to town with the other flavours. A good gravy makes the difference and thanks to chefs such as Jamie Oliver, we are learning that Bisto is not the essential ingredient but I am shocked by the number of English who still use it! The trouble is we are so spoilt nowadays and can eat anything any time of the year, so Christmas lunch or dinner isn’t such a treat as it used to be.”

Enter our competition for a Christmas In A Box foodie hamper – including a 6kg turkey!