Diners can expect festive feasts, Alpine scenes, live music and the odd appearance from Santa Claus at The Ivy Montpellier Brasserie in Cheltenham this Christmas 2024.
Launching on Wednesday 13 November 2024, its festive menus include a variety of seasonal selections for breakfast and all-day dining, as well as two- and three-course set menus and a new Boxing Day brunch.
Stars of the set menu include twice-baked stilton and walnut cheese soufflé to start; followed by turkey ballotine for main, served with an apricot and pork stuffing, a pig in blanket, sprout and parsley mash, cranberry chutney, and a rich truffle sauce.
Vegetarian options include wild mushroom and truffle linguine with a plant-based cream cheese sauce, topped with pine nuts, rocket, truffle and gold flakes.
To finish, guests can opt for this year’s seasonal mascot, The Ivy Snowman — a vanilla parfait with chocolate brownie, served with milk foam, pandan sponge cake and topped with honeycomb and popping candy.
Alternatively, guests can go for a classic flambéed Christmas pudding, served with almonds, redcurrants and a smooth vanilla cream.
The Ivy Collection’s all-day-dining selection also gets a festive makeover, with luxury starters including chilled lobster and prawn cocktail; whisky barrel smoked venison tartare; and seared and hand-cut venison loin served with pickled beetroot.
The Ivy classic Shepherd’s pie has had a Christmas twist, with goose, turkey and duck combined with braised lamb and beef, seasoned with sage and orange zest, topped with mashed potato and served with a cranberry chutney.
There's also an alpine-inspired The Ivy Truffle Burger — a beef burger sandwiched between a toasted brioche bun and served with truffle mayonnaise and thick cut chips, with the option of creamy Alpine Raclette cheese for the ultimate festive treat.
When it comes to sides, there's brussels sprouts with chestnuts and cranberries, alongside traditional pigs in blankets — and to finish, guests can choose from a Christmas crème brûlée, with a winter berry and cinnamon compote and shortbread; or The Ivy Chocolate Bombe, a melting chocolate dome served with vanilla ice cream, honeycomb and a hot caramel sauce.
There's an array of new seasonal aperitifs. The Scotch coffee is a creamy combination of The Singleton 12-year-old whisky, macadamia and coffee, topped with Pedro Ximenez cream and a dusting of nutmeg.
For something more refreshing, the Champagne mojito consists of Havana three-year rum, blended with peach, mint, lime and Champagne.
New for this year, there's also a Boxing Day brunch set menu for £34.95 per person.
Start off with a spicy and savoury Bloody Mary with Ketel One vodka blended with a vegan spice mix, tomato juice and lemon, served with olive, cucumber, refreshing mint and a kick of Tajin, followed by mains like chicken supreme milanese with truffle sauce, a fried hen’s egg and a parmesan and salad mache.
There's also a variety of desserts including the iconic Ivy Classic Frozen Berries served with frozen yogurt and a white chocolate sauce; plus a selection of cheeses including Cornish yarg, stilton, Saint-Nectaire, Melusine goat’s cheese and Camembert Le Fin Terroir, all served with red onion and cranberry chutney and wholegrain crackers.
The Ivy Collection's managing director, Laura Mills, said: 'We want to ensure we are providing the perfect festive setting for our guests to make lasting memories with loved ones. We have created menus to elevate the entire festive season, with seasonal specials featured on our all-day dining menu, Boxing Day brunch, and festive breakfast, as it’s never too early in the day to start celebrating.
'Christmas time can be very busy, especially for those in charge of prepping and cooking the main meal on the big day itself. This is why we want to invite our guests to celebrate with us and let us do the hard work on the days surrounding. We will be serving up magically festive meals with style and fantastic flavour, topped off with our unforgettable Ivy service.'
