This excursion will be back soon. In the meantime we’d be happy to organise a private tour for you. Please contact us on 020 7624 3978 | [email protected] to make a booking.
Eating Christmas
Bank Underground Station, exit 3 (by the Royal Exchange)
Guided by Ann
Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5
Meet Ann just outside Exit 3 (in front of the Royal Exchange) of Bank Underground Station.
Learn all about our traditional Christmas food.
And to whet your appetite, an aperatif: Ann’s brilliant little podcast about this tour.
Touches all the bases: meet your guide, be thoroughly entertained, learn some tasty stuff and find out about the walk.
(Please note that this is not a tasting tour.)
Turkey, stuffing, bread sauce, Brussels sprouts. Xmas pudding, Xmas cake, mince pies…you’ll be eating them soon.
Pick up all sorts of titbits to astonish your Xmas dining companions – the turkeys that walked to London, the chequered history of the sprout, the rise and fall of the goose.
Salivate over grand pudding recipes, shudder over workhouse Xmas fare. And the meaty past of the mince pie – make sure you eat 12 of them next month…and we end at that feast for the senses, Borough Market, where you can stock up on Xmas supplies.
Jennie Marlow –
Delightful! Ann led us on a journey through the history of Christmas food that was very informative and laced with humour and grace. She selected the route with great care, leading us through back streets and archades, which made it more interesting and less challenged by traffic. We loved the tour and would highly recommend it.
Stacey Berg –
Ann was fantastic! Learned so much. Went through secret alley ways, tried my first mini minced pie (from Fortnum no less!), enjoyed the view of the Thames and Tower Bridge. It fittingly ends both near Boruogh Market and the South Bank Winter River Market for some more yummy food!
Nikki Montez –
Ann did a wonderful job managing such a large group on an excellent walking tour on a gorgeous morning through the streets and alleyways of London. She provided us with so many historical references (literature and otherwise) related to the various menu items of a traditional Christmas dinner. I learned much to add to my basic (American) background knowledge of mince pies, puddings, turkey, goose, stuffing, etc., but was also introduced to new menu items such as bread sauce. This was an informative and festive tour and I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys history and/or cooking.
Alan and Sheila –
An entertaining and informative walk – Ann is a great guide. A great start to the festive season. Thank you.
Susannah –
A really interesting and entertaining festive walk. Ann certainly knows her Christmas food!!! Topped off with a very welcome mince pie from Fortnums!!!!
Fiona bowles –
A lovely walk out with Ann learning about the traditions of xmas food with great anecdotes thrown in with the historical facts. Who knew Brussels sprouts could be so fascinating. Lovely walking down little alleyways of london and then emerging onto the Thames. The only suggestion from our group is that Ann should wear a head mike , to contend with the london noise and the other groups, if our group had been any bigger you couldn’t have got close enough to Ann to hear. A great walk with a most knowledgable and gracious guide
Laura Hayden –
How much fun to learn about the traditional holiday foods in the UK. Some were quite familiar to us, being from another country and some were quite eye-opening and surprising. But behind each foodstuff, she had amusing and informative details about how , when and why they became part of tradition. She was also warm, inviting and truly interested in how our culture differed from hers. (And yes, we’re the Americans who didn’t appreciate Brussel Sprouts.) Wonderful walk and guide!
Sally Carrington –
My sister and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk with Ann who was clearly knowledgeable about the topic. We especially liked the way she invited anyone to contribute, after each food topic had been introduced and illuminated. As we were a multicultural group, it was fun to hear about other traditions. The Americans’ attitude to Brussel sprouts was particularly amusing!
Dianne –
A really interesting and informative walk on the traditions associated with Christmas food. Ann was a great guide. Super way to spend what was a lovely sunny winter’s day.
Peter Stern –
Excellent tour, lots of fun and very informative. I have been on numerous London Walks and Ann is an above-average guide even in a strong cohort. My only small piece of constructive criticism is that with a few exceptions (Pudding Lane, Leadenhall Market) the sites along the walk didn’t really tie in to the topics being explained; we could have been walking anywhere. But this seems like a quibble. Highly recommended!