Christmas at Updown Farmhouse is the perfect time and place for gathering everyone you love in a magical country house. A family-run and beautifully-designed concept, this 17th-century farmhouse covers an in-house restaurant, bar, main house and several cottages, giving you plenty of options across dining, being merry and staying over.
It's that overnight element that makes Updown Farmhouse especially appealing for Christmas. Instead of everyone rushing for trains or taxis after dinner, the evening can roll into night, then start again over breakfast the next morning. The whole house can be taken over for up to 22 guests, with a drawing room, library and honesty bar giving families and friends space to spread out and properly spend time together. Gardener’s Cottage sits away from the main house with its own little kitchen and dining area, while Fig Tree Cottage has a drawing room, terrace and views over the kitchen garden; the converted stables retain original beams and exposed plaster.
The setting feels particularly special in winter. The team have great fun decking the halls and the restaurant looks especially lovely with its checkerboard flooring, old brick and stone walls, candlelight, deep greenery and a tree strung with red ribbons, creating a scene that feels festive without being overdone. It has that rare, slightly old-fashioned house-party charm that suits Christmas perfectly.
As for dining, the team also prepare a wonderful festive menu. The Christmas menu begins with sharing dishes including pork, rabbit and apricot terrine with pickled walnuts, steamed leeks with brown shrimps, dill and mustard, and Castel Franco salad with apples, walnuts and Dolcelatte. Mains are either roast turkey with cotechino sausage, celeriac, chestnuts and quince, or a celeriac, potato and Lancashire pithivier, both served with roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Dessert is pear and sherry trifle or chocolate mousse with salted caramel.