Yes, London is an amazing city all year, but there’s just something undeniably magical about a winter trip to London. This city just knows how to do the festive season right. (After all, it is the setting for the Charles Dickens holiday classic A Christmas Carol.) From the once-a-year edible delights to the contagious spirit of joy, here’s why you need to visit London in the wintertime.
Plan A Winter Trip To London:
Wouldn’t you like to warm up with a proper English Sunday Roast?
It’s Perfect Weather To Enjoy A Traditional Sunday Roast
The Sunday roast is a weekly British tradition that consists of roasted meat (usually chicken, beef or lamb) and all the trimmings. This includes duck-fat roasted potatoes and other veggies like parsnips, as well as stuffing and gravy. Also, it’s not a proper English Sunday roast without an authentic Yorkshire pudding, a baked batter made from flour, eggs and milk. (It’s similar to a popover.)
If this sounds like a massive meal to you then you are absolutely right. The Sunday roast presents itself in one steaming hot, giant dish and though it’s served on Sundays all year round, in the cold of winter, there’s just no better meal.
Get in on this key part of British culture by spending your Sunday at a traditional pub or a British restaurant. Most will be serving up a proper roast. (And don’t forget a pint of local lager or ale). Here are a few restaurants that serve the kind of roasts that will warm you from the inside out.
This brings us to our next reason to book a winter trip to London…
London has plenty of toasty warm and quaint and cozy pubs.
There Are Plenty Of Warm And Cozy Pubs
There’s almost nothing more British than the pub. London’s pub culture hasn’t changed much with time, and the best and most British of pubs are the dark, cozy, old ones. Sure, you can head to the pub on a sunny summer’s day. But in the winter, when the days are cold and short, its more compelling to tuck yourself away from the world in a warm, dim pub.
For a pub with a neighborhood vibe, try the Walmer Castle in Notting Hill (right near the Danebury). There’s also the snug and inviting Crown and Scepter in Holland Park, literally steps away from the Phillimore vacation rental.
If you don’t like beer, don’t despair. London also has plenty of award-winning, craft cocktail bars to visit.
Glorious mince pies are only available around the winter holidays.
You Get To Eat Mince Pies
Another reason to take a winter trip to London? It’s the only time of year that you can eat mince pies! Mince pies are Christmas in the form of a bite-sized pie. Basically, it consists of a pastry shell filled with mincemeat, which is a mix of candied and dried fruit peels, raisins, nuts and a whole slew of wintery spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger. Also, mincemeat usually contains a nice glug of warming brandy or rum.
Served hot or cold and in a variety of shapes and sizes, if you visit London in the winter you’re going to want to eat as many of these little guys as you can!
Care for a hot mug of mulled wine? (Yes, please!)
You Get To Drink Mulled Wine
Alongside mince pies, one of the other benefits of a winter trip to London is you can drink mulled wine. Mulled wine, a hot heavily spiced red wine usually garnished with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick, can be found throughout Europe in the wintertime.
In London, you can find it served at pubs, restaurants or at the stalls of London’s many street markets. To bring the holiday spirit into your home, try whipping up a batch in your own kitchen. London Perfect’s apartments do have stunning kitchens made for entertaining, so you should put them to good use!
Photo by Jamie Davies on Unsplash
The Streets Twinkle With Holiday Cheer
If promises of pies and wine don’t convince you, then this will. In the winter, the city of London transforms into a glittering, sparkly, shiny, happy jumble of the most gorgeous holiday light displays. Be sure to visit Seven Dials, Oxford Street and Regent Street. Even the Grinch wouldn’t be able to resist the hypnotizing peacock-inspired lights on Bond Street! (Pro tip: one of the best places to see the lights is from the high vantage point on the top deck of a double-decker bus.)
It’s a popular season, but you still have time to book a winter trip to London. Right now is the prime time to book your holiday rental before its sold out. Contact us today to live it up like a Londoner this winter.
