Every year, my friend Jules organises a big Christmas pub lunch – this year was the 7th in a row and while we once started as predominantly single people drinking all day (and evening), now people come with their husbands and wives and children in tow. It can’t be easy to find a venue that can fit a table for 20 – with people dropping in throughout the day as well – and every year I’m impressed at how well Jules has done, even down to the fact that she puts Christmas crackers on the tables.
Last year we went to the Easton, in London’s Clerkenwell. The pub is about a ten minute walk from Farringdon and just around the corner from Exmouth Market but it’s very tucked away down a side street – at the end of a row of houses and even as I was walking down the street I wasn’t sure I was in the right place until I spotted the sign at the end!
The Easton describes itself as ‘an independently owned gastropub’ where ‘our menu evolves with the seasons’, using locally sourced products where available.
We went on a Sunday in December so of course there was roast turkey on the menu. To start I ordered the ham croquettes but a few minutes later the waitress came over and told me they had just served the last ones, so I had salt cod croquettes instead, which were nice but not particularly fishy, perhaps because the taste was overpowered by the garlic aioli. For the main course I had turkey and all the trimmings; there were several thick slices of turkey, some really nice stuffing, cranberry sauce, very good roast potatoes (I’m quite particular about roast potatoes, they are the best bit!), gravy and veg – carrots and Brussel sprouts. It was a really good meal and it was interesting to see the pub was full of large groups having Christmas dinners – sometimes we have been to pubs that have struggled to make space for such a large group but in this case the tables had been arranged with this in mind. We had plenty of room even for babies buggies!
Unfortunately I seem to have deleted the photos from my phone already as I keep running out of space!
Unfortunately I seem to have deleted the photos from my phone already as I keep running out of space!
I would never have stumbled across this pub despite its central London location but I really liked it, so if you’re looking for somewhere for a large group I would recommend the Easton – and well done again to Jules for organising such a great event again and again – I hope we can do it again next year, though we might need a bigger table as there will be at least two more babies in tow!