Christmas at The Snug, Hitchin

So many people cringe at the first sight of Christmas decorations in the supermarkets and refuse to do any shopping until the week before the big day- that is fine if you like the idea of rushing around and panic buying but I am the opposite! I LOVE Christmas! If I could have the tree up the whole year I would!

As soon as Fireworks night is out of the way I embrace Christmas with open arms! I make my lists and start writing my cards- you can never be too organised in my opinion! So, when we were asked if we would like to try the Christmas menu at The Snug I jumped at the chance! Christmas food in November? Yes please!!

The Snug is new to Hitchin but they have other venues in Cambridge, Hertford, High Wycombe and St Albans which have been open for longer. I know the one in St Albans has been there for 8 years or so as we used to live nearby.

It is a bar come restaurant and as the name suggests is very cosy inside, perfect for a date, small gathering or office Christmas party if you took over the whole bar. In July we had Mr F’s birthday party there with our friends and had a great evening drinking cocktails!

We arrived absolutely starving after being at work all day- just as well as the menu was bursting with delicious treats and luckily we were going to be able to sample everything! We were offered a glass of Prosecco each and waiting at our table was a mince pie and a cracker! Of course I gobbled the mince pie up straight away! Rude not to, right?

The starter can only be described as AMAZING! The biggest sharing platter I have ever seen laid out beautifully in little pots and tins on a large wooden board. I am a sucker for pretty presentation and this ticked all the boxes. Now, I have to say I am a right fuss pot when it comes to food but my word, it was all delicious!

The platter consisted of chicken wings in a bourbon and cherry glaze; mini sausages in a honey and mustard glaze; fig and Wensleydale & cranberry skewers and mini prawn cocktails. I had two favourites though- firstly the potato skins with turkey, goats cheese and caramelised onions – so moreish I could have eaten every single one! My second favourite was the brushetta with brie and cranberry sauce-  actually I am going to make them for my Christmas starter as they were amazing!!

For our main course we were treated to their new Christmas burger- the first of it’s kind being made with a 7oz British beef burger, topped with turkey (of course!), cheddar cheese, bacon and a cherry & bourbon sauce. It came with a side of skinny fries and a little jar of pulled pork in bbq sauce. The pork had a distinct flavour though and when I asked the chef he was pleased I had noticed as he had also added a shot of esspresso- an odd choice but it worked somehow.

Dessert is always my favourite part of the meal! I had a Terry’s chocolate orange sundae which had an actual segment on top! Yum! The other pieces were crushed inside the vanilla icecream. Mr F had the Egg Nog cheesecake! I have not eaten egg nog in a few years, it isn’t to my taste but he ate the lot!

If that wasn’t enough we were also able to try their festive cocktails – they have brought out a mince pie flavour and a candy cane flavour. They offer cocktail making classes to make an event even more special- I did a similar thing at a hen do a few years ago. I gave it a whirl and made Mr F a very potent candy cane cocktail! I was driving so wasn’t able to drink it but did manage to have a taste of each- the mince pie flavour was very odd indeed but I liked the candy cane one so would choose that on a night out!

To round the night off they brought us a box of winter hats and accessories (and a giant inflatable penguin!) – the idea being a bit of a laugh for a large party- a bit like photo booths you get at weddings these days. I did take a photo of Mr F but he has forbidden me to use it- hilarious though! Haha! Here are a couple of me though- just for laughs!

We had a really great evening, it was so nice to be out just the two of us for a change. I would definitely recommend going to The Snug if you get the chance- their Christmas menu is just fantastic! They are going to be giving away a prize to win your Christmas party at the Hitchin bar so look out for that in the Comet! Otherwise, prices start from £10 per person which is great value for the selection they offer if you are looking for a Christmas party venue!

We were invited to trial the food in preparation for Christmas bookings but all opinions are my own.