December on the island
A Christmas dinner, not a Christmas party.
There is a particular kind of December meal that involves a queue at the bar and a set menu cooked for two hundred people at once. Somebody is always sat next to the wrong person. The turkey has been under a heat lamp since half past five.
This isn't that.
Our cellar rooms take one group at a time. The kitchen cooks your dinner the way it cooks every other dinner: to order, from the same suppliers, by the same people. The only concessions to December are the candles, the fact you'll probably stay longer than you meant to, and that nobody will move you on for a second sitting.
It costs a little more than a function room, and you eat looking into the wine cellar.
Who it's for
Two ways to spend an evening.
A team dinner and a family dinner get the same room and the same kitchen. What changes is how we run the evening around you.
The company dinner
Somewhere people can actually hear each other, organised in advance so you aren't managing it on the night.
- A private room, one group at a time, never shared
- Menu and drinks agreed in advance, invoiced to the company
- The events team looking after it from first enquiry to the last coffee
- Twenty-two minutes from Portsmouth Harbour on the FastCat
- Room for a few words at the end without shouting
- Dietary requirements handled without a fuss
The gathering
The December dinner where everyone actually turns up. Extended family, old friends, or a birthday with the misfortune to fall in the one month when nowhere decent has a table.
- A room to yourselves: no shared tables, no neighbours
- Menus built around what your group actually eats
- Children welcome, with a festive version of our Little Adults menu
- Bring your own playlist (both rooms have Sonos)
- Balloons and table decorations welcome
- Stay until midnight if the conversation is going well
The rooms
Where you'll sit.
Two private dining rooms beneath the restaurant, each looking directly into the wine cellar, plus tables in the main dining room for smaller groups.
The 1982
One table in front of the wine cellar, with the kitchen visible beyond. The one to choose if your group would rather watch the kitchen at work than be tucked away from it.
Named for one of the great vintages of the twentieth century, in Bordeaux, the Douro and across Italy.
The 1945
Our largest private room, with its own bar, double sliding doors and a view straight into the cellar. The one to ask for if anyone is planning a speech.
Named for the Bordeaux vintage of the century. Few vintages have the reputation 1945 does.
The restaurant
For smaller groups, a table in the main dining room with 180° of the Solent going dark through the windows. Not private, but the only one of the three with a sea view.
In December the good tables on the good nights go first, and they go early.
If you're the one organising it
How to plan a Christmas party people enjoy.
Written from the other side of the pass, having watched several hundred of these go well and a handful go badly.
Book earlier than feels necessary
December contains roughly fifteen genuinely desirable evenings, and every company within reach wants the same three Fridays. Most private dining on the island is committed by the middle of October. If you're reading this in September you're early, which is the best possible position.
We take Christmas bookings from 26 November to 20 December: lunch and dinner Thursday to Saturday, and Sunday lunch. We are closed from the 21st. If your date is at all flexible, a late-November Thursday will get you more choice, a quieter room and a kitchen that isn't running at full tilt.
Decide what the evening is actually for
This sounds obvious and almost nobody does it. A dinner to thank a team that's had a hard year is a different evening from one designed to get people talking to colleagues they never see. The first wants a long table and time. The second wants a room where people can move.
Tell us which it is and we'll set the room to suit. It costs nothing and it changes the night.
Sort the drinks in advance, not on the night
What sours most company dinners is not knowing who's paying for what. Agree it beforehand (a set amount per head, wine on the table with a bar tab after, or everything on the company) and tell people plainly. Nobody enjoys wondering whether the second bottle is going to be awkward.
Ask about dietary requirements properly
Not "let us know if you have any allergies" in a group email four people will read. Ask each guest individually and give them a deadline. We can cook around almost anything with notice, and around very little without it.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus are all available, and none of them are afterthoughts.
Think about how people get home
Especially coming from the mainland. Last sailings in December are earlier than you'd expect, and a group that has to leave at nine has had a different evening from one that doesn't. The next section covers it properly.
Then stop organising it
Once the menu is in and the room is set, your job is done. You should be able to arrive as a guest at your own party. If you find yourself managing anything on the night, we haven't done ours properly.
The order of things
A sensible timeline.
- September to OctoberEnquire and hold a date. The only genuinely time-sensitive step. Everything else can wait; the date cannot.
- Four to six weeks beforeAgree the menu and drinks. We'll talk it through rather than send a PDF. Numbers can still move at this stage.
- Two to three weeks beforeCollect choices and dietary requirements. Give your guests a deadline a week before ours, because someone always replies late.
- Seven days beforeConfirm final numbers and pre-order. This is our deadline. After it the kitchen orders for your group specifically. Name cards showing each guest's choices if you'd like them.
- On the nightArrive and be a guest. Everything is set before you get here.
Coming from the mainland
Over the water for dinner.
Portsmouth to our door is under forty minutes including the walk. For a Hampshire company, an island Christmas party is less travel than crossing London, and it feels like an occasion rather than a Tuesday.
Getting here
We're a short walk from Ryde Pier Head, where the FastCat comes in, and from Ryde Esplanade, where the hovercraft lands. For a group, foot passage is cheaper and quicker than bringing cars, and nobody has to stay sober to drive.
| From | Service | Crossing | Lands at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southsea | Hovertravel hovercraft | ~10 min | Ryde Esplanade |
| Portsmouth Harbour | Wightlink FastCat | ~22 min | Ryde Pier Head |
| Southampton | Red Funnel Red Jet | ~28 min | West Cowes |
| Portsmouth | Wightlink car ferry | ~45 min | Fishbourne |
Portsmouth Harbour connects directly with the mainline rail network, and Ryde Pier Head is a station on the island line. A group travelling from London can reach us without anyone touching a car.
Getting home
This is the part worth checking early. Last sailings in December are earlier than in summer and vary by route and by day. If your evening needs to run past ten, tell us when you enquire and we'll help you work out which crossing to build the night around, or which island hotels have rooms.
For groups who'd rather not watch the clock, staying over turns a dinner into a proper night out. There are several good places within walking distance and we're happy to point you at the ones we'd use ourselves.
Parking
We don't have guest parking, but there are two large public car parks within a couple of minutes' walk, one directly opposite the restaurant.
Before you enquire
The practical bits.
Everything you'd otherwise have to email to ask.
The festive menu is published: three courses for £49, with a vegan option at every course. In a private room the menu is built with Robert and the team for the occasion, so it can follow the festive menu, the à la carte, or something of its own. You'll see it in full before you commit to anything.
In a private room, the three-course set menu is £75 per guest, with drinks on top. Upstairs in the restaurant, the festive menu is £49 for three courses, food only. The final figure for a room depends on the menu, the wine and the size of the group. We quote clearly and in full before you commit to anything.
26 November to 20 December, lunch and dinner Thursday to Saturday, and Sunday lunch. We are closed from 21 to 29 December. December Fridays and Saturdays go first. Late November dates stay open longest and are quietly the better value.
December bookings are paid in full when they are confirmed. There's no deposit to chase later, and nothing to settle on the night but the drinks. A pre-order is needed at least seven days before, on the pre-order form. We can provide name cards showing each guest's menu selection if requested within the same timeframe.
Wine from the cellar list, a drinks allowance per head, or a bar tab, whichever suits how you want to run the evening. Agreed in advance so nobody is doing sums on the night.
The cellar rooms sit below the restaurant and are reached by stairs, so they are not accessible to wheelchair users. Please mention any mobility needs when you enquire and we'll arrange the right table in the main dining room instead.
Good to know
Frequently asked.
How far in advance should we book a Christmas party?
For a private room, September or October. Most of the island's private dining is committed by mid-October and the best evenings go first. We take bookings from 26 November to 20 December, lunch and dinner Thursday to Saturday and Sunday lunch. Late-November dates stay open longest, which makes them the sensible choice if you're organising late or want more say over the date.
What does a Christmas party cost?
In a private room, the three-course set menu is £75 per guest, with drinks on top. Upstairs, the festive menu is £49 for three courses, food only. The final figure for a room depends on the menu, the wine and the size of the group. We'll quote in full before you commit. December bookings are paid in full when they are confirmed.
Which dates are available?
26 November to 20 December: lunch and dinner Thursday to Saturday, and Sunday lunch with last orders at 3.30pm. We are closed from 21 to 29 December. December Fridays and Saturdays are the first to go; if your date is flexible, a late-November Thursday will get you more choice and a quieter room.
How many people can you seat for a Christmas party?
Our private rooms take 8 to 16 and 12 to 20 guests. Smaller groups are seated in the main dining room. Taken together, the two rooms seat up to 36. For anything above that, get in touch and we'll talk through what's possible.
Is there a set Christmas menu?
Yes. The festive menu is published: three courses for £49, with three choices at every course and a full vegan menu too. In a private room the menu can follow it, the à la carte, or be built with Robert and the team.
When do we need to confirm menu choices?
A pre-order is needed at least seven days before your event, on the pre-order form, so the kitchen can order specifically for your group. If you'd like name cards showing each guest's selection at their place, ask within the same timeframe and we'll prepare them.
Can you cater for dietary requirements?
Yes, and properly. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus are all available, and we can work around most allergies given notice. Notice is the key word: tell us at pre-order rather than on the night and everyone gets something they'd have chosen anyway.
Do you take company bookings and invoice?
Yes. Corporate bookings can be invoiced in advance with the menu and drinks agreed beforehand, so there's nothing to settle on the night.
We're coming from Portsmouth or Southampton. Is that realistic?
Very. The hovercraft from Southsea takes ten minutes and lands five minutes' walk from us; the FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour takes twenty-two. For a mainland company it's less travel than most cross-city journeys, and it turns a dinner into an evening out. Check the last sailing before planning timings: December services finish earlier than summer ones.
Can we hire the whole restaurant?
For larger groups, get in touch and we'll talk through the options.
Can we bring decorations?
Balloons and table decorations are welcome, provided they're taken away afterwards. We provide glass oil lamps on every table. Confetti, glitter, party poppers and indoor fireworks aren't allowed. Confetti and glitter in particular are impossible to get out of a cellar floor.
Can we play our own music?
Yes. Both cellar rooms have Sonos, so bring a playlist.
How late can we stay?
Dinner bookings in the cellar run to midnight, with departure by half past. Lunch bookings run to 5pm.
Can we split the bill?
Bills can be split up to two ways, unless payment has been arranged in advance. For company dinners we'd suggest invoicing beforehand. It's simpler for everyone.
What happens if our numbers change?
Numbers can move freely until the pre-order deadline. After that the kitchen has ordered specifically for your group, so we'd ask you to cover the confirmed figure. Tell us as early as you can and we'll try to be reasonable.
