Do you want to celebrate Thanksgiving while you are away from home? This is where to find that turkey dinner in the UK.
So, did you think you could pass up Thanksgiving dinner to take advantage of a great travel deal and you’re already missing Mom’s sweet potatoes and chestnut filling?
Or maybe you’re in the UK to study or work, you can’t justify flying home for dinner, but you really wish you could.
It is not to worry. Help, in the form of Thanksgiving in the UK, is at hand. And here is where to find it:
A United Kingdom Thanksgiving Pilgrims in Plymouth, England
In what looks suspiciously like a “Come back, all is forgiven” attack, the people of Plymouth, in Devon, England, celebrate Thanksgiving to commemorate their Mayflower and Transatlantic heritage.
The event seemed to fade for a time, but a group of enthusiasts relived it. Even the Lord Mayor of Plymouth is involved in the planning and the new Plymouth waterfront manager also joined in to keep this event going. In 2014, the Plymouth Barbican, the waterfront area from which the Mayflower sailed, began a countdown to the 400th anniversary of sailing in 1620 with Illuminate – lighting the way to 2020, a waterfront light show. The event was repeated in 2015 and 2017. In mid-October, we still don’t know what will happen in 2018, but something almost always happens.
The festivities are organized by volunteers, so details of what will happen around the Mayflower Steps are always announced relatively late. Better keep an eye on the official website to see what is planned. Or you can email the Plymouth Barbican Waterfront.
Just to get an idea of what to expect, the 2012 festivities kicked off in Guildhall Square at 10:30 am on the day. He then set off for the Mayflower Steps, from where the Pilgrims set sail in 1620, for the festivities at noon. Quaint pubs throughout Plymouth’s Barbican are always ready to offer liquid refreshments.
Plans for evening events and dinners change from year to year – some years, the Plymouth University Student Union offers turkey, cornbread and soft drinks for guests who are asked to bring a plate and share, or , as we say at home, a lucky dinner. to which all are welcome.
Keep track as plans are developed on the Plymouth Barbican Waterfront website
Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral
If it’s not Thanksgiving for you without a church service or the company of many other Americans, head to St Paul’s Cathedral in London, where an annual Thanksgiving service is held between 11 a.m. and noon. . The United States ambassador speaks at the service, usually also delivering a message from the president. American songs like “America the Beautiful” are also part of the experience. It’s free. It just shows up on time.
Thanksgiving in the UK
A surprising number of restaurants across the UK serve special Thanksgiving menus on that important fourth Thursday in November. Most, but not all, are in London. If you’re not near any of the restaurants on this list, ask the best hotels near where you’re staying and you have a good chance of finding a Thanksgiving dinner.
However, don’t be surprised if that dinner includes some non-traditional items. At a London hotel they serve butternut squash with ginger foam and turkey with cranberry jus. Elsewhere, roasted pork belly and grilled sea bass are on the “Thanksgiving” menus. In reality, the less expensive the food, the less pretentious and the more realistic it is likely to be. But hey, Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore. Go ahead and enjoy your dinner. Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Where to find Thanksgiving in 2018
- The Big Easy – New Orleans’ BBQ and Lobster theme group, with restaurants in Covent Garden, Canary Wharf and King’s Road Chelsea, serves a three-course all-day menu for £ 29.50. By mid-October, only Canary Wharf restaurant had published its menu: smoked turkey or spicy black bean burger, banana cream, or pumpkin pie. But similar menus were also posted for the Covent Garden and King’s Road locations.
- Some of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants in London serve a Thanksgiving menu with variations on turkey, pumpkin, walnut, and maple syrup themes. At Maze Grill in Mayfair, they serve a three-course menu. Options include snow crab cakes, grilled corn relish, and roasted turkey confit with all the trimmings. The side dishes are served family style and the 2018 price of £ 60 per person (unchanged from last year) is relatively reasonable, although coffee and drinks will be extra. At Ramsay’s Savoy Grill, they have dispensed with last year’s strategy of directing customers to a festive, generic menu and are throwing a real Thanksgiving feast in 2018. That’
- Boondocks, the casual East London eatery on the edge of the city, proclaims it is the home of American home cooking. So naturally they are planning a Thanksgiving party. There is a seat and an incredible selection of traditional delicacies. A £ 45 princely will buy you the most turkey and a variety of traditional trimmings he can pack.
- PJ’s Bar and Grill in South Kensington. This is a clubby, pubby atmosphere for an upscale crowd. Call +44 (0) 207 581 0025 for more information and they will email you the Thanksgiving menu as soon as it’s set, but in October it seemed like the usual traditional favorites would be on the menu alongside sea bass, chicken Kiev and vegetarian. courses. They tend to group Thanksgiving with the general holiday season – Christmas pudding for Thanksgiving dessert? UM is fine. But they’ve been hosting Thanksgiving dinners for years and at £ 29.95 for three courses or £ 27.95 for two in 2018, they’ve kept prices consistently reasonable.
- The Red Lion, (2 Castelnau, Barnes, London SW13 9RU, tel: +44 (0) 20 8748 2984) has an American contingent of healthy supporters and they have been throwing a traditional American style turkey feast with all the trimmings for more. 14 years old (as of 2018). There are two sessions: at 5:30 and 8 pm and the later session is for adults only. And for remarkably reasonable prices of under £ 30, they serve a generous variety that even includes pumpkin pie. We have tried their Christmas party (see 10 excellent pubs for Christmas lunch) and we can report that the quality is excellent and they don’t skimp.
- The Riding House Cafe on Great Titchfield Street, London, brings the true holiday spirit to Thanksgiving by serving it as a shared meal at a communal table. Arrive with friends or alone, everything is done as a party to share. In 2018, £ 40 per person includes a home cooked meal with turkey, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese and more side dishes. Every year there is a specially created cocktail. In 2018 it is a Cinnamon Old Fashioned based on Calvados and Bourbon. Additionally, in 2018, they extended the Thanksgiving joy to two sister restaurants: The Rail House Cafe near Victoria and Village East on Bermondsey Street. Same price and practically the same menu in all three.
- JW Steakhouse: In 2017, this restaurant at the Grosvenor House on Park Lane serves one of the most authentic Thanksgiving dinners, complete with side dishes served family style. While on the menu you’ll find roasted pumpkin soup with a cornbread muffin, turkey with apricot filling, apple pie, pumpkin pie, or cheesecake, there isn’t a sweet potato in sight and one of the desserts, the bread pudding, is practically unknown in all areas of America. If there is a vegetarian in your group, he or she will be out of luck. This is a meat eater’s menu and there’s not much in the way of vegetarian courses on your regular menu either. The menu, which nevertheless looks very festive, is quite reasonably priced in 2018: £ 39 for lunch and £ 59 for dinner, with entertainment, drinks and tips. If you’
- Christophers, Covent Garden – Diners continue to vote this restaurant as one of the best in London for turkey day. Expect to celebrate in elegant surroundings for a relatively reasonable £ 65 for three courses in 2018. Eat cornbread stuffed turkey ballatina, cherry hazelnut stuffing and plenty of other examples of holiday excess. I would love to try the Chorizo Corn Chowder or the Caramelized Orkney Scallops with Maple Toasted Parsnip Cream. Baked pecan pie cheesecake anyone? How about pumpkin pie with honey bourbon chantilly cream or apple almond cobbler? True vegetarians are treated fairly here as well, with free snacks and meat and fish dishes without. Food lovers rave about the place.
- Bodeans BBQ Smokehouse – Casual, football on TV, with seven locations in London. Clam chowder or a pulled pork quesadilla are among the entrees and there’s ham next to the turkey in the main dish for two. Their Thanksgiving menu is worth three courses, and if clam chowder is on the menu it is excellent. But keep in mind that Bodeans bills itself as a ‘smokehouse’ and the turkey and ham are smoked, although the 2018 presentation appears to include thicker slices of turkey and a whole turkey drumstick on the family-style plate. Sadly, especially given the reasonable 2018 price of £ 28.95 for three courses, vegetarians won’t find much to be thankful for. Visit their website or call the nearest Bodeans (they have several branches around London with phone numbers on their website) to book.
