Around Town This Christmas

Christmas Choir Festival

7 Dec, Skip Garden, N1C

Head down to the oasis that is the Skip Garden for this Christmas night of choral and contemporary music, in their magical little garden escape surrounded by King’s Cross high rises. With fire pits, delicious seasonal food (including pizzas from the garden’s outdoor oven), and plenty of warming drinks to wash it all down, this event will be a festive delight for all the senses.

Zero Waste Christmas Market

8 Dec, Hoxton Arches, E2

Shopping and gift-giving can be hard to resist this time of year, but here to help us shop consciously this Christmas is London’s first zero waste Christmas market. Bringing together independent businesses sharing food, drinks, personal care, and luxury items all created without plastic packaging and wrapping, and with ethically sourced, fairly traded, and/or sustainable materials, as well as hosting panel discussions, this market will show us how easy it is to take part in festive fun, without the negative environmental impacts.

Christmas Fairs at London’s City Farms and Gardens

8-9 December, Various Locations

Many of the capital’s excellent city farms and gardens will be ringing in the festive season on the second weekend of the month, with Surrey Docks Farm’s Christmas Fair, Brockwell Park Greenhouses’ Winter Warmer, and Stepney City Farm’s Christmas Market all falling around the same time. You’ll be spoilt for choice with mulled wine, crafting, artisan stalls, Christmas tree sales, and general merriment for all ages spreading across the city, so check out the gardens and farms in your favourite neighbourhoods for more information, and support our city’s hubs for natural world education.

How to Eat Your Christmas Tree

Various dates and locations throughout December

With some inspired mitigation of Christmas’ environmental impact, this annual series of feasts celebrates the ‘edible heroes of our forests’ and works to reduce the single-use-tree attitude that leaves wilted trees cast out to the streets in January. From olive and pine amuse bouche, to plum and juniper crumble, this meal will be as inspiring for foodies as environmentalists.

Herbal Tea Blending Workshop

15 Dec, Hackney Herbal, E9

This workshop, run by social enterprise Hackney Herbal, will share methods and recipes for creating custom tea blends – a wonderful, low impact, uniquely personal DIY gift. Hackney Herbal’s workshops, which fund their work in promoting mental wellbeing and health in the local community, are very popular and often sell out, so be sure to book in advance.

Mulled Wine and Mince Pie Workshop

15 Dec, Brixton People’s Kitchen, SW2

Mince pies not up to par? Always wondered how to perfectly spice that mulled wine? Join this workshop with our urban food heroes at the Brixton People’s Kitchen, and they’ll show you how to make both from scratch, and impress guests or gift to friends – or just tag along to enjoy the classic winter flavours.

City Vegan Lunch Market: Christmas Edition

21 Dec, Guildhall Yard, EC2V

Fat Gay Vegan’s ever-popular markets are continuing to grow, and this Christmas edition of the regular lunch time affair in Guildhall Yard is sure to be a popular one – and with good reason. With delicious vegan Palestinian, Ethiopian, and Caribbean street food, and dishes from vegan junk food superstars Temple of Seitan, as well as take-home treats that will make excellent gifts, this event will be a one-stop-vegan-shop for Christmas cheer. If you want to take it even further, FGV will be running a full weekend Christmas market at the usual Hackney Downs spot, on 22-23^rd December.

London Farmers Markets

Ongoing, across London

For the freshest, most local ingredients for your Christmas celebrations, head to one of 22 farmers markets across the boroughs organised by London Farmers Markets. Prioritising sustainably grown, seasonal produce that increases local farm incomes, and connecting us with farmers, fishermen, growers, bakers, and makers, these markets are an impactful way to fill your (sustainable) shopping basket, as well as a wholesome way to spend a morning.

Looking for some Christmas dinner cooking inspiration? Check out our guide to the best festive themed classes and workshops: Cooking up a Good Food Christmas

Curious about more of London’s recent openings in the realm of good food? Read out Autumn edition of Around Town here.

Read more about our Urban Food Heroes here.