Historic 1979 festive menus reveal how Christmas celebrations have evolved at the Nottinghamshire hotel, where traditional hospitality and the pleasure of gathering together remain at the heart of the season.
Nottinghamshire, UK - Long before Santa’s Grotto and family Christmas breaks became part of the festive calendar, Ye Olde Bell Hotel has been welcoming guests for over 100 years, to celebrate the season with elaborate menus, dinner dances and a touch of Christmas glamour. Historic Christmas menus from 1979 offer a glimpse into festive celebrations at the Barnby Moor hotel nearly 50 years ago. While the events and experiences on offer have evolved, the appeal of gathering with family and friends in a characterful country-house setting remains as relevant as ever.
With its blend of historic character, contemporary comforts and welcoming country-house atmosphere, Ye Olde Bell Hotel continues to provide a setting for festive get-togethers, from relaxed lunches and family celebrations to lively party nights and residential Christmas escapes.
A taste of Christmas past
The hotel’s 1979 Christmas programme reveals a festive season packed with occasions to dress up, dine well and celebrate. Christmas Eve offered guests the choice of a lunchtime feast or an evening dinner dance, with menus featuring dishes such as seafood pancakes, saddle of lamb with Kummel sauce, chicken cooked with tarragon and cream, and chocolate profiteroles. The following day, Christmas Day lunch was an eight-course affair, beginning with melon and crushed pineapple, followed by game soup with port wine, poached salmon and a sorbet before the traditional roast turkey and Christmas pudding.
The celebrations continued on Boxing Day with a chef’s cold buffet lunch, complete with a traditional wassailing cup on arrival, while the evening brought a fancy-dress ball themed around guests’ “own choice”. The menu included partridge consommé with port, quenelles of salmon with Champagne sauce and a choice of roast duckling, chicken Pernod, roast goose or beef Stroganoff.
It was a festive calendar designed to bring people together over good food and entertainment, a tradition that continues today, albeit with a contemporary take on Christmas celebrations.
Christmas at Ye Olde Bell Hotel in 2026
The 2026 festive season offers a varied programme for families, friends, colleagues and corporate groups, with events running from November through to New Year. The celebrations begin with a Victorian Christmas Market, murder mystery dinner and Christmas concert, before the hotel’s calendar fills with seasonal dining, entertainment and opportunities to stay overnight. Throughout December, guests can choose from traditional Christmas party nights, festive lunches and afternoon teas, alongside events designed especially for families.
For a taste of the hotel’s contemporary festive dining, this year’s Santa Sunday Lunch brings traditional Christmas flavours together with a more modern choice of starters and mains. Guests can begin with leek and potato soup served with olive bread, wild mushroom pâté with pear and pine nut salad, or prawn and crayfish cocktail with sun-blush tomato Marie Rose sauce. The main course selection includes traditional roast turkey with cranberry stuffing and pigs in blankets, roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast salmon or a spinach, mushroom and feta filo pie. Duck fat roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables accompany the traditional roasts, while dessert is served either as a hot pudding of the day or from the hotel’s dessert trolley.
While the menus have moved with the times, the emphasis on generous festive food and the pleasure of sharing a special meal remains unchanged, a fitting link between Christmas celebrations at Ye Olde Bell Hotel in 1979 and those planned for 2026.
Kate Firth, Managing Director at Ye Olde Bell Hotel, said: “Christmas is all about spending time with the people who matter most. Our historic menus show that the desire to come together over good food and a special occasion has long been part of Christmas at Ye Olde Bell Hotel. Today, we welcome guests for everything from festive lunches and parties to Christmas breaks that bring families together for several days.”
With its historic character and a festive programme spanning dining, entertainment and overnight stays, Ye Olde Bell Hotel continues to offer guests a place to make Christmas their own, whether that means a traditional festive lunch, a lively night out or a few days spent together in the Nottinghamshire countryside. The Ye Olde Bell Hotel Christmas 2026 programme is now available to book.
For the full list of events, dining experiences and accommodation packages, visit yeoldebell-hotel.co.uk/media/downloads/christmas-events.pdf.
