Festive Family Dining At The Green House Pub, Sutton

Oh Christmas, we have a love and hate relationship. Every year there is so much to organise, people to see, and family to visit. It doesn’t make it easy that we are over 1000 miles away from our nearest and dearest, and every year, we try to alternate who is coming to who!

This year, it was my turn to try and see everyone before the festivities begin. So on the 13th of December my youngest son and I took a trip back to my home town of Birmingham to see the family. I have spent the last 4 years celebrating Christmas here in Spain, and to be honest, I prefer spending it in the UK. And for once, it’d be lovely not to worry about Christmas dinner or in fact anything else!

Festive Family Dining

With Christmas dinner in mind, I thought it would be a great idea to book a restaurant and enjoy a festive menu with the family while I’m in town. It’s not something that we usually do. So it’s exciting to see whether it might become a family tradition every year.

The more I thought about eating a Christmas dinner that I didn’t have to slave over, the more I loved the idea. Christmas is about family and a little bit of indulgence, right? So why not? When it comes to food, I can always find an excuse!

Booking With Bookatable

Thankfully, Bookatable makes it super easy to book the ideal restaurant for the festive season. They offer over 1270 restaurants in 445 UK locations to choose from. From Christmas Dinner, New Year’s Eve, or a Festive Afternoon Tea, they have got you covered. It’s a super-easy way to find out what festive restaurant deals are available in your area.

Booking a festive meal for five people is super easy. Just head over to Bookatable website and choose your restaurant and time. You will get a confirmation via email and that’s it! If you are booking for more than 5, some restaurants will ask for a small deposit per head, it depends on what type of restaurant you have chosen. 

Festive Dining At The Green House Pub, Sutton Coldfield

The Green House pub is situated in Four Oaks in Sutton Coldfield about half an hours drive from the city of Birmingham. A very stylish traditional British pub and restaurant with a lovely and cosy setting. 

We arrived at The Green House around 8 pm. The place was very busy and did wonder whether I booked the right place for a family meal. I was imagining more of a quieter place but with the time of year when people are celebrating their Christmas meals, I guess this is normal. I’m far too used to family-friendly meaning that kids are still running around after 9 pm. The pub was mostly adults and it was too noisy to have a proper conversation. 

The staff were very attentive and we were shown to our table straight away. Though they did mistake that we were having a normal meal instead of the festive option. They didn’t seem to know that’s what I booked. But it was quickly corrected and our order were taken and served on a reasonable time. 

The Meal

There were 4 adults and 1 child in our party. My 11-year-old didn’t want to be left out, so even though they also had the children’s festive option, he chooses to order from the adult menu.

Our waitress Daniella was very helpful and very thorough with jotting down the orders. Though it was supposed to be a festive meal, our table setting was normal and there was nothing ‘Christmassy’ about it. It would have been nice to have some Christmas crackers or some decorations on our table. 

Starters

For starters, he wanted to try the Pan-Fried Scallops with minted peas, tomato and crispy pancetta. It’s no secret that he loves seafood, so I wasn’t surprised when he choose this dish. The rest of the adults opted for the thyme-roasted portobello mushrooms, smoked salmon & king prawn pot and roasted tomato & thyme soup which were all very nice and presented beautifully. 

Main Course

The mains arrived not long after we finished our starters. Considering it’s one of the busiest time of the year, the staff are efficient and friendly. The boys chose the home-made beef burgers with grilled chorizo, smoked cheddar, crispy onions, tomato relish, sweet potato fries and aioli. While my daughter and I went for the lighter option of grilled salmon fillet served with baby potatoes, oyster mushrooms, tomato, and lemon butter & chive sauce.

All mains were served in generous portions, there’s certainly no problem if you want to fill yourself as you would on Christmas Day. The difference is that you don’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning up! 

Everything tasted lovely and in the end, we even considered skipping desserts! But, after some consideration, we thought that we might as well. After all, it’s Christmas, right?

Desserts

I went for the traditional apple crumble with ice cream and custard, while the rest went for the chocolate orange parfait. My apple crumble was served piping hot, though I would have just preferred either ice cream or custard. Having both is far too much and I couldn’t finish it.

In summary, The Green House is a cosy chic place to have a meal. Maybe I would visit again when it’s quieter. Considering this is the first Christmas menu that we have had in a pub as a family, it was quite impressive and we wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. The contemporary twist on the festive dining is a nice touch. For £26.95 per head, it’s fair value, it saves you from the stress of cooking, or if anything else, just a nice alternative from traditional festive food. 

Our festive food was provided complimentary by Bookatable, but all of my opinions, as always, are my own. Featured Image: Copyright of The Green House Pub