Step Back in Time: London’s Great Christmas Feast Returns
An eight-year holiday tradition, combining Victorian dining, immersive theatre, and live music, invites guests to experience Dickens’ world as he first imagined it.
From the moment guests step through the doors, 2025 falls away. Lantern-lit alleys lead into a gaslit parlour, meticulously dressed with velvet curtains, period furnishings, and tables set for a feast. Strangers become fellow diners, gathered for a dinner party that is also a theatre performance, where the story unfolds around them rather than on a stage.
The evening rests on the performance of David Alwyn, who inhabits Charles Dickens with warmth and precision. Seamlessly moving between narrator and character, he conjures Scrooge, Marley, and Tiny Tim with humour, pathos, and subtle theatrical flourish. A live ensemble — violin, cello, and percussion — underscores the story, lifting ghostly moments, softening tender ones, and guiding the audience through Dickens’ world with a score that feels cinematic in its rhythm and tone.
Food is an integral part of the experience. Executive Chef Ashley Clarke has created a three-course menu inspired by the tastes and textures of Victorian London. Starters reflect the city’s markets, with potted rare breed beef, smoked salmon, or vegetarian potted cheese. Mains include confit Gressingham duck leg or king oyster mushroom pithivier, and the meal concludes with traditional Christmas pudding and brandy ice cream. Seasonal cocktails, including the Smoking Bishop and Pear Tree Cup, are served alongside wine, ale, and soft drinks — all from a cellar designed to echo Dickens’ own.
Attention to detail is what sets the Feast apart. Waitstaff wear period uniforms and perform as if in a working household. The parlour is arranged to feel practical and lived-in, allowing guests to explore the space and interact with the story as it unfolds. Theatre, music, and dining converge, creating an environment that immerses audiences fully in Dickens’ 1843 London.
The Great Christmas Feast runs from 14 November 2025 to 4 January 2026 at The Lost Estate, 9 Beaumont Avenue, London W14 9LP.
Tickets are available in three tiers: Classic Dining from £139.50, Charlie’s Circle private tables from £179.50, and VIP from £249.50.
Evening performances begin at 7pm, with matinees at 1pm. The nearest stations are West Kensington (2 min) and Earl’s Court (10 min).
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
