If you’re sticking around London central for Christmas holidays, it might be worth your time checking out The Union in Paddington Central to enjoy a festive feed with friends.
This Paddington hotspot is in a delightful location, nestled just by a gorgeous little canal and a stone’s throw away from Little Venice. Currently fairy-lit to the max with an impressive Christmas tree placed central to the venue, it’s hard not to feel the spirit of Christmas at The Union.
We popped in this week and had ourselves an absolute ball, being greeted by warm smiles and warm drinks. Grabbing ourselves a cosy booth, we ordered a couple of Hot Toddies to start. Containing whiskey, honey, fresh lemon juice, hot water and cinnamon, the Hot Toddy is actually also a really good choice for cold weather sickness… so do you really have an excuse to stay home now?
This girl hands you a Hot Toddy… what do you do? ?
Our selection from the ‘World Tapas’ menu was generous and filling – just the way a Christmas dinner should be. Firstly, we picked out a classic charcuterie sharing board, complete with chorizo, lomo, salsichon and serrano ham alongside marinated olives and ciabatta. To be fair, it was really a strong tie between the characuterie board and the vegetarian version because, although we’re definitely meat-eaters, the combination of hummus, halloumi, falafel and sweet potato chips seemed like a totally hearty and wholesome offering.
For small bites, we chose the halloumi, salted cod croquettas and the mini chorizo corn dogs. These three together were wonderful winter warmers and would be totally versatile as a meal in themselves or shared as bar snacks. The halloumi was squishy and velvety, the chorizo dogs came packed with a flavour punch and the croquettas were a salty, melt-in-your-mouth extravaganza. To finish, a traditional mulled wine and mulled gin concoction (ft. gingerbread syrup and a gingerbread man garnish to match!) hit just the spot.
Breadcrumbed halloumi has our hearts.
If we’ve won you over and you plan on heading over soon, make sure you check out the sparkling ‘Season’s Greeting’s’ display nearby – it makes for the perfect Insta-shot (as demonstrated below) and you could even be in the running to win a special prize! Find out more about The Union here and Paddington Central here.
