Festive fun at Après Lodge...

At this time of the year you cannot help being charmed by the festive lights everywhere and the Christmas markets which appear in towns and cities. Liverpool looks beautiful at the moment, with the huge heart covered Christmas tree in Liverpool One and so many stalls selling everything from cheese to churros.

I love how the city looks with all the festive decorations at the moment so when I was asked along to check out the Après Lodge Café Bar in Liverpool One, I was looking forward to being immersed in the festive spirit.

The Après Lodge is located in Chavasse Park, surrounded by fairground rides, stalls and winter attractions. Outside the Lodge, trees sparkled with fairy lights and inside we were whisked in to a winter wonderland, with a canopy ceiling festooned with dazzling lights and Christmas stockings. The Après Lodge has a cosy feel and it is the ideal place to relax after a spot of Christmas shopping. There is vast sweeping bar area, chesterfield sofas, wooden barrel tables and woven rugs which add a cosy feel.

At the end of the room, crowds were gathering to visit the Ice Bar, already dressed in their special silver capes to protect them from the cold. Nothing says winter like visiting an ice bar and I think that this is such a fun thing to do.
We were warmly welcomed at the bar and the team talked us through the drinks menu which includes prosecco, gin and tonics and beers as well as soft drinks. I opted for a mulled wine, which is something I always enjoy wholeheartedly at this time of the year.

We found a comfortable chesterfield sofa to relax on and settled down with our drinks whilst we looked at the food menu. This year, the award winning Blackburne House Cafe Bar is catering at the Après Lodge and I was impressed by the menu. Tasty snack style options such as sausage rolls and hand raised pork pie with tomato chutney are available alongside hot rolls and ciabattas and a range of desserts. Daily specials are listed on a chalk board and the roasted red pepper and tomato soup sounded particularly hearty and warming.  

We went for a range of options to share between us. I enjoyed a turkey, stuffing and cranberry ciabatta which was packed with fillings and full of flavour and we shared a portion of nachos topped generously with sour cream, salsa and melted cheese.
My partner tucked in to a giant hot dog with traditional toppings of ketchup and mustard and we soaked up the festive cheer.

For once we skipped dessert, but there was a range of sweet treats to choose from such as mince pies, chocolate brownies, cookies and Belgian chocolate chip shortbread. I think that the Après Lodge is a cute and fun place to enjoy a little bit of seasonal merriment, with a relaxed atmosphere and a great menu full of tempting hearty comfort foods and delicious desserts. The log cabin ambience is cheery and comfortable and there is something to tempt everybody amongst the food and drinks on offer.

Après Lodge Café Bar

Chavasse Park

Liverpool One. 

Paradise Street, 

Liverpool, 

L1 8JF

http://www.liverpool-one.com/

The Ice Festival and Après Lodge is open until January 3rd 2016.  What do you all think, do you like the idea of sipping festive drinks and enjoying some tasty food in the cosy surroundings of the Après Lodge, or have you ever visited anywhere similar? As always, I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post! 

Until next time,

Camille 

xo