IT should be the most wonderful day of the year, bopping around to Slade on Top of the Pops with a party hat and a pint of bucks fizz. But sometimes Christmas Day can be anything but peace and goodwill to all men. Downing a bottle of Baileys for breakfast and climbing into the hot tub with a raw 18lb turkey because the bastard still isn't defrosted. I mean, we wouldn’t do that, but we have heard “stories”, ya know?

The cook at home box features turkey wrapped in streaky bacon, pigs in blankets, and homemade stuffing

Thanks to the elves at LEAF, putting together a show stopping festive lunch has never been simpler. After last year’s successful debut, LEAF’s Christmas At Home feasting boxes are making a very welcome return.

Leaf Liverpool Wirral Christmas Menu Cook At Home Box — **Boxing clever - LEAF are offering a Christmas At Home feasting box** © VMA

Borne from the idea to simply take all of the hassle out of cooking on 25 December, LEAF’s approach is to have everything covered for a sumptuous service with all the trimmings. The Christmas cook at home box features turkey wrapped in streaky bacon, pigs in blankets, and homemade stuffing.

Sides are roast goose fat potatoes, cooked Chantenay carrots, maple glazed piccolo parsnips, sprouts with chestnuts, mashed carrot and swede, and cauliflower cheese, plus homemade gravy and cranberry sauce. The Christmas Feast Box costs £80 for four people, £100 for six people, and £120 for eight people.

Leaf Christmas At Home Cook At Home Box Liverpool Wirral 2 — **Much ado about stuffing - take the stress out of Christmas** © TandemPR

You can add on extra sides to cover all bases; Seitan nut roast (£10.95), veggie gravy (£3.95), potatoes without goose fat (£4.95), and extra pigs in blankets (half a dozen £3.95 / dozen £7.50). Collection is from LEAF’s three venues.

LEAF has also announced a cracking Christmas menu at Bold Street and West Kirby, which will run from 28 November - 20 December. The three-course set menu features lots of traditional touches and some mouth-watering flourishes.

Leaf Liverpool Wirral Christmas Menu Ham Hock — **The LEAF dine-in Christmas party menu includes ham hock** © VMA

It’s £29.99 per person and starters are caramelised parsnip and pear soup; ham hock, pork belly and tarragon terrine, spiced pineapple chutney, toasted focaccia; or cured torched mackerel, kohlrabi and pickled cucumber salad, cream cheese and chive emulsion.

For the main course, you can choose from roast cod with warm potato salad and coconut curry sauce; braised daube of beef with burnt onion purée, beef dripping fondant; chestnut and mushroom strudel, miso ketchup, pickled golden beets; and, of course, the obligatory traditional turkey with all the trimmings. All mains come served with a medley of vegetables and sea salted roast new potatoes.

Leaf Liverpool Wirral Christmas Menu Beef — **Braised daube of beef with burnt onion purée, beef dripping fondant** © VMA

Desserts are white chocolate and cranberry bread and butter pudding, crème Anglaise; Ray’s of Prescot Christmas pudding with brandy sauce; pear and chocolate brownie cake, mulled berries; or mascarpone and tonka bean panna cotta, satsuma suzette. Add a mince pie and freshly brewed filter coffee for £3.95pp.

Leaf Liverpool Wirral Christmas Menu Bread And Butter Pudding — **White chocolate and cranberry bread and butter pudding, crème Anglaise** © VMA

One of Liverpool’s most loved independent businesses, LEAF began as a small tea shop run by friends in a city centre gallery in 2007, with the goal of bringing quality loose-leaf tea to the city in an intimate and bohemian space. They soon relocated to a bigger site on Parliament Street where they were able to host pudding clubs, album launches and vintage markets, and began to receive accolades and awards, both locally and nationally.

Looking for a yet bigger space to house the café and monthly events, LEAF found a magnificent building in autumn 2010 to make their permanent home. LEAF on Bold Street is one of Liverpool’s most historic gems; during renovations to the mezzanine space in spring 2021, an incredible historic discovery was made - a menu from the former Yamen cafe, dated Wednesday 15 January, 1913.

Leaf Bold Street Liverpool Christmas Party Menu Turkey Vegan — **LEAF Bold Street** © TandemPR

Adding to the family, LEAF Smithdown opened in 2019, followed by LEAF West Kirby in 2020. There’s also a LEAF in Manchester, if you happen to be passing Portland Street.

This Christmas, LEAF on Smithdown Road will feature festive specials, rather than the full set menu. All three LEAF venues work perfectly for large festive get-togethers as well as intimate cosy escapes to indulge in a winter warming tipple or two.

To book the Christmas set menu or Christmas At Home, contact info@thisisleaf.co.uk or call 0151 707 7747.

LEAF - 65-67 Bold St, Liverpool L1 4EZ

LEAF - 19 Black Horse Hill, Newton, West Kirby, Wirral CH48 6DS

LEAF - 364-368, Smithdown Rd, Liverpool L15 5AN