Christmas dining at William & Victoria

5 October 2017

Christmas is one of the most special times of year here at William & Victoria.

For many years, we’ve been offering the perfect place for people to celebrate – whether that’s an informal lunch with colleagues, dinner with friends, or a memorable meal for a couple or family.

This year will be no exception. If you’re looking for a Christmas meal in Harrogate, we’d love to welcome you.

Our wine bar is the perfect venue for a festive lunch with your friends or workmates. Relaxed and informal, it offers you the opportunity to take your time over the food and stay with us for the afternoon if you wish. The bar is open throughout the day so your celebration can last as long as you want and we have some rather special wines we can recommend to you if you want to indulge.

If an evening event is more your style, we’re always happy to host. Our upstairs dining room can cater for large groups. When available, you can have exclusive hire of our upstairs restaurant for lunch or evening (seats up to 60) if you want the whole place to yourself or make use of our private dining room which seats up to 26 people – ideal for business entertaining or a staff party.

Whether you choose lunchtime or evening, our set Christmas menu has been designed to cater for all tastes with plenty of W&V favourites. Of course, we also have the traditional turkey served with all the trimmings, with Christmas pudding for dessert.

Our Christmas menu caters for vegetarians and those on a gluten-free diet, and we’re also happy to help with other dietary restrictions – just let us know what you need when you book and our chefs will ensure there’s something to suit you. Our usual menu is available throughout December and January too.

Christmas Opening Hours
We’re open every day until Christmas Eve, and from 27^th December until 30th December. We then close for a short break from 31st December until Thursday 4th January 2018 – back open on Friday 5th January. In the run-up to Christmas, both lunchtime and evening dining are in high demand, so we recommend booking early to get the date and time you want. Call us now on 01423 506883 (downstairs) or 01423 521510 (upstairs) to check availability.

On the other hand, if you’re busy in December, or you just want to beat the January blues with something to look forward to, you could book your event for early 2018. Our Christmas menu will still be on offer from 5th January, so you can keep the festive feeling going for a little bit longer.

It’s ideal for teams working in hospitality who are rushed off their feet in the run-up to Christmas and want to take time out when things calm down. It’s also great for groups of friends or family who just can’t get a date together before Christmas, but still want to celebrate and enjoy a festive meal together.

Whatever you choose, we look forward to welcoming you to William & Victoria this Christmas.

Echeverria Wine Dinner

19 September 2017

Our Echeverria Wine Dinner proved a huge success, as 15 guests gathered to find out more about this leading winery in Chile.

Roberto Echeverria had just flown in from Tokyo, but there was no sign of jetlag: he was a charming host, telling us all about his family history and the wine-making techniques used on the estate.

  

We were fortunate to have Roberto all to ourselves at William & Victoria. He’s in much demand around the world – even our co-owner Jo Straker and Gary Smulders from our supplier Hallgarten Wines couldn’t resist the opportunity to hear from him while he was in Harrogate.

Roberto was happy to answer guests’ questions and spend time chatting about the estate and his background.

Of course, the night was not just for talking – there were wines to be tasted, and our chefs had outdone themselves with a beautifully paired menu.

We began with a selection of canapés, followed by fresh salmon and watercress terrine to start. The canapés were paired with the Echeverria Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Chile, a fresh gooseberry fruit with cut grass notes. It was well balanced and clean on the palate – a very good quality wine.

The salmon was paired with a fruit-driven and front in style Echeverria Chardonnay Reserva Chile. It was light to medium bodied, with fresh melon and soft apple fruit flavours.

  

The main course was a slow-cooked brisket, smoked pancetta and pearl barley casserole, which was paired perfectly with the Echeverria Merlot Reserva Chile. It was soft and easy drinking in style, with mellow plum fruit notes – a well-balanced wine perfect for the meat.

Alternatively, the fresh halibut poached in red wine was also a popular dish, served with creamed potato and greens. Unusually for a fish dish, it had a deep red wine outer which, once cut, revealed the brilliant white of the fish.

Our Yorkshire cheeseboard paired beautifully with the Echeverria Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Chile, which is a good example of cool climate cabernet. It has a fresh blackcurrant fruit with good length on the finish.

The meal was rounded off with a smooth crème brûlée dessert, followed by coffee. Our guests told us they thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the wine, along with the expertise provided by Roberto.

Even Jo says she was unexpectedly won over: “I’ve not always been a huge fan of Chardonnay but this is divine – fruity and very quaffable with or without food. I’m most definitely a Chardonnay convert.”

The Echeverria range of wines has now replaced Santa Rita as our house wines, alongside the Georges Duboeuf range of house wines. Why not ask to try one of them next time you dinewith us? Our team will be happy to recommend the right bottle to pair with your meal.

See our current wine list here:-> Will and Vics 5.5.17

The Echeverria Wine Dinner was the second in our series of events with leading wine estates from around the world. If you’d like to be kept informed of news and forthcoming events please sign up for our mailing list.

Intimate weddings in Harrogate

10 September 2017

When you hear the word “wedding,” chances are that you think of the traditional big day – a huge white dress, hundreds of guests, and probably an eye-watering bill to go with it.

Yet these days, many couples are choosing to do things differently. From rustic barns to mini-festivals, there are all sorts of ways they can make the event more informal and comfortable both for them and for their guests.

And what could be more relaxed and personal than dinner in your favourite restaurant, surrounded by your family and closest friends?

At William & Victoria, our upstairs dining room is frequently used as a venue for intimate wedding receptions in Harrogate, including people travelling from further afield too. Whether they only want a small gathering, they prefer something a little unusual, or they just want to treat their nearest and dearest to a meal at a place they have loved visiting as a couple, there are all sorts of reasons why we’re chosen.

From the moment we’re asked to host, we work hard to ensure our couples get exactly the wedding reception they want. We can offer a drinks reception, canapés, a five-course dinner with wine pairing, coffee and post-dinner drinks – or we can keep things really simple and stick with our set three course dinner. It’s entirely down to the couple and how they see their special day unfolding.

Our chefs are happy to create a bespoke menu for the wedding breakfast, including catering for restricted diets, and our extensive wine list has something to suit all tastes. We also have local ales, gins and more – we could even create the perfect cocktail for your guests to enjoy on arrival or after dinner.

You can have exclusive use of the first floor restaurant with its own entrance and bar for wedding parties of around 50 guests or for smaller gatherings use our private dining room, which can seat up to 28. Our dedicated events manager, Ashley, will liaise with you on the run up to the big day and our team of experienced waiting staff will be on hand to ensure a faultless service and keep those glasses topped up throughout the day.

Our couples can decorate the dining room as they wish, with flowers, balloons and streamers, or just keep it simple with our tasteful decor. We are happy to recommend local florists and cake makers and advise on timings to keep things running smoothly. We even offer a discreet AV system just in case the father of the bride or the best man want to share a few old photos…

On a practical level, we’re a stone’s throw from the Stray and the Valley Gardens for beautiful outdoor photos, and the outside steps up to the dining room are a great place to get everyone gathered in their finery for a group picture. We’re also close to numerous hotels and transport links so guests can arrive and depart easily.

It’s a true honour to be chosen to host an event that will be remembered throughout a couple’s lives, and which says so much about their relationship. We’re always delighted to hear from couples considering us for their special day and to work with them to create a truly unique and memorable occasion.

If you’d like to speak to us about holding your wedding reception at William & Victoria, call us on 01423 521510 and ask for Ashley.