A Winter Ball Buffet, a feast of festivity at Leila Lily's.

As December rolls around, the Christmas lights get switched on and the mulled wine simmers, it is only inevitable that the Christmas parties come out to play, and with Christmas parties always delivers great (well hopefully great) Christmas food. Sparkly dresses are slipped on, red lipstick is applied, and ties are straightened, the Christmas party season has officially begun.

Everyone is always hoping that their work or school Christmas do has delicious food, it truly is the main part of the night, or at least all the foodies of the world would agree. I experienced a winter ball at Leila Lily’s in Newcastle, and I am here to tell you all about it.

Leila Lily’s can be found on 2-12 Grey Street in the city centre of Newcastle and is well known for its ‘perfect floral backdrop for any occasion’. Leila Lily’s is the perfect location for guests seeking a high-end and well-rounded experience, as it is connected to Grey Street Hotel, a boutique hotel for a perfect stay. Leila Lilys offers an extensive menu and events of bottomless brunches to afternoon teas.

@leilalilysnewcastle

Let’s dive in a take a first look at their very ‘instagramable’ cocktails.

Throughout the night I tried three of their variety of cocktails on offer through their two for fifteen-pound deal. I started off my night with the ‘Sweet Leila’ which consisted of Tanqueray gin, fraise, strawberry and lemonade which was perfect and sweet to kick-start the festivities.

‘Sweet Leila’ cocktail, Credit Megan Davis

We then moved on to ‘Lady in Red’ which was a lovely match up to the festive evening considering it contained cranberry. However, unfortunately on the night, the bar was out of cherry, so I didn’t receive the full sweet and fruity experience.

‘Lady in Red’ cocktail, Credit Megan Davis

Lastly, I tried ‘Pretty Young Thing’ which was my favourite of the three, consisting of Kwai Feh, lemon, lychee, strawberry shrub, sugar, butterfly peach tea and foaming bitters there were plenty of exotic flavours that complimented well to create a sweet and punchy taste. Whilst all the cocktails taste amazing, they were on the pricier side compared to others however, the taste and presentation made it worth it.

‘Pretty Young Thing’ cocktail, Credit Megan Davis

Now moving on to the most, in my opinion, important part of the night, the food. We were given a selection of Christmas buffet options which catered for all vegans, vegetarians and gluten free dietary requirements which made it very inclusive.

Whilst the brioche slider sandwiches had many dietary requirement options which were very tasty and inclusive for everyone, a few other buffet items stood out to me the most.

The salty and seasoned roast potatoes with thyme left were on everyone’s plates. Similarly, the crispy bacon wrapped pigs in blankets were a showstopper of the night. However, if I must choose a favourite it would be the mini-Yorkshire puddings filled with roast turkey and gravy. These absolutely melted in the mouth and were piled up high on my plate.