Terrine of goose liver, consommé, turbot, sorbet, turkey, Christmas pudding; £390 a head.
Executive assistant manager Ruth Jones: “We begin planning at the start of the year, by August the chefs are cooking the puddings, and the decorations go up in November. Our tree is grown for us in Scotland and it’s three storeys tall. Each guest suite has its own tree, and everyone gets a stocking on their door on Christmas Eve. “We’re always full on Christmas Day. Some guests come every year, others for a treat. We give the Christmas lunch the feel of a house party, with a Father Christmas, a magician and a caricaturist. We have carol singers in every day, and you can hear them across the whole ground floor. It makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.” Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Guardian
The Little Chef Christmas panini with turkey breast, sage and onion stuffing, wild mountain cranberry sauce, sweetcure bacon and free-range mayo in ciabatta, plus a free mince pie and a lollipop.
Darren Moore, director of dining: “We don’t go mad decorating, but every site puts up a tree and some of the staff get dressed up. We’ve tried doing full Christmas meals in the past, but many people are on their way to a big Christmas dinner so they want something light. We always give away a free mince pie at Christmas. I know it’s not a lot, but so many people are travelling at this time of year and sometimes the weather isn’t great, so we like to think we offer a bit of Christmas cheer on the way.” Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Guardian
Poulet noir and foie gras ballotine, pan-seared turbot fillet, roast Norfolk turkey, Christmas pudding, chocolates and mince pies; £255 a head.
Kiaran MacDonald, managing director: “We have carollers in the foyer and eggnog cocktails. On Christmas Eve, we have story time for the children, then we lay out the carrots for Santa and his reindeer. He visits all of our guests. “Christmas Day takes on a very warm atmosphere. Many of our guests have been coming to us for Christmas for decades. I always pop in. To be honest, it doesn’t even feel like work.” Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Guardian
Smoked salmon, roast turkey dinner, Christmas pudding.
Founder Sheila Scott: “We are a free homeless shelter. For many of our guests, dinner with us is the first time they have sat down to a cooked meal since they were children. They can live on free sandwiches in the streets, but it isn’t the same. On Christmas Day, I lay on a proper family Christmas meal. We get a tree, we do presents. Last year I dressed up as Santa. I’ve got five kids, and they get involved. The chopping, the cooking, the sharing and the celebrating together is very simple, but I find it very moving.” Photograph: Katherine Rose/Katherine Rose for the Guardian
Beef Winter Warmer, Chicken Celebration, Cheese Melt Dippers, Orange Flavour Chocolate Pie, Quality Street McFlurry.
Mike Smith, franchisee in south London: “We have a Christmas menu every year: we’ve got the Winter Warmer, which is a beef product, and Chicken Celebration, which is a chicken product. When you’re out shopping at Christmas, McDonald’s can be a special moment. The best way I can describe it is like going home and putting your feet up by the fire, except you’re going into a McDonald’s.” Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Guardian
Prawn cocktail, roast turkey, cheese and crackers, Christmas pudding, mince pie, Irish coffee.
Abul Choudhury, centre manager: “Christmas lunch is our big party of the year. We are a day centre for vulnerable elderly people. Many of our 60 guests have nowhere to go over Christmas, and 89% of them have no access to hot food. That’s why a Christmas meal is so important. “The atmosphere is always very buzzy and lively. We’ll have a piano and a singalong, and enjoy a few drinks. A lot of them tell me afterwards that it’s the best party they’ve been to in years.”
Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Guardian
Roast turkey dinner and Christmas pudding.
Lauren Kirkwood, senior personel controller: “We’re expecting 1,000 staff for the Christmas meal. We deck out the canteen, and the staff wear party hats and Christmas jumpers. We play Christmas songs and everyone is in high spirits. A lot of our staff have worked here for more than 20 years, so it has a family feel.” Photograph: Gary Calton for the Guardian
Tomato soup, fruit juice, turkey dinner, Christmas pudding.
Head of nursing for scheduled care, Caron Crumbleholme: “Being in hospital over the festive period can be lonely. We have lots of volunteers, taking people to chapel and singing carols. Wards buy decorations, and often our consultants pop in to say hello.” Photograph: Shaw + Shaw for the Guardian
Roast turkey dinner and Christmas pudding.
Anthony Powell, worldwide cabin service director: “You’d think people wouldn’t want to fly on Christmas Day, but it’s very popular. Everyone’s excited because they’re going home or on holiday. Last year, I flew to New York on Christmas Day. At dusk, one of the crew announced we had seen Santa flying past, and we got the kids to see if they could see him.” Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Guardian
Roast turkey, ice-cream, homemade biscuits.
Susan Bexon, dinner lady: "It's a big celebration. We feed around 250 kids, compared with 100 on a normal lunch. All the dinner ladies dress up – I've knitted myself an elf hat this year. We have carols playing and the kids sing along, so it's very noisy with shouts of, 'Merry Christmas!'"
Photograph: Shaw + Shaw for the Guardian
