Festive Workshops, Cookery Demos, Festive Movies and More on offer at Mount Congreve Gardens this Christmas
Mount Congreve Gardens this Christmas; The multi-award-winning Mount Congreve Gardens in Waterford has a Christmas programme of occasions and events filled with gourmet deliciousness, fun, crafting and more.
Festive Afternoon Tea
A Festive Afternoon Tea is on offer to visitors from Thursday to Sunday until January 7th. Festive afternoon tea is served in the beautifully restored Tack Room surrounded by gardens, trees, birds and wildlife. A delicious festive menu prepared by The Pantry at CLIFF is served on a three-tier cake stand with crisp white linen, Irish silverware, and fine bone china.
Visitors can sit back and relax while enjoying Guinness Brown Bread with Ballycotton Smoked Salmon, Coronation Chicken on a Brioche Bun, Roasted Turkey with Pantry at CLIFF Cranberry Sauce on White Bloomer, McGrath’s Honey Roasted Ham on Waterford Blaa, Home-made Scones. Scones are freshly made by Pantry at CLIFF and served with Strawberry and prosecco Jam and Clotted Cream. The patisserie selection includes Pantry at CLIFF Christmas Pudding & Mince Pies, Festive Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Raspberry Macaroons and Mini Lemon Tart all served with a selection of tea or coffee and Prosecco if desired. Pre-booking is required, Festive Afternoon Tea is €35 pp or €39 pp with Prosecco.
Festive Workshops and Cookery Demos
In addition, visitors to Mount Congreve Gardens will also have the opportunity to book into a number of festive workshops, from Wreath Making to Calligraphy and Christmas Cooking Demonstrations with Tablescaping and Festive Candle making workshops on offer during weekends from December 1st to 21st. Wreath-making will be led by the garden team in the Mount Congreve school room, participants will be offered the opportunity to enjoy exploring the gardens with one of the garden team who will share top tips for picking yuletide foliage and natural materials to inspire your creations. Back in the classroom following a wreath-making demonstration, you will create your own wreath.
Christmas Cookery Demonstrations and table scaping will demonstrate how to make some delicious mulled wine, mince pies and Guinness bread with Pantry at CLIFF’s Head Chef Bruno Dantes, followed by tablescaping tips from none other than the Stables Café Manager Mr Nelson Saraiva.
Calligraphy will be led by expert Sarah O’Dea offering participants an opportunity to learn the basic techniques of modern calligraphy. A calligraphy kit is included for each participant to take away with them (nib, pen holder, worksheets, ink pot). Emma Hyland of MuMe will lead Festive Candle Making and guide you through creating festive candle making, each person will take home their own creations.
Afternoon Jazz, Movies and Tours
A grand afternoon of Festive Afternoon Tea and Jazz will be hosted in the exquisite Large Drawing Room, while visitors can enjoy music from the unique female jazz band Indigo Mood on Sunday, December 3rd, the adult-only occasion is on offer from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm and tickets are €65pp.
For families there are Christmas movie afternoons on offer on December 9th and 17th, with The Miracle on 34th Street and The Grinch set to be screened while some delicious sweet treats will be on offer too.
If it’s a jaunt outside in the crisp winter air that is required then a guided tour of the Winter Gardens is on offer to visitors at 11 am on December 10th and December 16th.
The spectacular Mount Congreve House and Gardens recently underwent a €7 million redevelopment with a brand new visitor centre and The Stables Café being purpose-built for the new experience.
Visitors can now arrive through the main front doors of the house into the foyer to enjoy an immersive audio-visual exhibition of the garden and family history. Mount Congreve has been lauded as a ‘great garden of the world’ and the title is certainly fitting to an incredible 70 acres of woodland gardens and 4 acres of walled gardens within a 140-acre estate located 10 minutes outside of Ireland’s oldest City of Waterford.
At Mount Congreve, the house, gardens and café are open year-round presently, 4 days a week (Thur to Sunday). Tickets for all of the festive fun events are available in advance at www.mountcongreve.com
