Long before Santa’s Grotto and family Christmas breaks became part of the festive calendar, Ye Olde Bell Hotel at Barnby Moor was welcoming guests for traditional celebrations.

Historic Christmas menus from 1979 were discovered at the hotel recently, and offer a glimpse into celebrations at the Barnby Moor hotel nearly 50 years ago.

While the events and experiences on offer have evolved, the appeal of gathering with family and friends in a country-house setting remains as relevant as ever, says the hotel management.

The Olde Bell’s 1979 Christmas programme reveals a season packed with occasions to dress up, dine well and celebrate.

Barnby Moor's Ye Olde Bell Hotel has been holding traditional Christmas celebrations for guests for over 100 years.

placeholder image — Barnby Moor's Ye Olde Bell Hotel has been holding traditional Christmas celebrations for guests for over 100 years.

Christmas Eve offered guests the choice of a lunchtime feast or an evening dinner dance, with menus featuring dishes such as seafood pancakes, saddle of lamb with Kummel sauce, chicken cooked with tarragon and cream, and chocolate profiteroles.

Christmas Day lunch was an eight-course affair, beginning with melon and crushed pineapple, followed by game soup with port wine, poached salmon and a sorbet before the traditional roast turkey and Christmas pudding.

On Boxing Day a chef’s cold buffet lunch was on offer, complete with a traditional wassailing cup on arrival, while the evening brought a fancy-dress ball themed around guests’ 'own choice'.

The menu included partridge consommé with port, quenelles of salmon with Champagne sauce and a choice of roast duckling, chicken Pernod, roast goose or beef Stroganoff.

The festive menu from 1979 was discovered at Ye Olde Bell Hotel recently.

It was a calendar designed to bring people together over good food and entertainment, a tradition that continues today, but with a contemporary style.

The 2026 festive season offers a varied programme for families, friends, colleagues and corporate groups, and runs from November through to New Year.

It begins with a Victorian Christmas Market, murder mystery dinner and Christmas concert, before the calendar fills with seasonal dining, entertainment and overnight stay opportunities.

Throughout December, guests can choose from traditional Christmas party nights, festive lunches and afternoon teas, alongside events designed for families.

For a taste of the hotel’s contemporary festive dining, this year’s Santa Sunday Lunch begins with leek and potato soup served with olive bread, wild mushroom pâté with pear and pine nut salad, or prawn and crayfish cocktail with sun-blush tomato Marie Rose sauce.

The main course selection includes traditional roast turkey with cranberry stuffing and pigs in blankets, roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast salmon or a spinach, mushroom and feta filo pie. Duck fat roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables accompany the roasts, while dessert is served either as a hot pudding of the day or from the hotel’s dessert trolley.

Kate Firth, managing director at Ye Olde Bell Hotel, said: “Christmas is all about spending time with the people who matter most. Our historic menus show that the desire to come together over good food and a special occasion has long been part of Christmas at Ye Olde Bell Hotel.

"Today, we welcome guests for everything from festive lunches and parties to Christmas breaks that bring families together for several days.”

For the full list of events, dining experiences and accommodation packages, visit yeoldebell-hotel.co.uk/media/downloads/christmas-events.pdf.