Christmas has arrived in Hertford

Christmas has arrived in Hertford  

The Snug in Hertford, a hidden gem

I have driven past The Snug every day after work and never gone in.  Well that won’t be the case again.  Danielle and I received an invite to sample their Christmas menu on Thursday evening, the 20^th of November.  We dragged David with us, as we did not fancy having to make him a meal before we hit the town.  We arrived to a warm welcome and were immediately made to feel at ease by the Manager Kyle, who is a lovely friendly guy and a brilliant host.   The evening started well with a lovely glass or two of Prosecco, you can’t go wrong with that. 

The purpose of the evening was to sample their new Christmas menu, and Wow did we do that.  We started with their festive platters which were piled with delicious nibbles which make a great addition to their cocktails. The platters include: Potato skins with turkey, cheese and caramelised onion topping; chicken wings tossed in a Bourbon and cherry glaze; mini sausages in a honey and mustard glaze; fig and Wensleydale & cranberry skewers; miniature prawn cocktail; bacon and Brie quesadillas and chutney and Brie bruschetta.  Our table cleared the platters in minutes and we all agreed they were delicious.

The nibbles were followed by their new Christmas burger. A first of its kind as a homemade 7oz British Beef Burger is topped with turkey, Cheddar cheese, smoked back bacon, bourbon & cherry sauce and pickles, served with a side of pulled pork in BBQ sauce and skinny fries.  It is sure to satisfy even the heartiest of appetites. They also have Rib-Eye steaks on offer too, along with creamy penne pasta and a Vegetable Medley.

Thank goodness after all the gorgeous food, we had a reprise and a chance to sample and make their new Christmas cocktails.  The Snug Bar has created two festive cocktails which combine the best premium spirits with recognisable Christmas flavours. Danielle was behind the bar in a flash to try her hand at cocktail making, she still needs a bit of practice with the making of them but needs no help when it comes to the drinking of them.  

If you want to try your hand at making them here are the recipes for their two festive cocktails:

THE CANDY CANE COCKTAIL

Ingredients:

20ml Raspberry Vodka

10ml White Cacao

5ml Minttu (or Crème de Menthe)

10ml Grenadine

50ml Cranberry Juice

Instructions:

Shake all ingredients together and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a candy cane straw

MINCE PIE MARTINI

Ingredients:

10ml Brandy

10ml Apple Schnapps

10ml Cassis

10ml Goldschlager

50ml Apple Juice

Instructions:

Shake all ingredients and double strain into a Martini. Top with foamed milk and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and serve with a mince pie!

One of the guests suggested they heated this one up and I must say it was a brilliant suggestion.  It had that warm Christmassy feel and taste about it.

Cocktail making and drinking over it was time to sample their desserts.  These had a divided opinion around our table, we all had our favourites, and mine was the eggnog cheesecake, a creamily decadent dessert to top any Christmas do.  David and Danielle loved the Terry’s Chocolate Orange Sundae, a combination of Vanilla Ice Cream, chocolate sauce, layered with crushed chocolate orange pieces and topped with whipped cream.

The Snugs Christmas nibbles menu costs £10 per person, a fair price for what you get.

If you are looking for a warm and a truly snug venue for your Christmas functions or just looking for a place to entertain friends, I can highly recommend you give The Snug in Hertford a try.