A Fresh Take on Festive Celebrations Wisteria Hotel Oakham Rutland Partners with Local Food Champions to Redefine Christmas in Rutland

The Wisteria Hotel on Catmose Street in Oakham is reinventing the local festive season with a bold new vision. Moving away from a traditional, fixed restaurant setup, the independent hotel has announced exciting partnerships with two of Rutland’s finest culinary names.

Mediterranean Palate and Sarpech Indian Restaurant. Together, they are introducing an expansive choice of festive party and private dining options tailored for Christmas 2026.

This strategic shift puts local collaboration at the very heart of the hotel’s hospitalty strategy. Whether organising a corporate end-of-year gathering, an informal catch-up with colleagues, a multi-generational family get-together, or a lively evening with friends, groups can enjoy exclusive celebrations in the hotel's versatile private event spaces with menus curated to match every palate, style, and budget.

The new culinary partnerships bring an inspiring mix of classic traditions and international flavours to Wisteria Hotel:

Plated Festive Feasts by Mediterranean Palate, for guests seeking a classic sit-down Christmas meal with a refined twist, Mediterranean Palate presents a specially crafted plated lunch and dinner menu. Highlights include traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings, slow-braised beef short rib, herb-crusted salmon, and a rich wild mushroom and chestnut Wellington. Prices are set at £37.00 per person for two courses and £47.00 per person for three courses.

Informal Grazing Tables & Canapés, Mediterranean Palate will also cater to casual, standing celebrations. Their Festive Grazing Tables and Canapé menus cleverly blend British holiday classics with bright Mediterranean ingredients, creating a social dining environment designed for mingling.

Spiced Indian Buffets & Banquets by Sarpech, Bringing vibrant warmth to winter celebrations, Sarpech Indian Restaurant introduces dynamic catering formats including hot fork buffets, finger buffets, grazing tables, and canapés. Guests can savor beloved signature dishes ranging from creamy chicken tikka makhani and aromatic biryani to tandoori salmon and rich curries.

The Return of Festive Afternoon Tea, complementing the external partnerships, Wisteria Hotel’s popular in-house Festive Afternoon Tea returns daily from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Served at £34.50 per person (with optional Prosecco or Champagne upgrades), the tea features delicate finger sandwiches, pigs in blankets sausage rolls, Christmas-spiced and traditional scones, festive sweet treats, and locally roasted Two Chimps coffee alongside loose-leaf teas.

To accommodate parties of all sizes, gatherings will take place across Wisteria Hotel's dedicated event spaces, including the elegant Georgian Suite, the cosy Barn Lounge, and the spacious Barn Suite. The layout flexibility allows the hotel to comfortably host everything from intimate dinner parties to festive bashes of 80 to 100 guests.

The move forms part of a broader evolution of Wisteria Hotel's food and drink operation. Like many independent businesses across the UK, the hotel has faced sharp rises in operational costs following the pandemic, making its traditional year-round restaurant model economically unsustainable.

In response, owner Kristy Carey and her team chose an adaptive path that directly benefits the local economy rather than simply scaling back food options. From November 3rd, individual table bookings for non-resident lunch, Sunday lunch, and dinner will close. However, the venue remains warmly open to the public for tea, coffee, bar drinks, snacks, and booked Afternoon Teas.

Overnight hotel guests will continue to receive cooked breakfast and can opt for a freshly prepared, daily Homestyle Supper Menu pre-ordered by 10:00 AM each morning, as well as bar snacks served seven days a week. Meanwhile, all group functions, celebrations of life, and conference lunches will draw on the elevated menu choices provided by Mediterranean Palate and Sarpech.

"We wanted to create something that gives people much more choice about how they celebrate," explains owner Kristy Carey. "Rutland has earned its reputation as the County of Good Taste, and we believe that by working together with fantastic local independent businesses, we can create an even better experience for our guests."

Booking & Contact Information

https://wisteriahotel.co.uk/christmas

Organisers planning festive celebrations, private dining, or corporate functions can contact the hotel directly to request the Christmas 2026 brochure or tailor bespoke drinks and room packages:

Location: Wisteria Hotel, 4 Catmose Street, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6HW
Contact: Kristy Carey (Owner)
Telephone: 01572 722844

Catering Partner Links: Mediterranean Palate | Sarpech Indian Restaurant