Five reasons to visit the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London this festive season

One last Christmas at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal has held two Michelin stars since the restaurant opened in 2011, working from a menu drawn entirely from historical British recipes going back to the fourteenth century. After sixteen years, its final chapter is under way. This Christmas is the last opportunity to eat there.

The dishes that defined it are still on the pass; the Meat Fruit remains one of the most photographed plates in London. The hotel has not announced what comes next. What is confirmed is that the festive season at Dinner represents a last run. If you have been meaning to go, now is your last chance.

An afternoon tea shaped by two writers

The Rosebery’s A Christmas Wish Afternoon Tea takes its inspiration from J.M. Barrie and Charles Dickens, whose connections to Great Ormond Street Hospital run deeper than most people know. Barrie gifted the rights to Peter Pan to GOSH in 1929, a bequest that continues to generate income for the hospital. Dickens, writing in the 1850s, was among the hospital’s earliest and most prominent public champions.

Both legacies shape the hotel’s programme this Christmas. The Rosebery has translated them into two distinct afternoon teas: the Christmas Wish, built around togetherness, tradition and hope, with a Wishing Tree alongside where guests are invited to pause and leave a message; and a children’s Neverland festive afternoon tea inspired by Barrie’s world.

The Invisible Mince Pie

Across all the hotel’s participating restaurants and bars this season, guests can order an Invisible Mince Pie. What arrives at the table is not a mince pie but a wishing card illustrated by artist Charlie Child. You write a wish and it goes on the Wishing Tree in the hotel lobby. The full £5 is donated directly to GOSH Charity, turning a moment of festive imagination into a direct act of giving.

The Aubrey at Christmas

Before the broader festive season gets under way, on Saturday 28th November, Michelin-starred French chef Mory Sacko joins the kitchen for a five-course dinner marking the launch of his new cookbook, A Cook’s Journey. Sacko opened Mosuke in Paris in 2020 and earned a Michelin star within months. “My cuisine exists nowhere else,” he has said, “because it is through it that I tell my story, a story that is both personal and universal.” The evening begins at 18:30. Tickets are available via The Aubrey’s booking page here.

The Aubrey‘s contribution to the festive season is Japanese Fried Chicken, a contemporary take on a festive centrepiece, built for sharing around the table.

Twelve days, two craftsmen, one wreath

Running alongside the main season, the 12 Days of Giving brings a series of ticketed experiences into the hotel: wreath making with Moyses Stevens, family cupcake decorating with Executive Pastry Chef Emmanuel Bonneau, and further events across December. Tickets are priced at £12 each, with all ticket revenue going directly to GOSH Charity.

The Spirit of Christmas launches on 18th November 2026 and runs throughout the festive season.
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London is at 66 Knightsbridge. Reservations and further details via mandarinoriental.com/en/london/hyde-park