Thanksgiving feasts in Knightsbridge

For one day only in November, The Lanesborough Grill – known for its modern British cooking –  will do a US sidestep of which even famed quarterback Tom Brady would be proud. For Thanksgiving, executive chef Shay Cooper is ditching the Orkney scallops and English sirloin for a more Stateside – but no less stately – menu that will feature all the classic trappings of a true US Thanksgiving dinner. The menu kicks off with punchy native lobster chowder with white polenta gnocchi, coriander, jalapeño and lime, before the main event of roast turkey accompanied by sweet potatoes, cranberry, smoked bacon collard greens and buttermilk potatoes. A cheese option is available, although for obvious reasons Cooper has kept the selection British, before a dessert of caramelised pecan tart with cinnamon ice cream. This Thanksgiving three-course menu is £85 per person at either lunch or dinner on Thursday 23 November.

Head to the Collins Room at this famous London hotel for a four-course dinner by candlelight that will linger long in the memory. A big effort has gone into the innovative menu that combines top-quality British produce with all-American flavours, captured in dishes such as lavender-cured Gressingham duck with maple-glazed beetroot and macadamia nuts, and a Scottish lobster chowder with charred cucumber, corn and bourbon brandy butter. For mains you can choose between traditional roast Norfolk turkey that comes with, among other things, marshmallow-glazed sweet potato (yes, you read that right), and pan-fried wild sea bass. The two big festive US desserts – pumpkin pie and pecan pie – go head-to-head to end the meal. A four-course vegetarian menu is also available with burrata, delicata squash and butternut squash on offer. Both menus are £100 per person with wine pairings available.

A Thanksgiving feast by way of New York and Italy is waiting for you at Sette restaurant within the plush Bulgari Hotel. The £95 per person menu has a wide selection of dishes to choose from, with options for starters including delicata pumpkin ravioli, braised short rib, and macaroni and cheese with black truffle; and mains of roast turkey, black cod, and a risotto of radicchio, amarone and taleggio. Pumpkin pie is given the cold shoulder in favour of pecan pie, a bomboloni – basically a filled Italian doughnut with cinnamon, pastry cream and chocolate – and New York cheesecake. The menu is available at both lunch and dinner, but if you want the full Uncle Sam experience then come in the evening when the meal will be accompanied by live music.

If you’re looking for something a little more delicate and sophisticated this Thanksgiving, then The Rosebery’s 346Tea service at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park might be more up your avenue. The collaboration between the executive chefs at Mandarin Oriental’s London and New York hotels (the menu is named after the approximate distance in miles between both hotels, which is 3,460 rather than 346), fuses dishes from both cities for a Thanksgiving feast like no other. For £75 you can choose from a selection of sandwiches that includes nods to US favourites such as lobster and caviar in a brioche bun, and a classic Reuben pastrami beef sandwich, as well as desserts including a New York-style cheesecake and The Big Apple – a spiced caramelised apple with yoghurt mousse and cinnamon streusel. To fully embrace US/Anglo relations, the America-British cookie crumble made with peanut butter ice cream and grape jelly is a must.

Stefan Chomka is editor of Restaurant magazine