Sunday lunch at The Wood House, Dulwich
Hello from the other side…
My husband bought me the new Adele album just before Christmas and I am obsessed with it! 15 years ago, I would have absolutely murdered Hello at karaoke, but now I just sing along to my 6-year old in the car at the top of my voice. Obviously, in my head, I sound just like Adele. Sadly, the biggest compliment I have ever received for my singing voice is that what I lack in talent, I make up for in enthusiasm. I think it is fair to assume that I won’t be auditioning for The X-Factor this year. Or, EVER.
However, this realisation did not stop me from belting out Jolene and other party classics around the piano (ok, organ) at a friend’s annual Christmas do in East Dulwich. Hosted every year by local caterer, Tracey at Dolce Vita, it is the highlight of my festive social calendar.
Although, it is The Dulwich Charity Lunch at The Palmerston that really signifies the start of the silly season for me. Over £2,000 was raised for Link Age Southwark and a great time was had by all.
On my husband’s birthday, which conveniently (!) also takes place in December, we visited local eatery, Si Mangia, on Forest Hill Road. I enjoyed fresh gluten free spaghetti with arrabbiata sauce and washed it down with a glass, or two, of house red.
Later that week, we met friends for Sunday lunch at The Wood House Dulwich, just next to Sydenham Woods. The pub has undergone a complete transformation and the garden has been totally overhauled to include heated garden huts. While the kids queued to visit Santa in his grotto, a live band played Christmas tunes in the background. I even resisted the urge to sing along! It was a magical day and the food was amazing. We will definitely be going back.
All this over indulgence is probably what led me to email my Slimming World consultant at the end of last year in a state of sheer panic! I rattled off all the mince pies I had stuffed into my face and all the wine I was filling my cheering glass with, and she calmly reassured me that all was not lost and I would be able to get back on plan.
With every New Year comes fresh opportunity. For some, it is a chance to evaluate where they are in their personal lives and think about where they would like to be. For others, it is about health and fitness but for most, the passing of a year is a chance for reflection. Not to dwell, but to remember the good times and the bad. You can read our review of 2015 here.
Now January has arrived and it is cold and grey outside, it is understandable to want to hibernate until Spring breaks. However, there is much to look forward to this month. On 9-10 January, the Dulwich Opera Company is bringing Mozart’s classic tale ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ to King’s. We are also really looking forward to the ‘I Call Myself a Feminist’ event, celebrating the writing of 25 feminists under 30, organized by Dulwich Books at The Bedford in Balham on 14th.
Details of all local events can be found here on our listings page.
This feature first appeared in the January 2016 issue of SE22 magazine.