On Wednesday 5th December it was the turn of our Portsmouth residents to enjoy the Unilife Christmas Dinner at the Brewhouse & Kitchen located on Guildhall Walk.
As residents started arriving to the venue and to the area exclusively for Unilife, joyous members of the Unilife Team directed residents to a table of festive inspired place cards which were (conveniently) placed next to the refreshing glasses of prosecco. Once residents received a drinks token from the team and with their Christmas place card in hand they began to wander around the welcoming festive tables to select a seat for themselves amongst their friends and neighbours.
As the number of residents arriving began to pick up so did the excitement. Residents took the opportunity to catch up with neighbours they had not seen since previous Unilife events (Moving In Pizza Night, Welcome Party and Quiz Night) and introductions were made once again between residents from all 3 of the Portsmouth buildings; Middle Street, Earlsdon & St James.
When residents took their seats in anticipation of the starters to arrive they took the opportunity to capture those all-important selfies and group photos. The festive photo props on tables were a great addition and produced relevant and memorable photos as well as prompting laughs a plenty. From #Elfies to Santa hats and even Christmas inspired glasses there were plenty of photos to be taken!
As the aroma of the food began to fill the room with dishes including Whitebait and Wild Boar Terrine it was clear to see why everyone was keen to eat! As soon as the starters were served only the delightful jingles of the Christmas music could be heard as everyone focused on enjoying the food. The same applied again when the main courses arrived with options that included succulent turkey roulade, herb crusted cod loin and a British steak and ale suet pudding.
Before indulging in the final course of dessert the conversation amongst residents turned to the festive jumpers! From Santa’s to Reindeer and not forgetting the eye-catching Christmas Tree jumper that lit up with flashing lights the venue was filled with fashionable festive cheer. The Unilife Team efforts included Frank with a ‘sledgendary’ Santa jumper, Kim with a cute snowman and Vicky with a shiny sequin reindeer jumper.
The overall winner of the best/worst Christmas jumper for the evening (as decided by the Unilife Team) was Liz Gitonga from Earlsdon. Liz fully embraced the challenge dressing in Christmas attire from head to toe which included socks featuring The Grinch, a reindeer jumper and a Santa hat! Liz received a gift bag full of festive goodies including a Lindt chocolate Santa, Prosecco, Benedicks Mints, Mulled Wine and a festive Panettone. Congratulations and enjoy Liz!
As soon as the venue staff began walking towards tables eyes were drawn once again to the glorious food which this time included traditional Christmas pudding, (a popular choice!), chocolate pot and raspberry tart. Once every last delicious crumb was finished and the plates cleared away, residents continued to enjoy the lively festive atmosphere to truly make the most of the Unilife Christmas celebration.
The Unilife Christmas dinner was a fabulous evening of food, friends and festivities which made for another memorable and unmissable Unilife event.
Photos from the Unilife Christmas Dinner event can be found at our Instagram page (unilifestudent)
