Want to make a change from your traditional turkey and all the trimmings this Christmas but haven’t got the budget or holiday leave to book a flight and jet off?

Well my little stuffing balls, I may be able to help.

How about mixing it up this festive season and instead of doing the same thing you always do opt for a twist on the traditional? Think less Bisto gravy granules and more My Big Fat Greek Christmas.

Festive dining - from work Christmas parties, to nights out with friends and even the big day itself -doesn’t have to be your bog-standard turkey with all the trimmings and Christmas cake affair. But you can challenge your taste buds, treat yourself and your guests to an exotic feast and get adventurous with your culinary choices without leaving your home town.

One of the reasons I love travelling so much is the chance to try unusual food from around the world that you can’t get on aisle 6 in Tesco. Don’t get me wrong I love British food, after living in France for the past two years my love for pie and mash has reached a worrying level, but there is something exciting about choosing the items on a menu that you can’t pronounce and have no idea what it may be but you give it a go.

So it was inevitable that when Mary from Mary Hop organised a get-together with the other travel bloggers who had made Cosmopolitan Magazine’s shortlist for a pre-awards dinner, that it wasn’t going to be held in MacDonald’s. Instead, I caught the Eurostar and headed through London to sample the festive taster menu that Opso had to offer.

Mary, a stylish and chic Greek woman, warmly welcomed me from the blustery English winter into the snug and toasty restaurant with a heavenly tasting cocktail. I was excited to meet my fellow travel bloggers (Tink Jayne, Charli, Lizzy, and Elle) who were all as I expected – a bunch of awesome adventurous ladies - before we were whisked off to Greece without leaving the lively restaurant.

One of the reasons for my #100days100runs challenge was because I ignored my internal self-control button when on holiday in Rhodes during the summer so I already knew how good Greek food is. And I have to say that Opso didn’t disappoint. Run by easy on the eye Greek men their passion for sharing the culture with an unusual twist on traditional recipes was evident.

We were treated to the festive taster menu starting with a shot of eggnog as an aperitif that came in an actual egg shell. Totally Pinterest-adorable and totally eggcellent.

The mushroom cappuccino was to die for. A cup of foamy-on-the-top-and-creamy-in-the-middle warming soup like nothing I’d ever tasted before. Yum.

Venison tartare, smoked and cured Greek ox tongue and deep fried cheese with an autumnal rhubarb jam were not the things I’d usually be ordering but boy they were good. Especially being perfectly sized tapas portions meaning that we could all dig in to a bit of everything.

The desserts were also just as pretty to look at but it wasn’t all fur coat and no knickers – the melt in your mouth earl grey truffles and deconstructed snowy cheesecake tasted the right side of sweet without being sickly.

It wasn’t just what was being brought from the kitchen that made the night so great but also because the atmosphere in the modern Greek restaurant, based in Marylebone, was so laid back and friendly.

So this festive season why not be a little more adventurous? Stuff the turkey and instead go for an alternative chrimbo dinner without leaving the country? I’d love to know what you think!

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