Stepping Away from the Stove: How to Truly Enjoy New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
After the magic (and madness) of Christmas, many of us find ourselves craving one simple thing: a break from the kitchen. The festive season is joyful, but it’s also filled with planning, prepping, cooking and clearing – often on repeat. By the time the final leftovers are finished, it feels only right to down tools, hang up the apron and allow yourself to truly enjoy the final moments of the year.
New Year offers the perfect opportunity to pause, reset and celebrate you. Whether that means dressing up and dancing into midnight or easing gently into January with a long, leisurely lunch, choosing to eat out can feel like the ultimate act of self-care.
Here are three stylish ways to do just that – from high-energy glamour on New Year’s Eve to a calm, celebratory start to New Year’s Day.
New Year’s Eve: Dance into 2026 at Brasserie of Light
For those wanting a New Year’s Eve that feels exciting, immersive and completely stress-free, Brasserie of Light is offering a celebration like no other. This year’s event is a glamorous roller disco spectacle, blending indulgent dining with dazzling entertainment and a dancefloor that sparkles well beyond midnight.
The New Year’s Eve menu (£110 including a glass of Champagne) offers an impressive selection of seasonal favourites. Starters include Burrata with roasted butternut squash and pumpkin seeds, beetroot-cured salmon with horseradish cream, and sesame-fried buttermilk chicken with jalapeño dip. For mains, guests can choose from miso black cod with pickled fennel, Korean boneless half chicken with jalapeño dressing, or a perfectly cooked sirloin steak.
Desserts are where the drama truly shines. The Brasserie of Light Disco Ball – a decadent dark chocolate mousse with salted caramel ice cream, milk foam and honeycomb – sits alongside coconut and rum panna cotta and the playful roller rink doughnut served with Champagne and raspberry sauce.
With DJs, live performers and a vibrant atmosphere, this is a celebration designed for those who want to eat, drink and dance their way into the new year.
Set beneath Pegasus – Damien Hirst’s iconic 24ft crystal-encrusted sculpture – Brasserie of Light remains one of the West End’s most breathtaking dining spaces, making it the perfect backdrop for a truly memorable night.
New Year’s Eve Alternative: The Ivy Asia’s Peacock Masquerade
If your idea of New Year’s Eve leans towards the theatrical, The Ivy Asia is embracing the extraordinary with The Peacock Masquerade – an evening filled with vibrant colour, dazzling performance and a seriously electric atmosphere.
Guests are invited to toast to 2026 surrounded by shimmering décor, live music and dancers, creating a celebration that feels immersive, glamorous and unmistakably festive. The evening includes a special New Year’s Eve menu with a welcome glass of Champagne (£125 per person), allowing guests to relax, indulge and enjoy every moment without a single thought of cooking or hosting.
It’s the perfect choice for those who love a sense of occasion and want their New Year’s Eve to feel bold, joyful and unforgettable.
New Year’s Day: A Relaxed, Stylish Start at The Ivy Asia
After the excitement of New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day should feel calm, nourishing and restorative – not like another hosting marathon. The Ivy Asia’s New Year’s Day menu offers a chic yet comforting way to welcome the first day of 2026.
For £34.95, guests can enjoy three beautifully crafted courses, along with a welcome glass of The Ivy Champagne – a wonderfully generous offering that feels both indulgent and accessible. It’s ideal for gathering friends or family, reflecting on the year just gone and setting intentions for the one ahead.
There’s something uplifting about beginning January with colour, flavour and conversation rather than reheated leftovers and endless washing up. Whether you’re easing into resolutions or simply enjoying the pause before life speeds up again, this feels like a fresh, positive way to begin.
A Gentle Reminder for the New Year
After weeks of doing, it all, stepping away from the kitchen isn’t indulgent – it’s restorative. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are moments to celebrate, reflect and reconnect, and sometimes the greatest luxury is allowing yourself to simply turn up and enjoy.
Whether you’re dancing beneath glittering lights, immersed in a masquerade of colour, or clinking Champagne glasses over a relaxed New Year’s Day lunch, these experiences remind us that joy doesn’t always have to be homemade.
Sometimes, the best way to welcome the new year is by letting someone else take care of everything – and savouring every moment.
Poppy Watt