25 Alternative Christmas Get-Together Ideas for Foodies

Fed up with the same Christmas buffet and a game of charades? If your friends, family or workmates are happiest around food, our Christmas party ideas swap the usual festive night out for a hands-on class. You'll cook, bake or mix something together, then sit down and enjoy it.

Below are 25 alternative Christmas get-together ideas for foodies across the UK, from a fire-cooked Christmas feast to gingerbread houses and gin distilling. ClassBento is rated 4.9 stars from 171,000+ reviews, and most classes can be booked privately for groups.

1. Cook a Christmas feast over fire

Learn to cook the full Christmas dinner, including turkey, roast potatoes, stuffing and Christmas pudding, then sit down and eat it together.

Try: Fire cooking class - Christmas special, Longhope, Gloucestershire (£120pp), with Harts Barn Cookery School.

2. Bake a Christmas wreath loaf

A festive bread wreath makes a showstopper centrepiece for the table, and it's a cheap, cheerful group activity.

Try: Christmas wreath bread baking workshop, Greenwich, London (£25pp), with Gigi's Healthy Kitchen.

3. Make pasta in a Michelin-starred kitchen

For a get-together to remember, book a morning cooking ravioli and gnocchi in a Michelin-starred restaurant, with a glass of bubbles included.

Try: Pasta making masterclass in a Michelin star restaurant, Fitzrovia, London (£165pp), with Pied à Terre.

4. Roll pasta with bottomless prosecco

You'll hand-roll ravioli and tagliatelle, with prosecco topped up throughout. It's ideal for bigger groups.

Try: Fresh pasta class with bottomless prosecco, Isle of Dogs, London (£70–80pp), with La Nina Culinary Experiences.

5. Cook Spanish food on a houseboat

You'll make paella, tortilla and pan con tomate aboard a Dutch houseboat. It's a cosy option for a small group.

Try: Spanish foodie experience on a boat, Canary Wharf, London (£85–90pp), with Tere and Colin.

6. Have a pizza night with a proper oven

Everyone makes their own pizza from scratch in an indoor pizza oven and takes home extra dough.

Try: Indoor pizza oven experience, Holloway, London (£42pp), with Cook and Craft Collective.

7. Make a Japanese feast

You'll roll sushi, make a katsu-style curry sauce and fold gyoza, then eat everything together.

Try: Japanese cooking class, Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes (£85pp), with Milton Keynes Cookery School.

8. Make Christmas canapés

Learn to make bite-sized party food, which comes in handy for every festive gathering after this one.

Try: Christmas canapés class, Edinburgh (£85pp), with Edinburgh Food Social, a social enterprise that keeps free spaces for its Craigmillar community.

9. Pull noodles and fold dumplings

Stretching noodles by hand is messy and fun, and it's a great one for a group that likes a laugh.

Try: Hand-pulled noodles and dumplings experience, Edinburgh (£85pp), with Edinburgh Food Social.

10. Decorate a gingerbread house

Build and ice your own gingerbread house, and bring a bottle, because the class is BYOB.

Try: BYOB gingerbread house decorating workshop, Holloway, London (£45pp), with Cook and Craft Collective.

11. Bake Christmas biscuits

You'll make gingerbread men and star-shaped Christmas trees, which work as edible gifts or tree decorations.

Try: Christmas baking class, Clevedon, near Bristol (£30pp), with Delicious Cooking for all.

12. Make festive desserts for the big day

Learn a few showstopping Christmas desserts to bring out after dinner.

Try: Christmas table desserts class, Clevedon, near Bristol (£30pp), with Delicious Cooking for all.

13. Make Japanese mochi

Soft, chewy mochi is a sweet treat with a difference, and the class is gluten-free.

Try: Gluten-free mochi making workshop, Archway, London (£82–92pp), with Simon and Hanna's Foodie Kitchen.

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14. Bake French macarons

You'll pipe, bake and fill your own macarons. They're fiddly enough to keep everyone focused and pretty enough to box up as gifts.

Try: French macaron baking workshop, Holloway, London (£60pp), with Cook and Craft Collective.

15. Make Christmas chocolate truffles

Hand-roll truffles with candied orange slices, then box them up to take home. This one is designed for groups of 8 or more.

Try: Christmas chocolate truffles making, Salford, Greater Manchester (£50pp), with R&M Fine Chocolate.

16. Make Belgian chocolate truffles

Everyone takes home 15–20 truffles each, which is plenty for stocking fillers.

Try: Chocolate truffle making class, Whitehall Quay, Leeds (£45pp), with Chocolate Collective.

17. Bring the Christmas cocktail class to you

A mixologist comes to your venue and teaches everyone to make eggnog and Snowballs. Alcohol-free versions are available.

Try: Christmas cocktail making workshop, comes to you within 25 miles of London (£55pp, groups of 8–50), with Hey! Food is Ready.

18. Shake cocktails in a bar

You'll learn to shake, stir and garnish with Japanese gin and sake, with a welcome cocktail included.

Try: Premium cocktail making masterclass, Hackney, London (£45–50pp), with La Bibliotheque.

19. Discover sake

A tasting of sakes and sake cocktails is a good pick for the friend who thinks they've tried everything.

Try: Sake tasting masterclass with cocktails, Hackney, London (£40pp), with La Bibliotheque.

20. Mix tea cocktails

You'll make tea-based cocktails on Portobello Road. It's a fun twist for tea lovers and cocktail fans alike.

Try: Cocktail tea mixology workshop, Notting Hill, London (£50pp), with Bird & Blend Tea.

21. Blend your own tea

Everyone creates three signature blends and takes them home, with a tea cocktail or mocktail included.

Try: Tea blending workshop, Park Street, Bristol (£45pp), with Bird & Blend Tea.

22. Tour a gin distillery

Go behind the scenes at a working distillery, then taste the aquavit and gin.

Try: Aquavit and gin distillery tour and tasting experience, Putney, London (£25pp), with Vintersol Distillery.

23. Distil your own gin

Pick your botanicals, distil your own recipe and take home a 35cl bottle.

Try: Gin making workshop, near Brindleyplace, Birmingham (£75–80pp), with Round House Gin School.

24. Taste gin in a railway arch

You'll get a welcome cocktail, two neat gins and two house cocktails in an hour. It's a great start to a night out.

Try: Salford gin tasting experience, Viaduct Street, Salford (£25pp), with Salford Distillery.

25. Learn to taste wine properly

A guided wine tasting at one of Davy's London wine bars is a relaxed, grown-up get-together.

Try: Davy's wine tasting class, Holborn, Bankside or Tower Hill, London (£48pp), with Davy's.

Which foodie get-together suits your group?

Use this table to narrow down our alternative Christmas get-together ideas.

Make this Christmas the tastiest yet

The best alternative Christmas get-together ideas give everyone something to do with their hands and something good to eat or drink at the end. Whether that's gingerbread houses in Holloway, gin distilling in Birmingham or canapés in Edinburgh, there's a foodie class for every group and budget. Pick a class from the list and book your date, or send a ClassBento gift card. It's valid for three years, so they can choose their own foodie adventure.