With elegant decorations, extended opening hours and a festive version of its highly acclaimed afternoon tea, Colonnades in the historic Signet library is seriously Christmassy this winter.

Celebrating its first Christmas as an afternoon tea salon, the team behind Colonnades has launched an exciting range of Christmas treats, including culinary delights and sparkling special offers, which will get even the Scrooges among us into the festive spirit.

Putting a Colonnades twist onto traditional Christmas favourites, the Festive Afternoon Tea includes mouth-watering miniatures, such as game pie, turkey club sandwiches, chocolate orange sacher torte, and cherry trifle. As always with Heritage Portfolio – the premium caterer behind Colonnades - all ingredients are locally sourced and every delicious morsel is made entirely from scratch.

Adding to the party feel, the festive food can be enjoyed with a range of seasonal drinks, including mulled wine, exclusive Christmas cocktails, Highland Christmas Chai from the Wee Tea Company – and of course, Colonnades' favourite, Pommery Champagne.  And the kids have not been forgotten in all the festivities.  A  'build your own luxury hot chocolate' is also on offer, where chocoholics of all ages can create their very own wintery treat, with all the trimmings.

To coincide with the launch of the Virgin Money Street of Light on the Royal Mile this Christmas, Colonnades has also extended its opening hours for the season. From 30 November until Christmas Eve, Colonnades will be open Sunday – Friday, 11am to late.  Visitors can warm themselves up with tea, chocolate or fizz, before stepping right into the heart of this new Christmas light and music event.

In celebration of the Street of Light, Colonnades has introduced a very special Street of Light Colonnades Afternoon Tea offering, which includes a Festive Afternoon Tea, a glass of champagne and a Street of Light ticket for only £60 for two people. While weekend dates for the Street of Light have already sold out, Colonnades still has a limited number of tickets available for these showings.

Mark Miller, executive director of Heritage Portfolio, comments: “Edinburgh's Old Town is going to be lit up like never before this Christmas, and Colonnades is no exception. We've made a significant investment into making the venue feel really festive for the season, and we hope that this becomes the start of a new Christmas tradition for many of our visitors. With such special food and drink options to enjoy in a spectacular setting, Colonnades will undoubtedly be the place to be at Christmastime in Edinburgh.”

Along with the festive afternoon tea, Colonnades will also be serving a range of delicious winter warmers, including sharing platters and hearty dishes.

Colonnades is proving to be extremely popular and is currently number one on TripAdvisor for restaurants in Edinburgh. Because of this, booking is essential for all afternoon teas.

ENDS
For more information contact:
Holly Russell / Angela Casey
Pagoda Porter Novelli
0131 556 0770
Angela.casey@pagodapr.com / holly.russell@pagodapr.com 

Notes to Editors
Colonnades will be open for extended hours from 30 November to 24 December
Opening hours: 11am – late
To book: www.colonnadesedinburgh.com   

The Virgin Money Street of Light is a new event set to light up Edinburgh's Old Town this Christmas. From 30 November to Christmas Eve, an architectural installation of over 60,000 lights will run along the Royal Mile, from City Chambers to the Tron Kirk. Visitors can enter a stunning canopy of light and watch the lights synchronise to music sung by choirs from across Edinburgh.

Street of light performance times:
Mon – Sat 6.30pm and 8.15pm
Sun – 5.30pm and 7.30pm
30 Nov – 24 Dec '15

Tripadvisor reviews we've had so far - http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186525-d5575113-Reviews-Colonnades-Edinburgh_Scotland.html