Winter Wonderland returns to Hyde Park

With the festive season well and truly here, London’s Winter Wonderland opened to the public in spectacular grand style last weekend. Keeping the credit crunch concerns at bay, Winter Wonderland is officially this year's must have Christmas bargain with admission for all absolutely free and many child discounts available for rides and attractions from as little as £2, making it the perfect dose of Christmas magic in a fairytale setting.

Winter Wonderland continues to excite and enthral both the media and the public boasting main attractions such as the phenomenally popular outdoor Ice Skating Rink, the largest in the capital, and the gravity defying Snow Ball Bungee Dome.

Bona fide star of the show is the spectacular Observation Wheel that parades 200 ft high over Hyde Park, providing a full 360° panoramic view of London, with an incomparable perspective of the capital's skyline from its 40 luxurious heated gondolas.

Most importantly, this year Winter Wonderland’s food and drink offering has doubled in size and makes a welcome return. A sumptuous range of food, drink and delicacies will be provided from England and the European continents. Set against a magical backdrop of London's beautiful Hyde Park, with thousands of Christmas lights, tastefully decorated Tyrol-style chalets, a Bavarian Village tucked away under the snow slide and a German Christmas Market, Winter Wonderland is a truly magical festive experience for adults and all the family.

The German Christmas Market has a range of wooden huts offering continental food including sweet treats such as roasted nuts, gingerbread hearts, crepes and confectionary to the more savoury delights of a Bavarian Hog Roast, seasoned steaks and hearty German Bratwurst sausages. Complimenting such culinary delights will be Bavarian chilled beer and warming 'Glühwein' (German Mulled Wine).

The traditional English fayre at Winter Wonderland will include hearty carvery sandwiches complete with festive relishes, traditional English style pies and pasties, baguettes and salads. The menu will include free-range turkey sausages & mash with cranberry and orange relish; a vegetarian gratin of parsnip, celeriac and chestnut with Savoy cabbage and roast salmon with braised leeks and mash. Lighter options include soups, warming baked potatoes, stews and our own Park Porker - free-range sausage in an organic roll. Children are not forgotten with a selection of children's items both hot and cold.

For puddings and sweet things, it's chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate with chocolate crispie cakes, chocolate fudge cake, chocolate and cranberry brownies and the best hot chocolate for a winter's day with whipped cream and melting marshmallows. The Festive Food Hall offers traditional English Ales, hot spiced cider, mulled wine and hot toddies. Just the thing to warm you up after a skate on the ice!

And no Christmas event would be complete without a visit from Santa who will be waiting at the Victorian Bandstand Grotto with his sack of souvenirs and elves each day until the 24th December.

For more information and ticket details, log on to Hydeparkwinterwonderland.com.