Book your Christmas party near Reading at The Shinfield Arms
Our festive menu has something everyone will love, from a Festive Roast Turkey with all the trimmings to a Classic Prawn Cocktail and the vegan Root Vegetable Wellington, with two courses at £27.95 and three at £34.95.
Getting your table booked is quick and easy. Book online for up to 10 guests, or give us a ring for a bigger group so we can get everything just right for you.
Book by Friday 13 November 2026 and you will save 20% on your food on our selected dates. There is Christmas Day lunch to look forward to as well, a Festive Buffet for parties of 20 or more, and a Stretch Tent, heated Cowsheds and Dining Cabins when your party wants a space of its own.
Christmas Celebration Menu
There is something here for everyone, over two or three festive courses.
Begin with a warming Roast Carrot & Coriander Soup and seeded bread, Salt & Pepper Squid with lime mayonnaise, Ham Hock & Pea Terrine with onion relish and pickled gherkins, Loaded Potato Skins with sour cream dip, a Goat’s Cheese & Roasted Beetroot Salad with cranberry vinaigrette, or a Classic Prawn Cocktail with Marie Rose sauce and buttered granary.
For mains, the Festive Roast Turkey arrives with pigs in blankets, sage and onion stuffing balls, roast potatoes, parsnips, cranberry sauce and rich gravy. There is also Baked Fillet of Salmon with herb-roasted potatoes, tender BBQ Ribs with skin-on fries and coleslaw, a Brie & Cranberry Burger with melting Brie and a pig in blanket on top, Homemade Venison Casserole with creamy mash and red cabbage, a Broccoli & Stilton Gnocchi Bake, or the vegan Root Vegetable Wellington in golden puff pastry.
To finish, Traditional Christmas Pudding with vanilla ice cream and a mini mince pie, Apple Crumble with pour-your-own custard, a Salted Caramel & Chocolate Pot with shortbread, a Biscoff Cheesecake under Biscoff topping and sauce, a cool and refreshing Raspberry Sorbet, or Cheese & Biscuits with red onion marmalade.
Christmas crackers and all the trimmings are included. Vegetarian, vegan and NGCI choices are marked throughout, so nobody has to hunt for their option.
Two courses: £27.95 per person Three courses: £34.95 per person
Available Tuesday 24 November to Thursday 24 December 2026, excluding Sunday lunchtimes. If January suits your diary better, the same festive menu runs on weekdays from Tuesday 5 to Friday 29 January 2027, crackers and all.
A £10 deposit per person is required, along with everyone’s food choices in advance. A discretionary 10% service charge applies. The menu cannot be used with a Barons Card or other offers.
Start the celebrations with a glass of something lovely. Alberto Nani Organic Prosecco is dry and floral, £6.95 for 125ml, £9.75 for 175ml or £34.95 a bottle. The Festive Aperol Spritz, £8.95, brings together Aperol, cranberry, fiery ginger beer and organic Italian sparkling wine. The Mistletoe Margarita, £9.95, is tequila and Cointreau shaken with fresh lime and cranberry. Look for the House Cocktail symbol on the drinks menu as well: those are 2 for £14.95 from 5pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday, all year round.
Book early and save 20%
Booking early is worth it. Book by Friday 13 November 2026 and you will save 20% on your Christmas Celebration Menu food bill when you join us on one of these dates:
- Tuesday 24 November
- Wednesday 25 November
- Thursday 26 November
- Monday 30 November
- Tuesday 1 December
- Thursday 3 December
- Monday 7 December
- Any weekday from Tuesday 5 to Friday 29 January 2027
Same festive menu, same crackers, a fifth off the food. The January dates run Monday to Friday.
The usual terms apply, so you will need a £10 deposit per person and everyone’s food choices in advance.
Book online for up to 10 guests, or call 0118 988 3116 and we will happily talk you through the dates that still have space.
Christmas Day, cooked for you
Christmas Day here is a long, generous lunch, cooked and served for you. Book with us by phone so we can get your table just right. Food is served from 12pm to 1.30pm and drinks carry on until 3pm, so you have the whole afternoon to enjoy together.
Start with Venison & Beef Shin Terrine with onion marmalade, Creamy Italian Burrata with confit tomatoes and pesto, Coquilles St Jacques baked in a rich white wine cheese sauce, a Crab Crumpet with crème fraîche and avocado, or the vegan Celeriac & Apple Soup.
For mains, Roast Ballotine of Turkey comes with a tempting spread of trimmings: pigs in blankets, bacon-wrapped cranberry and chestnut stuffing balls, crispy roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, red cabbage, cranberry sauce, cauliflower cheese, swede mash and Brussels sprouts. There is also a 28-day aged 7oz Fillet Steak with dauphinoise potatoes and peppercorn sauce, Rack of Lamb with redcurrant and mint sauce, Pan Seared Halibut with lemon and caper butter sauce, or the vegan Root Vegetable Wellington. Vegetables come to the table for everyone to share.
Finish with Traditional Christmas Pudding, Apple Crumble with pour-your-own custard, Fresh Strawberry Pavlova, a Warm Chocolate Brownie with homemade Baileys cream, or Berry Christmas Sorbet. Treat yourselves to a cheese course of English Mature Cheddar, Blue Stilton and Brie for £10 per person.
Children are well looked after too, with three courses, a festive activity pack and their own Roast Ballotine of Turkey with a pig in blanket and all the trimmings, or a Festive Burger with skin-on fries.
Adults: £99 per person Children under 12: £47.50 per person
Call us on 0118 988 3116 to book. A £40 deposit per person is required, with everyone’s food choices by Monday 14 December 2026. A discretionary 10% service charge applies and goes directly to the team working that day.
Christmas parties and buffets for the whole crowd
Getting your party booked is quick and easy. Tell us your date and rough numbers and we will look after you from there.
Our Festive Buffet is £20.95 a head for 20 or more, and there is no food pre-order, so nobody has to choose their dinner a month early. There are Roast Turkey, Stuffing & Cranberry Sliders and Beef Brisket Buns, honey-glazed Pigs-in-Blankets, Baked Sausage Rolls and Crispy Roast Potatoes with cranberry sauce and turkey gravy, plus a Feta, Courgette & Red Pepper Frittata, Falafel in Beetroot Wrap, Vegan Sausage Rolls, Vegetable Crudités and Hummus and a Brussels Sprout Salad with chestnuts. To finish, Christmas Pudding with pouring cream, warm Chocolate Brownies with hot chocolate sauce, a vegan Carrot, Walnut & Pistachio Cake and Mini Mince Pies.
£20.95 per person Minimum 20 guests
Available Tuesday 24 November to Thursday 24 December 2026, excluding Sunday lunchtimes.
A £100 booking deposit is required, but no food pre-order is needed. A discretionary 10% service charge applies. The buffet cannot be used with a Barons Card or other offers.
We have a space to suit your group too. The Stretch Tent seats 80 or holds 120 standing and has a permanent fire pit under it, and the Restaurant seats 50. For smaller groups there are four heated Cowsheds and three heated Dining Cabins, each seating 6, which makes them a warm and rather festive spot for a get together. Tell us how many are coming and we will find the right one for you.
Festive opening hours
Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December: 9am to 11pm
Christmas Day, Friday 25 December: Christmas dinner is served from 12pm to 1.30pm for pre-booked tables, with drinks until 3pm.
Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December: 12pm to 6pm, last food orders 4pm
New Year’s Eve, Thursday 31 December: 9am to 11pm with our full menu served all day, last food orders 8.30pm
New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January: 12pm to 6pm, last food orders 4pm
Hours for 27 to 30 December will be confirmed nearer the time.
Get Christmas in the diary
We’d love to have you with us this Christmas. Book the Christmas Celebration Menu online for up to 10 guests, or call us for 11 or more guests, the Festive Buffet or Christmas Day, and we will help you choose the menu and the space that suit your celebration.
Call us on 0118 988 3116 or email manager.shinfieldarms@baronspubs.com. We can’t wait to welcome you!
Dietary and allergen information
Vegetarian, vegan and NGCI (Non Gluten Containing Ingredients) choices are marked on the menus.
Full allergen information is available on request. Our food is prepared in kitchens where all allergens may be present. Due to fryers & cookers being used for more than one product, there is a small possible contamination risk even if the ingredient is not present in the dish. If you have a food allergy please let us know before ordering. Where we offer items that are NGCI (Non Gluten Containing Ingredients) we cannot guarantee that they are entirely gluten-free.