INAPUB WINTER MAGAZINE 2023 ISSUE 105

FAMOUS FOR FESTIVE FUN

Mark Ludmon celebrates a pub that goes all-out at Christmas

With 35,000 fairy lights and 7,000 baubles, The Hanging Gate in Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire has become world-famous for going big at Christmas. Following media coverage across the UK and even in the US, it attracts customers from far and wide, including many returning year after year.

Licensee Mark Thomas has helped make The Hanging Gate famously festive since arriving at the High Peak freehouse in 1991. He says: “We started smaller with the decorations but we were still quite big compared to most. Over the years, we have generally gone bigger and bigger, adding more lights, adding more baubles, but we have now got to the point where we can’t fit any more lights or baubles in.”

“ Over the years we have gone bigger and bigger. We have done igloos before, but this is probably the biggest yet

The pub introduces a new look for at least one room each year and swaps decorations around. For 2023, the main room is coated in white wadding to resemble a huge igloo, with blue lights and baubles. “We have done igloos before but this is probably the biggest yet.” To avoid repetition, some themes disappear in time. “For instance, this year we have a purple and gold room, like Cadbury’s chocolates, which is probably its last time.”

New this year is a six-foot Grinch in the porch. “We ordered one that plays a tune but we were let down so we ended up making it ourselves,” Mark says. “We bought a six-foot Grinch costume and dressed up a mannequin.” The pub also has a six-foot Santa who sings and dances when you press a button as well as an elf workshop. “The kids love them.”

The biggest expense each year is replacing the lights. “They’re thin LED lights now which are better and brighter than the oldstyle bulbs but you only need to nick a wire

and the whole lot’s gone,” Mark says. “We buy sets of 2,000 so they’re easy to put up.” For this Christmas, he bought over 25,000 new lights. They tried different suppliers but, for quality and price, they now get everything from homeware chain The Range. Fortunately, the pub has large storerooms for the decorations after they come down on 8 January.

It takes three weeks for two staff members to decorate the whole place, starting straight after Halloween – another major decorative event for The Hanging Gate, from cobwebs to skeletons.

Serving up the season

Christmas began in earnest on 22 November, with a festive playlist, matched by a Christmas menu from head chef Tony Connor.

They keep it relatively traditional: starters include home-made pâté with red wine chutney, breaded brie with cranberry sauce and black pudding in pepper sauce, while mains range from roast turkey to steak, lamb, haddock mornay and leak and potato bake, with desserts such as profiteroles, Christmas pudding and trifle. “We tweak the menu each year but, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” It is priced at £30.95 per head Monday to Thursday and £32.95 Friday to Sunday. A “senior citizens’ menu”, popular at lunchtimes, offers smaller portions at £19.95.

Mark has kept price rises down despite costs going up. “Last year, we got our menu out early in the build-up to Christmas and by the time it came around, prices had gone up that much that we didn’t make enough compared to what we normally do.” However, the pub serves 400 to 500 meals a day

at weekends over Christmas, making it the most profitable time of the year.

The Hanging Gate was once a destination for Christmas Day itself but 10 years ago that changed. “My daughter is in her 20s now but I missed every Christmas Day with her. When my son Kieran was born 10 years ago, I missed his first one and I thought that’s it, enough is enough, we’re closing. I have another son now and spending Christmas Day with them is more important.”

Mark still finds Christmas a magical time at the pub. “Seeing the kids’ faces when they walk round the pub, in awe of 35,000 lights… we get so many compliments and thank-you letters from people saying they’ve had such a magic family experience. It costs, especially with the electricity, but it’s still worth it.”