How to plan an epic “office Christmas party” when you’re self-employed

_{Some items have been gifted}

When you’re self-employed, the office Christmas party becomes a thing of the past. I’m not saying that I want to go back to being employed just for the festive fun, but you can sometimes feel a little left out at this time of year when all your friends are talking about the wild evenings out they’re having. That’s why I planned my own Christmas party this year at the Cosy Club…

Last year, I took my husband and mum out for lunch as my ‘office Christmas party’ as they’ve helped me with my blog throughout the year. Of course, I’ll do the same to again this year to thank them and let them know how much they’ve helped, but I also wanted to have that feeling of partying with your colleagues and THIS year, I’ve got some to celebrate with!

Over the course of 2018, I’ve met some fabulous local bloggers who’ve become my firm friends. It’s all down to Gemma from HowToMakeFriends.co.uk who dragged me out of my home office and got me thinking about widening my friendship circle. It’s thanks to Georgia from SeeSuffolk.com that I got chance to meet other people who are doing the same thing that I am at her local blogger events. And it’s thanks to Jess from SamplingSuffolk.com who’s become my buddy through our love of blogging, comedy and dogs.

We’re all on the same self-employed path and it’s lovely to have them around me to chat all things business (and plenty more besides!) so when I was invited to the Cosy Club to try out their Christmas party menu, I knew exactly who I wanted to celebrate with. The table was booked, we got dressed up (it’s been a while!) and we excitedly made our way to the restaurant for an evening of festive fun.

The Christmas menu at the Cosy Club launches tomorrow, with three delicious Christmassy courses for just £27.95. It’s available from 22nd November until 24th December so book a table for your own festive gathering now! If you’re self-employed, you’re sure to have worked with some other self-employed during the year so why not suggest a gathering? Plus, you can get 15% off on selected dates in November and December so hop onto the website to check out all the info about Christmas 2018 at the Cosy Club.

When me and my blogging buddies arrived at the Cosy Club our table looked super-festive. There were Christmas crackers at every place setting and we started the evening with a mulled wine or a glass of sparkling Durello as we poured over the mouthwatering menu. The first course is a sharing platter, so we ordered both the vegetarian and regular options so that there was something for everyone.

It was great to be sharing a meal with our vegetarian and pescatarian friends as I could check out all the Christmas menu food options when our main course arrived. To be honest, I was actually a little jealous of my pals’ halloumi and winter vegetable wellington because it looked SO tempting. But then again, I wouldn’t have swapped my Norfolk turkey and smoked bacon pie – it was a pastry-wrapped masterpiece and came with all the trimmings of a traditional Christmas dinner.

We pulled our Christmas crackers, wore our paper hats the whole evening and we toasted to a very merry Christmas with the most amazing cocktails I’ve ever tasted. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly eat anything else, pudding arrived. And, do you know what? It turns out I could eat something else! I mean, a chocolate and orange torte is just too tempting to resist, right? Likewise the limoncello cheesecake that my friend offered me a taste of, mmmm. Too good.

We spent hours at the Cosy Club – eating, drinking and being merry, rounding off the evening with tea and coffee. In fact, by the time we’d finished our meal and the restaurant was slowly clearing, we still didn’t want the evening to end, taking our time to say our goodbyes with big hugs all round. It just goes to show what a fun night out we’d had – I’m already looking forward to our ‘work do’ next year!

Thanks so much to the Cosy Club for inviting me and my blogging buddies out for an amazing Christmas meal, giving us the chance to let our hair down for a very merry evening of festive fun together. It was immense. If you’re self-employed, I’d recommend reaching out to your ‘colleagues’ who are running their own businesses and see if they’re up for a Christmassy evening out.

If you’re thinking about booking a Christmas party at the Cosy Club – or even a festive meal for two –  hop onto the website to secure your table now with just a £10 deposit per person. And merry Christmas!

Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂