IKEA is allowing customers to book a showroom with friends - and order Christmas dinner for free

IKEA is offering customers the chance to book out one of its showrooms and enjoy a free two-course Christmas dinner. The roomsets - designed with seasonal décor - allow customers to enjoy a hassle-free, cost-effective and fully-prepared festive banquet.

Christmas is celebrated as a time to re-connect with loved ones, but balancing this with the ever-growing to-do list is not easy for the designated hosts. Research conducted by Censuswide found UK hosts spent 36 hours away from friends and family during the festive period last year.

As a result, a quarter (24%) have opted out of hosting this year. For many others, hosting is not even a possibility, with more than a quarter (27%) saying they don’t have the space to entertain their loved ones. 

To offer a bit of respite, IKEA is taking the pressure off and allowing customers to host up to five others in one of its roomsets. But it's not really hosting. Instead, the Swedish Home Furnishing brand will deliver you a delicious Christmas dinner complete with all the trimmings - and most importantly, handle the washing up.

On the menu, customers can pick from either classic turkey with sage & onion stuffing, a plant-based offering featuring a flavoursome festive butternut squash, lentil & almond wellington or go full IKEA and order meatballs. All dishes are served with crispy roast potatoes, parsnips, peas, red cabbage and gravy.

If that's not enough, customers get to pick a delicious dessert including the chocolate clementine bomb, vegan caramelised cheesecake and the strawberry flavour jelly for a sweet treat.

IKEA fans have the option to book up to two hours of festive fun on Thursday December 7 and Friday December 8. The offer only applies to the Edinburgh store and the Greenwich store in London.

To book a slot at the Edinburgh or Greenwich store, customers need to visit the IKEA website, pick their desired location and click on the 'Seasons Eating's at IKEA' option. From there, customers can choose a slot or join a waiting list if booking is full.

Jing Li, Store Manager, IKEA Greenwich said: “Christmastime is all about coming together with loved ones and spending quality time together. However, lots of people don’t have a big enough space to host and those who do can be left missing out on a lot of the festivities. We’re hopeful that by opening up our roomsets for some festive fun gives families the chance to sit back and relax whilst we take care of the rest.”