Christmas ideas - Keep the festive spirit flowing

Mark Taylor asks pub chefs for their tips on surviving the hustle and bustle of the Christmas rush

David Thorley, Lord Nelson, Burnham Thorpe, King's Lynn, Norfolk: "Keep your sense of humour and enjoy it. If you treat it as a party for you and your staff, then people really enjoy it. We get people booking for next year on the day because we make them feel so welcome."

Charles Brierley, White Hart, Lydgate, Oldham: "Don't take more bookings than you can cope with on a normal busy day. If you do, then you can't justify charging people £75 per head, or whatever you charge them."

Stephen Garratt, the Talkhouse, Pontdolgoch, Powys: "Make sure your staff are organised and there's plenty of them. They can drop like flies during December and when it gets busy, you tend to find some staff fall away. If you have good staff, then you're OK, but if they're not up to scratch, they tend to disappear."

Rupert Loom, Knife & Cleaver, Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire: "Never serve turkey to anybody who works in the pub or restaurant trade. We get through so many turkeys over the Christmas period that we never eat it at Christmas and are sick of the sight of them by the big day. We always have chicken or beef on Christmas Day."

Craig Foster, Boat Inn, Eynsham, Oxfordshire: "The only way you can survive the Christmas period is by making sure you have the best team of staff you can possibly find and pay them as much as you can afford."

David Moss, the Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton, North

Yorkshire: "Christmas is probably the worst time for a chef because you get tired of sending out the same food from the same festive menus. It drains your passion. The best tip is just to keep remembering that January is just around the corner."

Simon Horsfall, the Bear of Rodborough, Minchinhampton,

Gloucestershire: "Make sure you get as much sleep as you can, drink plenty of water, eat healthily to keep your energy up and don't drink too much. It's an occupational hazard and it can be a temptation, but it's just not worth it."

Nick Troth, Hawkley Inn, Hawkley, Hampshire: "I try not to get too caught up in the Christmas stuff because these are often people who turn up once a year and sometimes trash the place, whereas the regulars come here all year round. What I hate about Christmas is when places get booked with Christmas parties and then the locals can't even get in."

Ronnie Rusack, the Bridge Inn, Ratho, Edinburgh: "Don't try to do more than you can cope with. A lot of people try to organise three sittings and they forget about their staff. By the third sitting, the staff are really flagging and it can be disastrous. I'd rather have one really good sitting and handle it really well."

Ali Wright, the Bunk Inn, Hermitage, Newbury, Berkshire:

"December is a horrendous month so the top tip for people in this business is to stay cool whatever, keep smiling and look forward to January."