Jimmy Garcia's winter pop-up, Southbank

This winter, London's Southbank becomes home to its very own Alpine themed ski lodge, courtesy of pop-up entrepreneur Jimmy Garcia.

Situated on the river along the Queen's Walk, this year's lodge boasts an upstairs dining room called The Refuge, a wooden cabin offering river views and a winter set menu. Downstairs, the Alpine Bar will be serving up winter warmer cocktails and mulled wine, alongside the Chalet Snack Bar where visitors can sample festive street food including Raclette Burgers and Venison Hot Dogs. Available for private hire are the Lodge's now infamous snow globe-style Igloos kitted out in full Alpine fashion, in which diners can enjoy their own playlist and breathtaking views of the Thames.

The principle is simple – responsibly sourced ingredients, warming winter cocktails and dishes which encompass a taste of the Swiss Alps. And what an enticing taste it is: guests are spoiled for choice with an authentic menu that includes coal baked squash with Burrata, smoked mackerel rillettes and cured meats sourced exclusively from third-generation butchers in Jimmy’s father’s home town of Asturias. But it is Jimmy's fondue that really steals the show. Neal’s Yard artisan cheeses and others imported from Switzerland are melted together in a vat of rich, warming, full-flavoured boozy indulgence: just the kind of hefty meal you’d want to be welcomed in from a day on the the icy Swiss ski slopes with. There is even a mushroom-based vegan fondue option on offer this year. 'We do fondue' is a motto The Lodge more than lives up to.

Now an established name on the pop-up dining scene in London, Garcia’s latest project may well be his most spectacular yet. As the nights get colder and longer, we urge Londoners to find foodie sanctuary in one of our favourite wintery refuges.