“Whether you're indulging in a lazy afternoon, or celebrating a special occasion, nothing completes a cosy winter setting better than a roaring fire.”

From cosy pubs to elegant hotel tea rooms, London has a wonderful and varied array of roaring open fires by which to warm the cockles.

Far from dwelling on the cold, The Goring is celebrating the season with their Winter Tea (£35 per person) which features a selection of cheerful and warming afternoon tea delicacies, all to be enjoyed in front of the crackling fire. Also serving a Traditional Afternoon Tea (£38 per person), The English Tea Room at Brown’s Hotel offers a mix of traditional and contemporary style, combining original wood paneling and open fireplaces with fashionable fabrics and original artworks.

The dark gothic interiors at 190 at The Gore are suitably complemented by a smouldering fire, creating a sophisticated setting for a private drink. And for somewhere more relaxed but still refined, settle into a sofa around the beautiful central fireplace in The Withdrawing Room at The Lanesborough.

For those yearning for a breath of cold crisp air, take a stroll on Hampstead Heath followed by a well-deserved drink around one of the two coal-burning fires at the quaint Holly Bush. And further along in Kentish Town, the Sunday menu at The Bull and Last will sate the appetites of the hungriest of amblers.

Leaving the house needn't mean braving the cold; the welcoming open fires at neighbourhood pubs, The Duke of Clarence and The Abbeville, keep Kensington and Clapham locals respectively happy (and warm). Playing host to notoriously raucous weekends, be sure to arrive early at The Old Queens Head in Islington to nab a spot fireside. If rowdy crowds don't appeal, The Drapers Arms is close by and serves comforting pub food around their cosy fire. Fireside sofas at the grungy First Floor on Portobello Road are highly sought after amongst the hip Notting Hill crowd, and if it's a gastropub that you're after, The Thomas Cubitt offers a delicious menu with three working fireplaces to boot.

For an alternative take on the traditional log fire, Roka offers a unique dining experience with guests seated around the smoking robata grill. Also serving excellent Japanese-fusion cuisine, Sushinho on the Kings Road offer  a contemporary and striking fire as a central feature, and lastly, the blazing fires at Bam-Bou provide an opulent backdrop to a romantic date spot – a surefire that sparks will fly…