In the kitchen, BAMBi’s chefs are draining tinned sprats from their oil, marinating chicken thighs in flour, and beating eggs and flour together to create fresh pasta dough for dishes that include Jansson’s temptation (a traditional Swedish casserole made of potato matchsticks and oily fish), fried chicken, and Italian tortellini (pork-stuffed parcels of pasta bathed in a rich, clear meat broth). Despite the intimidating task of cooking unfamiliar dishes from distant corners of the globe, they seem unfazed.

They are, however, surprised that 20 people have turned up to eat them without prior warning – the Our Legacy team has misleadingly sold the evening as a ‘photoshoot’, but it feels like more like impromptu dinner party, providing the perfect excuse to gather colleagues, friends and family for a spontaneous feast. Where else can you expect to eat Caribbean fish cakes, drink Julmust (a sweet Swedish soft drink whose flavour sits somewhere between root beer and cola), and finish off with English sticky toffee pudding swimming in a thick, buttery sauce? It would be a crime not to polish off these dishes, and manpower is called upon to help finish the job, with children, spouses, and dogs filtering in and out of the restaurant.

First up is KFC-style fried chicken, picked by Our Legacy’s design intern Aoi, who eats it every year on Christmas Day in Japan. It may seem bizarre that people in Japan – a country that boasts one of the most refined cuisines in the world – would eat American fast food on a day that typically revolves around long, laborious home-cooked meals. But after the launch of a 1974 marketing campaign called ‘Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii’ or ‘Kentucky for Christmas’, Takeshi Okawara – manager of the first KFC in Japan – sparked a peculiar new national tradition, with an estimated 3.6 million families eating buckets of fried chicken each year. “On Christmas Day, there’s no holiday in Japan – we have to work,” Aoi explains. “KFC created this consumerist thing that was heavily influenced by America and Western culture. But now it’s become our culture.”

Asking someone what they like to eat during the holiday season inevitably leads to sentimental conversations around home, heritage, and tradition. Olivia, who works in the showroom at Our Legacy, recalls eating Caribbean fish cakes on Christmas mornings at her grandmother’s home in Barbados, while Soraya, the brand’s store manager, suggests that Moroccan couscous and vegetables are best eaten directly from a big shared dish, particularly after a day of getting battered by the Atlantic’s waves under the sweltering sun (either in Morocco, or South Florida, where she hails from). Creamy pierogi (dumplings) and barszcz (sour and spicy beetroot soup) transport designer Patrycja back to a childhood spent in her small hometown of Bielsko-Biała in Poland, as does bratwurst and sauerkraut (fatty pork sausage with tangy fermented cabbage), which graphic designer Mauritz likes to pair with cheap wine during Weinfeste in his German hometown of Deidesheim.

“One may be tempted to eat couscous on a cold day, but don’t be fooled – it’s particularly great after a day of getting battered by the Atlantic’s waves, under the sweltering sun” – Soraya

“When I miss Germany, I eat bratwurst. It’s a simple but powerful taste – the sausage is salty and fatty, but the sauerkraut is almost funky” – Mauritz

Some festive food memories revolve around fathers in the kitchen; Verity, a producer at Our Legacy, recalls how her dad began substituting Britain’s “dreaded Christmas pudding” for sticky toffee pudding a decade ago, while Sarah, a PR, remembers her father – usually a “horrible cook” – carefully preparing Jewish latkes (crispy potato pancakes) three days ahead, soaking them in ice baths before eventually shallow frying them in oil. Throughout all of these international dishes, timeworn traditions are repeated or remade entirely – and for those who are spending the holidays abroad this year, cooking familiar recipes offers a sense of solace, and a taste of home.

“Sticky toffee pudding is close to my heart. My dad first made this dish around ten years ago to avoid the dreaded Christmas pudding, and it’s been a hit ever since” – Verity

“It’s a crime if you cook latkes in butter – it has to be oil, because the whole celebration of Hanukkah is about the miracle of oil. Who wouldn’t like latkes? They’re so crunchy, like French fries” – Sarah

“Tortellini in brodo is the most beautiful soul food. It reminds me of my mother and grandmother – a forever legacy” – Saro