Mike Battle winds his way through crowds of wide-eyed children and cheerful elves. The ground is thick with snow, the surrounding pine trees are full of festive lights and Father Christmas’s grotto is just round the corner.
Britain s most exclusive festive grotto near Ascot (David Beckham pictured there) has the pricetag to match, with more than 100,000 people queuing virtually to grab tickets costing up to £179 each.