I think the office is divided into two types of people: those obsessed with Christmas and those who are of a similar nature to The Grinch (Ben Brown). What that means for you lovely folk though, is we’re going to be bringing you an array of Christmas themed delights and other non-Christmassy ways to actively avoid it all.
This time round though, I’m throwing us baubles-deep into Christmas and bringing you the top 5 things you can get your little paws on at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Disclaimer: Expect a lot of food and I mean A LOT – it’s Christmas. Treat yo’self.
The Christmas Dinner Toastie
Northern Soul
I took a trip to the Markets last weekend and by far the biggest crowd of people was found drooling over some seriously melty cheese at Northern Soul’s stand in Albert Square. What I suspect everyone was waiting for is the new Christmas Dinner Toastie. It’s absolutely packed full of all the main ingredients for a dinner, (including plenty of cranberry sauce) and then covered with lashings of gravy. I didn’t know the one thing a Christmas Dinner was missing was cheese and bread. I do now. And I’ll never be going back to the shambles of a life I had before without it.
Mini Dutch Pancakes
De Creperie
I mean pancakes are absolutely brilliant – there’s no denying that. Make them mini and you’re onto a winner. Make it the most mesmerising experience to watch and you’ve got some seriously viral-friendly food right there. Not only does it look good, it tastes damn good too. Obviously get those fluffy little dollops absolutely covered in squirty cream and Nutella, get yourself a mulled wine, sit back and enjoy every last little crumb.
Cheeeeeeeese
It goes without saying that one of the best things about Christmas is the abundance of fine cheese that appears as if by magic. It’s difficult to pick out one singular cheese stall because there’s tonnes and they are all equally fantastic. There is, and I counted, 1 billion and 2 different types of cheese up for grabs at the Christmas Markets this year. There’s chutney dedicated stalls too so you can conjure up the best pairings. I even tried a bubblegum pink angel delight chutney, I’m not 100% sure what opportunity could arise for you to eat this, but it truly was an angelic delight on my tastebuds.
S’mores
This American style treat is truly that. It’s a sugary, chocolatey and biscuit-y TREAT. What more you could want from a dessert? It is by far the best thing to happen to Piccadilly Gardens in a very, very long time. There’s two giant toasted marshmallows wedged between two crunchy cookies and an excessive amount of molten Nutella. You just have to succumb to how messy you’re going to get eating this and let the chocolate drip all over your face. Maybe don’t eat it on your first date
Booze
Cheese is up there with a big part of Christmas, but in my house a bigger part is the booze. It usually kicks off around 8am with a glass of Champagne and drinking continues throughout the day. It’s completely acceptable in fact, to be a little Merry for the entirety of December. Possibly until mid-January. Every few metres you’ll find a stall where you can top up your Christmas Market themed mug with more mulled wine than you could ever dream of. Definitely opt for the extra shot of booze. If for no other reason than to warm you up, it’s about -3014 degrees out.
