This Spanish Restaurant have created their very own Christmas Markets!

Whether you love them or hate them, it was rather disappointing to hear that the Manchester Christmas Markets were cancelled this year due to COVID-19, and even with a couple of smaller alternatives popping up in Piccadilly Gardens and St Ann’s Square – the city seems a whole lot less ‘Christmassy’.

This is, of course, all understandable considering the fact that we’re in Tier 3 and you can’t even go into a boozer for a pint, so the city’s independents have had to re-think and adapt their offerings to survive.

So, low and behold, independent Spanish restaurant La Bandera have launched their very own Christmas Markets, where you can order and collect an impressive range of food, drinks, hampers and gifts.

Ibéricos Hamper (£24.95) with optional Wine Flight (£24.95)

Head on over to their website and you can order a range of impressive hampers, with their Ibéricos Hamper (£24.95); filled with a selection of the best Spanish Ibérico cured meats with marinated olives, roasted almonds and fried corn, their Artisan Cheese Hamper (£24.95); with 4 fantastic artisan Spanish cheeses with crackers, homemade fig jam and onion chutney.

Finally there’s their Spanish Delicatessen Hamper (£26.95) with Jamón Ibérico (Iberian Ham), Chorizo, 2 Artisan Spanish Cheeses, Olives, Crackers and Homemade Onion Chutney.

Artisan Cheese Hamper (£24.95)

With your choice of hamper, you can pick a bottle of fantastic Spanish wine sourced from small-batch independent wineries, or even better – a bottle of Cava. Or for an extra £24.95 you can choose La Bandera’s optional WINE FLIGHT – 4 specially selected and paired wines that go perfectly with everything in your hamper.

Talking of booze and wine, La Bandera offer up a truly excellent selection of independent wines from Spain and the Canary Islands – a consequence of having one of the best wine lists of any restaurant in the city. Where else in the city can you get a bottle of the outstandingly complex Tajinaste 2017 (£42), grown on the volcanic slopes of North Tenerife?

La Bandera’s Christmas Market also features their brand-new Menu de Navidad – their Spanish Christmas Tapas Menus.

With two options available for collection, there’s the £25pp option with Appetisers and 5 tapas to share, or you go more extravagant for £34pp with Appetisers, a cheese and meat board, and 6 tapas including; Homemade Turkey Croquettes, Grilled King Prawns with Aioli Sauce, Christmas Sliders with Chorizo and Goat Cheese, Beef Stew, Twice Cooked Octopus and Carrilleras de Cerdo – slow cooked Iberian Pork Cheeks in a PX Wine Sauce.

Iberica Slow Cooked Pork Cheek

There are also plans to start offering up a range of gifts, including a Paella Kit (£19.95), Sangria Kit and Churros at Home Kit – all great for presents or just if you want to re-create a Spanish holiday at home.