“If you didn’t know you were in Exeter, what city would you guess you were in?” I asked my mum as we sat in a bar at the Christmas Market that felt impressively busy for what is a relatively small city.
She paused to take in the lively atmosphere at The Cathedral Tavern and said: “Honestly, I wouldn’t even say we’re in the UK. It feels like we’re on the continent. This is like something they would have in Germany.”
Christmas markets aren’t really our thing. The huge crowds, repetitive music and street food smells make for complete sensory overload and just add to the stressful task of Christmas shopping.
Our experience of markets in other parts of the country has either been stalls plonked into the middle of an already busy High Street or a garish and borderline cartoonish effort to emulate a traditional German market, with huge beer steins and bratwursts.
But when I fully embraced the Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market, I realised how lucky we really are. Sure, there is music and crowds but it feels like a lot of care has gone into making it more than just a gimmick.
There’s a selection of local stalls and, last year, I actually managed to find some locally-made gifts there, which felt so much better than buying from big brands. This year, I wanted to convince Mrs S of the same.
Key to tackling any event like this is going in with a plan and, for us, grabbing a bite to eat first made sense. You don’t want to be battling the crowds while hungry and browsing the gift stalls while trying not to spill messy street food doesn’t seem sensible either.
Although not much of a foodie, mum was impressed by the varied food offering, which has something to suit everyone. As always, this was the busiest section of the market but you generally don’t tend to wait too long to be served. My advice to Christmas market newbies would be to eat a little earlier than you normally would to beat the crowds.
Once we were fuelled up with some fried chicken from Urban Cowboy Street Food – which was just as tasty as last year – we were ready to go gift hunting.
Mum was on the lookout for some small gifts and although it felt like there was a large volume of products, the variety could have been better. There were a lot of multiples offering the same thing. It would have been nice if there were more traditional Christmas food gifts and more unique things that would work as stocking fillers.
Aside from a few delicious smelling candles, we left pretty much empty handed. It wasn’t that the products on offer weren’t high-quality or worth buying, we just felt like there was something missing.
We decided it was time to have a browse around town and to get away from the sea of people for a bit but we vowed to return later. “It was starting to feel like we hadn’t done it right,” Mrs S said. “But then we went to the bar.”
Christmas market bars are a bit like marmite: some people love the lively, festive atmosphere while others grumble about the prices. Faye Williams, co-owner of Barnova, who runs the two bars at the market, explained that a huge amount of money goes into organising the venues and that the company is keen to support local businesses, meaning the cost of a pint or mulled wine might be a little higher than at your local.
We were apprehensive about visiting The Cathedral Tavern, worrying that the crowds might mean long waiting times and difficulty finding somewhere to sit, but we were so glad we did.
“The staff were lovely and it didn’t feel like you had to push your way in to order,” mum observed. “The service was quick and we even found somewhere to sit.”
The buzz about the place was infectious. Everywhere you looked, everyone seemed to be having a good time. A quick scan around the room, which was packed with people of all ages, and I counted maybe one person using their phone – a rare sight these days. Having felt a little deflated earlier, it totally turned our day around.
Mum even made a new friend: “I made friends with someone’s very cute dog. What’s not to love?”
Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market will run until Sunday, December 15 and is open from 10am to 7pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am to 9pm Thursday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.
