I went to a UK Christmas market armed with a £20 note – here’s how far it got me

On a dreary November Saturday at 10.30am, I find myself observing a woman wielding an industrial-sized spray bottle. One might assume it’s filled with bleach or disinfectant.

Is she sanitising cafe tables? Far from it! The bottle is brimming with lemon juice, and she’s liberally spritzing it onto a sizzling crepe a crepe destined for me.

I’m stationed at the Piccadilly Gardens hub on the inaugural Saturday of Manchester’s 2024  Christmas Markets, equipped with a fresh £20 note to gauge its worth in the notoriously expensive realm of log cabins and gluhwein.

A sausage in 2024 will set you back around £9.50. Fancy a traditional pint of German beer to go with that? That’ll be roughly £14.

Stall operators have justified these price hikes, attributing them to yet another year of escalating rents.

Manchester Council has also defended itself, citing the substantial costs associated with infrastructure and security for one of the UK’s most beloved Christmas events.

That being said, the ‘Winter Gardens’ boasts an undeniably impressive food selection, offering a variety of cuisines from Brazilian to Greek to French. There are also several bars and dessert options.

The only noticeable absence was a decent cup of coffee.

I may have overlooked it, but I didn’t spot any stalls in Piccadilly Gardens offering even a basic latte or cappuccino. This seemed like a missed opportunity, given that the markets are open from 10am throughout the week, and not everyone will fancy a mulled wine or a rich hot chocolate during their work break.

A stall selling festive coffee, I thought, would have been quite popular. Perhaps the organisers didn’t deem it necessary, considering there are four or five coffee chains within a short distance of the market; as it happened, I opted for a flat white from the Costa machine in Morrisons.

Since I was planning to spend the entire day at the markets, I decided to try and get breakfast there and what better way to kick off the day than with a crepe?

It’s a staple in France.

My usual filling would be Nutella, but it was too early for such rich, sweet chocolate, so I chose another breakfast classic: a lemon and sugar crepe, reasonably priced (for the markets) at £5.

Ever since my childhood visits to the markets, I’ve always enjoyed watching the chefs prepare these: the beige batter on the scorching hot griddle, skilfully turned into a crepe with the use of metal spreaders.

Despite the crepe being fluffy, crisp and sweet, it was unfortunately dry. Regardless of the amount of lemon juice sprayed onto it, as I ate my way down to the bottom, it lacked flavour.

The latter half of the crepe was more enjoyable: sweet and tangy. However, next time I’ll invest an extra £1 for a filling that offers more taste.

From there, I ventured down King Street, around St Ann’s Square and over to Exchange Square, which was quickly filling with customers as lunchtime approached.

There are approximately ten food stalls to choose from, but the standout is Porky Pig, renowned for their famous Yorkshire Pudding wrap.

Their footlong battered pig-in-blanket has made them a hit this year, but they also offer a variety of carvery boxes and roast trimmings. Seeing the substantial queue forming halfway down towards the Printworks, I decided to join them.

Waiting for your order at Porky Pig on a Saturday lunchtime is akin to what I imagine the London Stock Exchange must once have been like: people jostling for position, clutching slips of paper (receipts) and shouting (order) numbers at each other.

The staff were diligently working behind the bar, navigating the buffet line with Yorkshire puddings as large as dinner plates, which they then filled with a variety of delicious items. The service was impressively quick I had my food in hand within about four minutes of ordering.

I chose the vegetarian Yorkshire pudding wrap, which included all the usual roast trimmings along with some vegetable sausages for £9.50. The Yorkshire pudding was flawless, crispy on the outside but wonderfully soft and fluffy on the inside, ideal for absorbing the generous amount of gravy.

Alongside the veggie sausages (I would have preferred faux meat like Richmond Meat Free, but that’s a minor complaint), there was creamy and flavourful herby stuffing, steamed vegetables, scalloped potatoes and a tasty gravy to tie it all together.

It’s worth noting that the wrap itself was massive and extremely satisfying more than enough for a main lunch or dinner on its own. So much so, that I didn’t have the appetite to try any more of the food there.

Even the giant pieces of Toblerone or cheese-filled coins couldn’t tempt me at this stage.

There are still plenty of delicacies on my list to sample: bratwurst from the vegan stand, Yard and Coop’s battered oyster mushrooms, Manc Poutine (chips, cheese and gravy), Hip Hop Chip Shop’s battered sprouts, and A Taste of Austria’s mushrooms in garlic sauce. With the markets running until December 22, there’s ample time to try them all.

After a long day of exploring (15,000 steps later), I decided to indulge in one more festive treat that wouldn’t be too heavy. A hot chocolate is a Christmas essential; it sets the mood without emptying your wallet.

I opted for a £4.50 ‘luxury’ hot chocolate at the churros stand in Piccadilly Gardens. Including the cost of the festive mug, it set me back £8, but I promptly returned the mug for a £3.50 refund, which was credited back into my account the next morning.

The beverage was crowned with a generous heap of whipped cream, adorned with marshmallows and a Flake bar. Quite delightful.

The only downside was that once you’d navigated through the toppings, you were left with a rather ordinary instant hot chocolate and only about half a mug of it.

Had I not been on duty, I might have opted for a version spiked with Baileys or Amaretto to add some excitement. Alternatively, I should have done my homework and chosen one of the many stalls advertising cocoa made with Ghiardelli or real chocolate.

However, the sheer volume of options at these markets can be quite daunting. With over 20 stalls selling hot chocolate alone, it’s a gamble to choose one without knowing if it’s worth it until it’s too late.

It’s common knowledge that prices at Christmas markets tend to be inflated. Yet, considering this, I believe £19 for a main course, dessert and drink is reasonable, matching what you’d expect to pay elsewhere in the city.

The quality of what I received was somewhat inconsistent, though. If you’re planning a visit, I’d suggest reviewing the list of stalls beforehand and consulting our useful guide to the best ones.

Otherwise, amidst the hustle and bustle, the smoke from the bratwurst grill and the aroma of mulled wine, the vast array of choices can easily become overwhelming.