The UK’s Christmas markets are back and bigger than ever, with a huge variety of food and drink on offer – but Christopher Megrath made a mistake with during his first visit
The Liverpool Christmas Markets are in full swing, with a tantalising array of mouth-watering scents wafting through St George’s Plateau.
The North West city’s festive fair has been named one of the nine best in the country this year, following a poll of Which? readers. It outperformed its larger sibling market in Manchester.
Clarke Events, the masterminds behind the markets, have hinted that this could be the “best year yet”, and they might just be right. The annual market attracts thousands of visitors each year, and with the event running until Christmas Eve, there’s ample time for shoppers to pop by and soak up the festive vibes.
Since relocating from Church Street in 2016, the markets have found a successful home at St George’s Plateau. Christopher was among the first wave of visitors when the gates opened this morning and was instantly spoilt for choice.
In a moment of gastronomic folly shortly after arriving at the Liverpool market, Reach’s Christopher Megrath made a beeline for one of the most ostentatious food trucks in sight – a decision he would soon rue.
Nestled towards the back of the plateau, near St John’s Gardens, is the festive pie truck. With four fillings on offer and all the trimmings, it was Christopher’s first port of call on this culinary Christmas journey.
Christopher was warmly welcomed by two delightful staff members who good-naturedly ribbed him for ordering at the wrong side. The ensuing chat was a surprisingly pleasant exchange he hadn’t anticipated over a pie, reports the Liverpool Echo.
On offer were beef, ham and vegetable pies, but Christopher opted for turkey with all the trimmings, smothered in gravy. For those wanting a bit more, apple sauce and cranberry are also available.
After bidding goodbye to the traders, Christopher found the most inviting patch of damp ground to sit and tuck into his meal.
Christopher’s cardboard pot was filled with a turkey pie, two pigs in blankets, a couple of carrots and Brussels sprouts, a dollop of mashed potato and stuffing, all smothered in just the right amount of gravy, setting him back £13.
The filling was predominantly vegetables, including cabbage, turnip and even more Brussels sprouts, interspersed with a few chunks of turkey. The crust was a bit on the tough side for his liking, but the filling was scrumptious.
It took him about five minutes to polish off the lot, ensuring not a drop of gravy was wasted.
Overall, Christopher relished the meal, but quickly realised that starting his market visit with a makeshift roast on-the-go was a terrible idea. He spent another hour meandering around the grounds, sampling light bites and sweet treats, but the festive pie had done him in.
Christopher was delightfully stuffed.
If you want to keep your energy levels up for the rest of the evening, Christopher would recommend visiting the truck at the end of your journey. Christopher felt like taking a nap afterwards. Do make sure to sample a bit of everything, as the variety on offer is truly splendid, he explained.
Liverpool Christmas Market is also set to tantalise taste buds with a vast array of international flavours. Regular favourites will include Yorkshire pudding wraps, bratwurst, noodles, salt and pepper chicken, halloumi, Greek gyros and souvlaki, roast pork baps, mac n cheese, burgers, siu mai, donuts, waffles, crepes, fudge, sweets, home bakes and hot crumble pudding.
For those with a sweet tooth, there’ll be brownies, cookies, hot cookie dough, candy floss, popcorn, toasted marshmallows, fresh baked macaroons, churros, candy and hot roasted chestnuts. A full list of traders and prices can be found here.
