Manchester wins at Christmas. For 6 weeks you can visit the Manchester Christmas Market, which actually a string of markets located in over 9 different places around the city center. This was great as on a Saturday when we went, there was room to walk around and take time to look at stalls. The main market in Albert Sqaure can get quite busy as it’s the most enclosed and a more traditional German market full of food stalls, Gluwein stalls, and of course ornaments and other crafts.
We had dinner at this stall, I highly recommend the mustard chicken with garlic and herb potatoes, yum!
The markets are separated into themes of sorts, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian etc. Our first stop was the street where the French themed market was, which included stalls filled with jewellery and precious stones brought over, fragrant soaps, macaroons, traditional pastries and more.
An ice rink was set up in Screenfields where normally the lawn would be, screening Christmas movies while you skate along the ice and blasting music. The cutest thing was that there were little seals the little ones could ride on and be pushed around. 
{Stroopwafles!} 
Baklava is my weakness, I definitely nabbed a few pieces to take home with me. 
Myself (above) and Fran (below) enjoying our first mug of gluhwein of the day. When you get your wine or beer there is a deposit of £2 for the cup, which you can either take back and redeem or keep. We decided to keep ours as a little souvenir as it had little penguins on it and said that the Manchester Christmas market was celebrating 15 years. That’s quite the milestone! 
We were a bit silly and left the main market till last as we were having so much fun wandering around finding the smaller ones. I think the best time to head here would be first thing as at night people are getting hungry and flock to the gluhwein stalls and pop up restaurants located in the market. We still plodded through though and managed to pick up some more presents.
These garlic plates are great, I bought one at an Edinburgh food show and it’s my most used kitchen gadget. If you come across them, watch the demonstration and take one home. 
Manchester was pretty much my favourite Christmas market I have been to yet. Not only where the markets great, but the buildings around the city put up festive decorations and glittery lights to totally transform the city. Machester, I tip my hat to you, you’re spectacular at Christmas.
