The Newcastle Christmas markets have been open for nearly a month and have attracted quite the crowd. With over 60 stalls stretching across Monument, Grey Street, Grainger Street, Old Eldon Square and Nelson Street, there’s quite the selection this year.
The markets are very food heavy this year which, if you’re like me, will be great news. Those looking for more gift buying and trinket hunting stalls may be a little disappointed, however.
The Christmas markets do have a fantastic atmosphere however, especially at night with the Christmas lights overhead and each stall playing festive music.
I would avoid the weekend though if possible, due to the large number of people in attendance.
The crowds when walking around aren’t really the problem, however. It’s trying to fight past the queues.
The queues are huge, and run perpendicular to the flow of the crowd so make it really difficult to work your way around.
On top of that, once you’ve found the stall you want to order from, you have to find the end of these massive queues and wait in them for what feels like an eternity (probably about 10-15 minutes).
Though the high number of food stalls is an enjoyable factor, with stalls hosting a variety of cuisine, from Sri Lankan food to Mac and Cheese, you’re looking at around £10 (at least) for most meals, which I would argue is quite steep.
I was very excited to try the Yorkshire Pudding Wrap stall, for example, opting to try their name-sake product but was left quite disappointed after spending £11 on a wrap which was just… missing something.
A bit more flavour, some salt and pepper at least, would do a world of good.
It was alright, but if it was me? I’d skip the wrap and just have a Sunday dinner. The novelty of the wrap is a fun idea, but beyond that there’s not much special going on.
The must try dish for me is the Mac and Cheese from Redheads Mac and Cheese, however, which comes in a variety of styles including Xmas, BBQ and sticky rib.
However, even the original is worth the wait. It’s crispy on top, creamy in the middle, and has hot, stretchy cheese all the way through.
The few stalls that aren’t selling food are also, somehow, selling food however…
By this I mean that if a stall isn’t serving food to go, they’re selling some sort of packaged food to eat later.
The list includes The Brownie Bar, Sprinkled cupcakes and Matthews Cheese, however there are a couple of non-food-centric stalls such as the Lush stall, selling self-care products.
Overall, I would go for the novelty of the experience. A trip to the Christmas markets will always be a necessary component of any Christmas season, even if it is only to be able to say that you’ve been.
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