Food Markets and Festivals - Autumn and Winter
Hello there!
I enjoy cooking as I can design what I make and experiment with different flavours and ingredients, but seeing what other people cook is the best way to get inspiration. Over the past few months I have visited a few different markets and festivals which showcased lots of different types of cuisine and displayed the endless varieties of food available around the world. All the places I visited are around the UK so hopefully everyone has the chance to go to at least one of them. Enjoy!
I go to Wales very often but this was the first time I had been to this food festival. Conwy is a beautiful market town in the North of Wales, next to the River Conwy and has a castle which can be seen from many places around the town. I went on the Sunday and it certainly gets busy around mid-late afternoon. It was free entry, however, the only draw back was you had to pay around £7 to receive a wristband which allowed you to visit some other stalls in tents. Nonetheless, they had a large variety of stalls all along the docks, up the high street and further into the town which you could see without a wristband.
Some of the stalls included American, Polish, Caribbean and locally caught fish. You constantly got wafts of lovely spices or chocolaty-goodness from stalls like the churros stall which I enjoyed in the afternoon. The location of this market made it popular as the views from the docks were lovely and you could tell that everyone selling their products really enjoyed being at the festival. It wasn't just freshly cooked food that was being sold but their was also companies selling cheeses, sauces, baked goods like cakes and breads and also olive stalls, just to name a few. I was very impressed with the cultural variety throughout but how you could still get hold of a traditional hog roast roll easily. Very much enjoyed!
I always love going to London, especially when it's somewhere I've never been before or haven't visited in ages. I had been to Borough Market before but ages ago so I was looking forward to going this time. Borough Market is mainly for special produce which you would buy and then cook with at home but there are still stalls similar to those at the festival in Wales where you can get ready cooked items for lunch.
The thing that stood out the most to me was the vibrancy of the whole place, even the tiny tarts were so colourful and the fruit and vegetables were just magnificent. There were lots of stalls which sold cheese, spiced sausages and high-end oils, such as truffle oil. Most of the stalls sold items that were more expensive than they would be if you bought them in the supermarket but the quality would be much better.
Again, just like in Wales, there was so much variety from across the world, for example, I bought a very flavoursome tomato focaccia bread from an Italian bread stall. There was also a Turkish stall which sold traditional Turkish products like Turkish Delight and Baklava. For my lunch, I had a bratwurst sausage bun from a German stall, while some of the people I was with had Greek food. Something which really caught my eye was how fresh the meat and fish produce looked as I always like to know where the meat I'm eating is from and at the large fish stall, every single fish had a small sign saying where it's from. A wonderful place to get ingredients for a special occasion and would really like to go back!
Moving on from Autumn is when you start seeing the Christmas markets popping up around the country. I personally love the Birmingham Christmas market as it has much a great atmosphere and really makes you feel in the Christmas mood and is very interesting to look around as it is a Frankfurt market so there are lots of traditional German items you can purchase. The market is based in the high street but also goes but into Victoria square so it is a very large market and they were celebrating their 50th anniversary of the market this year!
When you arrive, the first thing you notice is the German style of all the stalls and the large variety of gifts and food they are selling. There are lots of stalls selling sweet treats such as chocolate truffles and donuts but also savory snacks like pretzels and German sausages. I had been to this market before and I was really looking forward to having the pretzels again as they have such a lovely crunch on the outside but a soft inside, just a wonderful texture overall. Some of the stalls had such sweet Christmas gifts which I hadn't seen anywhere else. In particular, I thought the star lanterns were so pretty and the sort of gift that I hadn't seen anywhere else. There were also little candle holders with Christmas decorations on, all the gifts had lots of character.
Overall, Birmingham Christmas Market is a wonderful place to go to get you in the Christmas spirit and even do some Christmas shopping for gifts. There are also lots of food stalls selling traditional German treats and the atmosphere is wonderful with lots of Christmas lights and I even saw a live small brass band by the huge Christmas tree playing festive carols. Going to the market certainly makes a lovely day out with friends and family!
As well as the Christmas market in Birmingham, there are ones all around the country and I went to the Bath Christmas Market on the 26th November which was the first Saturday of the market being opening so it was very busy. It had a slightly different atmosphere compared to the Birmingham one as the market wasn't as centred around food but instead was more of a craft market, nonetheless it was still very enjoyable.
The market is located in the centre of Bath and in the streets surrounding the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey with lots of stalls selling unique Christmas gifts as well as some food stalls selling items such as cheeses and sauces. All the stalls had white roofs to make it look like it had snowed and the Christmas lights created a cosy atmosphere. I found that there was a much larger range of gifts available to buy at this market compared to the one in Birmingham as there were some stalls selling German-style gifts like the homes you can put incense in or traditional nutcrackers, as well as products made in the UK. In particular, I saw a stall selling Welsh slate, pottery made in Bristol and soft cheeses made in Bath. There were over 170 chalets/stalls so everyone would be able to find a gift for someone.
I would definitely like to go back as I feel like you miss quite a lot of the stalls when it is so busy so going back next year or the year after would be good so you get a better look at everything. It was lovely to see how talented the people are selling the handmade products since it shows such skill they have and that they are passionate about selling items that they love making. Definitely somewhere to go to get you into the Christmas spirit and do some unique shopping for gifts with friends and family!
Those are some of the places I would recommend visiting in the Autumn-Winter months to get you in the Christmas spirit or just places to go with your friends and family!
If you liked this post, visit my full blog at:
https://littlechefbeth.blogspot.com
I enjoy cooking as I can design what I make and experiment with different flavours and ingredients, but seeing what other people cook is the best way to get inspiration. Over the past few months I have visited a few different markets and festivals which showcased lots of different types of cuisine and displayed the endless varieties of food available around the world. All the places I visited are around the UK so hopefully everyone has the chance to go to at least one of them. Enjoy!
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| View of the River Conwy from the docks |
Gwledd Conwy Feast - 22nd-23rd October 2016
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| I had a North Carolina burger from an American street food stall |
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| The view towards Conwy, over the river |
Borough Market - Full Market Open Wednesday-Fridays (Limited Market Monday & Tuesdays)
I always love going to London, especially when it's somewhere I've never been before or haven't visited in ages. I had been to Borough Market before but ages ago so I was looking forward to going this time. Borough Market is mainly for special produce which you would buy and then cook with at home but there are still stalls similar to those at the festival in Wales where you can get ready cooked items for lunch. 
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| The tarts were very colourful and appealing |
Again, just like in Wales, there was so much variety from across the world, for example, I bought a very flavoursome tomato focaccia bread from an Italian bread stall. There was also a Turkish stall which sold traditional Turkish products like Turkish Delight and Baklava. For my lunch, I had a bratwurst sausage bun from a German stall, while some of the people I was with had Greek food. Something which really caught my eye was how fresh the meat and fish produce looked as I always like to know where the meat I'm eating is from and at the large fish stall, every single fish had a small sign saying where it's from. A wonderful place to get ingredients for a special occasion and would really like to go back! |
| There was many different species of fresh fish |
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| Pumpkins for sale for Halloween |
Birmingham Christmas Market - November 17th-29th December 2016
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| An example of the lovely decorations |
Moving on from Autumn is when you start seeing the Christmas markets popping up around the country. I personally love the Birmingham Christmas market as it has much a great atmosphere and really makes you feel in the Christmas mood and is very interesting to look around as it is a Frankfurt market so there are lots of traditional German items you can purchase. The market is based in the high street but also goes but into Victoria square so it is a very large market and they were celebrating their 50th anniversary of the market this year!
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| Some of the tea lights you could buy |
When you arrive, the first thing you notice is the German style of all the stalls and the large variety of gifts and food they are selling. There are lots of stalls selling sweet treats such as chocolate truffles and donuts but also savory snacks like pretzels and German sausages. I had been to this market before and I was really looking forward to having the pretzels again as they have such a lovely crunch on the outside but a soft inside, just a wonderful texture overall. Some of the stalls had such sweet Christmas gifts which I hadn't seen anywhere else. In particular, I thought the star lanterns were so pretty and the sort of gift that I hadn't seen anywhere else. There were also little candle holders with Christmas decorations on, all the gifts had lots of character.
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| German sweet treats |
Overall, Birmingham Christmas Market is a wonderful place to go to get you in the Christmas spirit and even do some Christmas shopping for gifts. There are also lots of food stalls selling traditional German treats and the atmosphere is wonderful with lots of Christmas lights and I even saw a live small brass band by the huge Christmas tree playing festive carols. Going to the market certainly makes a lovely day out with friends and family!
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| Stall selling star lanterns |
Bath Christmas Market - 24th November-11th December 2016
As well as the Christmas market in Birmingham, there are ones all around the country and I went to the Bath Christmas Market on the 26th November which was the first Saturday of the market being opening so it was very busy. It had a slightly different atmosphere compared to the Birmingham one as the market wasn't as centred around food but instead was more of a craft market, nonetheless it was still very enjoyable. |
| German-style gifts |
I would definitely like to go back as I feel like you miss quite a lot of the stalls when it is so busy so going back next year or the year after would be good so you get a better look at everything. It was lovely to see how talented the people are selling the handmade products since it shows such skill they have and that they are passionate about selling items that they love making. Definitely somewhere to go to get you into the Christmas spirit and do some unique shopping for gifts with friends and family!
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| Bath Abbey |
Those are some of the places I would recommend visiting in the Autumn-Winter months to get you in the Christmas spirit or just places to go with your friends and family!
https://littlechefbeth.blogspot.com
