Ludicrous prices at Christmas markets are causing disgruntled scrooges everywhere to pooh pooh the festive activity. Is this northern UK market worth your time?
York is many things – and one of them is a city that prides itself on doing Christmas right. As a northern city outside of Manchester, prices at the Christmas market were not obscene. However, they were, for me, very much not worth the cost.
Still recovering from the shock of seeing an “ethically sourced” whippet tree decoration for £16.25 at a museum shop – we headed to the city centre.
If you have ever found yourself leaning into the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge around Christmas, give this market a hard swerve. I found the prospect of shelling out £7.50 on a gimmicky hot chocolate infuriating. However, it would be stupid not to respect that these festive hot spots are popular for a reason.
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There was a distinct lack of aroma at this Christmas market. You might expect the warm, sweet scent of sugared nuts to perfume the air. Instead, the residual angst of frustrated parents and teenagers barging past pensioners dominated the atmosphere.
The main event – and the viral moment of the Christmas market – was the Chocolate Circus. By the gaggle of souls wrapped up to the nines waiting in the queue, you might think the masterminds behind Chocolate Circus had reinvented the wheel. They have not.
In fact, what you will be paying £7.50 for is a hot chocolate with a cookie on top. After a couple of sips of my (decent) hot chocolate through the candy cane striped straw, my (rock hard) cookie fell into the milky drink.
I looked in disbelief before wondering if it was worth digging in and fishing it out. Looking to my right and left, I did just that – refusing to let an estimated £5 disintegrate into milk. My life-saving efforts failed. A young, glamorous-looking couple watched on in apparent horror as I, in a strop, dumped it into the bin.
If you have children, visitors, or a significant Christmas bonus, then maybe the array of half an hour queues and sugary £15 treats will be up your street. Tommy Banks’ pies racked up quite the audience. The celebrity chef’s face is plastered over a double-fronted wooden shack with pies going for £9.90 a pop.
The spice bag queues – which were lengthy – also saw customers waiting half an hour to drop £12.50 on the Irish delicacy. It’s not difficult to conclude that I am simply not the right person for this kind of fare. I am happy with a sit-down and equally pricey pastry.
For parents, or fellow miseries, there is a beautiful cafe a stone’s throw away from the Christmas market. Peach coloured and beautifully quiet, Heppni, meaning lucky, sells an array of more subtle Christmas treats – including pigs in blankets croissants. I would recommend you camp out here as your happy-go-lucky counterparts enjoy the market.
York Christmas market – like all Christmas markets – is for those who are serious about getting into the festive season in mid-November and are prepared to back it up with cold, hard cash.