‘I went to the world’s largest Christmas market with a tenner – that is how far it bought me’
If there’s one thing Birmingham is known for, it’s the Christmas markets.
Well, apart from the heinous traffic diversions. But the heart of the Midlands is not immune to it’s own kind of criticism – the price of their food and drink. The annual Birmingham German Christmas Markets bring plenty through the city centre, but a seven quid pint does not always bring in happy punters.
With that in mind, I headed down to the Bullring with a tenner in hand to see what I could bag myself with a humble sum. Initially, images of huge steins of beer and metre long bratwursts filled my head – but I was quickly brought down the earth.
The spirit of goodwill and giving seemed to be lost, firstly from the extortionate parking which already sets someone back at £11 for three hours. But other than that, the festive spirit was in abundance for the Brummies.
A pint comes in at a whopping £7 so to start the day off lightly, I settled for a half pint at a more manageable £4.50. But there I was met with a slightly unexpected cost – a deposit.
While this is not the norm at your local boozers, stall owners have complained about punters taking off with the precious steins and mugs which they use to serve their mulled wine. You can get a glass, but you have to pay a fiver for the privilege.
This is refundable, of course, so won’t necessarily crack into your £10. However it’s worth noting that if you pay in card you get the money back in cash.
Walking down the high street, I couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming smell of fried onions. The bratwurst is a pillar in all German institutions and it’s safe to say Birmingham was no exception.
While there was a bit of shopping, the average price for the sausage in a bun fell around £6.50. You could add onions for an extra £1, but those are luxuries out of my reach.
One stall even offered a bratwurst measuring in at half a metre. Sounded tempting, but the £9 price tag was enough to put anyone off. Having walked around 10,000 steps around the endless stalls, I stopped off for a sweet treat.
The markets made everything they possibly could into the flavour of black forest. From donuts to cocktails, it was pretty much inescapable. I settled on a chocolate covered marshmallow – the treats were £1.50 each and stationed pretty much every four stalls. Milk chocolate and coconut made a nice snack, but with £4 left, I tried to see what else I could get.
No chance of jewellery, cuckoo clocks or any other decorations, which varied in price but were definitely out of my budget. I thought maybe a good coffee, but a decent flat white was completely absent from the markets.
The old-fashioned carousel was £4 a pop, but not at the top of the list of my list. Ice skating was £15 and the big wheel was £8. Safe to say, not possible.
It’s worth saying there was plenty of free entertainment – a German band (lederhosen free), some models to see and even a Nativity scene.
After much wandering and £4 burning in my pocket, I decided I could not leave without trying the German bratwurst delight, and gave in. It was over the £10 budget, but worth every bite.
The total of my Brummie escapade came in at £13.50. Onions and all.
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