Review: Exeter Christmas Market

The Exeter Christmas Market is back for its second year, and Santa’s bringing in the good stuff.

Exeter Christmas Market the tab the tab exeter

Here at The Tab, we decided to take a tour of the Market to find all the best stalls for you to visit.

Amongst the mulled wine, bratwurst, and terrifyingly festive Christmas jumpers, we found a few other gems that really deserve some attention.

Traders and tourists are coming in from not just the UK, but from all over the globe, all here to tempt customers with sweet delicacies and Christmas-y goodies.

“The market is being promoted as an international event,” says PR Manager Esther Haller-Clarke, “But we also wanted to involve more local businesses, so this year we have 40% local traders.”

So where do you begin? As a student who loves Christmas, I would strongly suggest you wander towards any of the many drinks vendors and order a cup of mulled wine.

Or head over to Camper Coffee and get yourself a cup of hot Amaretto coffee.

You can admire their retro Volkswagen Bus and feel good about yourself – the entire company is about being environmentally friendly and a certain portion of the money you spend goes to various charities!

If you’re walking around and wondering what that fantastic smell is, it’s probably one of the numerous vendors selling all sorts of delicious and unusual foods.

Our personal favourite was the Bison and Elk stall, where you can get a bowl of Elk Venison stew or an absolutely fantastic bison burger with all the trimmings.

Another crowd favourite is the traditional German bratwurst in any of the food huts on the outskirts of the market, alongside some very festive turkey and cranberry crepes at Quick Crepes.

Definitely make it a point to try some of the specialty cheeses at Snowdonia Cheese Company – the Amber Mist is a winner, and you’ll know why when you try it.

After you’re done munching down that bison burger, take another look at all the other specialty stalls around.

ASH Iron Works, Emma’s Soap and The Portrait Studio are all great places to visit if you’re looking for souvenirs or Christmas gifts, selling a variety of handcrafted seasonal goods that are perfect to put under the tree.

Or, if you’re one of those, there are potentially a hundred different variations of Christmas jumper and hat to choose from throughout the entire market.

Got a sweet tooth? The French bakery with their famous egg custard tarts is waiting just around the corner.

Or if you’re feeling a little Italian, go take a look at the dozens of varieties of nougat on offer, sitting comfortably beside Bailey’s marble chocolate cakes.

Wash it all down with a cup of traditional mead at Magic Mead, and make sure you bring a bottle home for your upcoming Christmas pre-lash.

All in all, the Christmas Market is definitely something worth dedicating an evening to. With food, drink, and festive gifts aplenty, it’s more than likely you’ll leave with an empty wallet: but we guarantee you won’t regret it.