Tandoori Delights - Salford

Apologies for the short notice, but you really should check out Manchester's Victorian Market at Salford Quays this weekend! It's a shame they're only around Thursday to Sunday, as this wonderful Christmas market outside the Lowry Outlet Mall, offers something quirkier than Manchester's soulless European Markets. There's a range of really unique old fashioned stalls, selling personalised crafts (not a fan of crafts myself) old English tea (don't drink tea) football sized pies (now you're talking) and among the stalls, you'll meet an animated cast of Dickensian street performers, which help bring the market to life. There are Victorian carol singers and musicians playing what sounds like the Game of Thrones theme tune. There is mulled cider being sold by vendors in period costume, for £2.50 a cup and there's even a big red booze bus, where after dodging all the stilt walkers you can flee the crowds and venture upstairs to escape the cold. This market has it all!

If you hear the words 'Victorian Christmas ' do you picture snowy scenes of chocolate box houses, glowing gas lights and horse drawn carriages with people wandering alongside in their finery? You do? Alas the organisers of this Market didn 't appear to bother checking Google Images. Before I 'm accused of being a complete Ebenezer Scrooge let me relay the scene for one and all after a wander round this lunchtime. With the main area in the plaza outside the Lowry Outlet and a second area of stalls on The Quays, there are a number of various food vendors. Apart from one selling pulled pork apple sauce rolls which I was informed were very tasty and another selling Baileys hot chocolate, there was a distinct lack of Victoriana going on. It would have been nice to see a roast chestnut stall for instance, or ones selling Roman punch or fancy puddings/cakes. Churros? Deliciously indulgent as they are, don 't shout Christmas to me, never mind Victorian Christmas. Pizza? An olives bar? C 'mon people! The double decker bus which had been converted to a bar was a novel sight admittedly, though a horse drawn omnibus would have been great to see. As for the non food stalls, whilst there were a number selling more festive gifts such as fudge and trinkets, there was one which can only be described as a Betterware catalogue roadshow. Why yes I 'd love to buy one of those in toaster toastie bags please. There were several people in period costume top hats, bonnets etc. which helped a tiny bit to salvage some authenticity, but it just appeared very half arsed to be brutally honest. If you 're in Salford Quays anyway, by all means have a wander round; but personally I wouldn 't set out with friends and family for a special trip here.