Fairy lights entwining every available post.
A rotund inflatable man, wobbles jollily on top of the town hall, observing all around him.
The crowds are bustling, but happy. As a sea of woolly coats, hats, gloves, jumpers and mittens moves slowly round the stalls.
The rich smells of the foreign fair greet your senses; mulled wine, cooked meats, and sweet treats.
Carefully crafted knitwear, hand carved owls, and shiny trinkets call quietly to me from their tables.
My pocket feels suddenly heavy with the weight of coins that want to be liberated on all these exciting things.
This
is only my second visit to the German Christmas markets. But since that
first time (and perhaps for the first time in my holiday cynical life!)
I felt truly festive.
I loved it, and fully
embraced it for all it’s Christmas-y goodness. I couldn’t get enough of
the sights, sounds and smells of this little German market or how it
made the centre of Manchester look a little bit like the inside of “it’s a small world”.
The
people here are friendly too, on one particular street the offer of
samples was so abundant I felt quite full! (But of course, I found room
for more!)
The food available is rich and tasty, and above all comforting, in the bitter chill of winter.
In fact, the Christmas markets famous pulled pork rolls inspired us to have a hog roast of our own this summer!
And
despite the window display protests of the high street shops
surrounding the Christmas markets, they stay strong and busy which makes
my heart glow.
Anyway to celebrate these wonderful markets returning to town, I have decided to make one of my favourite treats from them.
Coconut
macaroons. Partly because I have desiccated coconut to bake with, and
partly because I keep spending a small fortune on them when I go to
town.
So here they are.
Coconut Macaroons recipe:
200g dessicated coconut
2 egg whites
100g sugar
1 tbs vanilla essence
Heat oven to medium heat, fan 180c
Mix the coconut, sugar, egg whites and vanilla in a bowl till blended and sticky.
Line a oven proof tray with grease proof paper
Using your hands, mould the mixture into little half balls (so the bottom is flat) or if you have one. Use a ice cream scoop and plop the mixture on the tray.
Bake for roughly 15 mins till golden and then eat with a cup of tea! x
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