Christmas at St John’s

Time to pull out your wackiest festive jumper, there’s a new Christmas market in town. “And?” I hear you shrug. No, wait, this is a good one.

It comes from the team behind GRUB, responsible for some grand street food experiences (our first time eating Osaka Local’s prawn okonomiyaki is one for the ages). They’ve only gone and linked up with property moguls Allied London to put something a little more grown-up than their previous homespun, outsider-minded bazaars. Less grub, more fare.

This market hosts a crack team of the region’s top indie food and drink traders, with a line-up that shifts and changes throughout the season. Think names like Another Hand, Caribbean kings Knights BBQ and the 100% plant-based Nina’s Tacos.

It’s an A-Team of northern street food, backed up with a huge Feuerzangenbowle bar. Here you’ll find a solid range of mulled wine (thumbs up for the chocolate version), plenty of outside heaters and sociable bench-seating.

On our launch-night visit, we sampled many, many dishes, without a single misfire. Highlights include Another Hand’s glorious flatbreads, topped with winter greens and herb butter, with a generous snow-like scatter of tangy Spenwood sheep’s cheese over the top. A Christmas miracle in a polystyrene tray.

Then there’s the BAB Korean Food truck, with their eye-watering foot-long meat skewers. No wisecracks here, we’re better than that. We do, however, heartily recommend getting sweet soy as the base sauce, with gochujang mayonnaise at the end – a highlight of the visit.

Possibly the most wacked-out option comes from Goode’s Pies – a new pie-based project from Shaun Moffat (of Winsome fame), Sam Grainger (Madre) and Tom Fastiggi (formerly of Schofield’s). There’s a classic dinner box option of meat and potato pie, mash and peas which works a treat on cold nights, these are very, very well-made pies.

Then there’s the very much not traditional option of lasagne pie. In a barm. Hold your horses, pie luddites, this might sound like carbogeddon but it actually works. The white sauce and low-key tomato tang balances out the pie and bread, and no corners are cut on any element. Sure, you wouldn’t eat it on the regular, but for a freezing Mancunian winter’s eve, it’s a belly-boosting kick to the system.

(Sadly, as a proud member of the wider Wigan diaspora, I was dismayed to discover none of the team are natives of the pie-eater bit of the A580. Jail! Jail for cultural appropriation!)

Unlike our dear leader, Cllr Pat Karney, we at CT Towers remain largely indifferent to the safe, sensible Christmas markets that pop up in the city centre, year after year. Christmas At St John’s is a different proposition altogether: smarter, sharper and very much more independent-minded.