The Belfast Christmas Market has been the focal part of seasonal celebrations in the city centre for the last 17 years.
Whether popping in for a festive bite to eat, having a pint in the beer tent as part of your 12 Pubs of Christmas route or heading on for some last-minute presents, the market is always buzzing from the minute it opens at City Hall.
Belfast's annual Christmas Market was recently named one of the most affordable in the UK - which causes serious shock and horror in our comment section.
Read more: Belfast Christmas Market ranked one of the 'most affordable' in the UK
For as much as people love the Christmas market and make it part of their festive routine, others find it unreasonably priced and overrated.
I am somewhere in the middle when it comes to a visit to the market each year as while it’s hard to deny the festive feeling when walking about with a Bailey's hot chocolate in your hand, it can often feel way too overcrowded for what it’s worth.
In the wake of this data calling our Christmas market affordable, I was challenged to head down and see what I could get myself for £20.
I set myself some rules for this challenge - I wanted to treat myself to food, a drink and a dessert and I had to buy things that I actually wanted, not just search for the cheapest options.
So while I recognise that I probably could have stretched my 20 quid even further than I did, I wanted to spend my money on food and drink that I would actually enjoy.
I headed down on Thursday with the big coat, hat and scarf on as it was absolutely baltic and did a walkabout to have a nosey at what I fancied.
For a moment I questioned whether I should just see how many of the iconic Belfast Christmas Market items (aka Brawtworst hotdogs and Dutch pancakes) I could purchase on my budget but I didn’t find myself in the mood for some of those things.
My first purchase of the night was my main course - every year I say I will try something different and every year I find myself back at the same stall, ordering the same food because nothing can beat it in my eyes.
I settled for chicken and chorizo paella and bravas from the Paella stall right beside Lavery’s beer tent. I have tried to replicate this recipe many times before at home, and bought expensive ready meals that look promising but nothing hits as good as this paella.
It came in at £8 which is quite expensive in hindsight but I don’t think there was any other food that would have impressed me as much as this does.
After eating every last potato and grain of rice, I was absolutely stuffed that I wasn’t sure if I’d even have room for dessert and a pint but for the sake of the challenge, I powered on through.
It wouldn’t be the Christmas markets without Dutch pancakes so that’s where we headed next to suss out the dessert portion of the money. I would say that the queue for this stall was one of, if not the longest, one I spotted in the entirety of our visit.
For a plate of Dutch pancakes with Dutch syrup (you’ve got to try it instead of Nutella) and cream it was £5, bringing my total up to £13 so far - they seriously never disappoint.
To wash down the serious amount of eating we’d done so far, we decided it was time for a drink and ended up in the German Beer tent. It was a toss-up between there and Lavery’s but I was definitely feeling the novelty of a flavoured beer at this stage.
Although all the bench seating inside the tent was taken up, it was nowhere near as busy as times I have visited before and I didn't have to queue long at all to get a pint (which was music to my ears because I was dying of thirst at this stage).
I ordered a pint of their finest strawberry beer because when else am I going to be able to get one!
At a costly £6, this pint is just slightly over what you would be paying in the heart of the city centre for a good pint - granted the pints you get in bars come in glasses and not plastic cups that kill the pint as soon as its poured.
In total, my food and drink amounted to £19. I probably could have poked around to find something worth a pound across the stalls but at this stage, my hands were frozen off me and I was ready for home.
I left the market very satisfied with my choices and for just under £20, we had a really enjoyable evening so if you are willing to brave the cold and face the crowds, the Belfast Christmas Market can be a bargain night.
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