The best vegetarian and vegan food at the Manchester Christmas Markets 2021
Think fried camembert and port chutney bagels, stuffed arancini balls, not one but TWO vegan bratwurst stalls, plus cheese-filled Korean potato hot dogs and loads more.
Now it’s getting chillier it’s definitely starting to feel a lot more Christmassy in town. The markets have arrived, there’s the faint whiff of bratwursts grilling in the air – and for the first time, they are vegan.
Ok, admittedly they’re not all vegan, but we’ve found two stalls selling plant-based sausage alternatives and we have to say, overall we’re pretty impressed with the increase in both vegetarian and vegan offerings this year.
From cheese-filled Korean potato hot dogs to multicoloured burgers and Biscoff cookie pies, there’s certainly a lot more options for non-meat eaters at the Manchester Christmas markets this year.
That said, we know that some of Manchester’s vegans are fuming as the cookie dough stall, which usually has a vegan option, has taken it off the menu this year. Scandalous behaviour.
Keep reading to discover all of the best veggie and vegan food at Manchester’s Christmas markets this year.
Korean potato hot dogs at the Manchester Christmas Markets on Piccadilly Gardens / Image: EATMCR
Piccadilly Gardens
Home to cheese-filled, potato-waffle coated Korean hot dogs (£5.50) and not one but two vegan bratwurst stands, this year Piccadilly Gardens has to be at the top of your list.
The controversial public space has its drawbacks, sure, but solid veggie and vegan street food options are definitely not one of them this year.
Find the Korean hot dogs at Crunch on Piccadilly’s Winter Gardens. A vegetarian-friendly version filled with cheese is wrapped in a potato waffle coating, deep fried, and then rolled in sugar for a naughty twist.
There’s also S’mores churros sandwiches (£6.50) from Loop Churros, and vegan brattys available at Vertigo and Panc.
Image: Vertigo
Image: Panc
Over at Vertigo’s stall, you’ll find a big selection of vegan-friendly hot dogs including a katsu curry wurst and a chilli cheeze dog.
Then across the way at Panc, there’s more vegan dogs (£5 – £6) to get stuck into as well as thirteen different plant-based burgers (£5 – £9); fried chick’n wraps (£12), goujons (£5), loaded fries and chick’n poppers (£6.50 – £7.50); and a vegan shawarma kebab topped with lettuce, red onion, tomato, cucumber, chillies, guindilla peppers and Panc garlic sauce (£9).
Drinks-wise, think plenty of beer, ale and gluhwein, plus glasses of shimmering prosecco and steaming mugs of hot Vimto (full dislosure, we can’t say if any of the alcohol is veggie or vegan friendly, but we’re pretty sure the Vimto is a safe bet).
Image: THe Manc Group
King Street
The wonderful Italian cheese and meat stall that sits on the border of King street and Deansgate has returned for 2021, we’re happy to confirm, selling a whole host of cheesy delights including taleggio and coor da Sardegna.
Veggies can also get that go-to bratwurst here, with cheese sausages on sale for just £5.
Image: The Manc Group
A Sicilian street food stall has lots of veggie options, with cheesy spinach, aubergine and mushroom arancini on sale (£3.90) alongside margherita, bianca and bufalina pizza slices. There’s a good vegan slice too: a ‘Vegana’ topped with grilled artichokes, mushrooms, olives and tomato sauce (£3.50).
And over at Eat Greek, there’s halloumi and jackfruit pittas, halloumi fries, greek fries seasoned with oregano and served with salad and tzaziiki, and a loaded fries option with the option to add either halloumi or jackfruit.
Cathedral Gardens
The first Christmas markets to open this year, the offering here is pretty simple with a collection of bars selling mulled wine and cider, and wooden huts selling dutch mini pancakes, sugar waffles and more.
Image: The Manc Group
The Corn Exchange
Veggie-friendly Jammy Dodger-loaded cupcakes, Nutella-topped confections, and more covered with pick and mix sweeties, chocolate Oreos, and golden pretzels can be found at Zara’s Cupcakes market stall, priced at £3.50 each or £13 for four.
There are also cake jars, old-school puds, and cake mix-making kits to be found here.
Also at the Corn Exchange is a pie stall from The Crusty Pie Company selling a veggie-friendly broccoli and stilton pie, gorgeous homemade chutneys in flavours like apricot and ginger, cranberry and pot, and ‘flaming hot’, plus onion bhajis and vegetable samosas.
Image: The Manc Group
Exchange Square
Exchange Square might be known as the home of the Porky Pig wrap, but you’ll be pleased to hear that it has some great veggie and vegan options for non-meat eaters too.
Even Porky Pig is getting in on the plant-powered trend, selling giant veggie Yorkshire puddings filled with veggie sausages, seasonal veg, stuffing and veggie gravy (£&) alongside a vegan box with vegetable sausage, more veg, stuffing and vegan gravy (£7),
Here you’ll find an Indian street food stall selling charcoal grill paneer tikka wraps, Matar paneer curry, samosas, and traditional snacks like papri chaat (chickpea, yoghurt, Indian mix) and pani puri. Going all out? Opt for rice and / or khuboos bread (a sort of Arabic pitta) on the side.
The Dutch Fries company is here too with standard portions (from £5) alongside specials like parmesan and truffle (£8) or Dutch satay sauce (£6.50), as is a Dutch Mini Pancakes stall with 13 loaded pancake and sugar waffle options (from £4.50).
As for drinks, think classic mulled wine, caramel cider and an alcohol-free vat of hot ginger and honey – plus plenty of beers, wines and spirits.
Market Street
There’s not much to report food-wise, with the majority of stalls focusing on selling gifts and other trinkets. We did spy a massive stall selling pick and mix, though, for those who haven’t yet got over the closure of Woolworth’s.
Image: The Manc Group
Exchange Street
With a big focus on beer and wine, Exchange street is dominated by bars selling all the usual suspects – plus Baileys, boozy coffees, gin and tonics, and other spirit mixers.
Prestwich restaurant Triple B also has a stall down here selling a fried camembert bagel with port chutney, tomato sauce and winter slaw (£8) and a ‘Vegan Stocking Filler’ burger with vegan burger patty, cheeze, stuffing, cranberry and Russian dressing (£8).
Across the way, you’ll also find Wrap Up selling a ‘Herbie’s Halloumi’ wrap with grilled mixed peppers, sour cream, jalapenos, freshly-mae salsa and aromatic rice (£9), and veggie and vegan 5 bean chilli – both with butternurt squash, rice, salsa and jalapenos (£8 – £8.50), with additional sour cream and cheese for those who take dairy.
Opposite Zara, the big sausage stall by Witch House also has a veggie cheese sausage on sale with onions for just £5.
Image: The Manc Group
St Ann’s Square
Head to St Ann’s Square for square margherita pizzas, Yard and Coop fries loaded with pulled sriracha jackfruit (£9), big trays of cake from Ridiculous Rich, and Spanish nibbles like olives, sundried tomatoes and manchego at the Spanish KItchen Tapas stall.
There’s also some great-looking strudel dishes to discover here, in either apple of cherry flavour, alongside scrambled panckaes topped with your choice of apple, cherry or plum compote, chocolate-cream or custard.
Elsewhere, you’ll find indulgent cookie pies in flavours like Lotus Biscoff, chocolate and caramel and more (£4), alongside Bailey’s cream and chocolate truffles disguised as Christmas puddings at Gingerbread House Confections.
The Manchester charity that’s championing the community one step at a time
Thomas Melia
There’s a Manchester-based charity which is helping uplift and champion communities throughout the city centre and wider Greater Manchester region.
Us Mancs certainly know a thing or two about community, whether it’s our influential music scene, football clubs, our hospitality scene and so on, but Forever Manchester takes this to the next level.
This charity has been consistently funding and supporting community initiatives throughout Greater Manchester by helping people achieve the extraordinary, all while maintaining plenty of local pride.
Forever Manchester was born from a mission to support the people and places that make Greater Manchester magic, and is all about making sure the community is at the forefront of everything they do.
Credit: Forever Manchester
The community-first charity has invested over £65 million into local communities and awarded £517,968 to over 100 different community groups.
This isn’t a new charity either, Forever Manchester has been deep in our city’s culture for quite some time since launching in 1989, most notably commissioning local poet Tony Walsh’s ‘This is the Place’.
The piece was originally published in 2012 before finding a very special place in our hearts back in 2017 when Walsh performed the poem at a vigil for the Manchester Arena attack.
This love letter to Manchester has not only gone on to become a part of the city’s history but also reaffirmed this organisation’s place throughout communities in the region.
Credit: Supplied
Now, the community-minded charity is ready to make a mark in 2025 with a whole host of initiatives, including a Forever Manchester lottery, pub quizzes, comedy nights and disco bingo.
Anyone looking to find out more information about this community-first charity and see some examples of the work it does can visit Forever Manchester’s official website.
Remember, this is a city that looks after its own – that’s the kind of energy we want to see you keeping up all year long.
And, if you have a soft spot for a tote bag or wall art prints, look no further than Forever Manchester’s shop, where every purchase directly contributes to community activities in Greater Manchester HERE.
14 iconic Oasis locations you need to visit in Manchester
Thomas Melia
Oasis are back and ahead of their sold out Heaton Park gigs, we’re showing you some of the band’s most iconic Manchester-based locations.
If you haven’t heard already, the Oasis reunion is well and truly in full swing, so what better way to celebrate than visiting some of the band’s most iconic locations in and around Manchester city centre.
Whether you want to visit the place where the boys sat together practicing their hits and eating ‘Digsy’s Dinner’, or feel ‘Supersonic’ as you stroll past their favourite football stadium, these locations should be on all Oasis fan’s radars.
Take it easy and ‘Roll With It’ as you admire an Oasis mosaic in Manchester’s Northern Quarter or ‘Go Let It Out’ as you fangirl before posing next to the actual fireplace from the Definitely Maybe album cover.
Enough time talking, now we’ve got to figure out ‘The Masterplan’ to fitting a visit to each of these iconic Oasis locations all in one day… ‘Stand by Me’ we’ve got some ground to cover.
Iconic Oasis locations around Manchester city centre
Oasis are set to play five historic sold out nights at Heaton Park in Manchester this July.
Etihad Stadium
Both Liam and Noel Gallagher have been Manchester City supporters since day one / Credit: The Manc Group
If there’s one thing Manchester loves as much as its music – it’s football, and these two Burnage boys are no different, because they’ve been showing up for a familiar blue team since day one.
Located and right next to Manchester’s newest live entertainment venue Co-op Live, why not pay the Manchester music landmark a visit too.
Where to find: Etihad Stadium, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3FF
India House
Noel lived in a flat at India House from 1989 to 1993 / Credit: The Manc Group
Just off Oxford Street you’ll find a very impressive Edwardian-style building with a big gold plaque outside labelled ‘India House’ – it’s even more impressive when you learn that Noel Gallagher had a flat here.
Legend has it the Gallagher brother came up with lots of the Britpop band’s most legendary hits including ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ here. Oh to be a fly on the wall when Noel wrote ‘Live Forever’.
He loved this city centre flat so much that he decided to pose outside it in 2023 for a student-led photography project titled ‘Greater Mancunians’.
Where to find: India House, 73 Whitworth Street, Manchester, M1 6LG.
This place needs no introduction as the second you even speak the word ‘Hacienda‘ the yellow and black striped poles, spotlights and cigarette smoke hit you like a brick.
Besides being one of Manchester’s most famed nightclubs thanks to the help of performances from The Smiths, New Order, Oasis and even pop royalty Madonna.
Unfortunately, this piece of Manchester’s music history was demolished in 2002 but its legacy lives on with the film 24 Hour Party People Where one scene was filmed on a rooftop in Rochdale – now The Hacienda Apartments stand in its place.
Where to find: The Hacienda Apartments, 21 Albion St, Manchester M1 5DA
The Boardwalk Nightclub
Oasis played their first gig at The Boardwalk on 14 August 1991 / Credit: The Manc Group
The Boardwalk was once a thriving nightclub and entertainment venue that welcomed the likes of The Charlatans, Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses and of course the venue where Oasis played their first gig.
The basement of this popular live music venue was once a rehearsal space for some of Manchester’s most recognisable names including James and Simply Red.
From the 90s until its closure just before the Millennium, The Boardwalk became a cultural hub for all things indie rave scoring itself a blue plaque as a ‘Madchester Venue Nightclub and Rehearsal Rooms’.
Where to find: 21 Little Peter St, Manchester M15 4PS
The next place isn’t just an iconic Oasis location, it’s also one of the most important as it’s where the band came to fruition.
This terraced property is the childhood home of founding Oasis member and guitarist, Paul Arthurs, more often known by his nickname ‘Bonehead’.
The West Didsbury house is also a part of global music history with the band shooting the artwork for their 1994 debut studio album Definitely Maybe, now one of the most recognisable Britpop covers ever.
Where to find: 8 Stratford Avenue, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2LH
Fog Lane Park
The Didsbury green space has a very special place in the Oasis brothers’ hearts after being an outdoor area they used to play football at growing up.
Eagle-eyed Oasis fans will be able to recognise particular shots from the band’s ‘Shakermaker’ music video which features Fog Lane Park and Burton Road.
This park is also not too far from Sifter’s Records, another notable Manc spot for the band, which also sits pretty on, you guessed it, Fog Lane.
Where to find: 139 Fog Ln, Parkville Rd, Park, Manchester M20 4UP
This musical instrument superstore near both Manchester universities has been a trusted trader for all artists and acts since 1955.
Oasis pay homage to the blue-and-yellow-signed music shop in their The Masterplan video which sees the matchstick figures of the band woven into Lowry paintings with an Oasis twist.
Roadhouse himself was known as Manchester’s Mr Music so it’s only fitting that Manchester’s biggest musical export added this shop in this animated music video.
Where to find: 123 Oxford Rd, All Saints, Manchester M1 7DU
New Islington Marina may have been completed after the boys stopped making and releasing music but it sure knows its musical history.
This canal side spot has attracted many due to its modern charm but it’s also drawn in an Oasis fan or two who have spotted a hidden message under the marina’s footbridge.
Underneath this raised walkway, Oasis fans have spotted that the title to their 1995 track ‘Cast No Shadow’ reflects in the water below, now isn’t that just ‘Supersonic’.
Where to find: New Islington Marina Prom, Manchester M4 6BX
If you know your Manchester lore then you know this record shop we’re talking about here – Sifters in Burnage is well known for being mentioned in Shakermaker by Oasis.
‘Mr Sifter sold me songs when I was just sixteen..’
Walking through the doors is like stepping through a time machine and you’re transported back to an era when physical media was still appreciated and music came on round pieces of plastic.
Microdot Boutique
Microdot on King Street is run by Brian Cannon, the designer behind iconic artwork for Oasis and The Verve (Richard Ashcroft is supporting them at their Manchester gigs), plus loads more.
It’s packed with original prints, rare memorabilia, and design history you’ll recognise instantly, such as the actual fireplace from the ‘Definitely Maybe’ cover, kindly on loan from Bonehead himself.
From the original Oasis logo to some of the most iconic sleeves of the 90s, this store is a proper slice of UK music culture – whether you’re just having a nosey or looking to take something home.
Definitely Maybe bar (and mosaic)
Everywhere in Manchester has been pretty lively ahead of the reunion shows – but it’s really going to go off at Definitely Maybe, a new Oasis-inspired bar beneath Afflecks in the Northern Quarter.
There’s a menu of cocktail inspired by the Burnage brothers, loads of memorabilia and photography from the band’s illustrious career, and even a pair of Liam’s Tommy Hilfiger underwear pegged up alongside a variety of awards, posters and vintage memorabilia of the Manchester music pioneers.
A new mosaic by Mark Kennedy has also just been unveiled on the side of Afflecks just outside.
Oasis Live ’25 wall art
Now this, is a Wonderwall.
The Coach and Horses pub in Whitefield, which has found itself on the doorstep of the Oasis reunion shows in Heaton Park, unveiled a new mural last year dedicated to the Gallaghers.
Painted by Snow Graffiti Scott, it replicates that first photo we had of the boys together for the first time in 16 years.
adidas shop
adidas made a return to Manchester city centre in spectacular style last month, launching back onto Market Street with a huge store packed with sportswear and streetwear.
And they’re honouring The Band with the Three Stripes too, with an entire section dedicated to the Oasis x adidas collection.
The limited-edition 26-piece drop brings together classic 90s silhouettes with a fresh twist including bucket hats, Firebird tracksuits, jerseys and more. So if you’re heading to Heaton Park this month, you know where to head to.
Georgina Pellant -
27th November 2021 
