A Guide to the Best Christmas Markets in the UK

Hoorah, it’s almost Christmas – our favourite time of year! The fires are roaring, chestnuts are roasting, and the winter fashions are raging as it’s finally the time to wrap up in tartan scarves, woolly hats and every style of coat our already bulging wardrobes can physically handle. Yes, it’s CHRISTMAS! There’s really something to be said about the festive season. A time to be merry with friends, a time to stuff and wrap meats in other meats, eat your body weight in chocolate and mull just about everything. Its that festive fuzzy feeling you get when you wrap your freezing hands around a warm mug of cocoa, surrounded by Christmas trees, Santa Claus, baubles, tinsel and snow – that’s what Christmas is all about for us.

One of our favourite things about Christmas has got to be the Christmas Markets. Festive chalets laden with adorable, unique handmade gifts from local sellers, food stalls roasting chestnuts and serving hog roasts, and Bavarian bars serving up pints of cheer – it’s the perfect place to relax, let everything go and absorb everything that sparkles at this time of year. There’s tonnes on offer up and down the UK, but we’re sharing with you a few of our favourites:

Bath’s Christmas Market is a mecca of magic, and the place to pick up delectable gifts from Bath Spa Skincare to stunning handmade jewellery, all beautifully engulfed in Bath’s divine architecture. Cheese lovers must visit the Paxton and Whitfield and Godminster chalets, to source the most delicious and flavoursome cheeses from the UK and Europe, while Bath Ales and Fudge Kitchen have fantastic gift ideas for your loved ones.

Bournemouth’s Christmas Market showcases a range of products from authentic leather handbags to handmade knitwear and jewellery, all nestled along the crisp, beautiful coastline of the South. The picturesque German Bar serves mulled wine in boot mugs, while the endearing aroma of the nearby Bratwurst stall is all but too tempting. All of this is a few moments walk from the stunning gardens, lined with festive illumination and decoration, creating a breath taking pathway walk to the sea. It will certainly surprise you how bewitching the beach can be in the winter time.

Probably the most popular of the Christmas markets is the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland market, which is home to all the gifts and cheer you’ll need, from hand carved wooden gifts to candyfloss and Cava, as well as ice skating, a fun fair and a spectators wheel, where you can see the sights of London lit up and frosted with happiness this December. It’s certainly worth a visit.

We at The Clothes Maiden wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas, so pop on your best pair of sparkly heels and rock that ‘finally-found-the-one’ Christmas party gown, and celebrate all that 2014 has given us, and ring in a sassy and stylish start to 2015. You definitely deserve it!

Emma Edwards

Embrace the festive cheer this December and snuggle up to loved ones with a mug of mulled wine at a gorgeous Christmas Market across the UK.