Best bratwursts on the markets...
FROM halloumi fries to bunny chow, there’s a wider choice of food than ever at Manchester Christmas Markets this year.
But a trip to the markets just wouldn’t be complete without a sausage. Sizzling away on the swing grills, they’re one of the most familiar sights amongst the wooden stalls every year.
But which is best? The battle of the bratwursts is on.
We tried every single sausage we could find on sale in the main market hub in Albert Square to rate them all. And now we need a little lie down...
Lakeland Picnic Cumberland sausage, £6 – A meaty, peppery sausage, pillowy bun, sticky caramelised onions and home made plum and ale chutney make Lakeland’s Cumberland the pick of the bunch.
Better yet, 50p from the sale of each one goes to Manchester charity Wood Street Mission, which will go towards buying presents for local children in need – a fact that assuages my guilt at eating three sausages in one day. 5/5
Hot dog, £6 – Wow, this was a banger, in both senses of the word. If it was a song, it would be a club banger in fact. Good quality meat, topped with cheddar, jalapenos and onions, on a soft, scrumptious bap. Miles ahead of the rest. 5/5
Grill Bratwurst, £4.50 – The ‘alabaster white’ meat was quite a hard concept to get my head around. Quite an average sausage a reasonable size and shape but nothing to write home about. And I found the udder-shaped squirty condiment bottles quite intimidating. “It looks like you’ve tried to knit a mustard scarf,” was the verdict from one friend. 3/5
Spicy Bratwurst, £4.50 – Service without a smile here. I’m presented with what looks like a nice tanned sausage in a slightly-too-short bun, but on closer inspection the meat is chronically overcooked, leaving a skin so tough it makes an audible crunch as I tuck in. Bread stale. No onions. In the bin after three bites. 1/5
Old Windmill House Spicy sausage, £4.50 – A tasty sausage but there’s nothing spicy about it. The only kick I got was from slathering it in mustard. Basically a big, girthy frankfurter. 2/5
German XXL sausage, £4.50 – As with the spicy sausage, this bratwurst over promised and under delivered. The length is disappointing, the skin is bit withered looking and the meat beneath it has a deathly pallor. It’s tasty enough though – a bit salty, but the sweet, buttery onions round it out nicely. 3/5
Cheese sausage, £5 – A flying start with this meaty package – no sooner had I sunk my teeth into one end than a stream of molten cheese had squirted out the other end and onto a colleague’s shoe. And my sleeve. Still, cheese sleeve aside, the addition of creamy dairy did alleviate some of that cloyingly salty pork taste and it came with excellent sweet onions. 4/5
Beef chilli sausage, £5 – A filling and tasty beef sausage with a good kick of spice. The chilli isn’t too overpowering but just enough to warm you up on a cold night at the markets. Great for those who like going up the Scoville scale. 4.5/5
Bavarian Swing Grill Spicy sausage, £5 – Just sausage and bun, no trimmings. Where’s the onion? It’s not spicy. Nor is the mustard. It’s all very firm though, like a meat mattress. Shout out to the staff for their protective leather codpieces to protect them from the swing grill. 3/5
Plain bratwurst, £5 – A stripy sausage courtesy of an uneven grilling – charred in places, barely coloured in others. The casing has a disconcerting crunch to it and the bun’s a bit hard. It could do with some onions to soften things up but there’s no such frippery here. 2/5