I went to Liverpool's Christmas Market and had a better time than I expected

It’s just a month until Christmas Eve and, although it may still be too early some, it really feels like the festive season is well underway. The nights are getting colder, the city is covered in twinkling lights, the shops are filled with displays of red and green and Church Street’s huge Christmas tree is back.

The three things that make me feel the most Christmassy are visiting Cheshire Oaks, putting up the tree and heading to the Christmas markets.

As I have already been to see the festive displays at Cheshire Oaks this year, and I’m saving the tree until this weekend, I headed to Liverpool’s Christmas Market at St George’s Plateau on Friday evening (November 21).

The popular markets officially opened on November 15 and are open from 11.00am to 10.00pm daily until an early 5.00pm finish on Christmas Eve.

As usual, the markets boast a variety of stalls - selling food, drinks, gifts, crafts, and more - live entertainment, rides, and a giant Ferris wheel, as well as cosy bars for festive drinks and activities for the kids.

I was worried about visiting on a Friday evening, expecting huge crowds and an uncomfortable experience. But, my boyfriend and I actually had a wonderful time and didn’t even have to queue up for a Bratwurst.

The Christmas markets food offerings seemed even better than previous years too, with hash brown stalls, Chinese meal options, Spud Man X John The Spud (iconic), sweet treats and more available.

After doing a loop of the market and checking out what was on offer, we headed to one of the big Bratwurst stalls for a £10 treat, because we’re firm believers that your first Christmas market meal has to be a German sausage.

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Although £10 isn’t exactly cheap, it isn’t breaking the bank for a meal out either and the option for a plant-based Bratwurst is ideal for vegan folk like myself too.

The conversation around Christmas market pricing often causes huge debate and I understand how quickly the cost builds up for families. But, if you get a drink and a meal it really isn’t that different from what you’d pay for a sit down meal or takeaway.

Mulled wine and cider were priced at £6.50, while hot chocolate was £5, but we chose not to get a drink. Not because of the price but because we had decided to grab a coffee on the way instead - and we know what coffee we like.

We had a mooch around for an hour or so and, while we usually feel a little disappointed in the Liverpool Christmas Market, we both really enjoyed our first visit of the year.

I don’t know if the layout has changed much as it’s hard to compare to a year ago, but it felt more spacious, easier to navigate and we even managed to find a place to sit down and eat with ease.

It will be interesting to see if it feels different as Christmas draws nearer, but we were both really impressed with how quick it was to get food, the range of stalls and the ample space for walking around.

Of course, it’s a lot smaller than the likes of Manchester’s Christmas Markets or London’s Winter Wonderland but if you’re looking for a festive hour or two with a Bratwurst and a hot drink, it’s a pretty good option.