CHRISTMAS is shaping up well in the city centre. Perhaps better than any other year.
The kitsch but beguiling, teepee-adorned building and courtyard has a lyrical Christmas treat worth visiting.
On a markets' tour with the younger generation last Saturday night every stall was doing a roaring trade. We got five metres into Albert Square before hordes of revellers pushed us back out. Appparently 80,000 people went through the Square on the first Saturday in December.
So we went to Brazennose Street and found sausages and then went to the Oast House for a drink.
Oast House
The streets as well as the markets were packed. It was perfectly Christmassy everywhere. It was a Yule Rules evening, the deepest cynics would have smiled. The helter-skelter in Spinningfields was a right laugh.
Back to the Oast House.
The kitsch but beguiling, teepee-adorned building and courtyard has a lyrical Christmas treat coming up. Something for the Christmas romantic.
Teepee
On 6 and 13 December (a pair of Thursdays) the Halle Youth Choir will open its collective throat and entertain us with classic Christmas carols. There’ll also be hotpot and roasted chestnuts on sale in the Oast House courtyard. The choir of course, is the one of the choral arms of the city’s Halle Orchestra. There are other choirs and more Christmas nosh on offer up until Christmas on other Thursdays, if you miss the Halle. To listen just turn up.
A nice touch at The Oast House on our visit and one becoming popular everywhere, is the flight of beers, where for £4 in this case, you get three thirds of pint lined up on a cut wooden tray.
This gives variety to the drinking experience.
At Oast House the triplet of Loweswater Gold, Phoenix's Arizona and Red Willow's gorgeous Wreckless puts a big beaming Santa smile on the face.
It also helped loosen the body for the skating with which we followed up the refreshment.
Take wings and fly
Spinningfields skating
When I get to the bottom I go back to the top - this can also apply with the 'Flight of Beer' pictured above
