Rochester Christmas Market 2017

We started our December activities and visited the Christmas market in Rochester.

This is the second year that we have visited a Christmas market and I was surprised to see how much it had changed from last year.

Last year the stalls were all within the castle grounds and although they had a different array of items being sold I have to admit that there was a slight underwhelming experience with what was on offer compared to Christmas markets that I had read and heard about; not that I still didn’t enjoy myself.

This year it was clear that the market was a lot bigger!

Although the majority of the stalls were still within the castle ground there were some down on the castle courtyard.

These stalls were bursting with a variety of different foods and all with individual takes.

There were a few that stood out and I wanted to explain why they did and why, if you are attending, you should check them out!

McCathy’s

 

 

McCathy’s was the largest stall within this section and offered a vast arrangement of different bread. The smell itself was incredible but the sheer variety was outstanding. If fresh and unique flavoured bread is something that you are a fan of I would suggest popping along and seeing them!

 

Joanne’s Preserves

 

I will be open here and say that I know Jo from my previous life as a teacher but that isn’t the reason why we stopped there. Jo herself is one of the loveliest people and stall holders at the event. Not only is the stock made by herself but she offers every customer a small taste of her products that they are interested in allowing a more positive and satisfied customer. Previously William has purchased different jams and marmalades to use in his cooking but this year he wanted to aim for something more seasonal.

We are planning on having mostly pork this Christmas and because of that wanted to try her Apple and Mint jelly. We were also keen on trying her Hot Mustard Pickle to see if we could include it within William’s Cauliflower Cheese recipe and finally, William wanted some rhubarb jam and in his words “A perfect breakfast start for Christmas day!”

There is a great selection and these were just a few that we thought highlighted a seasonal difference.

The Brownie Edit

 

We then came across one of our favourite stalls! Formerly the Chocolate hut The Brownie edit is now focusing on brownies and offer not only a delicious selection on her stall but different boxes to order from their site.

 

Being keen to try out the new lines of brownies we went of their 6 brownie slabs deal. We had the original brownie, Kitkat, chocolate chunk, white chocolate, After Eight and their latest M&M brownie. Now, this may be down to our general love of a sweet tooth but these are perfect and exactly what you want as a family treat. The latest one was especially a new favourite with the boys.

 

Not on the stall but on the site is their Hot Chocolate spoons which would be perfect for a Christmas Eve Box/Treat!

 

Thomas Cookies Co

 

Finally within the food stalls we popped by via the Cookie stall. We have mentioned them before at previous festivals but they had a new surprise waiting for us!

 

These wonderful s’mores; one with regular cookies and the other with a chocolate cookie. If these doesn’t shout cosy Christmas treat then I don’t know what will!

The entire castle grounds were full and filled with amazing stalls. Some were arts and crafts, some were clothing, specialised food and gifts.

 

We ended up going on a Sunday afternoon hoping that it would be slightly quieter but we were wrong and it was quite busy. The bustling atmosphere was lovely but it did give me a clear mind-set of what the weekend would be like with the Dickensian Christmas festival; busy and full of different fun loving characters.

The layout had changed this year. Although there were the normal fairground at the back and the food and entertainment in the middle the stalls were lining a lot more areas. There was even a large U shaped tent with a selection of homemade arts and crafts.

For anyone not following me on my various social media accounts you may not know that I am currently sporting my "Winter Beard". It is something I always do and have done; from the beginning of September to the end of January I usually just go all scruffy and let my normal quite well trimmed beard grow out; something that I have tried to style more recently.

This year I have been really enjoying it, even if it has hundreds of grey hairs growing through it!

I have never been one for using any product on my beard but I hear lots of good things about doing so until I came across this stall last year.

Mr Greens Barbers

 

Mr Greens is both barbers for men and a tattoo parlour. (Although these differ to which shop you go to!)

After trying a few of the new samples available we purchased 2 of the different scented oils; Woodsman and Bourbon Gent. They both smell fantastic and do numerous different things like weighting your hair down and moisturising your skin; which is perfect for me when my skin gets itchy and flaky with excess tramp like growth.

The majority of the rest of the stall in my opinion were really geared towards women or young girls. Although I feel that these are a fundamental part of present buying for many people I did feel that there was a lack of products for men other than the above mentioned stall.

 

A new feature and stall was this one aimed for doggy treats and equipment. All the treats are natural and have nothing added to them at all. I loved spotting this and managed to buy a few treats for my four legged family members Samson and Peppa. As the old saying goes “A dog is for life and not just for Christmas” and although I strongly believe in that I would go as far as saying that they should receive a little treat at Christmas too!

Inside the Craft Tent

We then ventured inside the craft tent and although there was a large and varied range of stalls inside I wouldn’t say that many stood out! They all looked individual and personally run but they were, as expected, based on crafts like card making, jewellery and cuddle toys. A few did peak my interest though!

A lovely stall with a selection of comedy signs. I loved the idea around them and I could see different signs being gifted this time of year to any family member that it referred to.

 

I also found a little stall that made leather bound note books. The quality of the craft that went into them, in my opinion, was exceedingly good and considering the product and the effort that was in it I thought they were reasonably priced.

With the fairground to the side, the stalls along the side you can also find a variety of food venders at the heart of it all.

 

 

 

We did get a chance to try out some lovely burgers though!

And, for anyone who wants to join in the festivities with a drink then you can find a festive bar ;)

 

These are typical festival foods and with that do come at a higher cost but along with that you can sit and listen to the free entertainment showcasing some of the local talent.

 

We were there in the afternoon and something fab happened once the day went on. The darker the skies got the more the lights shone and with that you could feel the Christmas spirit around more. The darker skies, the castle lit and the tree shining through really made you feel that you were there with Christmas in mind.

Along with that there were other little features dotted around that made you feel and get into the mood.

 

If only I could eat roasted chestnuts! Yum!

With all of this in mind I can see that you could comfortably be at the Christmas market for the majority of the day. Look around the stalls, enjoy the atmosphere, eat lunch and enjoy some music and head into the late afternoon and early evening knowing that you have found some brilliant items ahead of Christmas.

I loved the Christmas Market and I truly believe that there is something there for everyone. None of the above has asked me to review or feature them in this post but I wanted to nonetheless for the reasons stated. However, they are all local businesses coming together for a local event and without them we couldn't experience all the fun and enjoyment there is to have.

The Christmas Market is still open this weekend and coupled with the Dickensian festival so should be fuller and packed with lots of fun so if you get a chance to come down then please do! If not, check out a couple of the above mentioned companies!

The Market is on for the next two weekends where you will find all of the above mentioned.

The boys and I will be attending the Dickensian Christmas festival and be around the these wonderful stalls again so don’t miss out on going!