We tried the German Market and Cathedral Market bratwursts and this one turned out to be the best – Sanjeeta Bains
There is a new Christmas market in town.
Christmas in Cathedral Square opened this week. Housed in the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral – better known as Pigeon Park, it features independent local producers selling crafts, gifts, food and drink.
Read more: Christmas in Cathedral Square – complete list of merchants
With companies like Loki, Java Roastery, and Birmingham Balti Bowl Company, it’s very different from the German market – except for one crucial element – the chance to taste sausage.
Yes, the beloved German nation bratwurst is also available for tasting at Brum’s Last Market.
We decided to go to both markets to taste the taste and compare its offering of sausages.
To make it a fair fight to decide who comes out as the best (hot) dog, we’ve tagged various factors including setting, sauces, and size.
This is how we got away with it.
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Birmingham German Market
(Image: Birmingham Live)
Spread across Victoria Square and just down New Street, this is the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany. There’s plenty to get you in the party spirit with regular DJs and musicians performing on stage – and vocalist Chris Moose.
Enjoy lots of Gluhwein in festive German cups – worth buying as a souvenir if you are a first time visitor.
Cathedral Square Market
(Image: Darren Quinton / BirminghamLive)
This market is entirely concentrated in Pigeon Park and is therefore smaller than the German market. However, when we visited, we were surprised at how much bigger it is than usual – and how much it can house! This includes a Pigeon in The Park pub pop-up and a collage!
It really looks like a wonderful festive use of space.
And instead of Chris the moose singing, you might spot giant pigeons roaming the market. And is it just us, or does live music sound even better from a bandstand?
Read more: Where to park to go to the German market and the cathedral market
Winner: Cathedral Square Market
Selection of sausages
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(Photo: Sanjeeta Bains)
Birmingham German Market
As you would expect from the Frankfurt sausage and bratwurst house, the choice is quite extensive!
Choose from the original hot dog – a Frankfurt sausage from the original German sausage company Frankfurter or an array of other sausage choices – bratwurst, Kase wurst, feuerwurst and currywurst. These are all available at various market stalls.
Cathedral Square Market
This market has a single street food van selling “German bratwurst” and hot dogs.
You also have the option of getting your bratwurst with cheese, hot sauce, jalapenos, and hot sauce. This van does not specialize in sausage like its competitors in the German market. It also sells burgers and looks like most fast food vans you’ll find in a parking lot and outside football stadiums. Not very Christmas.
Winner: Birmingham German Market.
Read more: Every stand in the German market
Onion sauces and garnishes
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Here you have the choice to add onions for an additional 50p.
Their sauce selections consist of sachets of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.
Cathedral Square Market
(Photo: Sanjeeta Bains)
Here your bratwurst comes with large onions at £ 5.
The choice of sauces is vast. It includes HP sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, mayonnaise, and chili sauce, all neatly lined up. Better yet, it comes in squeezable bottles, so there is a good distribution of the condiment on the dish.
Winner: Cathedral Square Market
Bread
Birmingham German Market
The Germans serve their bratwurst in a crispy bun – so it’s all about the sausage.
But if you want to get more for your money, you might be disappointed with such a small roll.
Cathedral Square Market
(Photo: Sanjeeta Bains)
Value hunters will be delighted with the length of the sausage and the roll it is enclosed in here. This market serves your bratwurst in a nice soft white hot dog.
It all depends on your personal preferences – as many would prefer baguette style bread, but we didn’t.
Winner: Cathedral Square Market
Sausage
(Photo: Sanjeeta Bains)
The cathedral square market sausage was much rosier than the German market but according to our testers it tasted pretty much like it came from the same supplier.
Our testers enjoyed the bratwurst on the block – mainly because of the type of bread used, but the meat itself didn’t taste much different.
Winner: Draw
The size
(Image: Birmingham Live)
Birmingham German Market
Sausage: 8 and a half inches
Roller: 5 inches
Cathedral Square Market
Sausage: 9 inches
Roll: 9 inches
Winner: Cathedral Square Market
Service
Both booths offered the same efficient and friendly service. We went to the German market when the service left a lot to be desired, but on this visit we found our server very helpful – even opening the mustard sachet for us and putting it on the bratwurst for us – unfortunately, she dived everything in one place – but whatever.
Winner: Draw
The cost
(Photo: Sanjeeta Bains)
German market onion bratwurst costs £ 5.50
Cathedral Square Market Bratwurst costs £ 5
Winner: Cathedral Square Market
Globally
(Image: Graham Young)
The cathedral square bratwurst looked and tasted much more appealing to our testers. See our video above.
While they couldn’t see any significant difference in the actual sausage, they enjoyed the soft bread, the large onions, and the price!
The cathedral square bratwurst experience is 50p cheaper than German onion sausage. Plus you get more bread.
(Photo: Sanjeeta Bains)
The best thing we loved about the Cathedral Square Market Sausage – is that even if you don’t fancy a bratwurst, there are plenty of other food choices available such as grilled meats, turkey and stuffing baps and even vegan pizzas.
BrumWish 2021 aims to deliver thousands of Christmas gifts to young children in need across our city – the homeless, the vulnerable, children in care and children with little.
This year’s appeal is bigger and better than ever – as we’ve partnered with our # Toys4Birmingham partners including Thrive Together Birmingham, Birmingham Playcare Network, Edgbaston Foundation and Birmingham Forward Steps.
Are also involved Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Barnardo’s, Spurgeon Children’s Charity, The Springfield Project in Sparkhill, St Paul’s Community Development Trust and Your Local Pantry, which operates food centers in 12 locations across Birmingham and the Black Country.
You can buy a gift from #Brumwish Amazon Wish List here.
Or you can collect and drop off donations of new and nearly new toys and gifts on special donation days at Edgbaston Stadium, B5 7QU, Saturday November 27, Friday December 3 and Saturday December 4, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. where volunteers will be waiting to see you.
New or nearly new, unwrapped gifts, books and toys for all ages will be accepted.
You can also donate cash, which will go into a fund held by a charitable partner to be used to fill in any gaps or purchase specialized toys for children with additional needs. This is the link to donate.
Must know
The Birmingham German Market is open daily until December 23. It is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Christmas market in Cathedral Square takes place every day until December 19. It is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Both markets will soon be joined by Christmas at the City Social Market. This popular independent event opens at the Suffolk Street Queensway Underpass outside the Mailbox on Thursday, November 25. It runs until December 18.
This year’s German food and drink experience will soon expand to Chamberlain Square with the opening of a new German ‘Palace of Pleasures’ Albert Castle.
Get the latest information on events, attractions, shops, pubs and restaurants in ourWhat’s New Bulletin.