Ramsbottom Online

Manchester madness

I’ve been panicking about not having bought any Christmas presents, so – at the request of a relative for something very specific from Marks & Spencer – I went in with my best friend on Sunday.

We naively thought it wouldn’t be too busy. There’s no excuse really – I go past the Christmas market on Albert Square every night, and the top deck of the bus is about as close as I want to get. It looks beautiful but I’m freaked out by crowds. And Deansgate has been pretty packed of late too. So Manchester + the run-up to Christmas = personal nightmare.

I came away with very little. The queues were just too long. A brief wander to the Northern Quarter provided a bit of relief (the Craft & Design Centre is well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area) but I’ve done the sensible thing: decided to buy my presents from Rammy.

To be fair, in previous years I’ve done just that. As well as the card and gift shops there are loads of other places to find foodie stuff, candles, face creams etc, hardware, antique bits and pieces and books (second-hand only, of course – dress them up as ‘vintage’.) I intend to go to Clark Craft then knit a scarf for someone; I can only knit in straight lines so scarves are as adventurous as it gets.

And we’ve got Christmas markets of our own. Sprouts on a stick, sloe gin, mince pies… festive overload!

As for food there are lots of great suppliers, form the market to butchers to our local farmers. I ordered a capon from Tommy Topping the year before last and it was delicious (even though I didn’t know what a capon was at the time). And Park Farm have some fabulous stuff too.  My brother has asked for ‘just food’ as a present. We’re half Polish so Eastern European food has always featured in our meals, and it’s no different at Christmas. So I’m going to have a look in the delis and at the new Aldi  because I know they sell a lot of European food and why avoid a certain shop if they have what you’re looking for?

Some people love Christmas shopping in Bury/Manchester/Bolton and that’s great. But if you don’t like crowds/car parking/cramped buses and trams, give Rammy a go.  And give our lovely shopkeepers a boost!