Rise of the £8 sausage... Manchester Christmas Markets price rises have visitors saying 'need a mortgage'

There have been sweeping price rises on food and booze at Manchester Christmas Markets stalls on their full return across the city for 2023. And it has left MEN readers reeling.

At many hot food and drink stalls across the markets sites there has been an average of 50p price rises across popular products. That includes for boozy drinks like gluhwein up from £5 to £5.50, hot cider and boozy hot chocolate up from £5.50 to £6 and some Christmas cocktails even up to £11.

Meanwhile bratwurst and currywurst sausage stalls on Exchange Square and New Cathedral Street have increased their price from £7 last year to £8 this year, while the popular hot pork rolls at Piccadilly Gardens are up from £8 to £9 this year. Yorkshire pudding wraps, that draw some of the biggest queues, are all up by 50p.

READ MORE: Manchester Christmas Markets map and guide to all the locations for 2023

READ MORE: Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 full list of traders at every location

Stallholders have defended the price rises as they say it's down to the spiralling cost of produce, particularly pork, and an increase in rent for market stalls in Manchester this year. It follows on from sausage and gluhwein price rises in 2022 as well.

The MEN has published a full price list today for every food and drink stall on the markets, as we do each year. It has shown price increases across many of the returning stalls for alcohol and popular hot foods year-on-year.

The one exception is on pints of lager which appear to have remained steady at an average £6 a pint across the majority of stalls.

The price rises have stunned our readers, who shared their comments on the MEN Facebook page. Pamela Porter said: "Extortionate prices, need a mortgage to eat and drink