We all know that the Christmas period is the busiest time of year - especially for those working in pubs, restaurants and bars. But for one Rochdale family, the idea to put on their own Christmas Markets, full of local traders and seasonal food and drink, was a no-brainer. The Oxford is a family pub at the foot of the Pennines, know for its hearty food offer, fines wines and real ales., has been operating for ten years and has always been keen to differentiate itself.
"I guess you would call it a community pub really, we're food-led, just outside of town and it's one of those pub that if you sat down and wrote out what you want from a dream pub - a nice beer garden for summer, ample parking, fireplaces for winter and a big bar for people to sit around - it hits most of the marks," says Tom McNeeney, a chef who runs the pub alongside his mum Alison, dad Phil, and his younger sister Ella.
"We've always been running pubs, for about forty years now and we're known in this area our food - I mean that's the only way pubs really survive anymore. We are a community here and we have a lot of people supporting us coming over from Bacup and Middleton, and some others putting in some hefty journeys to come out for lunch, but the core of what we have is people that live around here, so we wanted to give something back."
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Not content with just being known as one of the best pubs in Rochdale, the family decided to bring the festive spirit to its community by launching its own Christmas Markets - this year marks its ninth year. "It was very much my dad and my little sister's idea.
"When the first started talking about it the rest of us were like, 'ok, that sounds like a lot of work when it's already the busiest time of year', but really it's just about offering people something a little bit different." Action stations are well under way, the brass band has been booked and is fine tuning its rendition of Deck the Halls', a swimming pool-worth of mulled wine is being prepped, and the winter huts are being rolled out in preparation for their annual festive event, which takes place on the first two weekends in December in the pub's car park.
While the markets have become a staple of the area's festivities, it hasn't always been plain sailing. It started off very small, we bought tents, built a bar and put weeks of work into it, but there was a really horrible storm and everything blew away," remembers Tom. "We opened the curtains the morning after the storm and realised everything was gone, it took a minute to process.
"That was a disaster, we thought we have ruined Christmas. So then next year, when most people would think better, my dad started building market stalls that wouldn't blow away and then we just gradually grew from there, so now we have the six original ones that he built, three we bought off the Manchester City Council a few years back, and then this year he's just finished building an 120-seat pergola.
"Its been a real case of trial and error, its blown away, been ruined by snow - you name it, it's happened to us. But, there's that moment, when it's around 4pm on the day and the light has faded and the festoon's are lit up, the brass band is on and there's a couple of hundred people there, and there's this brilliant feel to it, and you feel like maybe we have pulled it off."
Judging by the reception Tom and his family have had, the markets are not only a much-loved community event, but an opportunity to retreat from the hustle and bustle of other well-known events around this time of year. "The Manchester Christmas Markets are great, but its become such a huge thing and there's a kind of heaviness that comes with it now.
"And it's absolutely the right thing, but there are a lot of places doing a similar thing to us because not everyone wants to head into the city to pay £7 for mulled wine and so on. There's a real demand for what we're doing and we have people that come every year to our market.
"It's it's a big thing really, we have to draft in a lot of family from all over the country to help out. As much as it's just a market in a pub car park there is a bit of magic to it, it's become this thing around here and a real start to the festivities."
So what's a McNeeney Christmas market really like? Well, this year they're pulling out all the stops, as well as the brass band and three singers - one performing disco takes on Christmas classics - there's also going to be appearances from Father Christmas on both Sundays - and that' even before we've started on the food and drink.
As Tom explains, there's a real strong food focus, which is to be expected from a community pub that prides itself on its stellar food offer. There will be a different line-up across the four days - with some repeats - with stall from local cake makers Crust Bakery, beers from Serious Brewing, artisan cheese from Cat & Mouse Cheese, plus Fishop Fishmongers and some handmade fudge.
Bringing some of the pub's classics outside, the food shed will also be serving up the popular Beef & Bovril pie, Yorkshire pudding wraps, bratwurst and hog roast sandwiches. Drinks are well covered too, and following on from the success of their summer-time Aperol spritz slushies, they will be offering boozy hot Vimto.
Seasonal classics such as Baileys hot chocolate, a pumpkin-spiced Espresso Martini, and plenty of mulled wine will also be doing the rounds - and will no doubt, be very popular. The Oxford Pub Christmas Markets take place on Saturday, 3 and Sunday, 4 December, and the following weekend, Saturday, 10 and Sunday, 11 December. To secure a spot, it's advised to contact the pub directly.
662 Whitworth Rd, Rochdale OL12 0TB
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