Mention Christmas markets these days and the conversation often turns to rising prices – from £8 bratwursts, £11 Yorkshire pudding wraps and even £5 for a few marshmallow sticks.
But what do the people behind the stalls think? Are they benefiting from the hikes or are their own profits being squeezed?
Traders at Manchester’s Christmas markets told the they were feeling the pressure of increasing bills for staff, ingredients and energy, with some saying they were making less money despite charging more.
One trader said it costs at least £4,000 a day to run each her four stalls, while another has cut prices to keep customers coming back.
Nils Borstel, 25, helps run Bratwurst King, a family business which has operated at the markets since 1999.
He said a sausage that previously cost £3.50 now sold for £8, with much of the increase taking place over the past five or six years.
“But we don’t earn more money,” he said.