Review: Birmingham German Christmas Market’s vegan sausage - is it overpriced?

Sausages are a must-have at the German Christmas Market in Birmingham but until this year, vegans didn’t have an option that they could try.

So, now that the festive city centre staple is offering a vegan sausuge, I had to try it. Though, I am, at most, a flexitarian, never having mustered the courage to give up on butter or ghee or eggs.

Over the years, I have tasted sausages made out of chicken, pork, beef, soya, and veggies and it wasn’t until very recently that I found the best vegan sausage available in the supermarkets. So, that sausage was the one I was holding the German Christmas Market’s offering against.

The vegan frankfurter has a casing just like the usual ones and has a smooth feel, as I popped it into my mouth. It doesn’t have any signature smells, but tastes like a meat sausage nonetheless. It is served with hotdog buns and you can jazz it up how you like.

The toppings and sauces are placed at the side of the stall and you can add as much or as little as you want. There’s ketchup, mustard, mayo, olives, onions, pickles and a lot more to top up the frankfurter, which tastes pretty close to a meat frankfurter.

I topped mine with ketchup, mustard, olives, cheese, and pickles and wolfed it down standing under a shop’s facade while it poured outside. My eating partner, who grew up vegetarian, complained about the taste of the frankfurter. For him, it was too meat-like, but for me, the taste was as close as it gets to the real deal - something I have no issues grabbing multiples of.

Unfortunately, when asked what was in the sausage, the two women manning the stall weren’t able to tell me that. Also, the mayo and cheese on offer did not have vegan options, at least at the stall I bought my meal from.

The sausage at the German Market holds up, in taste at least.

But as Christmas markets go, prices are high and shelling £5 for one sausage hurt my sentiments. The vegan frankfurter is available at most of the stalls selling sausages on New Street in Birmingham City Centre.

However, if you want a complete vegan experience, there is a stall selling falafel and humus wraps. Everything that they sell is vegan including the sauces and those wraps are available for £5 as well. The stall is located close to the Nando’s on New Street, and is worth a visit. Things can get messy so don’t be shy about picking up cutlery from the stall.

If you are still hungry for more, you can pick up fried potatoes or mushrooms with yummy garlic sauce at a stall opposite the Town Hall. That will be another £5 less in your pocket, but the one thing I would recommend definitely.