There's a thoroughly festive air in Newcastle now that the Christmas Market is in full swing and the Moosenwirt alpine bar has its fire pits lit and live music playing under a canopy of lights.

The market, with its wooden chalet-style stalls concentrated around the tops of Grey Street and Grainger Street and also across the green at Old Eldon Square, will be running until December 23 and, while some of the stalls will change in coming weeks, the others are in for the long haul and have plenty on offer to keep that seasonal cheer going. There are newcomers this year alongside market regulars and, food-wise, they include local breakfast-in-a-bao-bun favourite, Pablo Eggsgobao.

Greek street food specialist Acropolis is back with its chicken gyro wraps being one of its big sellers, alongside Hatch 76 with the likes of duck wraps and Redheads Mac 'n' Cheese. There are a couple of areas to stand with your buys - such as at the Grill Tower which is back serving German bratwurst beneath its overhead display of nativity figures - and food can also be taken inside Moosenwirt whose own attractions include a new rose gluhwein on its drinks menu.

• Read more: Newcastle Christmas Market gift guide -a pick of some unique present ideas and their prices

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Other festive drinks available around the city centre market include mulled wine and hot chocolate with the option to add a tot of Baileys. We decided to have a wander around to see what food and drink we could buy for two people for £20. And, spoiler alert, the answer is not a whole lot.

I am tempted at first by the sheer variety of savouries on offer at The Crusty Pie Company, then settle on a pig in blanket wrapped in pastry which costs £3.50. It's just a snack but it's a decent size and we halve it to try. I detect some stuffing in there too, I think, but this would definitely benefit from being heated.

We buy a currywurst from the Grill Tower - the dearest of the options at £8 - and watch the giant sausage being chopped into bite-size pieces to be served on a tray, with the sauce ladled over. There's an option of giant bread roll to go with it which we accepted and it helped mop up the sauce.

For a sweet treat we head to The Brownie Bar and pick a festive-sounding chocolate orange variety form a wide selection. It costs £3 and, totting up our spend, we realise we don't have a lot of change left so there's a bit of debate about whether to go for coffee or hot chocolate. From North Shore Coffee where the hot chocolate selection includes a range of festive flavours, the pick is a Nutella hot chocolate which is then prepared with a swirl of cream on top - another option is marshmallows. It costs £4.50.

And that's it, £20 all but spent with just £1 left over. The bratwurst, in particular, is a substantial snack - especially if you take the bread roll that's offered and you can knock £1 off the price if you don't pick the currywurst option. Among The Crusty Pie offers is three pies - such as pork and stilton; turkey and gammon; and pork, pickle and Wensleydale - for £12, again probably a better option to take home and heat.

And you can shop around. Geordie Bangers offers a 'banger dog' for a fiver or a sausage on a stick for £3; Truly Madly Pizza has a nine-inch Margherita for £8; and Hatch 76 has seasoned fries for £4. Le Petite Creperie does a crepe with butter and sugar, or lemon and sugar, for £4 or if you just want a small sweet treat you can buy a single kiss from German Kisses for £1.50.

The main wraps at Acropolis are £9.50; an original Mac 'n' Cheese at Redhead's is £8.50. Check out some more food prices here. It seems the food options are all popular - Christmas is a time for treating yourself after all.

When we visit just after lunchtime, there are queues starting to build around the likes of Parm-O-Rama and a Deli Churros stall. There are lots of people milling around the stalls laid out around the Monument too and the market has a lovely atmosphere, particularly when it starts to get dark and all the lights are glowing. There's a Christmas tree in Old Eldon Square adding to the festive feel and traders are welcoming and ready to enjoy a chat.