A winter wonderland of Christmas trees decked with baubles and artificial snow welcomed visitors to the Ideal Home Show at Event City last weekend.

The air was fragrant with the scent of oranges and cinnamon emanating from pot pourri reindeer. 

Carols and festive classics sung by choirs, performing on the Go Compare band stand, captured the Christmas spirit.

A maze of stands sold everything you could possibly need to get ready for Christmas, from decorations to kitchen knives, candles to tooth whitening, and even a chalet for the garden.

Chefs cooked up a storm in the show kitchen. Gino D’Acampo drew the crowds as he prepared spaghetti with mussels, whilst cocktail gurus from Manchester’s Cain and Grain created the perfect festive tipple.

Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen offered his own brand of home decoration advice in the Christmas theatre.

There were goodies aplenty in the food court. Giant mince pies and delectable cakes to satisfy the sweetest of teeth. And for lunch, a roll crammed with hot pork, stuffing and apple sauce; a treat I can rarely walk away from. 

Our tickets gave us entry to the Cake and Bake Show. Intricate cakes were displayed to inspire and a cake decorating competition drew the crowds for the stunning quality of the entries.

I came away with a string of copper lanterns and two giant meringues having found it surprisingly easy to give my credit card a rest. 

I was offered free tickets to attend The Ideal Home Show at Christmas in return for a blog post before and after the event. Views, as always, my own.