Like Christmas came early...

Nothing says Christmas like the smell of Bratwurst cooked over charcoal, whilst sipping on a mulled wine.

But what if you want that authentic corner of a German Market all year round.

Fear Not!

With a quick trip to Lidl and a few authentic toppings you can recreate this delicious winter treat all year round.

It's all pretty simple really...

You'll need:

# Lidl Bratwurst (Update: They to Chilli ones now!!)

# A baguette

# Some dried onions - try Sainsburys they sell them to put on salads.

# Sweet mustard (Ideally beer mustard, usually in the world foods section of the supermarket)

# Red onion

# Grated Cheese

Method

Heat your kettle BBQ to a good temperature. Coals ideally lit in the chimney starter and then layer them on each side of your kettle leaving a gap in the middle.

The idea with bratwurst is to cook slower than the usual method of direct heat of a British banger.

Arrange your 'Brats' in the centre of your grill with the coals on the edge and place the lid back on with the vents fully open.

You can also throw on onions over the direct coals.

After approx 15 mins of regularly turning and checking. It's time to cook over the heat.

Using direct heat will swell the brats and split the skins. (Creating an authentic taste with crispy skin)

At this point you need to tend to the brats. Leave the lid off and regularly turn to avoid fat flare ups and flames searing the skins.

Once golden / dark brown with a definite split you can load your Brats into the sliced baguette.

Go wild with your toppings, you can go full German Market with crispy and cooked onions, cheese, mustard and sliced pickles.

Why not add a summer twist with pickled red cabbage or a creamy coleslaw.

Or for the spice lovers, curried mayo with Jalapeños works a treat.

Either way, Bratwurst make a great alternative to the traditional sausage.