After a month off I’m back with a fresh list of exciting food & drink frolics to whet your appetite for February!

January was a bit of a quiet one, although I did do my first ickle interview on the telly (talking about the Bristol food scene on Made in Bristol TV), and I also found out that people prefer their bananas yellow rather than green or brown – follow me on Twitter for more insightful polls and questions.

Food Trails

Before I get too carried away with this month’s events, I recommend watching this video from Elly Pear on her favourite Bristol food spots – some proper treasures in there! There’s also a lush new video of the city from Visit Bristol which is well worth a watch.

And as a bonus & tribute to the man who made Eurovision palatable, here’s another Bristol food trail from the much-loved and recently-departed Terry Wogan.

Try something different! 

Start the year by learning a new skill or sampling something you’ve not tried before – here are a few suggestions I’m eyeing up:

• Various classes at Little Kitchen – from The Best of Street Food, to DIY Tapas, to a Macaroons Masterclass
• Gin & Tonic tasting, or Champagne and sparkling wine tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Wine tasting at Avery’s Wine Cellars or The Library (their Chilean wine tasting on 29th is £18 for 6 wines and antipasto!)
• Basic butchery at Source on 24th Feb (or learn about charcuterie and fish filleting in March)
• Gin tasting and cocktail masterclass at Flipside on Sat 13th

Valentine’s Day

If you’re into celebrating this festival of schmaltz, these are some of the best options to impress that special someone (or here’s a full list of the best places for a date night). Enjoy your romantic plans whilst I wait in line for chippy chips (which I won’t have to share, ha!)

• 5 course tasting menu with wines at The Library, £45 (from Fri 12th-Sun 14th)
• 5 course tasting menu at The Rummer, £45
• 4 course tapas sharing menu at Pata Negra, £20
• 3 course seasonal Valentine’s meal at Bishopston Supper Club, £25 (BYO)

Pop-ups & Supper Clubs

Bristol’s exciting pop-up and supper club scene shows no sign of slowing down in 2016; make sure you head to at least one of these if you want a proper treat (seriously – check out their menus)

• Lovett Pies will be based at The Hillgrove in Kingsdown from 2nd-20th
• The Old Bookshop will host meaty maestros Smoke & Glaze from 1st-27th Feb
• Feastie Boys will bring their small platyes & sangers to The Hope & Anchor 1st-7th
• Dinewithi‘s 5 course Sunday lunch on 28th Feb is BYO and just £25
• Go for a classy dinner at Clandesdiner on Saturday 20th Feb
• March also sees the return of The Bank Tavern‘s supper clubs on 7th and 14th (these are always AMAZING, by the way), as well as more vegan feasts from The Mighty Food Fight at Adam & Eve in Hotwells

Beery times

Whether you’re parched from Dry January or just up for a tipple or five, February features an impressive amount of  beer-soaked fun times…

• Brandon Beer Festival (#BeeronBrandon) from Thu 4th to Sunday 7th (which also coincides with the 1st birthday of Hope & Anchor, so pop in to give them a hug!)
• Tap takeovers this month include Brew by Numbers at Beer Emporium and Tiny Rebel at The Hare, woop!
• Aviator in Redland will be celebrating the Six Nations by having some special beers on tap, as well as serving up big plates of ribs & screening all matches live
• The King St pubcrawl is about to get that bit harder, with the imminent arrival of the Prince St Social, and King Street Brew House following not long after!
• Spanish brewery Cerveza Domus will be bringing their beers (UK exclusive!) to the Moor Beer brewery on Sat 6th, which you can enjoy alongside Spanish food and live music, ole!

Newbies to try

If I have one request for this year, it’s for no new places to open until September so that I can catch up on all the ones I haven’t managed to try yet. Here are some of the latest places you need to shift your bum to:

• Vegan junk food at VX Bristol, with Adam & Eve also relaunching as the UK’s first totally vegan pub
• A relocation to central Bristol for Michelin-starred Casamia
• Casual fine dining from Adelina Yard on Welsh Back and Bulrush in Cotham
• Sate your sweet tooth at The Parlour on Cheltenham rd (see the pic at the top of this post; wow), or Swoon Gelato and Pinkmans bakery on Park St.
• Fresh (-ish) faces on Gloucester rd include fish, chip & soul food joint Soul Fish, revamped pub Gloucester Road Ale House (which was The Forresters), Korean restaurant Kimchi Kim and the rustic Pizzarova.
• I’ve also found my new favourite place in the form of German deli-café Speck Brothers in St James’s Arcade in Broadmead. Check out their lush meats & cheeses, as well as their daily homemade hot lunches, sandwiches and cakes – yum!

 

 

That’s all from me – phew! Check out the full list of events by date below, or if you want some other top tips, check out these guides:

• Where to Treat Yourself in Bristol
• The Vegetarian Guide to Bristol
• The Tastiest Tapas in Bristol
• Bristol’s Best Hangover Cures
• 5 Pub Crawls to Conquer Bristol

Dates for the Diary

• Mon 1st-Sun 7th – Feastie Boys takeover at The Hope & Anchor
• Tue 2nd – Mighty Food Fight supper at Adam & Eve
• Wed 3rd – Spain & Portugal wine tasting at Avery’s
• Thur 4th – Aron’s Jewish Deli burger night
• Thu 4th-Sun 7th – Brandon Hill Beer Festival
• Fri 5th – Brew by Numbers tap takeover at The Beer Emporium
• Fri 5th-Sun 7th – Tiny Rebel Tap Takeover at The Hare
• Sat 6th – Spanish food & beer event at Moor Beer Brewery
• Sat 6th – Champagne & sparkling wine tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Tue 9th – Shrove Tuesday pancakes at The Bank Tavern
• Wed 10th – Home Brew Club at Brew Bristol
• Thu 11th – Gin & tonic tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Thu 11th – Bertha’s Pizza at Hart’s Bakery
• Thu 11th – Cheese & wine tasting at Arch House Deli
• Fri 12th – DIY Tapas at Little Kitchen
• Fri 12th – 5 course tasting menu & wines at The Library
• Sat 13th – Bertha’s Pizza at Brewdog
• Sat 13th – Chocolate & Beer matching at Moor Beer brewery
• Sat 13th – Gin tasting & cocktail masterclass at Flipside Cocktail Club
• Sun 14th –4 course Valentines Day meal at Pata Negra
• Sun 14th – 5 course tasting menu at The Rummer
• Sun 14th – 5 course tasting menu & wines at The Library
• Sun 14th – Champagne & sparkling wine tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Sun 14th – Valentine’s meal at Bishopston Supper Club
• Wed 17th – Cheese & Wine at Goldbrick House
• Wed 17th – Cheese & wine tasting at Arch House Deli
• Thu 18th – Beer Tasting at Brew Bristol
• Fri 19th – A Taste of Marrakech cookery class at Little Kitchen
• Sat 20th – Supper club at Clandesdiner
• Sun 21st – Sunday roast at Bishopston Supper Club
• Wed 24th – Home Brew Club at Brew Bristol
• Wed 24th – Best of Street Food at Little Kitchen
• Wed 24th – Basic Butchery course at Source
• Wed 24th – Cheese & wine tasting at Arch House Deli
• Wed 24th – Australia & New Zealand wine tasting at Avery’s
• Thu 25th – Opening of The Prince St Social
• Thu 25th – Bingo Wings at Pata Negra
• Sun 28th – Dine With i Sunday lunch
• Mon 29th – Chilean wine tasting at The Library