Spring has sprung! The cobbles of King St are once again flush with ruddy-cheeked and sunglasses-bedecked folk!

This month we’ve got a plethora (yes, a PLETHORA, folks) of beer festivals, dining events and workshops, and that’s before I even get started on telling you about all the things you should look forward to at Food Connections at the end of the month, phew.

Kick off your shoes and crack open a window, here’s where you should be drinking and dining this month…

Booze-tastic

First up, springtime wouldn’t be complete without a healthy dose of beer festivals.

Leading the charge is The Hope & Anchor in Hotwells (who have one of the best beer gardens in town, plus friendly doggles!), whose Spring Beer Fest runs from Thursday 31st March until Sunday 3rd April.

The Three Tuns around the corner is also hosting a Spring Beer Festival from 8-10th April, or if you want to sup your beer in style, how about going on the Bristol Brewery Tour – it involves a boat for frick sake! I reviewed it on SaucyPans recently if you want to see some photos of beer and drunk people.

For those of you more partial to other tipples, you can check out the Gin Club at Milk Thistle on Wed 20th (£17.50), or the Wine Club at Goldbrick House on Wed 27th.

Treat Yo’self

If you’re up for a bite with a difference this month, here are a few suggestions…

• Try the Victorian breakfast at The Historical Dining Rooms on Sat 2nd
• Or go in for the Wild Food Night at River Cottage Canteen on Thu 21st
• Burger Theory will be based at Kong’s of King St from 4th April for a month
• Gopal’s Curry Shack will be popping up at The Hillgrove from 5-16th
• Feastie Boys will be at The Old Bookshop for the whole of April, yippee!

The return of Food Connections

By now you’ve surely worked out that my two favourite events of the year are Bristol Beer Week and Food Connections – the latter of which is back at the start of May and bigger & better than ever! (Seriously, check out the full programme, it’s insane)

There is a multitude of talks, markets, community events and of course the mighty Food Trail (check out the full list of special offers on the website), along with a variety of fringe events.

Here are my Food Connections picks:

• Food Stories at Bar Buvette (Free), Wed 4th May
• Kitchen Social speed dating (£30), Tue 3rd May
• How Music Affects Flavour (£12), Mon 2nd May
• Eat Your Words: Cooking from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi (£32.50), Tue 3rd May
• The Hand That Feeds photo exhibition at Poco (Free)
• It’s a Bristol Ting! Caribbean feast (Free), Sun 1st May
• Three Dog Night at Aron’s Jewish Deli (£16.50), Thu 5th May
• Havana Club Takeover at Milk Thistle (£20), Thu 5th May
• Durty Gurties Dining Room (£25), Wed 4th-Sat 7th May
• Hindu Temple feast and talk (Free)

Plus I’ll be doing my very own food tour of St Marks Road in Easton on Saturday 7th May – for just £10 (yes, that’s a mere TENNER) you’ll get nibbles from local businesses including East Bristol Bakery, Thali Cafe, Cafe Maitreya and Zero Zero, as well as talks from the owners about their food and ethos. You can get a ticket to my tour on the Food Connections website.

Workshops & Tastings

Here are some nifty classes and tasting events going on this month…

• Basic Butchery at Source (Wed 6th, £75)
• Swedish Whisky tasting at Weber & Trings (Wed 13th, £25)
• Scotch Egg masterclass at Little Kitchen (Thu 14th, £35)
• Goldbrick House Wine Club (Wed 27th, £25)

Newbies to try

Some new places for you to check out include the opening of Bangkok Joe’s on Saturday 2nd – this huge Asian bar and lounge in Redcliffe (on the site of what was previously Byzantium, opposite St Mary Redcliffe) is from the guys behind Baowow, Sticks & Broth and Hanoi Coffee Co, so we can expect great things!

Recently opened is new vegan & vegetarian cafe Next Door, which has is adjacent to No.12 Easton just by Stapleton Road station – pay them a visit for some lush teas, coffees and healthy breakfasts & snacks.

Another big vegan joint has opened on Stokes Croft – Kale & Kettle is a slick looking cafe with an exciting-looking menu including noodle pots and akkras (black eyed pea fritters) in a bun.

Finally, on a sadder note, vegan pub The Adam and Eve in Hotwells will be closing its doors at the beginning of the month – their vegan dining events and beer menu were fantastic, so it’s a shame to see them go, but hopefully the team will be back with something bigger and better soon!

Dates for the Diary:

• Fri 1st – Rumageddon at The Rummer Hotel
• Fri 1st – St Nicks Night Market
• Sat 2nd – Victorian Breakfast at The Historical Dining Rooms
• Sat 2nd – Bangkok Joe’s opening
• Sat 2nd-Sun 3rd – Hope & Anchor Spring beer festival
• Mon 4th-May 1st – Burger Theory at Kong’s of King St
• Tue 5th – Veg Out at River Cottage Canteen
• Tue 5th-Sat 16th – Gopal’s Curry Shack at The Hillgrove
• Wed 6th – Basic Butchey at Source
• Fri 8th-Sun 10th – Three Tuns Spring beer festival
• Wed 13th – Swedish whisky tasting at Weber & Tring’s
• Thu 14th – Scotch Egg masterclass at Little Kitchen
• Fri 15th – Bristol EATS night food market in St Nicks
• Sat 16th – Spoker & Stringer 1yr party
• Wed 20th – Gin Club at Milk Thistle
• Thu 21st – Wild Food Night at River Cottage Canteen
• Sat 23rd – Chicken 4 Ways at Little Kitchen
• Sun 24th – Yeo Valley’s Spring Yeopen Day
• Wed 27th – Charcuterie course at Source
• Wed 27th – Goldbrick House Wine Club
• Fri 29th-7th May – The Hand That Feeds photography exhibition
• Sat 30th – Brunch 808: Hip Hop Brunch at Club Haus
• Sat 30th – Bristol Brewery Tour