The daffodils are coating every grassy area of town from Castle Park to The Downs, and the temperature is steadily rising…so I think it’s safe to say that we can start looking forward to long days of sitting on quaysides after work with a cold beverage in hand. Hurrah!

Get your questionable summer shirts on and prepare to type up your ‘out of the office’ for the 4 day weekend – it’s time to hear what tasty things are happening in April…

Highlights:

You’re going to have to work hard to stay sober this month, because not only do we have a bumper month for beer events (hello, bank holiday weekends!), but a cocktail extravaganza is coming to town in the shape of Bristol on the Rocks!

There are eight events going on throughout the month at locations across the city, but my personal picks would be the Gelato Cocktail Party at Swoon on 6th April, the Wolf of Wall Street brunch on Saturday 8th and a Wacky Race themed cocktail night at Her Majety’s Secret Service on Thursday 20th.

As I mentioned before, there are plenty of beery events this month too, from beer festivals at The Drapers Arms and Volunteer Tavern over Easter weekend (as well as Left Handed Giant‘s tap room reopening on the 14th), followed by the 13th Annual Beer Festival at the Inn on the Green in Horfield on Sat 29th.

I’m particularly excited about the return of the East Bristol Brewery Trail on the bank holiday weekend (29th & 30th April), which gives you the opportunity to visit five breweries in Easton and St Phillips – this was a highlight of my summer last year, so I’ll definitely be doing this again (and probably popping in to The Barley Mow afterwards).

Last but by no means least, Taste Chocolate comes to the new & flashy Harbour Hotel in the city centre on 15th & 16th, so you can spend part of your Easter weekend gorging on chocolate, watching demonstrations and taking part in their multisensory chocolate experience (from Understory, who are brilliant) – there’s even a prosecco bar!

Food-tastic news

• There are a few new food markets for you to get along to! BS5 Market returns to St George’s Park on Sunday 2nd, Easton Market launches at Bannerman Rd Community Academy on Sat 8th and a weekly market will be in the new Finzels Reach district from Friday 5th May.

• Steam are hosting boozy Californian style brunches most weekends in April, starting on Saturday 1st April; £25 gets you bottomless Mimosas or Prosecco for 2 hours, as well as a set of pastries and muffins before you move on to your main brunch event (choose from a selection of 7 dishes, including stacked pancakes with bacon, courgette bread with avocado & eggs, or a mega all-singing all-dancing breakfast).
• Ahead of CARGO 2 opening, Gopal’s Curry Shack are crowdfunding for their unit – you can do this directly through their fundraising page, or by buying 3 thalis in advance from Wriggle to help them buy the kit they need.

• Wriggle are also launching a beer! Brewed with Crafty Devil Brewery, it’ll be available at various bars around town from early April.
• A bunch of lovely people are raising money to help the homeless in Bristol by doing a pizza pop-up from their home in St Werburghs every Friday.
• Creators of some of the city’s most fun & innovative events, Foozie turns 2 this month and so is celebrating with a special edition of Bingo Wings on Saturday 8th.

Dining events

A few suggestions if you want a dinner with a difference:

• The students at City of Bristol College are hosting a Southern France dining event on Thursday 6th, which is just £17.95 for 3 courses.
• 91 Ways are running their next supper club to fund their Peace Cafe – Tales of India will include 3 courses and host/chef Shiv sharing his story (£25, or £49 for 2 people).
• Pearla’s Palate is bringing a sensory tasting menu to Bristol on 8th April, which will give you a selection of 6-10 dishes to try. Initially created for autistic children with sensory disorders, this should be an interesting event.
• The team from Ottolenghi are hosting a fundraiser at Hamilton House on Fri 21st, serving up a 3 course sharing menu for £80 (£20 of which is a donation to the wonderful Community Kitchen) – there is an option to stagger payments if needed.
• Enjoy an Irish-themed Captain’s Dinner on the SS Great Britain on Friday 28th. Tickets are £65 and you’ll be welcomed aboard with a Black Velvet cocktail (Guinness & Champagne) before eating dishes such as Irish stew, chocolate Guinness cake and Irish whiskey fudge. The price also includes half a bottle of wine per person.

Courses & tastings

Learn something you can show off to your mates about!

• Which is better, beer or wine? Find out more at Averys as they highlight the best of both worlds on Sat 8th (£15).
• Possibly my favourite cocktail at the moment, Weber & tring’s on Christmas Steps are doing a Negroni workshop on Wed 12th (£25).
• Learn how to make Easter bread at Little Kitchen on Sat 15th (£52).
• Explore Australian & New Zealand wine at Clifton Wine School on 20th April (£25).
• Get an introduction to cider at the Bristol Cider Shop on Friday 21st (£20).
• Arch House Deli in Clifton are hosting a cheese & gin/fruit liquer tasting evening on 26th April (£30).

Newbies

Here are a few fresh faces in town you need to visit:

• The Old Butcher’s – a collaboration between Wiper & True and The Old Bookshop on North St, now open for business for you beer fans!
• Dutch – a new bar with a selection of over 350 gins on Old Market.
• Moroccan Corner – a small cafe serving some seriously tasty North African dishes.
• Taste of Napoli – a great pizza shop next to the arcade in Broadmead.
• Kluk – chicken maestros in Broadmead, but they also do a great salad.

• Firewood Grill and Gelato – burgers and gelato on Bond Street.
• Chani Pani – Indian street food on Cotham Hill.
• Milk Teeth – a lush coffee shop in St Pauls – great coffee and cake.
• Keepers – a quirky restaurant in the Grand Hotel – they have beehives on the roof!
• OPA – a ‘luxury hall’ (says their website), with pretty full-on decor and Greek food.
• Cafe Matariki – a cafe specialising in gorgeous organic dishes, based in Finzels Reach.

That’s all from me for this month – you can hear more up-to-the-moment (-ish, I’m a forgetful sort) food news and pictures on my Twitter, or if you follow A Life Less Organised on the old Facebook. Ta!

Until next time here are some other popular guides I’ve done recently:

1. 7 Great Places to Drink Gin in Bristol
2. Bristol’s Best Pub Gardens
3. The best cake, ice cream & chocolate in Bristol
4. 11 Top Bristol Breakfasts

Dates for the diary

• Sun 2nd – BS5 Market in St George’s Park
• Sun 2nd – SoCal bottomless brunch at Steam
• Sun 2nd – Eat Clean Fair at Thornbury Leisure Centre
• Thu 6th – Southern French dining at City of Bristol College
• Thu 6th – Gelato cocktail party at Swoon
• Fri 7th – Gin tasting at The Pump House
• Fri 7th – Tasty Tales at Boiling Wells (part of Storyfest)
• Fri 7th – Fish & chips cruise on The Matthew
• Fri 7th – Sat 8th – Murder Mystery Dinner at Bristol Hippodrome
• Sat 8th – Brewery open day and tours at the Lost and Grounded brewery
• Sat 8th – SoCal bottomless brunch at Steam
• Sat 8th – Spring in the Bearpit
• Sat 8th – Wolf of Wall St brunch at Milk Thistle
• Sat 8th – Easton market
• Sat 8th – UK garage day party at Motion
• Sat 8th – Pearlas Palate sensory supper club
• Sat 8th – Beer vs wine tasting event at Averys
• Sat 8th – Bingo Wings for Foozie’s 2nd birthday
• Sat 8th – Perfect pastry course at Little Kitchen
• Sun 9th – The Spotless Leopard vegan cream tea
• Sun 9th – Hart’s Allstars – meet the bakers!
• Sun 9th – SoCal bottomless brunch at Steam
• Wed 12th – New world vs old world wine tasting at Averys
• Wed 12th – Nutella cocktails at The Parlour
• Wed 12th – Negroni workshop at Weber & Tring’s
• Wed 12th – Andy Clark at Adelina Yard
• Wed 12th – Cheese & wine tasting at Arch house
• Thu 13th – Bordeaux, Rhone & Languedoc wine tasting at Clifton Wine School
• Fri 14th – Beer festival at The Drapers Arms
• Fri 14th – Left Handed Giant tap room reopens
• Fri 14 – Mon 17th – Beer festival at The Volunteer Tavern
• Sat 15th – Introduction to cider at The Bristol Cider Shop
• Sat 15th – Easter bread masterclass at Little kitchen
• Sat 15th – SoCal bottomless brunch at Steam
• Sat 15th – The Bristol Food Tour 
• Sat 15th – Gin & tonic tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Sat 15th & Sun 16th – Taste Chocolate at Harbour Hotel
• Sun 16th – SoCal bottomless brunch at Steam
• Sun 16th – Boat trip & roast at Beeses Tea Garden
• Sun 16th – Lee Skeet & Rob Howell collaboration dinner at Yurt Lush
• Wed 19th – Cheese and wine tasting at Arch House Deli
• Wed 19th – Fish & chips cruise on The Matthew
• Thu 20th – 91 Ways supper club: Tales of India
• Thu 20th – Hip Hop in a Chip Shop at Soul Fish
• Thu 20th – Start-up stories at Milk Teeth
• Thu 20th – Australia & New Zealand wine tasting at Clifton Wine School
• Thu 20th – Drink Dastardly at Her Majesty’s Secret Service
• Fri 21st – Introduction to Cider at The Bristol Cider Shop
• Fri 21st – 80s Game Show Cocktail Night at Flipside Cocktail Club
• Fri 21st – Ottolenghi fundaraiser meal at Hamilton House
• Sat 22nd – Gluten free fair at City Hall
• Sat 22nd – Champagne & sparkling wine tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Sat 22nd – Superheroes for a super cause party at Rosarios
• Sun 23rd – Yoga brunch at Hamilton House
• Sun 23rd – Boat trip & roast dinner at Beeses Tea Garden
• Tue 25th – Michael Bremner chef guest night at The Pony & Trap
• Tue 25th – Sex and the Town Centre cocktails at Pata Negra
• Wed 26th – Cheese & gin/fruit liquer tasting at Arch House Deli
• Wed 26th – Vegetarian cookery class at Little Kitchen
• Wed 26th – Kilchoman distillery tasting at Weber & Tring’s
• Wed 26th – An evening with Bernard Margrez wines at Averys
• Thu 27th – Bristol Whisky Club at Hyde & Co
• Thu 27th – Ramen Shack pop-up at The Exchange
• Thu 27th – Burgundy & Loire wine tasting at Clifton Wine School
• Thu 27th – Espresso Martini Masterclass at The Bootlegger
• Thu 27th – Gin Club at Milk Thistle
• Fri 28th – Captain’s Dinner on SS Great Britain
• Fri 28th – Street food party at Steam Bristol
• Sat 29th – South of the River food tour
• Sat 29th – Fish & chips cruise on The Matthew
• Sat 29th – Breakfast in Bedminster
• Sat 29th – Inn on the Green beer festival
• Sat 29th – Bristol Brewery Tour
• Sat 29th & Sun 30th – East Bristol Brewery Trail
• Sun 30th – Club Tropicana boat party (sold out, sorry!)