Welcome to winter proper! I hope even the grinches among you are enjoying the sparkly lights, warm drinks and bumper-sized Christmas sarnies that make this month extra exciting.

Here’s my guide to all the tasty things happening in December,make sure you also check out my Bristol Foodie Gift List and guide to Bristol’s Winter Warmer Drinks – both very handy too!

Festive events

Get in the festive spirit in Wapping Wharf on Saturday 2nd – businesses will be coming together to celebrate Christmas by offering discounts and special offers.

Highlights include:

• Woky Ko will be serving a limited-edition Christmas Bao. Cargo Cantina will be doing mandarin Margaritas (oh yes) and chestnut tacos.
• Corks of Cargo will be offering free tasters of two different Madeira wines, plus traditional molasses cake and mulled wine. Or for something warm, have a hot gin toddy on Box-E‘s terrace, or head to Bristol Cider Shop for a festive mulled cider.
• The Bristol Cheesemonger will be offering a discounted cheese selection as well as some festive tasters.
• Root will offer a free glass of mulled wine with Stilton and Eccles Cake taster bites, Pigsty are doing a hog roast and The Pickled Brisket will be doing a Pastrami & Turkey Reuben (!!) plus their new Cargo grilled cheese sarnie.
• Children will eat free at Wild Beer when accompanied by an eating adult from 12 – 6pm, and all day at Salt & Malt. At Bertha’s Pizza, kids can eat free between 12 and 6pm when an accompanying adult purchases a pizza.

If you’re in the mood for something a bit boozier (and boatier), book yourself onto the Baileys Boat Cruise on Wednesday 6th or the Gin Cruise with Elephant Gin on Thursday 7th. 

The Wild Winter Feast at Hamilton House on Friday 8th (£34.50) looks very special – a festive banquet of wild & ancient foods, accompanied by performances of stories and music.

That same evening, Bosh are doing a three course supper club (£20), including antipasti platters to start, followed by slow roasted pork shoulder or aubergine Parmigiana. Vegan alternatives are available.

Experience a Russian feast and storytelling at Spike Island Cafe on 8th Dec (£30) – An authentic evening of Russian food & folklore, including borsch, smoked meats, blini & plenty of vodka!

The Spicery are hosting an Open Day & Christmas Thali lunch on Sat 9th, with gift market, crafty activities and tasty thalis (£10 for adults, £5 for children), and the following day you can head to The Forge in the centre for the A Tavola winter pasta & wine bar. Choose from dishes including buttered gnocci with black pepper, rocket and pecorino, Pappardelle with been shin ragu, caramel panna cotta or burnt ricotta cherry pie.

Bring a bunch of friends to Brunchmas at The Cauldron – a special Christmas Eve brunch with half price Prosecco!

And The Steam Crane in Bedminster is doing an 8 course feast on Christmas Day for those of you who don’t fancy cooking.

New Year’s Eve

Some ideas for dinners, parties and other ways to see out 2017 in style…

• New Year’s Fiesta at Pata Negra, 9pm-3am, £35 including two hours of bottomless Cava and pintxos from 9-11pm, all night entry and entertainment.
• Burger Theory’s Bottomless Burgers & Booze – 6pm-8:30pm, £49 pp for unlimited slider burgers, sides, fizz and beer, plus a welcome cocktail and canapes.
• Small Bar are having their party from 7pm-2am, tickets are £43 which includes a 2 course meal from The Plumed Serpent, 7 beers and a special Small Bar memento.
• New Year Tropicana at Bambalan – 6:30pm-1am, £35 including a cocktail on arrival, 4 courses and all night entertainment.
• Harry Potter Party at Steam Bristol – 8pm-2am, £10 or £5 for earlybird tickets – come in fancy dress, meet Hagrid and enjoy a welcome cocktail before dancing the night away, Hogwarts style.
• The Smuggler’s Ball at Milk Thistle – 9pm-3am, £35, includes 3 historically inspired cocktails in your ticket price, as well as all night entertainment. Fancy dress is encouraged!

Classes

Learn something new before the year is out!

• Discover the science behind food, including digestion, taste, why we eat what we eat and the impact of different types of food on the wider environment at After Hours: Feast at We The Curious on Thur 7th (£7.95).
• Sample sherries matched with tapas at Bordeaux Quay on Sat 9th (£35).
• Make some stocking fillers in the Christmas preserves class at Little Kitchen on Sat 9th (£50).
• Learn about vegetarian cookery from field to fork in a trip to the Community Farm including a cooking demo from award-winning chef Jo Ingleby (£52).
• Try some festive beers at the Porter and stout evening with Bristol Hoppers (£15).

Newbies

Some more new places to check out around town…

• East Village Cafe is a cute vegan cafe in Clifton Village.
• Voodoo-Q are opening a new smokehouse on Gloucester Road any day now…
• Edit Bristol is an audiophile bar and restaurant(?) now open on Cheltenham Road.
• Convivio is a friendly new cafe lounge on Cotham Hill.
• Popular chains Franco Manca and The Real Greek have opened in the centre and Cabot Circus respectively.

That’s it for this month, I’ll be posting my review of 2017 in a couple of weeks, so be sure to tell me on Twitter or Facebook which places/dishes/drinks have been your highlights of the year. In the mean time, if you liked this, you might also like…

• Bristol’s Best Burgers
• Bristol’s Cosiest Pubs
• Bristol’s Classiest Cocktail Bars
• 11 Bristol Institutions

Dates for the Diary:
(or check the Calendar)

• Fri 1st – Festive cider tasting at Bristol Cider Shop
• Fri 1st – Jazz & wine dinner at Avery’s Wine Merchants
• Fri 1st – Sat 2nd – Murder Mystery Dinner at The Piano Bar
• Sat 2nd – Winter Fayre at Feed Bristol
• Sat 2nd – Festive fun at Wapping Wharf
• Sat 2nd – Clandesdiner supper club
• Sat 2nd – Festive Bonanza on Gloucester Road
• Sat 2nd – Distiller’s Table: Christmas at Psychopomp
• Sat 2nd – Wiper & True brewery tour
• Sun 3rd – Hempty Plates Winter Indulgence at The Library
• Sun 3rd – BS5 Market in St George Park
• Sun 3rd – Bottomless burgers & booze at Burger Theory
• Sun 3rd – St Werburghs Winter Fair
• Tue 5th – Sour Beer Brewing Course at Bristol Brewery School
• Wed 6th – History talk with 5 course lunch at Ston Easton Park
• Wed 6th – Wine dinner at Hotel du Vin
• Wed 6th – Baileys Boat Cruise
• Thu 7th – Pizzarova 2nd birthday bottomless pizza & prosecco party
• Thu 7th – Eat Christmas With Us: Tara’s Table
• Thu 7th – After Hours: Feast at We The Curious
• Thu 7th – Gin & Tonic tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Thu 7th – After Hours: Feast at We The Curious
• Thu 7th – Christmas Gin Cruise
• Thu 7th – New Bristol Brewery tasting evening
• Fri 8th – Bosh 3 course supper club
• Fri 8th – Festive cider tasting at Bristol Cider Shop
• Fri 8th – Wild Winter Feast at Hamilton House
• Fri 8th – Christmas food market at Steam
• Fri 8th – Russian feast and storytelling at Spike Island Cafe
• Fri 8th – Grains, gradients & graffiti beer tour
• Fri 8th – Christmas wine tasting & charity auction at Averys
• Sat 9th – Bristol Viva! Vegan Festival
• Sat 9th – The Palace Meets Bristol: Dinner, Documentary & Drinks
• Sat 9th – A Collaborative Christmas Market at Good Chemistry HQ
• Sat 9th – Sherry & tapas tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Sat 9th – The Spicery Open Day & Christmas Thali Lunch
• Sat 9th – Bristol Food Tour: Stokes Croft
• Sat 9th – Christmas preserves class at Little Kitchen
• Sat 9th – Christmas canapes class at Little Kitchen
• Sun 10th – A Tavola Winter Wine Bar at The Forge
• Sun 10th – Bristol Pudding Society: Xmas Special
• Sun 10th– 7th Birthday Roast at Bishopston Supper Club
• Sun 10th – Festive afternoon tea at Bristol Harbour Hotel
• Sun 10th – Festive vegetarian cookery, from field to fork
• Sun 10th – Grains, Gradients & Graffiti beer tour
• Wed 13th -Thu 14th – Christmas treats tasting at Averys Wine Merchants
• Thu 14th – Cheese & wine tasting at Bordeaux Quay
• Thu 14th – Festive black tie dinner dance
• Thu 14th – Christmas treats tasting at Avery’s Wine Merchants
• Fri 15th – Festive cider tasting at Bristol Cider Shop
• Sat 16th – Bristol Food Tour: Stokes Croft
• Sat 16th – Wiper & True brewery tour
• Sun 17th – Yoga Brunch at The Forge
• Sun 17th – Children’s holiday cookery club at Little Kitchen
• Tue 19th – Baking Club: Xmas special at Little Kitchen
• Thu 21st – Xmas porter and stout evening
• Thu 21st – A Very Mikkeller Christmas at Brewdog
• Fri 22nd – Festive cider tasting at Bristol Cider Shop
• Sat 30th – Wiper & True brewery tour
• Sun 31st – Bottomless burgers & booze at Burger Theory
• Sun 31st – NYE Fiesta at Pata Negra
• Sun 31st – New Year’s party at Small Bar
• Sun 31st – New Year’s Eve Tropicana party at Bambalan
• Sun 31st – Harry Potter NYE Party at Steam
• Sun 31st – The Smuggler’s Ball at Milk Thistle