So I’ve looked at my calendar, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be home much over the next 4 months, because alllll of the fun events are coming to town this summer.

It’s looking particularly exciting this month, with a variety of bank holiday frolics and quirky events going on right up until the end of May.

Strap in, here’s where you’ll be eating and drinking this month…

(If you’re short on time, check the Events Calendar)

Event Highlights

One of my absolute faves takes place over the first May Bank Holiday weekend – the East Bristol Brewery Trail! Stroll between 5 of Bristol’s greatest breweries in St Phillips and Easton to try a selection of special beers, street food and meet the brewers themselves. It’s always a great laugh, so strongly recommended.

That weekend also plays host to Crush Wine Weekend, at series of events at bars & restaurants across the city, including wine tastings and talks, wine & food pairings and even a wine cycle tour!

Other festivals coming to the city this month include Foodies Festival on Durdham Down from 11-13th, Beerfest in Millennium Sq from 18-20th, and the Gin Festival from 25-26th, plus the return of the might Vegfest, which will be taking place at Ashton Gate Stadium and boasts a huge programme of veg-tastic talks, dinners (including a vegan restaurant and pizzeria) and a huge market of 230 stalls.

You can also get in the party mood at the Summer Brewhouse Sesssion at Lost & Grounded‘s brewery in Brislington on Sat 19th, with DJs, beer and a guest bar from Espensen Spirit.

As if all that weren’t enough, another of my favourites is coming to the city in early June – Bristol Food Connections has announced its programme and it is nothing short of brilliant. They recently posted a Programme Highlights blog, but here are a few faves of my own (which I’ll be booking as soon as I get paid):

• A Summer’s Feast
• Avery’s Summer of Wine
• Carib-Asian
• Cider vs Beer
• Farm Flavours: Out and About in Bedminster
• FUTURE: FEAST
• Growing Together: Easton Garden Party
• Indian Food: Times are a-changin’
• It’s a Bristol Ting!
• Kitchen Social: Speed Dating & Cooking
• Time and Thyme Again: Bell’s Diner 1976-2018
• World Food Passport

Food News

Just a few exciting bits I’ve heard on the grapevine…

The Arnolfini Café has extended its opening hours to include an evening menu with head chef Iza Palicka serving up a menu of comfort foods. A perfect harbourside spot for when the evenings get a bit warmer and lighter! They’re also launching a new weekly street food market on their terrace every Friday, lovely stuff.

Boston Tea Party have banned disposable cups – hurrah! It’s a brave move, as plenty of Bristol businesses already offer discounts to those using re-usable cups, but banning disposables altogether, way to go BTP!

Bristol Eats are bringing their excellent street food parties back to Tobacco Factory, with the first one of summer taking place on Friday 11th May, featuring plenty of great food vendors, music and a tap takeover from New Bristol Brewery!

Eat your way around Wapping Wharf on Wriggle’s self-led Food Trail – every weekend in May.

Pi Shop have revamped their menu to include a new pizza tasting experience, based on two people sharing. This menu (£29pp) will include a charcuterie & cheese board, olives, three tasting-sized pizzas from the Classics or Speciality menus (and they all look damn fine – I’m going next week so look out for pics), salad, dip and ice cream to finish. 

 

Dinners

Some exciting dining experiences to book onto this month…

• 5-6th May – Hempty Plates: A 6 course feast featuring nature’s wonder seeds, £30.
• 6th May – Wylie Sisters Wine Party at Flow: A taster flight of 3 natural wines with vegetarian canapes, £15.
• 9th – Mid Spring Supper Club at West St Kitchen: 3 course seasonal supper including home-cured salmon and a gooseberry meringue pie (yes purrrlease!), £30.
• 12th – Bucky Brunch at Bristol Spirit: A tasty brunch with Buckfast cocktail, £18.50.
• 18th – Copacabana Palace at Milk Thistle: Cocktails, glitz, music and 1920s tropical glamour at their latest themed extravaganza, £35.

• 20th – Malaysian Street Food Feast: A selection of Malaysian dishes, £30.
• 21st – Pasta Slut pop-up at Edit: 3 courses of Sicilian food & cocktails, £25 (not inc drinks).
• 22nd – Wine producer evening at Wellbourne with Frescobaldi wines, £25 for 3 courses and vol-au-vents with paired wines.
• 25th – Pop-up dinner at Aron’s Deli: 3 course of traditional Jewish food, £25.
• 25th – Four at Watershed: Four dishes & four extraordinary tales, £15.
• 31st – George from Masterchef does a tasting menu at The Kensington Arms, £35.

https://twitter.com/georgekallias/status/992115969551106048

 

Courses & Workshops

Learn something new to impress your mates…

• 11th – Bristol Hoppers Triple Brewery Tour, £25.
• 13th – Sunday Market Food Tour, £40.
• 16th – Prosecco: A Masterclass, £30.
• 17th – Gin Masterclass at The Rummer, £35.
• 18th – Brewing Crash Course at Bristol Brewery School, £120.
• 20th – Distiller’s Table: Bloody Mary at Psychopomp, £30.
• 24th – Meat Cookery Class at Square Food Foundation, £49.
• 31st – Herradura tequila tasting at Hyde & Co, £20.
• 31st – Citadelle Gin Club at Milk Thistle, £25.

Newbies

Some new faces to visit across town…

• Pasta Ripiena is now open (good luck getting a booking before September).
• Pintxo is a new tapas bar opening on Whiteladies Rd.
• Pizzarova are opening a new branch soon on Park St.
• Gambas is bringing tapas to Wapping Wharf soon (in what was Spuntino).
• Bristol Vegan & Wellness Market is now on every Monday from 10am-5pm.
• Corner 77 is open on Stokes Croft and aims to host a changing selection of street food and pop-ups.
• Eat Your Greens is a new vegan cafe open on Wells rd (the roasts look GOOD)
• Convoy Espresso is serving coffee & snacks to the patrons of Paintworks.

That’s it for this month, you can keep up to date with other food news by following A Life Less Organised on Facebook, see what I’m eating on Instagram, or just come say hi on Twitter.

If you want something else to read…

• Bristol’s Best Pub Gardens
• Bristol’s Best Burgers
• Vegetarian Bristol & Bath

Dates for the Diary
(or just check the Events Calendar)

• Wed 2nd -Thu 3rd – Vegan tasting menu at Box-E
• Thu 3rd – Pizza, gelato & wine pairing at Bertha’s Pizza
• Thu 3rd – Beer + Tapas pairing at Pata Negra 
• Thu 3rd – Curry Legend Workshop at The Spicery 
• Thu 3rd – Cheese & wine pairing at The Rummer
• Thu 3rd – The Wild Beltane Ball 
• Fri 4th – Introduction to Cider at Bristol Cider Shop 
• Fri 4th – Gin & Cheese Club at Cox & Baloney
• Fri 4th – Bottomless pizza & Prosecco at Dough Ballers https://www.getawriggleon.com/o/bristol-dough-ballers-pizzeria-fantastic-friday-fun-bottomless-pizza-prosecco
• Fri 4th – Sat 5th – Wapping Wharf Food Trail 
• Fri 4th – Sun 6th – Crush Wine Weekend 
• Sat 5th – Sun 6th – East Bristol Brewery Trail
• Sat 5th – Cheese & wine pairing at The Kensington Arms
• Sat 5th – Fish filleting course at Source 
• Sat 5th – Fish & Chips cruise on The Matthew 
• Sat 5th – Designing Great Beers course at Bristol Brewery School
• Sat 5th – Beginner’s Guide to Wine Tasting with Crush Wine Weekend 
• Sat 5th – Tropical rooftop brunch 
• Sat 5th – Clandesdiner supper club 
• Sat 5th – Cheese & wine pairing 
• Sat 5th – The Great Bristol Food Tour 
• Sat 5th – South of the River food tour 
• Sat 5th – Wiper & True Brewery Tour 
• Sat 5th – Bristol Brewery Tour
• Sat 5th – Sun 6th – Hempty Plates dinner at Yurt Lush
• Sun 6th – Sunday Market food tour 
• Sun 6th – Roast at Bishopston Supper Club
• Sun 6th – Bottomless Prosecco and roast at Steam
• Sun 6th – Wylie Sisters Wine Party at Flow
• Wed 9th – Mid Spring Supper Club at West St Kitchen 
• Wed 9th – Introduction to Wine evening 
• Thu 10th – Indian Feast supper club 
• Thu 10th – Pudding & Cocktail Club at Cox & Baloney
• Fri 11th – Bristol Hoppers Triple Brewery Tour 
• Fri 11th – Introduction to Cider at Bristol Cider Shop 
• Fri 11th – Bristol Eats street food party at Tobacco Factory
• Fri 11th – Gin & Cheese Club at Cox & Baloney
• Fri 11th – Bottomless pizza & Prosecco at Dough Ballers
• Fri 11th – Sat 12th – Wapping Wharf Food Trail 
• Fri 11th – Sun 13th – Foodies Festival 
• Sat 12th – The Great Bristol Food Tour 
• Sat 12th – Choral Cuisine at Extract Coffee Roasters 
• Sat 12th – Wiper & True Brewery Tour 
• Sat 12th – Birthday taproom tasting at Bristol Beer Factory 
• Sat 12th – Bottomless Prosecco & Mimosa brunch at Steam
• Sat 12th – Saturday Intro to Wine with Lunch 
• Sat 12th – Buckfast Brunch at Bristol Spirit 
• Sun 13th – Sunday Market food tour 
• Wed 16th – Fish & Chips cruise on The Matthew
• Wed 16th – Prosecco: A Masterclass 
• Thu 17th – Gin Masterclass 
• Thu 17th – Tap takeover & food pairings at Riverstation
• Thu 17th – Pudding & Cocktail Club at Cox & Baloney
• Fri 18th – Introduction to Cider at Bristol Cider Shop 
• Fri 18th – Copacabana Palace 1920s party at Milk Thistle 
• Fri 18th – Brewing Crash Course at Bristol Brewery School
• Fri 18th – Gin & Cheese Club at Cox & Baloney 
• Fri 18th – Bottomless pizza & Prosecco at Dough Ballers 
• Fri 18th – Gambas paella pop-up at Corner 77
• Fri 18th – Sat 19th – Wapping Wharf Food Trail 
• Fri 18th – Sun 20th – Beerfest  in Millennium Square
• Sat 19th – Bingo Wings: Phil Mitchell edition 
• Sat 19th – Bottomless Prosecco & Mimosa brunch at Steam 
• Sat 19th – Lost & Grounded Summer Brewhouse Session: Cloudwater & Jopen
• Sat 19th – Food & wine matching workshop 
• Sat 19th – Natural wine tasting at Hart’s Bakery with Billings & Briggs
• Sat 19th – The Great Bristol Food Tour 
• Sat 19th – Champagne & sparkling wine tasting 
• Sat 19th – Wiper & True Brewery Tour 
• Sun 20th – Chance & Counters 2nd Birthday!
• Sun 20th – Seasonal food market at Tyntesfield 
• Sun 20th – Cotham Hill street party
• Sun 20th – Malaysian street food feast by 5 Foot Way 
• Sun 20th – Sunday Market food tour 
• Sun 20th – Distiller’s Table: Bloody Mary 
• Mon 21st – Pasta Slut pop-up at Edit 
• Tue 22nd – Wine producer evening at Wellbourne
• Wed 23rd – Australia & New Zealand wine tasting at Avery’s 
• Thu 24th – Portuguese Wine Dinner at Hotel du Vin 
• Thu 24th – New Bristol Brewery beer tasting 
• Thu 24th – Pudding & Cocktail Club at Cox & Baloney
• Thu 24th – Food and design talk
• Thu 24th – Meat cookery class at Square Food Foundation
• Fri 25th – Pop-up dinner at Aron’s Deli 
• Fri 25th – Bottomless pizza & Prosecco at Dough Ballers 
• Fri 25th – Start your own Microbrewery at Bristol Brewery School
• Fri 25th – Gin & Cheese Club at Cox & Baloney
• Fri 25th – ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ wine & cheese flight at Avery’s 
• Fri 25th – Four at Watershed 
• Fri 25th – Introduction to Cider at Bristol Cider Shop 
• Fri 25th – Sat 26th – Gin Festival 
• Fri 25th – Sat 26th – Wapping Wharf Food Trail 
• Sat 26th – Spring Supper at Bishopston Supper Club 
• Sat 26th – Gambas paella pop-up at Corner 77
• Sat 26th – Psychopomp summer gin tasting
• Sat 26th – Sun 27th – Vegfest 
• Sat 26th – The Great Bristol Food Tour 
• Sat 26th – Crafternoon Tea at Bristol Beer Factory
• Sat 26th – An Indian Fusion Dining Experience at The Bristol Cookhouse 
• Sat 26th – Bristol Brewery Tour
• Sat 26th – Bottomless Prosecco & Mimosa brunch at Steam 
• Sat 26th – Wiper & True Brewery Tour 
• Sun 27th – Bank holiday bottomless Cava fiesta brunch at Pata Negra 
• Sun 27th – Guest Chef Series: Brad Carter at The Pony & Trap 
• Tue 29th – Chocolate & truffle making and afternoon tea at Thornbury Castle 
• Wed 30th – Yankee Doodle cookery class 
• Wed 30th – Yoga Supper Club: Tsukemono 
• Thu 31st – Herradura tequila tasting at Hyde & Co 
• Thu 31st – Pudding & Cocktail Club at Cox & Baloney
• Thu 31st – George from Masterchef tasting menu at The Kensington Arms
• Thu 31st – Citadelle Gin Club at Milk Thistle