Here we are, well into the land of cosy socks and hot beverages, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who missed it.

You’ll be glad to hear that there’s plenty to tempt you out of the house to save you from dissolving entirely into your sofa, so scroll on to see what you’ll be munching in October…

(or just check the Events Calendar if you’re doing some speedy planning)

Top News & Events

Some of the main themes this month: beer, chocolate, awards, and bottomless booze!

If you’re in the mood for some beery antics, The Volunteer Tavern is celebrating its 7th birthday with a mega beer festival from 4-7th October – there will be 2 bars to choose from (including a tap takeover from Moor Beer outside in their heated garden), DJs every night and food from the mighty Tsukemono.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s also the Brandon Hill Beer Festival on the same weekend, as well as a Belgian Beer Festival at The Three Tuns from 19-21st October, and a tap takeover from Good Chemistry at Corner 77 on 25th!

It’s Sherry Week from 8-14th October, so Paco Tapas are getting in the spirit by offering a free glass of Tio Pepe for any diners between 5-6pm, Tue-Sat that week. Bar 44 in Clifton are doing a party on Saturday 13th with live music, sherry tasters and flamenco dancers.

Bravas and Gambas are also getting in on the act by running specials menus for the week, and they look damn fine too.

Speaking of booze, head down to Underfall Yard at the start of November to see a sailing ship offload Portuguese wine straight onto the dockside – a little taste of Bristol’s past!

You can also try oysters from around the UK at Source’s Oyster Festival from 10-13th – cooked, raw, smothered in sauce or au naturale, your choice!

There’s also a Malaysian food and cultural festival in Clifton on Sunday 21st – with a Malaysian street food market, dances, games and more.

One of the most exciting things this month is Choctober at the newly-opened Zara’s Chocolates shop on North St, a week-long celebration of all things cocoa-based. Highlights include making chocolate teacups, cake decorating, chocolate & cheese pairing, and even a pre-Bake Off bake off! See the full list of events here. (I also strongly recommend trying their hot chocolate menu if you do pop in!)

Fancy a night on the town in the flashy new Bristol Old Vic with some of the biggest names on the Bristol food scene? Nab a ticket to The Crumbs Awards on 14th October! View the finalists here.

Speaking of awards, Bristol is now home to five Michelin-starred restaurants, with Bulrush being awarded one this week. They join Casamia, wilks, The Pony & Trap and Paco Tapas; with Bell’s Diner, Tare and Root all being awarded Bib Gourmands (the Michelin award for great value & high quality dining).

Plus more bottomless shenanigans in the form of a two-course lunch with bottomless Prosecco from Zero Degrees, bottomless prosecco brunches at Steam, bottomless burgers at Burger Theory or bottomless tapas & Cava at Pata Negra.

Halloween

Just in case you want to combine dressing up with some munch…

• Halloweenie Sausage Social at Bristol Spirit (Sat 20th) – a Dachshund sausagefest, with pizza & Halloween cocktails.
• Immersive Voodoo Dinner Party at Corner 77 (Wed 24th & Wed 31st) – a six-course dinner accompanied by live music, spoken word and ritualistic performances, £40.
• The Halloween Ball at Opa (Fri 26th & Sat 27th) – three-course Greek meal with live dancers, plate smashing, tarot card reading and DJs, £25.
• Bristol Pudding Society: Halloween Special (Sun 28th) – four courses of puddings (the dream), £20.
• Halloween Family Party at Bristol Cookhouse (Wed 31st) – free entry, kids activities, food & drink from £5.
• Moor Beer Does Halloween (Sat 2nd Nov) – fancy dress, beer, music & food in a brewery, boom!
• Day of the Dead Mex Fest at Cargo Cantina (Sat 2nd Nov) – Mexican food, music, cocktails, face painting and more.
• Victorian Murder Mystery at Tyntesfield (sat 2nd-Sun 3rd Nov) – solve a murder during dinner at this gorgeous stately home, £40.

Dinners

Treat yourself to a special dining experience (seeing as most of us missed out on Casaloco tickets!)

• Dine Naked at The Cauldron (Fri 12th) – 4 courses while you dine in the buff, £26.
• Pitchfork Cafe at Spike Island (Sat 12th) – several courses of vegan food, £20.
• An evening of seafood at The Olive Shed (Wed 17th) – 8 courses of Cornish seafood with optional wine flight (£28 extra), £49.
• Yurt Bistro: Game Menu (Wed 17th) – 5 courses incl. pheasant & venison, £35.
• Gorgeous Goa Supper Club (Sat 19th) – 3 courses of tasty Goan food, BYO, £22.50.
• Eat Your Words: Les Halles by Anthony Bourdain (Mon 22nd) – dishes cooked from the famous cookbook at Jamaica St Stores, with £10 per ticket going to local mental health charities, £35.
• Vegan Boardgames & Dinner at Bristol Cookhouse (Tue 23rd), £15
• Goatober at Flour & Ash (Wed 24th) – 5 courses incl. goat dumplings & kebabs, £25
• Clandesdiner (Sat 27th) – an extravagant dinner served in a secret location, £30

Classes & workshops

Learn something new this month!

• Psychopomp Distiller’s Table: Melon – Sat 6th, £30
• Nourish Cakes workshop with Marianne Stewart – Sat 6th, £65
• Bristol Hoppers: Triple Brewery Special – Fri 12th, £25
• Bristol Whisky Appreciation Society: Islay Magic – Thu 18th, £21.55
• Natural Wine Tasting at Bishopston Supper Club – Fri 19th, £20
• Cheese-making at Harts Bakery – Sun 21st, £70
• Japanese Whisky Tasting at Weber & Tring’s – Wed 24th, £35
• Milk Thistle Gin Club: Bristol Distilling Company – Thu 25th, £20
• Hyde & Co Spirit Society: Glenfiddich – Thu 25th, £20

Pop-ups

Catch them while you can…

• Pasta Slut at The Love Inn on Stokes Croft, Wed-Sat every week.
• Tsukemono at Volunteer evenings Tue-Sat and Thu/Fri lunchtimes.
• Mission Pizza are at Bristol Spirit until the end of October.
• Burger Bear have a second base at Motion, and are now available on Deliveroo.
• Kansai Kitchen are still knocking out lush Japanese dishes at The Hillgrove.
• Maize Blaize are doing brunch takeovers at Corner 77 until the end of the year.

Newbies

Finally, it’s time to update you on some of the newer faces around town…

• Mugshot is a new steak restaurant already making a good impression on St Nicholas St.
• Suncraft is a new vegan venture from the team behind The Gallimaufry, and it looks gorgeous!
• Downtown Taqueria is opening on Colston St on 5th October.
• Coral Cafe is now open in a former pub in St Pauls.
• Leveret is now open – a ‘snazzed up version’ of what was The Hare on North St.
• French bistro La Guinguette is now open on Cheltenham Rd.
• Sri Lankan food has arrived on Cheltenham Rd in the form of The Coconut Tree.
• 1766 Bar & Kitchen at Bristol Old Vic – set against the backdrop of the original theatre façade dating back to 1766, with a range a menus from brunch to pre theatre.

There we go, an absolute beast of an autumn update! I’m busy drafting some christmassy posts at the moment, but you can keep up to date with the latest food news by following A Life Less Organised on Facebook. Alternatively, you can see what I’ve been eating on Instagram, or say hello on Twitter.

I’m also toying with the idea of sending out an email to let people know when the latest guides go live, if that’s something you’d be interested in, sign up here (maybe seeing some people on a list will be the incentive I need to actually send something!)

Dates for the diary
(or check the Events Calendar)

• Thu 4th – Pasta course at Square Food Foundation
• Thu 4th – Absinthe Masterclass at The Clockwork Rose
• Thu 4th- Sun 7th – The Volunteer Tavern 7th Birthday Beer Festival
• Fri 5th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting at The Rummer
• Fri 5th – Murder Mystery on the SS Great Britain
• Sat 6th – Champagne & sparkling wine tasting at The Kensington Arms
• Sat 6th – Psychopomp Distiller’s Table: Melon
• Sat 6th – Wine & chocolate tasting at The Kensington Arms
• Sat 6th – Wiper & True brewery tour
• Sat 6th – South of the River food tour
• Sat 6th – Nourish Cakes workshop at Bristol Cookhouse
• Sat 6th – Stokes Croft food tour
• Sat 6th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting at The Rummer
• Sat 6th – East to West food tour
• Sat 6th – Moor Beer brewery tour
• Sun 7th – Truffle moulding day workshop at Zara’s Chocolates
• Sun 7th – Family Friendly Sunday Roast at Bristol Cookhouse
• Mon 8th – Chocolate teacups workshop at Zara’s Chocolates
• Mon 8th – Mon 29th – Intro to Wine course 
• Tue 9th – Pre Bake Off bake off at Zara’s Chocolates
• Wed 10th – Wine & Jazz with Tristan Darby Quartet at Avery’s Wine Cellars
• Wed 10th – Oktoberfest-themed supper club at West St Kitchen
• Wed 10th – Intimate Dinner with Guest Chef Trish Hilferty at Bristol Cookhouse
• Wed 10th – Herbal truffles workshop at Zara’s Chocolates
• Wed 10th – Cascade Brewing at Wild Beer Wapping Wharf
• Wed 10th – Sun 13th – Source Oyster Festival
• Thu 11th – Chilean Wine Dinner at Harvey Nichols
• Thu 11th – Meet the Maker: Sausages & Cider at Pigsty
• Thu 11th – DIY Pizza and Dine at Little Kitchen
• Thu 11th – Chocolate Dinosaurs talk at Zara’s Chocolates
• Fri 12th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting at The Rummer
• Fri 12th – Chocolate & cheese pairing at Zara’s Chocolates
• Fri 12th – Pitchfork Cafe at Spike Island
• Fri 12th – Fine Wines Night
• Fri 12th – Bristol Hoppers: Triple Brewery Special
• Fri 12th – Designing Great Beers course at Bristol Brewery School
• Sat 13th – Cake Decorating with Chocolate at Zara’s Chocolates
• Sat 13th – New World vs Old World wine tasting at Avery’s Wine Cellars
• Sat 13th – East to West food tour
• Sat 13th – Sherry tasting at The Rummer
• Sat 13th – Sherry Week party at Bar 44
• Sat 13th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting at The Rummer
• Sat 13th – Brewing Crash Course at Bristol Brewery School
• Sat 13th – Moor Beer brewery tour
• Sat 13th – Wiper & True brewery tour
• Sat 13th – Stokes Croft food tour
• Sat 13th – Murder at 405 dinner at Bristol Cookhouse
• Sat 13th & Sun 14th – Bottomless Boozy Lunch at Zero Degrees
• Sun 14th – The Crumbs Awards
• Sun 14th – Coffee & Chocolate Pairing at Zara’s Chocolates
• Sun 14th – Redcliffe Autumn Festival
• Wed 17th – An Evening of Seafood & Wine at The Olive Shed
• Wed 17th – Yurt Bistro: Game Menu at Yurt Lush
• Wed 17th – Syrian Supper Club at Bristol Cookhouse
• Thu 18th – Vegan cookery course at Square Food Foundation
• Fri 19th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting at The Rummer
• Fri 19th – Natural Wine Tasting at Bishopston Supper Club
• Fri 19th – Gorgeous Goa Supperclub by Bosh!
• Fri 19th – Cheese & Wine tasting at Avery’s Wine Cellars
• Fri 19th – Sun 21st – Belgian Beer Festival at The Three Tuns
• Sat 20th – South of the River food tour
• Sat 20th – Cheese & wine pairing at The Kensington Arms
• Sat 20th – Bottomless Prosecco Brunch at Steam
• Sat 20th – East to West food tour
• Sat 20th – Moor Beer brewery tour
• Sat 20th – Halloween Sausage Social at Bristol Spirit
• Sat 20th – Wiper & True brewery tour
• Sat 20th – Stokes Croft food tour
• Sat 20th – Food and wine workshop at The Kensington Arms
• Sat 20th – Bristol Brewery Tour
• Sat 20th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting at The Rummer
• Sat 20th & Sun 21st – Bottomless Boozy Lunch at Zero Degrees
• Sun 21st – Bottomless Burger Club at Burger Theory
• Sun 21st – Cheese-making at Harts Bakery
• Sun 21st – Masfest: Malaysian Food & Cultural Festival in Clifton
• Mon 22nd – Eat Your Words: Les Halles by Anthony Bourdain supper club
• Tue 23rd – Vegan Boardgames & Dinner at Bristol Cookhouse
• Tue 23rd – Scotch Egg Masterclass at Little Kitchen
• Wed 24th – Japanese Whisky Tasting at Weber & Tring’s
• Wed 24th – Goatober Feast at Flour & Ash
• Wed 24th – Explore USA & South Africa wine tasting
• Wed 24th – Immersive Voodoo Dinner Party at Corner 77
• Thu 25th – Milk Thistle Gin Club: Bristol Distilling Company
• Thu 25th – Cheese & wine pairing at The Rummer
• Thu 25th – Teenage Holiday Cookery Club at Little Kitchen
• Thu 25th – Hyde & Co Spirit Society: Glenfiddich
• Thu 25th – Good Chemistry takeover at Corner 77
• Fri 26th – Grains, Gradients & Grafitti beer tour
• Fri 26th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting at The Rummer
• Fri 26th & Sat 27th – The Halloween Ball at Opa
• Fri 26th & Sat 27th – Murder Mystery at Bristol Museum
• Sat 27th – Wiper & True brewery tour
• Sat 27th – Clandesdiner
• Sat 27th – Bottomless Prosecco Brunch at Steam
• Sat 27th – East to West food tour
• Sat 27th – Moor Beer brewery tour
• Sat 27th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting at The Rummer
• Sat 27th – Harry Potter Halloween at Doubletree by Hilton Cadbury House
• Sat 27th – South of the River food tour
• Sat 27th – Introduction to Wine, with lunch at Rosa Tapas
• Sat 27th & Sun 28th – Bottomless Boozy Lunch at Zero Degrees
• Sun 28th – Bristol Pudding Society – Halloween Special
• Sun 28th – Sunday Roast at Bishopston Supper Club
• Sun 28th – Love Food Festival
• Sun 28th – Bottomless tapas & Cava at Pata Negra
• Wed 31st – Halloween Family Party at Bristol Cookhouse
• Wed 31st – Immersive Voodoo Dinner Party at Corner 77
• Wed 31st – Chardonnay & Pinot Noir wine tasting
• Wed 31st – An Evening of Wine with Babich Wine at Riverstation
• Sat 2nd – Moor Beer Does Halloween
• Sat 2nd – Sun 3rd – Victorian Murder Mystery at Tyntesfield
• Sat 2nd – Day of the Dead Mex Fest at Cargo Cantina
• Sat 2nd -Mon 5th – Imperial Stout Festival at Bottles & Books
• Sun 3rd – Tue 6th – Sailing ship Bessie Ellen delivers wine cargo to Underfall Yard