Winter is most definitely here, and in the run up to Christmas there is a shed ton of food & drink events to get into the festive spirit.

Get a cuppa on the go and have your calendar at the ready, here are all the tasty things you could do in November…

News

It’s been a big month for Bristol food businesses – The Bank Tavern won Best Roast at Observer Food Monthly Awards, with four other Bristol restaurants getting shortlisted!
Oowee also won two awards at the Deliveroo Awards – Best Restaurant and Best Vegan Offering.

16 Bristol restaurants feature in the AA Restaurant Guide 2020, and The Observer’s food critic Jay Rayner made another visit to Bristol (he reviewed Pasta Ripiena earlier this year, and has already heaped praise on Box-E and Wilson’s in earlier reviews) to try the food at Marmo (spoiler: he really liked it). You can see Jay waxing lyrical about the Bristol food scene here.

Festivals

Time to party! Celebrate the Mexican festival of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) at Masa + Mezcal on Sat 2nd November, where they’re putting on a special four course Mexican feast with cocktails, mezcal and live music. Phone or pop in to book your table.

It’s Sherry Week from 4-11th November at Bar 44 in Clifton, with something happening every day including tastings and workshops, with a Sherry Fiesta on Sat 9th November.

Don’t miss the Grand Gin and Tonic Tour of Cargo on Saturday 9th November with Box-E, Psychopomp, Wokyko and Gambas, where you can enjoy three small plates and a G&T at each venue. Tickets are £30, call 0117 3296887 to book.

One for the wine lovers – Avery’s Celebration of Wine is on Saturday 9th, with an afternoon session and an evening session. A limited amount of discounted tickets are available from Wriggle.

A new LGBTQ+ event is launching in Bristol this month – Queers Without Beers Bristol is an alcohol-free social night that doesn’t revolve around booze. Everyone is welcome – whether you have never drunk, don’t want alcohol tonight, are looking to change your drinking habits, or have actively quit drinking. These events are already hugely popular in London and Manchester, so head along and support their first Bristol event at Adelina Yard on Monday 11th.

Expect music, magic and festive fun at Wapping Wharf on Thursday 14th November when the community switches on its Christmas lights, complete with a performance from the cast of Tobacco Factory Theatres’s Snow White. There will be festive ytreats on offer all evening, including toffee apples & ‘poison’ glitter apple tattoos at BOX-E, hot spicy mulled cider at Bristol Cider Shop, cranberry margaritas & chestnut tacos at Cargo Cantina, smoked haddock chowder at Clifton Seafood Company, Chorizillos a la sidra served with roast chestnuts & hot spiced mulled Sangria at Gambas, festive cheese nibbles from The Bristol Cheesemonger, and the first 50 people at Salt & Malt from 5pm onwards will get a free hot chocolate or mulled cider!

The Gin to my Tonic Festival comes to Paintworks from Fri 15th – Sat 16th November, with the opportunity to try over 100 gins.

If you want a fun night out, I’d recommend The Thinking Drinkers: Heroes of Hooch on Friday 22nd, I went to a show of theirs a couple of years ago and it was a hoot, a hoot I tell you.

Finally, Free From Festival takes place on Sat 23rd, championing foods that are free from gluten, dairy or refined sugar.

Dinners

Treat yourself to somat nice this month, g’waaan.

• Cooking Over Fire at The Pony & Trap (Tue 5th, £45)  – a 3 course Bonfire Night feast cooked over charcoal in their Asado fire-pit. Email or call to book.
• Fondue Night at Two Belly (Wed 6th,  £25) – a night of dipping bread, meats and veg into gooey cheese. Perfect winter night stodge!
• French Supper Club with 91 Ways (Fri 8th, £30) –  three courses of traditional French cooking, made by Seb Brochot.
• Bristol Young Guns Dinner at Clevedon Hall (Mon 11th, £95) – three courses with wine and nibbles, cooked by Elliott Lidstone from Box-E, Jan Ostle from Wilson’s and Josh Eggleton from The Pony and Trap.
• Vegan Wine Dinner at Riverstation (Thu 14th, £50) – four courses paired with wine, profits will go to PHASE Worldwide.
• ACORN residency at Dela (Fri 15th – Thu 21st) – plant-based small plates, natural wines, acorn classics.
• Sunday Supra Club (Sun 17th, £35) – a celebration of vegetarian Georgian food, culture and wine.
• Surplus Food Supper Club with Belly Laughs (Tue 19th, £20) – comedy and veggie food, raising money for FareShare and One25.
• Beronia Day at Bar 44 (Thu 21st, £60) – a tapas feast with half a bottle of Beronia Rioja per person, plus live music and basque berets for everyone!
• Guest Chef: Jude Kereama at The Pony & Trap (Thu 21st, £58) – a six-course collaborative menu. Call or email to book.
• Music and Wine Night at Avery’s (Fri 29th, £30) – enjoy some delicious wines while listening to a 10 piece choir singing a mix of classic, modern and Christmas songs.
• French Classic Wine Dinner at Hotel du Vin (Fri 29th, £85) – three courses paired with wine, arrival drink and canapes.

Christmas and NYE

It’s time to start getting organised! The big Christmas Market in Broadmead opens 8th November, plus there will be special festive additions to Harbourside Christmas Market and St Nicholas Market throughout November and December. Some handy quick links:

• Christmas Markets in Bristol
• Christmas events in Bristol
• 2019 Christmas menus in Bristol
• The Bristol Foodie Christmas Gift Guide

Xmas Tipi is the sister venue of Après bar and is popping up from 5-14 December for group bookings.

If you’re looking for somewhere to eat on Christmas Day,  The Ox are open until 3pm and running a special menu, as are The Hole in the Wall. Most hotels in the city are also open to bookings in their restaurants too.

The Kensington Arms in Redland is hosting a five-course Christmas Eve Tasting Dinner (£45) of winter delights if you want an extra special night before Christmas. Email or phone to book.

As for New Years Eve, if parties and staggering around the city centre with a bottle of Buckfast isn’t your thing, a few places are open and serving dinner until midnight, including Box-E, Bar 44 and The Kensington Arms – but you’ll have to book soon! Phone or email to reserve your spot.

Classes and tastings

Learn something new to impress your mates this month…

• Tequila & Mezcal Tasting at The Rummer, Thu 7th, £20.
• Whisky and Cheese Pairing at Two Belly, Thu 7th, £38.
• Breakfast Pastry Making Course at The Assembly Bakery, Sat 9th, £70.
• Compare and Contrast: Loire Vs New World, Wed 13th, £30  (part of a four-part series of France vs The New World)
• Vegan Christmas canape workshop at FLIP, Thu 14th, £20.
• Game Cookery at Square Food Foundation, Thu 14th, £49.
• Cocktails & Fondue with Black Cow Vodka at The Clockwork Rose, Wed 20th, £14.95.
• Staff Highlights Cellar Tasting at Avery’s, Wed 20th, £30.
• Sherry Club with XECO Sherry at Pata Negra, Wed 27th, £20.
• Gin Club: Cotswolds Gin at Milk Thistle, Thu 28th, £20.
• Christmas Bread Masterclass at Little Kitchen, Sat 30th, £62.
• Xmas real wine tasting at Kask, Sat 30th, £30.
• Italian Cheese Making at Coexist Community Kitchen, Sat 30th, £86.

Newbies

Some new places for you to visit this month include Rock Salt (in what was Bellita on Cotham Hill), which opens at the beginning of November and is run by chefs who used to work at Dishoom and Dhamaka. Expect traditional Indian and Chinese dishes, with a big focus on cocktails too.

After a few months of fundraising, the Coexist Community Kitchen has now reoped in Easton and is running cookery workshops. If you’re a fan of Italian food, head to the new Coffee Heart on Colston Avenue.

We’ve been waiting forever it feels like, but Black Rock is now open for your whisky tasting adventures, and creperie Chez Marcel is planning to open in early November.

That’s it for this month, say hi over on Twitter or Instagram, or follow the latest food news on the blog’s Facebook page. If you’re looking for something else to read, how about…

• The Bristol Foodie Christmas Gift Guide
• Bristol’s Cosiest Pubs
• Vegetarian Bristol & Bath
• Where to go for a curry in Bristol

Dates for the diary

• Fri 1st – Sat 2nd – Halloween and Day of the Dead Festival at Kinkajou
• Sat 2nd – Day of the Dead dinner at Masa + Mezcal
• Sat 2nd – Halloween Distiller’s Table at Psychopomp
• Sat 2nd – Lefthanded Giant Brewpub tour & tasting
• Sat 2nd – Halloween Mixology at Bird & Blend Tea
• Mon 4th-Mon 11th – Sherry Week at Bar 44
• Tue 5th – Cooking over fire at The Pony & Trap
• Wed 6th – Compare and Contrast: Bordeaux Vs the New World
• Wed 6th – Fondue Night at Two Belly
• Thu 7th – Beer & Alpine Cheese Tasting at New Bristol Brewery
• Thu 7th – Wild Oats Talks – Pt. 1 Food, the Best Medicine
• Thu 7th – Tequila & Mezcal Tasting at The Rummer
• Thu 7th – Whisky and Cheese Pairing at Two Belly
• Thu 7th – Thai Street Food Class at Little Kitchen
• Fri 8th – Introduction to Cider class at Bristol Cider Shop
• Fri 8th – Guided Beer Tasting at Wiper & True Brewery
• Fri 8th – Impy Stout Fest at Bootles & Books
• Fri 8th – French Supper Club with 91 Ways, £30
• Fri 8th- Sat 9th – An Evening with Dean Edwards at Symonds at Redwood
• Sat 9th – Wiper & True Brewery Tour
• Sat 9th – Grand Gin and Tonic Tour of Cargo
• Sat 9th – Moor Beer Brewery Tour
• Sat 9th – Breakfast Pastry Making Course at The Assembly Bakery
• Sat 9th – Sherry Fiesta at Bar 44
• Sat 9th – Lefthanded Giant Brewpub tour & tasting
• Sat 9th – South of the River food tour
• Sat 9th – Brewing Crash Course at Bristol Brewery School
• Sat 9th – Avery’s Celebration of Wine, Session 1 or Session 2  (Limited discount tickets here)
• Sun 10th – Decadent Desserts at Little Kitchen
• Mon 11th – Queers Without Beers Bristol Launch
• Mon 11th – Bristol Young Guns Dinner at Clevedon Hall
• Wed 13th – Compare and Contrast: Loire Vs New World
• Thu 14th – Vegan Wine Dinner at Riverstation
• Thu 14th – Game Cookery at Square Food Foundation
• Thu 14th – Cheese & Cider Tasting with The Ciderologist
• Thu 14th – Wapping Wharf Christmas Lights Switch On
• Thu 14th – Vegan Christmas canape workshop at FLIP
• Thu 14th – Glengoyne whisky tasting at The Clockwork Rose
• Thu 14th – Christmas Wine and Chocolate Tasting at The Square
• Thu 14th – Evil Twin tap showcase at Bredwog
• Thu 14th – A Taste of Marrakech at Little Kitchen
• Fri 15th – Gin Launch Party at Bristol Distilling Co
• Fri 15th – Thu 21st – ACORN residency at Dela
• Fri 15th – Guided Beer Tasting at Wiper & True Brewery
• Fri 15th – Murder Mystery Dinner at De Vere Tortworth Court
• Fri 15th-Sat 16th – The Gin to my Tonic Festival
• Sat 16th – Bristol Dry Gin tasting
• Sat 16th – Moor Beer Brewery Tour
• Sat 16th – Lefthanded Giant Brewpub tour & tasting
• Sat 16th – Cheese & wine tasting at Avery’s
• Sat 16th – Wiper & True Brewery Tour
• Sun 17th – Sunday Supra Club
• Sun 17th – The Great British Cake Off at Little Kitchen
• Tue 19th – Surplus Food Supper Club with Belly Laughs
• Tue 19th – Macaron Class at ANNA Cake Couture
• Wed 20th – Compare and Contrast: Rhone and Alsace Vs New World
• Wed 20th – Cocktails and Fondue with Black Cow Vodka at The Clockwork Rose
• Wed 20th – Staff Highlights Cellar Tasting at Avery’s
• Thu 21st – Beronia Day at Bar 44
• Thu 21st – Wild Oats Talks -Pt. 2 Food, Mood and Stress
• Thurs 21st – Good Chemistry Brewing takeover the Navy Volunteer on King St
• Thu 21st – Imperial Stout Showcase at Brewdog
• Fri 22nd – Guided Beer Tasting at Wiper & True
• Fri 22nd – The Thinking Drinkers: Heroes of Hooch
• Fri 22nd – Introduction to Cider at Bristol Cider Shop
• Sat 23rd – Wiper & True Brewery Tour
• Sat 23rd – Moor Beer Brewery Tour
• Sat 23rd – Free From Festival
• Sat 23rd – Stokes Croft Food Tour
• Sat 23rd – Bread Making Course at The Assembly Bakery
• Wed 27th – Mount Gay XO tasting at The Clockwork Rose
• Wed 27th – Sherry Club with XECO Sherry at Pata Negra
• Wed 27th – Compare and Contrast: Burgundy and Champagne Vs New World
• Thu 28th – Pulses cookery class at Square Food Foundation
• Thu 28th – Gin Club: Cotswold Gin at Milk Thistle
• Thu 28th – Michelin Star Recipes and Molecular Science cookery class at Cooking It
• Fri 29th – Guided Beer Tasting at Wiper & True Brewery
• Fri 29th – Christmas Sweets class at Little Kitchen
• Fri 29th – Music and Wine Night at Avery’s
• Fri 29th – French Classic Wine Dinner at HDV
• Fri 29th – Fitalicious Nutrition Vegetarian Cooking Class
• Sat 30th – Italian Cheese Making at Coexist Community Kitchen
• Sat 30th – Xmas real wine tasting at Kask
• Sat 30th – South of the River food tour
• Sat 30th – Moor Beer Brewery Tour
• Sat 30th – Clandesdiner supper club
• Sat 30th – Wiper & True Brewery Tour
• Sat 30th – Christmas Bread Masterclass at Little Kitchen
• Sat 30th – Winter Warmers Wine Tasting at Avery’s