Here we go towards spring, and it’s good to see lots of green shoots of events, awards and new openings in the midst of a lot of uncertainty for businesses.

There’s plenty to look forward to this month, so start planning now…

News

Bristol restaurants and bars have received a new wave of awards, including a Michelin Green Star for Wilsons for their sustainable approach (see the latest line-up of Bristol retaurants in the Michelin Guide here), and Food & Travel Magazine naming Milk Thistle Bar of the Year and Box-E as Best Restaurant Outside London.

On to beer festivals, and there’s a new one coming to town in April, kickstarting the Easter weekend. Hopyard comes to Propyard in St Phillips on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th April, featuring 12 Bristol breweries, music and food from Loki Poke, Jafra Kitchen and Pizzarova. Tickets start at £40+bf for the earlybird tickets for unlimited beer, or £65+bf for all you can eat and drink.

The first of 40 breweries have been announced for this summer’s Bristol Craft Beer Festival in the harbourside ampitheatre on 10th & 11th June, including Dark Star, The Kernel, Siren Craft Brew, Vault City and Verdant – tickets are now on sale at £55+bf including unlimited beer.

Free From Festival comes to The Pennywell Project on Saturday 19th March, showcasing gluten-free, dairy free and refined sugar-free products.

Local Bristol and Bath companies showcasing their wares include Booja Booja (ice cream and chocolate) and Bath Culture House (vegan cheese, kombucha and fermented foods). Entry is £10 including a welcome drink.

Dinners and special events

Some lovely events this month, including a dining in the dark event (where you get blindfolded before you tuck in!), as well as several seasonal events, from spring cocktails and Mother’s Day menus to a four-course spring equinox feast with storytelling.You can even get a Mother’s Day cocktail box from Espensen Spirit!

• Sun 6th – Pizza & Beer at Pizza Bianchi, £30
• Sun 6th – Dim Sum Sundays at Cave
• Tue 8th – She Drinks Beer at The Good Measure
• Wed 9th – National Meatball Day supper club at The Scrandit, £26
• Wed 16th – South american wine dinner at Square Club, £50
• Wed 16th – Fish & Shellfish night at The Kensington Arms, £45 pp
• Sat 19th – Free From Festival at The Pennywell Project, £10
• Sun 20th – Dim Sum Sundays at Cave
• Wed 23rd – Dinner in the Dark at The Lost & Found, £30
• Wed 23rd – Curry night at The Kensington Arms
• Sat 26th – Spring cocktail night at Psychopomp, £35
• Sun 27th – Mother’s Day dinner at Chophouse, £50pp
• Sun 27th – Mother’s Day at The Square Kitchen, 2 courses £25 or 3 for £30
• Wed 30th – Steak and lobster night at The Kensington Arms, £45
• Wed 30th – Raclette & Wine Night at KASK –
• Thu 31st – Spring equinox feast at Coexist Community Kitchen, £45

Tastings and workshops

There’s a lot of new stuff you could taste or learn this month, from various beer or wine tastings, to a fair few nice pairings events, whether you want cider + cheese, beer + spicy food or wine + chocolate.

You could also do a world tour of cookery classes, from Lebanese cookery to sushi making, veggie Caribbean dishes or a pizza meal made from ingredients you’ve foraged yourself. Lovely stuff.

• Sat 5th – Cave Bristol and Passione Vino wine tasting
• Sun 6th – Chocolate bar moulding class at Zara’s Chocolate, £50
• Tue 8th, Tue 22nd – Languedoc & Roussillon tasting at Cave
• Wed 9th – International Women’s Day wine tasting at Klosterhaus, £26
• Wed 9th – De Struise Brouwers Guided Tasting at The Old Bookshop, £22
• Wed 9th – Beer & Cheese with Psychopomp and Circumstance, £29
• Wed 9th – Avery’s virtual wine tasting, £60 inc. 4 bottles of wine
• Wed 9th – Sushi making and sake night at Redcatch Community Garden, £38
• Wed 9th – Chile and Argentina wine tasting, £30
• Thu 10th – Spicy food and beer tasting with Clifton Chilli Club at Left Handed Giant Brewery
• Thu 10th – Scotch egg masterclass at Little Kitchen, £48
• Thu 10th – Spring wine tasting at Clifton Observatory, £40
• Fri 11th – Miso making workshop at Every Good Thing, £49

• Sat 12th – Cook a Lebanese Feast, £78
• Sun 13th – Easter egg chocolate moulding class, £50
• Sun 13th – Passion for pies class at Little Kitchen, £55
• Mon 14th – Whisky Fight Club: Highland Park at The Clockwork Rose, £20
• Wed 16th – Spring beer pairing at Strawberry Thief, £40
• Wed 16th – South Africa and the USA wine tasting, £30
• Wed 16th – Von Buhl wine dinner at Avery’s, £50
• Wed 16th – Deep down under wine tasting at KASK, £35
• Thu 17th – White Hag tap takeover at King St Brew House
• Thu 17th – Cheese and wine matching at Hotel du Vin, £35
• Thu 17th – Cheese & wine pairing at The Kensington Arms, £40
• Fri 18th – Thai cookery class and dinner at Coexist Community Kitchen, £40
• Sat 19th – Sherry Uncovered! at The Kensington Arms, £40

• Sat 19th – Sushi making class at The Community Farm, £41
• Sun 20th – Spring Foraging & pizza workshop, £60
• Wed 23rd – Easter egg chocolate moulding class, £50
• Thu 24th – Ki No Bi Gin Club at The Milk Thistle, £25
• Thu 24th – Chocolate and wine matching at The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer, £35
• Sat 26th – Cider vs Cheese at The Cider Box, £19.99
• Sun 27th – Buttercream cake masterclass, £65
• Tue 29th – Veggie Caribbean cook-up at Coexist Community Kitchen, £40
• Wed 30th – Avery’s Bordeaux cellar tasting, £30
• Wed 30th – Easter egg chocolate moulding class, £50
• Wed 30th – Diplomatico Rum Club at Nadu, £25

New places to visit

Here a few places that have opened recently that you should get yourself along to…

• La Cocina – a Latin American pop-up at The Volunteer Tavern.
• Jikoni – enjoy their East African dishes at their new cafe in St Pauls from Wed 2nd March.
• Bakers and Co. have opened a new bakery and shop in Wapping Wharf.
• La Lola – a new tapas stall in St Nicholas Market selling paella, huevos rotos and churros.
• Pullins Bakery – visit their new bakery shop on Cotham Hill.
• The Royal Oak – this pub in Clifton Village after several years as a restaurant.

And coming soon…

• Picaro – an exciting new tapas place on Chandos Road in Redland (I love the sound of the Spanish speaking nights!)
• Sandwich Sandwich are opening a bigger shop/cafe on Baldwin Street.
• The Park Deli – a new indie deli by Victoria Park from the team behind The Park Bakery, opening at the end of March.
• Pizzucci – a new pizza-by-the-slice joint on Gloucester Road from the team behind Bosco.

• Dough Heads – we may have seen the sad closure of Bristol Spirit in Feb, but Dough Heads will be taking over the premises to open their own pizza restaurant soon! PS. Espensen Spirit lives on for those of you who still want the infused spirits and cocktails you enjoyed at Bristol Spirit!
• More of a maybe at the moment, but New Bristol Brewery have submitted planning permission for a bar and grill in the new Carriageworks development on Stokes Croft, and Adventure Bar have submitted plans for a bar on Baldwin Street.

That’s it for this month, if you want to stay up to date with other Bristol food news you can follow A Life Less Organised on Facebook, see what I’m eating on Instagram or say hi on Twitter!

Other stuff you might enjoy…

• Country pubs near Bristol
• Bristol’s Harbourside Restaurants
• The Bristol Foodie Gift Guide