Spring has sprung! The cobbles of King St are once again flush with ruddy-cheeked and sunglasses-bedecked folk!
This month we’ve got a plethora (yes, a PLETHORA, folks) of beer festivals, dining events and workshops, and that’s before I even get started on telling you about all the things you should look forward to at Food Connections at the end of the month, phew.
Kick off your shoes and crack open a window, here’s where you should be drinking and dining this month…
Welcome to March! How excited are we all about the slow approach of spring?
I’m particularly excited about this month as we have some really great new places finally opening their doors (read on for more info) plus a plethora (yes, a plethora) of great dining events and boozy frolics for you to choose from.
Put on your cosiest socks and make sure you have a cuppa at the ready – here’s what you can look forward to this month…
After a month off I’m back with a fresh list of exciting food & drink frolics to whet your appetite for February!
January was a bit of a quiet one, although I did do my first ickle interview on the telly (talking about the Bristol food scene on Made in Bristol TV), and I also found out that people prefer their bananas yellow rather than green or brown – follow me on Twitter for more insightful polls and questions.
Well. WELL. If 2014 was the year that Bristol started to accelerate its food & drink scene, 2015 is the year it really hit the big time.
From the arrival of several big national chains such as MEATliquor and Wahaca to reviews from some of the best-known food critics in the land (all heaping praise on excellent locals such Birch, Bellita and Flour & Ash), Bristol has really matured into arguably the UK’s most exciting location for new & independent food & drink businesses – hurrah!
It’s got a bit nippy hasn’t it?
The German Christmas Market has taken over Broadmead, everything smells like mulling spices or fireplaces – and we’re on the cusp of parties and chocolate for breakfast, hurrah!
Bristol is certainly slowing down this month, but there are still more than enough fun events for you to sink your proverbial teeth into…
We’re on to the month of bonfires, fireworks and toffee apples already, madness.
However, as the weather gets nippier, now we can look forward to evenings snuggled in warm pubs sipping mulled beverages, hurrah! Get yourself cosy, here’s what you should be doing in November…
*Updated September 2016*
It’s easy to fall into unadventurous habits when it comes to food.
We all know what we like, and sometimes all you want at the end of a busy day is a reliably good pizza or a comforting sausage sandwich – but I’m here to tell you it’s about time you broadened your horizons and tried the full array of food experiences that Bristol has to offer!
Here are some of my top tips for where to munch something a little bit different…
Continue reading 6 Places to Broaden Your Eating Horizons in Bristol
Following the beery mayhem of Bristol Beer Week, October sees us get all fancy and sophisticated, with the return of the rather snazzy Bristol Cocktail Week.
This month also sees more excellent pop-ups across Bristol’s bars, lots of great tasting events and some exciting Halloween parties, hurrah!
Pull up your warm socks and make yourself a cuppa – here’s what’s in store in October…
I know that the sun has turned to drizzle and our sandals have switched to boots – but you seriously need to be excited about September.
Not only are all the comedy and music people returning from festivals to entertain us through autumn, but we’ve also got a fully-packed month of food events, beer festivals and general tasty hijinks – hurrah!
So put on your comfy socks and pour yourself a glass of your favourite tipple – here’s what you can look forward to in September…
We’re in peak summer now – barbecues, cider festivals, Shaun the Sheep trails, the lovely sight of hot air balloons over town and pirate pub crawls in the harbour.
As well as the Intenational Balloon Fiesta to look forward to, we’ve also got lots of food events and festivals to enjoy throughout August, as well as some excellent new businesses to try out.
Ready your foldable camping chair and top up your tanning lotion – here’s how you should be spending the next few weeks…
How is it July already? The year is whizzing by and I’ve barely made any progress on my Bristol Food Bucket List.
The good news is, there are still plenty of fun food times ahead for us Bristolians, hip hip hooray! Don your sunglasses, rain mac and scarf, let’s get ready for July!
Welcome to sunny and merry June! Bristol has finally shrugged off it’s winter clothes and is slowly warming up to the party spirit.
Did you all enjoy Eat Drink Bristol Fashion and Food Connections? How about the Gin Festival? Luckily the pace shows no sign of slowing in terms of exciting food and drink events, so tuck your napkin into your collar, ready your knives and forks, heeere’s June!
May has finally sprung! The tipis are up! The sun is shining! I can barely contain my excitement. We’ve got 2 bank holiday weekends within sight, lovely weather and a whole host of festivals to kick off the summer.
So without further ado, I reveal to you the wonders of May food and drink in Bristol…
Welcome to April! I’m feeling in the festival spirit already, but with good reason as you’ll see once you read through what’s coming up in the next few weeks.
We all know that Bristol comes alive when the sun gets its hat on, so it’s time to start clearing your weekends for all of the music, food and arts festivals which will be arriving in the city in the next few months. But before that, here’s what you can look forward to in April (*Spoiler* – it’s a good’un).
The first sunny specks of spring have started to emerge – I’ve seen two trees in full blossom already! It’s around this time of year that I start to get really excited about all of the fun festivals and outdoor events that will be gracing Bristol this summer – we’ll be seeing the return of Food Connections, Grillstock Festival, Make Sundays Special and Eat Drink Bristol Fashion – what else are you excited about?
Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves though; before we can resume supping cider on the quayside outside Arnolfini, we first have to make it through the final weeks of frosty, windy March – luckily there’s plenty to look forward to though…
I know we’re a few weeks in now, but Happy 2015 everyone! I hope your year has got off to an exhilirating start, even in the financial drought of January. There’s already a fair bit going on, with even more coming up in February.
Buzzfeed did a list of Things You Need To Eat In Bristol Right Now, which I heartily agreed with, and then there was a sequel post, which I also nodded along vigorously to (most of the places feature in my 2014 Highlights Package along with some other treasures, if you want to continue the salivating).
Local food sites Bristol Bites and Rocket & Parmesan also updated their food deals pages, to help you fight through the bleakness between pay days. Now, let’s get on with what else is new or coming up! Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – February
This year, it felt like Bristol went from being championed by its locals to being nationally recognised, whether it was for its green credentials, burgeoning food & drink scene, support for local businesses, or putting a water slide down one of its busiest streets.
We had more festivals, more new openings, and made it on to more ‘Best.. in the UK’ lists than ever before.The Guardian called Bristol a ‘Foodie Heaven‘, listed some of our best places to eat on a budget, and included Bristol Eats in its round-up of the Top 10 Food Markets in Europe. The Telegraph was one of several newspapers to report that Bristol had topped the Quality of Living Index, making it The Best City to Live in the UK. But what were the stand out bits of 2014 for Bristolians and local business owners?
The first week of December is fairly jam-packed; a last chance to get the foodie events in before the chaos of Christmas parties and last minute shopping!
There are celebrations (including the 150th anniversary of the Clifton Suspension Bridge on Sunday 7th December), tasting events, supper clubs, Christmas markets and pop-ups, plus the usual list of new businesses to investigate!
Here are my picks of the best food-centric frolics in the coming weeks. Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – December
I’ve eaten a lot of good roast dinners during my year-long quest across Bristol, and as loathe as I was to make these posts into a trilogy, it now looks almost inevitable that there will be a Part 4 at some point – there are just too many places remaining that I want to try!
For now though, here are my highlights from the past few months; feel free to tell me what you thought of the places I’ve listed, or recommend new places for me to try. Also make sure you check out Part One and Part Two of my roast dinner quest! Continue reading The Quest for the Best Roast in Bristol – Part Three
Guys, the time is almost here; as the wind gets chillier and clothing layers multiply, we’re edging ever closer to the opening of the Christmas markets!
I’m sure that many of you are not ready for the appearance of wooden, candy-adorned sheds and German Christmas carols in Broadmead, but I have to say that I’m ridiculously excited. From 7th November until 22nd December you can have your fill of Currywurst, hog roast and cheesy music – be sure to ask for rum or amaretto in your mulled wine too, and thank me later. Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – November 2014
How are you all enjoying the final glimpses of summer?
I have to say that I’m quite enjoying the onset of autumn, bringing with it robust stews, comfy jumpers and, hopefully, the return of pumpkin beer! I tried quite a few varieties last year, and they were all lovely. More vegetable beers please, and don’t go easy on the allspice either. Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – October 2014
Well, we survived. Through the beer festivals, the ridiculously strong collaboration brews, the steins of Pilsner at Oktoberfest, and the beer matching dinners. Well done, everybody.
Only in its second year, and Bristol Beer Week has already cemented itself as one of the flagship food and drink events in Bristol’s calendar. The support this year was overwhelming, both in terms of the number of venues and breweries participating, but also the amount of people attending the events.
King Street was a veritable sea of blue and yellow t-shirts throughout the week, which warmed my cockles no end (or that could have been the 11% Buxton Yellowbelly, who knows). Continue reading Bristol Beer Week: A Debrief
Don’t look outside. It’s probably raining, and if it isn’t right now, it will be, soon. Summer is skipping off into the distance, and with it our excuses for uneven park tans, poorly mixed sangria and wildly over-ambitious plans for a herb garden.
It’s not all woe, however, because with the approaching of Autumn also comes opportunities for hearty stews, dark beers and justified nights on the sofa with box sets – plus, we all look better in our fluffy jumpers than shorts, don’t we?
Luckily, September is packed with plenty of ways for you to indulge in comfort food, try some new beverages, dance around like a lunatic or learn how to make a Christmas cake (yes, already). Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – September 2014
*Updated June 2016*
As much as I’m far from being just a meat and potatoes sort of gal, it has to be said that one of the most luxurious ways to spend an evening is with a good steak and a large glass of red wine.
I’ve said before that my ideal steak is the thickness of my wrist and the size of my face, but I’d like to think that in recent times I’ve come to appreciate quality over quantity with my meat. Probably.
There is now an abundance of fantastic steak restaurants across Bristol, all offering high quality fare at different price points. Here is my guide to the best ones I’ve found so far, along with some of the best deals they have to offer – feel free to tell me about other great steaks you’ve had, or even your top recipes for a steak dinner at home! Continue reading Bristol’s Best Steak Deals
Merry August to you, fellow sweaty Bristolians. I come bearing news of events and assorted food shenanigans to whet your appetite for the coming weeks.
Pull up a pew under a parasol, grab some ice to mop your forehead, and let us begin…
Say hello to…
It’s another busy month for openings in Bristol, and where July seemed to be the month of meat ventures, August seems to be a bit more varied in what it’s dishing up. Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – August 2014
