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!
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…
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
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
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
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
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
Whether your favourite things are hot air balloons, live music, Thai food or American beer, Bristol is packed full of fun and affordable events throughout July to suit anyone’s tastes.
The most exciting event coming to the city this month is the Harbour Festival, from Friday 18th-Sunday 20th July. It’s one of the biggest events of its kind in the country, with live music across several venues, circus acts in Castle Park, various kids activities and plenty of maritime-themed events – plus, it’s all free! Be sure to keep an eye to the Facebook and Twitter pages, and pick up a programme for full event listings. Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – July 2014
Incredibly, it’s already halfway through 2014 – how did that happen? Bristol and Bath have already welcomed a swarm of food festivals and events, and we’re not even that far in to summer yet!
I’m still exhausted from the fantastic ten days of Bristol Food Connections, and I can’t wait to see the Eat Drink Bristol Fashion tipis back on Queen Square again soon; but there’s no time to sit and digest (chortle) what has already gone on – it’s time to dust the crumbs off your shirt and get ready for June’s food & drink shenanigans. Here’s what’s in store… Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – June 2014
It’s here – May is finally here! This is the point every year when Bristol really comes alive and we see the start of the arts trails, outdoor music events and food & drink festivals that make the city so special. There’s plenty to do this month and something to suit every budget; the problem is going to be choosing where to go! Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – May 2014
Smog, chocolate Easter bunnies and listening to everyone’s broken Lent vows – April feels like a bit of a lethargic preamble to the exciting festivities in May and beyond, don’t you think?
This month’s round-up is slightly shorter than usual, but I expect that May’s post will be a bonanza of food festivals, beer tastings and various summertime frolics – we all know that Bristol comes into its own during the summer months, and hopefully this will be the best year yet for the city to showcase its first rate food and drink scene. We’ve already been named as Foodie Heaven by the Guardian, and the Best Place to Live in the UK by The Sunday Times, so onwards and upwards! Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – April 2014
The evenings are getting lighter, duvets are getting thinner and woolly scarves are getting tentatively left at home – finally we’re edging in to spring, and it couldn’t come soon enough, no?
With the warmer and longer days steadily approaching, we’re also getting in to Bristol’s festival season – we all know that from May onwards it’s impossible to find a weekend without some sort of festival, carnival or music event going on, and a fair amount of them are free too; just another thing that makes this city our favourite. So here are are a few of my tips for what’s coming up in the mad month of March. Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – March 2014
Give yourself a pat on the back and a handshake; we’re over the hump of early January, and now into the season of wassails, Chinese New Year, Burn’s Night and Valentine’s Day.
2014 is moving on at pace; there are already Creme Eggs in the shops for chrissakes. But before we start thinking about things as far away as Easter, let us instead focus on the exciting happenings in the Bristol food scene this month… Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – February 2014
Hello, my rain-sodden fellow West Country dwellers. Since my last post, we’ve enjoyed one pretend storm and a couple of real ones, so it’s probably about time that I coax you out from underneath your fleecy blankets and away from your hearths (if you’re lucky enough to have one) and give you a few things to look forward to over the coming days. Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – December 2013
There’s no denying it now – The Chill has arrived. But for all the mourning of picnics and barbecues, now we can look forward to stodgy dinners, Christmas markets and mulled beverages – hurrah!
I love ginger, allspice and dark spirits, so autumn and winter have always been my preference. Here are a few things for you to note down if you’re in need of some food or drink comfort in the coming days… Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink – November 2013
As detailed in my last post, Bristol has definitely upped its game in the past 12 months in terms of its beer offerings.
However, in addition to the many bars you can now choose from to educate yourself in all things ale and beer related (my original bar list is Here) there are also plenty of events coming up in the next few weeks to further cement your love of all beverages borne of the barley and hops. Here is my selection of the ones to make a note of. Continue reading Get it in your Diary: Key dates for Bristol’s Beer Drinkers
A Life Less Organised 