It’s time for my annual digest of the foodie comings and goings in Bristol, peppered with some favourites from a few fine folk (tell me yours over on Twitter and I’ll share them at the bottom of the post).
You can read the highlights from past years if you’re feeling nostalgic or if you want to see how 2018 compares with 2016 or 2014.
Pour yourself a glass of red or put the kettle on, this is a bit of a bumper read…
One of the best things about the weather getting colder is huddling in cosy corners in your thickest jumper, sipping a warm cider and snacking on festive treats.
It can sometimes be a mission to find the sort of comfort drink you’re after though, so on the suggestion of a friend I’ve put together a rudimentary list of places that will fulfill all of your winter boozing needs.
I’m in full festive cheer mode now – I’ve had my first mince pie and mulled beverage of the year, bedecked my halls with holly and ironed my sequinned reindeer jumper (only joking, I don’t even own an iron, grown up that I am).
Before you hibernate for Christmas week and drink your body weight in port, here are a few events which might tempt you out from your cosy nests. They’re proper good, I promise.
Check the Events Calendar if you’re in a rush.
Many of my friends wonder how I can afford to go out so much in Bristol, but I’m always quick to respond that Bristol, for a city, is not expensive to eat in, or at least has a wide variety of food options to suit any budget.
Considering my tastes lean towards craft beer, steak and tapas, all traditionally expensive choices, I have never struggled to find places in Bristol that I can afford to visit again and again.
So I thought I’d share a few with you here, because in these frugal times, as much as it’s sensible to tighten our belts, it’s also important to keep supporting local businesses, and get outside to try something new with friends too!
We all love a sweet treat to perk up our day, reward ourselves or just because we can’t resist the temptation of a tasty-looking brownie on a cafe counter (I am the ultimate impulse cake purchaser – stop putting them so close to the till!)
Bristol has no shortage of places that will happily send you into a euphoric sugar daze – here are my recommendations, helpfully split out by craving type; you’re welcome.
We’re little more than a hop, skip and a jump from Christmas now, and while I’m not quite ready to bombard you with festive events yet (the Christmas gift guide is ready though), I am getting very giddy for mulled beverage season.
Last year I did a guide to the best winter warmer drinks in Bristol (to be updated v. soon), and I’m counting the days until it feels sufficiently wintery so that bars will crack out the mulled wine and cider.
Anywho, it’s definitely less festival-y this month, but instead there are oodles of exciting dinner events, workshops and tastings for you to get along to (browse the Events Calendar if you have a date in mind). Grab your mittens and bobble hat, here’s what you could be doing in the coming weeks…
Here are the places I have to give a double thumbs up to, should you find yourself uninspired by your packed lunch or office canteen. I’ve tried to keep the suggestions to the centre, otherwise this post would be even longer!
Let me know where else you rate for lunchtime munching in the comments below!
Weekends are special for all sorts of reasons, and not just the fact that you’re out of the office for a blissful 48 hours.
The two greatest reasons must be the fact that you have the opportunity for a lie-in and also that you get to take as long as you want over your breakfast, without having to try and eat your toast whilst simultaneously putting on your coat and shoving your packed lunch in your bag. Here are a few of my favourite places for a leisurely brunch…
Continue reading The 12 Best Brunches in Bristol
Beer has a rich history in the UK. In the olden days, people would drink beer in the place of water, as the latter was likely to give you cholera or something. We could’ve had a nice civilised national drink like wine, but our damp and overcast shores have never welcomed grape cultivation. We’re also not cold enough to justify living off strong spirits like those tough Scandinavians and Russians.
Not only has there been an explosion in the amount of small breweries and independent bars opening across the UK, but home brewing, real ale and beer festivals are more popular than ever. So, what better time to get acquainted with this diverse and exciting drink? Here are my tips for where to go in Bristol. Continue reading The Craftiest Bristol Beer Bars
Welcome to August, well known to Bristolians as BALLOON MONTH, or that oddly calm few weeks when the students aren’t here and half the city is on holiday, so you can actually get a seat at Pasta Loco, or served within 20mins at Hy Brasil (I jest about the latter of course, that is always impossible).
As exciting as this month is, you could also argue that it’s mere preamble for September, when we have Whisky Underground, Bristol Beer Week AND Bristol Craft Beer Festival. I’m also keenly awaiting more news from the Bristol Cocktail Week team for autumn.
Until then, here’s what you can look forward to in August…
(you can skip to the Events Calendar if easier)
Have you all melted yet? For those of you able to leave the house once it reaches 25 degrees (damn my feeble celtic ancestry), there’s a shedload of fun stuff going on this month.
From gin buses to beer festivals and carnivals – it’s all going on. The struggle will be deciding what to choose!
Tell me what you got up to over on Twitter, or check out the Events Calendar if you can’t be bothered to scroll through my epic list of lovingly honed food prose.
Mega short intro this month as there’s so much to tell you about!
The sun is here, then it isn’t, Grillstock is here, and then it isn’t…what a time to be alive. In any case, here are all the fun food events coming up this month (or check the Events Calendar if you don’t have time to read the full list)
So I’ve looked at my calendar, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be home much over the next 4 months, because alllll of the fun events are coming to town this summer.
It’s looking particularly exciting this month, with a variety of bank holiday frolics and quirky events going on right up until the end of May.
Strap in, here’s where you’ll be eating and drinking this month…
(If you’re short on time, check the Events Calendar)
There’s lots to get through this month, and to think we’re not even in the summer months yet! There are still all the festivals to look forward to (Vegfest in May, and Food Connections & Grillstock in June to name just three), but let’s focus on April for now.
Without further ado, here’s what you could (and should) be eating this month…
(if you haven’t got time to read this monster guide, check out the Events Calendar instead)
Is it still winter? Or spring? Who knows, whatever season it is, there are plenty of tasty events to look forward to over the coming weeks.
I’ve split them into the bigger foodie events & festivals, dinners, courses, pop-ups and new launches, but feel free to just skip to the Events Calendar if you want a general overview.
Here’s what to look forward to in March…
Welcome to the month of lurrve, or bottomless booze, or brunch. Whatever you decide, February is something to everyone this year.
There’s tons to get through so I’ll keep the waffling to a minimum, but it’s safe to say that this month is looking fairly stupendous. See you on the other side…
And just like that, we’re into 2018!
2017 was a bumper year for food in Bristol (as you can see in my 2017 Highlights post) and now it’s time to look forward to a whole new year of munching.
Whether you’re on or off the booze this month, this is what January has in store…
The new year is nigh! We’ve been through another busy few months, where Bristol has firmly cemented itself as a food destination to rival even London.
There have been many gushing reviews from esteemed critics, awards and new places. There have also been the inevitable closures – but more on that later.
I’ve tried to round up some of the key Bristol food & drink moments of 2017, as well as asking some locals for their munching highlights of the year. Strap in, here are the best bits of what we ate in the year 2017…
Welcome to winter proper! I hope even the grinches among you are enjoying the sparkly lights, warm drinks and bumper-sized Christmas sarnies that make this month extra exciting.
Here’s my guide to all the tasty things happening in December,make sure you also check out my Bristol Foodie Gift List and guide to Bristol’s Winter Warmer Drinks – both very handy too!
‘Tis the season to be jolly, for ’tis mulling season! Regular readers will know how much I love a mulled beverage, and that combined with my preference for animal-patterned jumpers means that we’re now firmly ensconced in my favourite time of the year.
It’s an epic list ahead, so feel free to skip to the event list at the bottom (or the calendar if easier), but I’m excited to tell you all about the dinners, special events and new places coming to Bristol this month.
Get cosy under your dinosaur blankie (just me?), here’s what’s going down in November…
Well as summer begins to limp off into the distance, you could be forgiven for thinking the festivals and frolics would fade with it – but no! September is possibly even boozier than July & August combined.
It’s a great time for celebrating, as Bristol nabbed SEVEN new entries in the Good Food Guide, so pick a few places to raise a toast this month!
Top of the day, fellow food fanatics and Bristol aficionados.
I’ve spent the past few weeks trawling through food listings, press releases and obscurely-located event pages (come on guys, if you’re going to go to the trouble of putting on a great event – tell people about it!) to inform you of the tasty things happening this month.
Take a deep breath, put on your drinking boots and suck your tummy in – July is going to be BUSY…
Ignore the wind and rain – June’s here, I promise!
Despite a bit of a dreary start to my favourite month (it’s my birthday month, and usually the beginning of BBQ season, woop), there are still plenty of food-tastic events to be excited about, whether you want to booze it up, learn a new skill or visit the latest restaurant.
Pack your cagoule and sun cream, it’s time to jump into June…
Welcome to manic May! Festival season is well upon us, with Foodies Festival, the Gin Festival and Vegfest all happening this month, as well as numerous beer festivals, pop-ups and street parties, phew!
Put on your stretchiest trousers and have your Berocca to hand – summer is here and it’s looking full on already….
The daffodils are coating every grassy area of town from Castle Park to The Downs, and the temperature is steadily rising…so I think it’s safe to say that we can start looking forward to long days of sitting on quaysides after work with a cold beverage in hand. Hurrah!
Get your questionable summer shirts on and prepare to type up your ‘out of the office’ for the 4 day weekend – it’s time to hear what tasty things are happening in April…
