Tag Archives: Bristol

Bristol, Food Guides

The Best Roast Dinner in Bristol: The Sequel

24 Comments
The Roast dinner at Start the Bus
The cajun style Roast dinner at Start the Bus – something a bit different.

We’re now into winter proper; and the only reasonable ways to spend your time are either under a fleecy blanket searching Netflix, or ensconced in your favourite warm & cosy pub with friends, enjoying a comforting plate of food. As I’ve said before, food doesn’t come much more comforting than a roast dinner.

You can read my first guide to roast dinners in Bristol Here, but as it was so popular I decided to go all Hollywood and do a sequel. Feel free to enlighten me with your own tips for where to enjoy a good roast in Bristol (or Bath – we all like an adventure of a weekend sometimes), and let me know what you think of the places I’ve listed below. I’ve linked to the pub’s website in the title for each section if that’s helpful. Continue reading The Best Roast Dinner in Bristol: The Sequel →

Bristol

Let Me Tell You a Story, Jack! – Bristol’s Storytelling Club

1 Comment

Bristol’s very own variety storytelling club and open mic night kicked off in fantastic fashion at the beginning of October 2013.

Come along for a chance to see this city’s best writers, musicians, poets, rappers, comedians and general raconteurs get together over their ability to spin a good yarn. Continue reading Let Me Tell You a Story, Jack! – Bristol’s Storytelling Club →

Bristol, Monthly Food Listings

Bristol Food & Drink – December 2013

5 Comments

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 →

Food Guides

The Best of Bath

19 Comments
Photo of Pulteney Weir in Bath

As much as I love Bristol, I also hold its slightly pompous and spoilt little sister close to my heart too.

Bath Spa is a mere ten minutes away from Bristol by train, and yet the inhabitants of both cities (yes, allegedly Bath is a city despite having no shops open past 6pm most evenings) rarely make the 13 mile trip between the two, except at Christmas to compare and chastise eachother’s Christmas markets.

I used to live in Bath, and think it’s a great place to spend a sunny lunchtime or relaxing weekend afternoon. Here are my top tips for Bath, whether you’re a resident in need of some new places to sample, or an outsider looking to explore it for the first time.

Continue reading The Best of Bath →
Bristol, Monthly Food Listings

Bristol Food & Drink – November 2013

8 Comments

The Chocolate Chiffon Cake from East Bristol Bakery (Credit: Alex Poulter, http://www.flickr.com/photos/livingfortuesday/)
The Chocolate Chiffon Cake from East Bristol Bakery (Credit: Alex Poulter)

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 →

Bristol, Monthly Food Listings

Get it in your Diary: Key dates for Bristol’s Beer Drinkers

1 Comment

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 →

Bristol, Pub Crawls

Cider I up! – Where to get your cider in Bristol

29 Comments

Cider shop
Cider, cider everywhere, so let’s have a drink! (Credit: Countryfile Magazine)

*Updated April 2017*

If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on when they think about the West Country, it’s cider. For that is what this oft-forgotten end of the country does well; fermented apples, and sounding like pirates.

I’m not much of a cider drinker these days, mainly due to overindulging when I first moved to Bristol and never quite being able to shake the memory of those first few vicious hangovers. But I still think that you can’t beat a good perry on a sunny day, or a dirty mulled scrumpy on a bitterly cold evening.

If you want the real deal when it comes to cider, the best thing I can suggest is a tour of Bristol’s establishments. Just watch out for the stronger varieties (quite a few can be over 8% volume) and whatever you do, stay away from Thatcher’s Cheddar Valley. Continue reading Cider I up! – Where to get your cider in Bristol →

Bristol, Monthly Food Listings

Why these are Exciting Times for Bristol

14 Comments

bris harbour

I could list plenty of things that led me to Bristol and have kept me here for the past 5 years, whether it be the thriving and eclectic music scene, the quirky urban art across the city orjust being able to walk around the harbour.

I read a fantastic post about Bristol recently that I thought perfectly summed up the city and why I’ve come to love it so much; you can read Rachel Schraer’s post here.

Recently, I’d say that Bristol has come in to its own even more, with its independent muisc, art and food scenes becoming even more pronounced and successful. The support for local businesses here is astounding, so I thought it was about time to take stock and appreciate just what Bristol has achieved in the past 12 or so months, along with some exciting things still to come. Continue reading Why these are Exciting Times for Bristol →

Bristol, Food Guides

The Best Breakfasts in Bristol

33 Comments

20130615_122013

I’ve mentioned on this blog before just how much importance I place on having a good breakfast; in fact I went so far as to write a post about The Perfect Eggs Benedict not too long ago.

Up until recently I had a weekend Breakfast Club with a friend, until he selfishly decided to make food for complete strangers a priority and open his own bakery (The wonderful East Bristol Bakery in fact – if you’ve not been I strongly suggest you pay it a visit). I’ve missed my weekend routine of taking turns with a friend to make some extravagant and experimental breakfast concoctions, so I’m very excited to be reinstating Breakfast Club with my friend Cat (along with whoever else amongst our friends can be bothered to get up before 11am on a Sunday). Continue reading The Best Breakfasts in Bristol →

Bristol, Food Guides

Roast Dinners: The quest for the best in Bristol

21 Comments

roastdinner
Roast dinners: A hug on a plate.

It always annoys me whenever I hear people lament the slow death of British culture; how we have an ever-decreasing lack of national identity, traditions and pride. I grew up in Central London and always enjoyed the multiculturalism my hometown afforded; I have also lived abroad a couple of times and think this has all allowed me to appreciate other cultures whilst noticing the pros and cons of my own.

When I was living overseas and feeling homesick, the main things I missed aside from my family were (unsurprisingly) the quirks of English cuisine; Marmite, Branston Pickle, Cheddar cheese,  chip shop chips (for these are a specific breed of chips native only to these windswept isles), full English breakfasts, and of course, the mighty Roast Dinner. Continue reading Roast Dinners: The quest for the best in Bristol →

Bristol, Pub Crawls

Pub Crawl Bristol #3: Stokes Croft

5 Comments

sc

Bristol is known for many things; Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, colourful houses, hot air balloons, boats, slavery, a ridiculous accent and lethally strong cider. But Bristol has also come to the fore in recent years as the epicentre of some of the best urban art in the world.

As well as the numerous festivals and arts events every year (including See No Evil and Upfest) you can see world-class graffiti all over the city, but nowhere is more of an open air gallery than Stokes Croft, also known as The People’s Republic of Stokes Croft.

Allow me to illuminate a more artistic and less-likely-to-lead-to-liver-cirrhosis route, through Bristol’s most alternative and artistic neighborhood.

Continue reading Pub Crawl Bristol #3: Stokes Croft →

Bristol, Musings

Eggs Benedict: It’s all in the small details…

9 Comments

eggsbenedictI like my food. I like cooking for friends, going to restaurants and picnics. I’ll try any cuisine and any combination of flavours at least once. Obviously I have my preferences and cravings though, and this weekend has been all about Eggs Benedict.

My favourite breakfasts would usually have to be Eggs Royale (essentially just Eggs Benedict but with smoked salmon in place of the ham) or Huevos Rancheros (Google it – best hangover cure you will ever find, trust me), but this weekend I decided to keep it traditional and get myself to my nearest cosy cafe for some much-needed protein to prepare for the heavy weekend ahead. Continue reading Eggs Benedict: It’s all in the small details… →

Bristol, Musings

What a difference, a name makes…

2 Comments

Last night I went to see Father John Misty perform at the Thekla in Bristol. I first saw him 3 years ago at End of the Road Festival when he was still performing under his real name, Josh Tillman.

That first performance was pleasant enough; thoughtful, humble and slightly haunting acoustic folk from a beardy, demure man. I only knew him as the drummer from Fleet Foxes back then and didn’t think much more about him after his set at the festival – it was a nice way to pass half an hour  and nothing more (incidentally, you should definitely check out End of the Road Festival if you get a chance, some of the best live music experiences of my life have been there, and I go to a lot of gigs). Continue reading What a difference, a name makes… →