May has to be one of the best months – not only are there two bank holidays, but festival season is getting in full swing, alfresco spots are opening up and there’s a proper buzz in the air.
As you can tell from the mega guide below (honestly, I’d get a cuppa before you start reading), Bristol is ready to party this month!
Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink: May
I realise that what started as a genuine intention to get people to enjoy the sights and spectacles of Bristol has instead turned in to a series of rather irresponsible pub crawl posts. Oh well, if Bristol does one thing better than most places in the UK it’s provide an amazing variety of drinking establishments, whether your tipple of choice be a fine craft beer, a rich Bordeaux or a cloudy pint of scrumpy.
St Michael’s Hill in the centre is probably the highest concentration of great pubs in this fine town of ours, and therefore perfect for a pubcrawl. I’d advise starting from the top, mind. It’s a wee bit steep, so not the most appealing route if you’ve imbibed a few strong ales.
Continue reading Pub Crawl Bristol #2: St Michael’s Hill
There are many things that Bristol can be proud of, but one of the biggest is the overwhelming support for independent local businesses, along with the diversity of choice on offer. Nowhere in the city is this more apparent than on Gloucester Road; still one of the longest stretches in the country consisting mainly of thriving independent shops, bars and restaurants, which obviously makes it ripe for a good ol’ pub crawl.
I’ve started my list from the top end nearer to Horfield (although just beyond is The Inn on the Green, which is a fantastic pub), just because I think it makes sense to end your journey nearer to the centre of town, but the choice is yours! Here are my top tips for boozing in BS6.
Continue reading Pub Crawl Bristol #4 – Gloucester RoadHere it is, the most requested guide I’ve done so far! People have asked me to write a list of country pubs near Bristol for years, and after visiting a fair few of these and also getting a handful of extra recommendations, here are some of my top picks.
Continue reading Country pubs near BristolWe all know that any meal or drinks can be enhanced by a fantastic view. Luckily, with most of Bristol resting on a ridiculous gradient, impressive views over the city and beyond are not hard to come by. Sometimes though, it’s just nice to sit in a good pub garden and take in your surroundings, whether it be on a river bank, on a busy high street or up a behemoth hill. Continue reading Bristol’s Best Pub Gardens
No sooner has the snow thawed out and we’re already into the chaos of spring!
There are plenty of festivals, dinners, workshops and new openings to keep you busy this month – so have your diary at the ready, because it’s going to be a busy one…
What’s that I hear you say – nothing happens in January? Well it turns out there’s plenty to tempt you out of the house this month, whether it’s mega discounts, new places or exciting dinner events. Put it this way, I’ve already reneged on my booze-free plans for the month.
You can see a quick guide to the month’s events in the Events Calendar, and I also recommend having a read of my 2018 Highlights post at some point, mainly because it took bloody ages. Ta!
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.
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…
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…
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!
This post is a little later than usual, mainly due to the amazing Food Connections stealing all of my spare time!
The festival runs until the end of Saturday 7th, so grab a programme or Food Trail guide and make the most of the last few days of food frolics.
Other than that, here’s what else you can lick your chops in anticipation of 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…
*Updated July 2017*
I like to believe that I love all food the same. I struggle to think of a national cuisine I haven’t enjoyed.
However, none of them can quite match the excitement I feel whenever I go a tapas bar. The wide array of dishes, the abundance of garlic and the focus on sharing make tapas my culinary soulmate.
I’ve tried several of the tapas places in Bristol now; they all offer something a bit different from each other but are all of a good standard. Here’s my guide to Bristol’s top tapas. ¡Buen provecho! Continue reading The Tastiest Tapas in Bristol
*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
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
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
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
A Life Less Organised 