Who are you and what are you doing to Bristol?

Devour.

It’s such a great word isn’t it? It conjures up ideas of hungrily and eagerly scoffing everything in your path. I always imagine ripe figs, soft and plump or using my teeth to scrape every last scrap of mango flesh from the stringy seeds.

It’s not just eating something, it is experiencing it; with your mouth, your eyes, your senses and your mind. To me devour means consuming and enjoying the whole lot, not leaving a bone unpicked or a the marrow unsucked.

So what does this have to do with Bristol?

We know Bristol is an amazing city, it’s been voted the best place to live in Britain, is brimming with arts, culture, food, sports and outdoor activities. There seems to be at least one festival a week in summertime. The Bristol community is welcoming and active and likes to celebrate its diverse character.

Recently, Bristol was named the ‘coolest city in the UK’ by the Rough Guide. Millions of people make this place a destination every year and come to enjoy all that the city has to offer. Its amazing, I know it is , however, I have been living in Bristol for 2 years now and, because of that extraordinary thing called life , I have barely moved past the ‘acquaintance’ stage in my relationship with Bristol.

In my defence, I have some pretty good reasons why we haven’t become bosom buddies sharing our deepest desires and secrets over a wine at 3 am.

These are: moving from Australia and finding out I was pregnant 5 weeks after landing, having a baby, becoming a parent (not sleeping), organising a wedding on the other side of the world, having the wedding, buying a house, working, running after a toddler, and trying to stay sane.

These things are not unique to me, I’m not the only one who has had a babber (see how local I am becoming?) or juggled work and family and house renovations. But these were and are my challenges. These challenges have kept me in a survival mode, with the goal of making it through each day relatively unscathed.

I have spent the last year happy and grateful to get through each day without too much fuss or excitement, life has been plodding along nicely.

Well.. Bollocks to that!

I may not have the opportunity to live in this vibrant, diverse and welcoming city again.
I don’t just want to plod through another year and look back having not embraced by chosen home. I want to grab this city with both hands and sink my teeth in. I want the juice to run down my arms. I want to suck the sweet flesh from the seed.
I want to devour it!

So here’s the plan.

Devour Bristol is about experiencing everything this great city has to offer through its incredible food culture and community events.

When I travel I love to see a place through its food. I find it opens doorways to conversations, to getting to know people and their home, to finding out secret places and events. I am applying this approach to Bristol, it may be my home but I there is so much for me to uncover.

Over the next few months I will be sharing my adventures in and around Bristol on my blog. Food is the perfect accompaniment to any activity so I will be including my foodie finds and tips to enhance your experience.

I will also be celebrating independent and local businesses, and keeping you up to date with food news and fabulous events through twitter, facebook and instagram.

My hope is that through my adventures you will be inspired and encouraged to get out and experience Bristol in a new (delicious) way. So please use the hashtag #devourbristol to share your foodie photos and adventures with me!

Come, Devour Bristol with me.

@devourbristol

Devourers of Bristol – Rob of The Real Dram

Real Dram Rob

We recently met Rob and bonded over a shared love of beer, food and donuts. Rob’s ability to shoe horn a donut in between Burger #3 and #4 of a burger crawl left us all in awe of his mad skills. Although best known for his whisky blog, Rob talks street food, craft beer and eating with those he loves.

Alright Rob, spill.. Who are you?

Hello, my name is Rob. I am a Yorkshireman, who has been living in exile in the South West since 2004. I love food, booze, live music and stand up comedy, basically anything where you get together with friends and laugh lots.

My friend Tom and I, run a blog called www.therealdram.com. Initially we reviewed whisky, as a way of cataloging our journey through the incredible world of whisky. However, over the last two years, we have diversified into basically writing about anything that we love. If you read the blog or follow us on social media, you can now find reviews of beer, events, food, distillery tours and reviews of wide range of whiskies from all around the world.

What is your favourite thing to eat?

This might be the trickiest question that anyone has ever asked me. My answer would depend on what day of the week it is, what mood I am in and what I have made for myself at home that week. I guess that the most important aspect though for me is experience, whether this means sharing something new with someone that I love, or trying a taste for the first time.

So far this year, the most fun I have had whilst eating was on the first Bristol Burger Crawl. We tried five different burgers at five different places and made some fantastic new friends along the way!

Big Burger Crawl delights

Another juicy specimen on the Big Burger Crawl

What do you love about Bristol and its food ?

The best thing about Bristol is its independent spirit. You can eat absolutely anything that you want, from absolutely anywhere in the world and more often than not, you can eat it in an independent restaurant served by someone who is passionate about what they are doing.

What is your ultimate Bristolian food experience ?

At the moment, I am obsessed with King Street and especially with Small Bar.
Small Bar always have a wide collection of fantastic beer, great spirits and now they have The Plumed Serpent making sensational Mexican food too!
This means you can turn up with a friend, stay all night, laugh, drink well, eat great food and then fall back out on to the street and head somewhere else amazing, usually for cocktails at Red Light or Whisky at The Woods.

Love that we’re getting the ultimate Bristol booze experience with that night too!

The Plumed Serpent

The Plumed Serpent

Tell us, where in Bristol could you eat every day?

I am gonna cheat here and say at one of Bristol’s amazing street food markets.

Whether it’s Temple Quay Market, a Bristol Eats Event or The Tobacco Factory Market, there is always an amazing new street vendor to enjoy. Some of my favourites are Pickled Brisket, Buckland Burgers and Wings Diner.

Pickled Brisket

Wings Diner

Alright, its time for our quick fire round..

• Tea or Coffee? Coffee
• Brunch or Dinner? Dinner
• Chocolate or Cheese? Cheese
• Summer or Winter? Summer
• Cook or Eat Out? Eat Out

A massive thanks to Rob for sharing his favourite ways to Devour Bristol.

If you want to find out more about Rob and his adventures in Bristol,  you can find him bigging-up this city and getting involved on all of the socials. Twitter , Facebook and Instagram

I strongly encourage you to check out Rob’s blog, The Real Dram, its funny and quirky and you might even learn something about whisky.

Devourers of Bristol – Charlie Harding

Charlie esq, Pithy Blinder, genius behind the Wriggle twitter account and provider of many a rant, laugh and a pudding, Charlie Harding is many things. She is also a builder of community and promotes the hell out of food in this fair town.

Alright.. Who even are you?

My name is Charlie and I am a food blogger, Bristol Pudding Society owner and head of content for food app, Wriggle.  I’ve lived in Bristol for 11 years holding down a bunch of boring jobs until I landed this one and can usually be found bemoaning small plates, the lack of fried chicken or huffing craft beer in a tap room.

What is your favourite thing to eat?

Either a really good Sourdough pizza that is served with a dipping sauce for crusts or the Dirty Dirty fries from The Hobgoblin. Oh and a really good Pasteis de Nata

What do you love about Bristol and its food?

Bristol is still just about getting away with not being pretentious in its food offering. Mostly people open bars and restaurants and offer something really good and genuine rather than all style but no substance. I hope we can keep it that way for as long as possible.

Here Here! So tell us then, what is your ultimate Bristolian food experience?

Probably the anxiety and joy of grabbing a coffee and massive slice of Saturday cake from Harts. Not knowing how long the line is, trying to estimate how quickly you will get served compared to how long you have for your train. Stowing your cake away in your bag and climbing the rickety metal steps up to this grandiose station building. Plonking yourself down and trying to not stare too hard at the old Cattle Market Pub. That place is 100% haunted.

Hahaha! That is not the answer I was expecting.

Haunted pubs aside where in Bristol could you eat every day?

Probably Bomboloni’s on Gloucester Road. Andrew and his family have made this place so warm and inviting, the food is full of love and flavour and it’s close enough to my house that I don’t have to roll too far home.

Quick Fire Round – Annnnnd Go!

• Tea or Coffee? Coffee!
• Brunch or Dinner? Dinner!
• Chocolate or Cheese? Cheese!
• Summer or Winter? Winter!
• Cook or Eat Out? Sophie’s choice?!! Eat out because I hate washing up

Want to hear more pith, try out her puddings or see what Charlie is up to? Check out her fabulous Blog, BedsitBonneVivante or find her on the socials Twitter Instagram .

 

Devourers of Bristol – Shonette Laffy

Between running a open mic night, social media meet ups, keeping us up to date about whats happening through Visit Bristol AND doing her own fabulous blog, Shonette Laffy found time to share some of her favourite foodie haunts with us. And we are so pleased about it!

Tell us about yourself, I’m sure there’s lots we don’t know!

I moved to Bristol in 2008 after various stop-offs in other places including Bath and Berlin (all the Bs!), but I grew up in central London. Bristol is most definitely home now though – I won’t be moving again!

I work for Visit Bristol doing various website & social media bits and bobs, but Twitter folk probably know me from my exaggerated reactions to food pics and my blog lifelessorganised.com, where I write monthly food & drink event guides and the occasional list of my top places for roasts, tapas or whatnot.

I’m also prone to getting drunk and setting up events – at the moment there’s The Rules of Engagement which is a monthly social media & content meet-up where we try to help each other out with tips and ideas; rum tasting silliness in the form of Rumageddon (mainly because I wanted to use the name) and I also run a bi-monthly storytelling event called Let Me Tell You a Story, Jack!, which is an excuse to go to the pub and hear people share embarrassing tales from their past or read out some incredible stories they’ve written. Basically, I like drinking, eating and talking to people and it gets me into all sorts of trouble.

Rummageddon

The Rules of Engagement

So here come the tough questions…  What is your favourite thing to eat?

What a mean question! I love spice and anything packed full of flavour, so probably curry of some sort. I could probably eat pizza every day though. Or mezze.

What do you love about Bristol and its food?

The dedication to local sourcing – I watched Portlandia and saw a sketch about them showing diners a CV of the chicken they were eating, and it made me cover my face because I definitely raise an eyebrow if a restaurant or pub doesn’t promote local produce, because it’s so commonplace and we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to producers, whether it be bread, cheese, meat or vegetables.

The fact that collaboration is the name of the game, not competition.

A lot of Bristol’s businesses thrive because of the support they not only get from us, but each other, and it’s lush to see. A great example of this is the brewery scene – they’re always in each other’s bars and tap rooms, or brewing together and it serves to make the Bristol beer scene even more than the sum of its parts (which is already badass).

If you’re on Twitter you’ll also see how much restaurants, cafes, bars and street food vendors all big each other up. It’s important given what a tough gig it is working in the food & drink industry.

The affordability is also there for the most part – although getting lunch or a pint for under a fiver is getting more and more difficult…but overall for the quality & quantity we get in dishes here, we’re spoilt.

What is your ultimate Bristolian food experience?

Either wandering through St Nicks Market trying free samples and buying bits for home while deciding what to eat, or a pint on the harbourside outside Arnolfini with your legs dangling over the quayside – peak Bristol.

If we’re going for a proper dining experience, the Gallimaufry on Gloucester Road sums up Bristol really well – excellent food from some top notch local producers, a cosy and friendly atmosphere, brilliant live music most evenings and seating outside to watch the world go by.

Where in Bristol could you eat every day?

Souk Kitchen – every dish is packed full of flavour and it’s introduced me to so many interesting ingredients. I also love how colourful their restaurants are.

Quick Sticks! 

• Tea or Coffee? Coffee!
• Brunch or Dinner? Brunch!
• Chocolate or Cheese? Cheese!
• Summer or Winter? Winter!
• Cook or Eat Out? Cook (surprisingly) – as much as I love eating my way around town, I also love getting into my comfies and making meatballs or something equally comforting.

Homecooking

No1 Harbourside

Shonette produces one of the most comprehensive monthly round ups of Bristol food, booze and food related workshops on her blog ‘A Life Less Organised’.

You will want to organise your own life around these posts!

If you want to know what else Shonette is doing, or to see these famous reactions to food, you can also find her on all of the socials –Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

Devourers of Bristol – Natalie Brereton

The Burger Queen Natalie Brereton

We recently caught up with Natalie Brereton, on the inaugural Big Burger Crawl and her passion for Bristol and getting people out to enjoy its foodie offerings was apparent from the outset. She may be known as the Burger Queen of Bristol ( I mean she even has a burger named after her) but this west country babe has more than one jewel in her crown.

An incredible culture of community, ethical values and diversity are just some of the reasons Nat loves Bristol. Oh.. and the food of course.

Tell us a bit about yourself.. I mean who are you anyway?

I’m a loud and proud Devon girl who moved to Bristol roughly 6 years ago. I am obsessed with eating, tweeting, trash TV, socialising and Gin mostly. You’ll always hear me before you see me.

I run a fun food blog called Stuffed which aims to be a light-hearted corner of the internet where readers can look for recommendations, find out the latest Bristol food and drink news, events that are up and coming and generally read about my culinary experiences across the South West and further afield. I love meeting new people.
Oh, and I also am partial to eating a burger or two…

Ok, So onto the real questions.. What do you love to eat? 

How to answer this question….
Obviously the burger love is apparent (don’t make me choose).

My favourite dish to eat in a restaurant is Steak Tartare. So far the best I’ve eaten is the one I enjoyed in Wilsons earlier this year.

Or, Elliott from Box-E’s panna cotta; just magic.

Wilsons Restaurant

What do you love about Bristol and its food?

I have always loved and admired Bristol’s community spirit and the collaborative, supportive nature amongst the food and drinks scene. It promotes healthy competition and encourages our restaurants to keep standards high whilst still being imaginative, creative and able to try new things. I often see front of house staff, head chefs and restaurant owners singing the praises of another establishment and I think this is wonderful and really positive.

I also think Bristol is incredibly diverse and varied in its offering of restaurants and I respect the importance more and more venues are placing on quality, sustainability and sourcing ethical produce. In saying this, I always think the city of Bristol has been conscious about these issues for quite some time already, but more than ever at the moment this topic appears to be a hot one and I like that Bristol venues are very transparent in terms of putting this information out there for all to see.

What is your ultimate Bristolian food experience?

I love this question. Toughie though.

If it’s eating out, then nothing beats a summer’s afternoon down at Broken Dock, enjoying head chef Phil’s delicious seasonal food whilst choosing from the cracking Gin and Tonic menu all whilst taking in the glorious views across to the SS Great Britain and Brandon’s Hill. For me, it’s the perfect spot to while the day away with friends.

Brocken Dock

Pizzarova

 If it’s grab and go then me and my pals love nothing more than to order plenty of Pizzarova from their crate at Wapping Wharf and stock up on beers, cider and wine from nearby Beer Necessities, The Bristol Cider Shop and Corks. We’ll all choose a spot by the M Shed to sit and enjoy it (and then probably get a bit rowdy and start singing).

Where in Bristol could you eat every day?

Pasta Loco; never boring, a fantastic team that always makes me smile and outstanding food.

Quick Fire Round!

• Tea or Coffee? Coffee
• Brunch or Dinner? These questions are killing me. But, dinner.
• Chocolate or Cheese? Cheese All day.
• Summer or Winter? SUMMER BABY.
• Cook or Eat Out? Eat out. I’m not a great cook

Want to know more about what Natalie is up to and more importantly where and what she is eating?

Find her on all the socials; Twitter  ,Instagram, Facebook and definitely check out her blog 

 

 

 

The Devourers of Bristol

We are teaming up with some familiar social media and real life foodie bods to bring you a series of mini interviews (minterviews?) about Bristol and its food!

In this series we try to focus on the Bristolian food experience and what it is about Bristol the food and community we have here that makes it so special.

We can all google Best Restaurants & Cafes or look up the Top 10 lists of bars to go to in Bristol, but do they give us the feeling of being in Bristol? We want to know the places you go and things you eat to feel like you are really experiencing this wonderful city through its food.

We ask these big (and fun) questions in a little interview to find out how our favourite foodies Devour Bristol.

Stay tuned this week for our first featured Devourer; none other than the Bristol Burger Babe herself – Natalie Brereton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It may be the Year of the Rooster, but October is all about the Goat!

Cabrito Goat Meat

Goatober, is a month dedicated to the celebration and promotion of the dairy billy goat meat industry. This campaign was started in the USA in 2010 and the movement is now being championed in the UK by James Whetlor. During October  #Goatober, restaurants across the UK are serving up this under-used, meat in an effort to highlight its versatility and deliciousness to the general public.

A selection of cuts of Kid from Cabrito Goat Meat.

Barbecued Butterflied Leg of Kid.

Sadly, Billy goats get a pretty crappy deal in the dairy industry and are usually euthanised at birth as they (obviously) don’t provide a contribution to the milk production and, as such, are considered a waste product.

James Whetlor, founder of  Cabrito Goat Meat, saw an opportunity to have ethically sourced goat meat and reduce waste in the dairy industry. For us it seems like a win win with a growing desire from the public to support sustainable food practices and reduce waste. The extra bonus it that goat meat is bloody delicious !

So how do you get involved ? Well, Bristolians, you are in luck:

Matt Williamson ,of Flinty Red fame, will be cooking up a 5 course Indian Feast on October 5th, at the fabulous creative hub, Hamilton House. The menu will utilise billy goat meat which would have otherwise gone to waste in the dairy industry.

We’re not kidding around when we say the menu looks fantastic (#sorrynotsorry)

Kid Samosa
Kid Raan with Onion Raita
Nanny Rogan Josh with Buttermilk Okra
Kid, Dried Cherry & Almond Biryani
Goats Milk Rosewater Kulfi

Tickets are £40pp and can be booked here