Bristol Food Connections 2018 is nearly here, so it’s time to plan your festival!

Bristol Food Connections is one the highlights of Bristol’s food calendar, with a ridiculous amount of events (130 at the last count!) taking place across the city from 11-17th June.

It’s a fairly huge festival, covering everything from growing your own food to huge gala dinners and talks on sustainability. We’ve decided to break down what’s happening and pick out a few of our favourites from this year’s programme.

Booze it up

There are plenty of ways to hit the hard stuff (and find out more about it too)…

• A Journey Through Gin on Brunel’s SS Great Britain (Thu 14th, £22)
  A tutored tasting of the full range of Bramley & Gage’s gins (inc. 6 O’Clock Gin) and liquers aboard Bristol’s historic ship.
• Traditional Cider Making, Orchard Tour & Tasting (Sun 17th, £10)
  Enjoy a guided tour of this orchard in North Somerset & taste several ciders.
• Whisky and the Senses (Tue 12th, £8)
  Find out why whisky tastes the way it does, and why you like some but not others.
• Cider vs Beer (Tue 12th, £25)
  Taste your way through a selection of great beers & ciders and find out their similarities and differences!
• Portuguese wine dinner (Sat 16th, £45)
  A three-course Portuguese dinner complimented with a paired wine flight.
• A Celebration of Bread & Beer (Fri 15th, Free)
  Left Handed Giant and Assembly Bakery join forces for this street food party in Finzels Reach.
• Avery’s Summer of Wine (Sat 16th, £25)
  Avery’s annual wine fiesta takes over Colston Hall, with over 100 wines for you to try!

See more of Bristol

With events dotted in every far flung corner of Bristol, now is the time to get out and explore!

• World Food Passport (All week, £8)
  Taste your way around the food businesses of Gloucester Road, collecting stamps as you go (or you can also do a guided food tour of Gloucester Road that week too).
• Behind the Scenes of a Gin Distillery (Sat 16th, £25)
  Head out to Thornbury for this special tour of 6 O’clock Gin’s distillery to find out more about how their delectable spirit is made (with plenty of tasters along the way, obv).
• Shroomshop (Sun 17th, £30)
  Get some hands-on tips about mushroom cultivation at this workshop in St Werbs.
• Thyme Trail (Fri 15th, £15)
  Visit various vendors in Wapping Wharf, hearing the stories behind the businesses and getting tasters as you go.
• TimeZone: Eat Your Way Around the World (Sat 16th, £4)
  Try a range of international cuisine in Easton, including Jamican, Indonesian and Spanish.
• Eco day at Hartcliffe City Farm (Sun 17th, Free)
  Try your hand at pond dipping, searching for bugs and other activities.

Educate yourself

It’s not just about filling your face with food, there’s plenty of opportunity to learn a new skill or hear some interesting perspectives on the food we eat too:

• In Our Hands Screening (Thu 14th, £5, or £12 with a two-course meal)
  Head to City Hall to see this thought-provoking documentary about Britain’s food system.
• Transforming the Education System Through Food (Tues 12th, £8)
  Can schools transform learning through diet? Head along to this talk to find out.
• Philosophy Breakfast: The Ethics of Global Food Production (Sun 17th, £14)
  Is it possible to eat ethically? Join the debate (breakfast included)
• Startup Stories (Tue 12th, £10)
  Hear from several Bristol food businesses how they started out, and how to build a successful independent business.
• The Secret Life of Cows (Sun 17th, £8)
  How do cows naturally behave, and what issues does this raise around farming?
• Fermentation Collaboration (Thu 14th, £25)
  The Pickled Brisket & Bristol Cider Shop explain the process of fermentation, followed by a cider tasting and one of Pickled Brisket’s mega sandwiches.

Fantastical feasts

Some seriously special dinner events from well-known chefs and local producers…

• FUTURE: FEAST (Mon 11th, £25)
  Star Trek meets Come Dine With Me in an ‘immersive dining experience’.
• A Summer’s Feast (Fri 15th & Sat 16th, £30)
  The next generation of Bristol chefs serve up a seasonal feast.
• It’s a Bristol Ting! (Sun 17th, Free)
  Celebrate Bristol’s Jamaican community with rum & jerk chicken at Lakota.
• Chocolate Gala Dinner (Mon 11th, £35)
  A special dinner to kick-off festival week, with all 3 courses featuring chocolate.
• Summer Dine & Vine Feast (Thu 14th, £30)
  A three-course tasting menu paired with bio-dynamic wines.
• Homegrown Collective Supper Club (Fri 15th, £35)
  Three-courses of local, seasonal food accompanied by music.

There are also loads of free talks and demos at the Festival Hub (next to Watershed) throughout the week, so it’s worth stopping by to see what’s on!

See the full Bristol Food Connections Programme

Love Saves The Day Returns To Bristol

Bristol’s biggest music festival returns to Eastville Park this May Bank Holiday Weekend with over 300 acts appearing across 12 stages including Fatboy Slim and Mercury Prize winner Sampha.

We caught up with a cross section of Love Saves The Day artists and staff to get their top picks for this year’s festival.

Sam Chadburn (Jus Now): Crack Presents…/Sampha

Most of the Artists I’m really excited to see at LSTD are all on one stage, so big up Crack Magazine for putting together an amazing line up. I absolutely love Hak Baker’s music, it’s so original, raw and honest. British rapper Octavian is another top pick for me, he’s a really special artist who’s in his own lane. And Sampha’s album Progress has probably been the most played album on my phone in the past 12 months. Watching him pour his heart out at the end of a long weekend on the main stage is going to be emotional!

Dave Harvey (Director & Booker): Aba Shanti

I’m really excited about having Aba Shanti playing for us in the Teachings In Dub area. I used to go to their dances in the East Midlands as a teenager, when I lived in Leicester and went to the carnival up there. They were always amazing, so chuffed to have him join us again this year!

Tom Paine / Director & Booker – Paranoid London

I don’t think there is another act that comes close to Paranoid London in the dance scene – they may well be the last punks left in the industry – and not the faux-punk posturing of Queef, proper snarling, screaming 303 acid lines, driving 808 drums and a menacing MC prowling the stage just daring you to look him in the  eye…. rock and roll!

Zaniah Carigiet / Artist Logistics – Nightmares On Wax (live)

I’m a drum and bass girl through and through – you’ll always find me bouncing to the bass in my artist logistics office. However, If I could escape the mayhem of driver’s schedules and travel logistics, I would love to see Nightmares on Wax Live.

But then Arts House Presents Artwork will be FUN! It’s just so hard to choose. My Advice – make a plan that is flexible, enjoy the day and make sure you try out the roller Disco!

Zeina Raad (Festival Director): Bicep (live)

I’m most looking forward to seeing Bicep LIVE! All of their productions are welcome soundtracks to my life! I ran half a marathon listening to Just and Glue on repeat, I didn’t get bored of them then and I can’t wait to see them perform live at Love Saves The Day.

Dan Kealey (Marketing): Digital Mystikz

I’m unsure if this is just an elaborate ruse to find out where I’ll be skiving off to on Sunday, but I’m looking forward to seeing Digital Mystikz on the Hold Tight stage.

Between the two of them they have contributed some of dubstep’s most distinctive records, so I’m expecting big things. Honourable mentions must go to the Bristol home team of Pinch and Joker also playing on that stage.

Aisling Mustan (Press): David Rodigan and The Outlook Orchestra

Absolutely no question for me – David Rodigan with the Outlook Orchestra – I can’t imagine a better way to spend a sun-soaked Sunday at Love Saves The Day. It’s going to be a glorious symphonic sound clash of four decades of dancehall, reggae, dub, jungle and ska!

Love Saves the Day takes place in Eastville Park in Bristol on Saturday 26th May & Sunday 27th May 2018.

Love Save The Day tickets: https://lovesavestheday.org/line-up/ 

Love Save The Day Full Line Up:

A year has passed since Bristol’s finest cocktail bar last refreshed its menu, and it’s all change again at the secretive and stylish Hyde & Co.

2017’s The Last Carnival introduced us to a glamorous world of burlesque, cabaret and circus, showcasing a mastery of cocktail creativity. Midnight in Paris picks up the tale…

The scene is set in 1920’s Paris; a dangerous world of decadence and daring. A jewel heist in the French capital has caught the attention of private detective Kinsey Moran, who must follow a trail through the city’s drinking dens and backstreets to bring the culprits to justice.

From the imagination of talented local designer and bartender Gareth Aldridge, Midnight in Paris’ beautiful story and artwork sets Hyde & Co. apart from the outset – but it’s the variety and quality of the cocktails that tempt visitors to sample daring new concoctions.

With sultry jazz playing softly in the background and a décor embracing the elegance of the roaring 20’s, drinkers can now enjoy a new selection of the bold and innovative cocktails for which Hyde & Co. is known.

Traditional French spirits including Calvados, Cognac and Chartreuse blend beautifully with spice mix, bitters and liqueurs, creating bold new flavours with a nod to classics like the French 75, Sidecar and Kir Royale.

If you’re looking for a recommendation, the gin-based Tribune caught my attention, but the breadth and depth of choice is highly impressive.

‘Tribune’

You can dip into Midnight in Paris at Hyde & Co from Tuesdays to Sundays, 6pm till late. Check out the Hyde & Co website here, and find them on Twitter here. For more reviews and write-ups from @cjcallaghan, check out his Best of Bristol author page.