I am very excited.
For most the arrival of May brings essay deadlines, exams, and more exams. For food obsessives like myself, the start of May means only means one thing. Food festival.
You are probably well aware that Bristol is home to a plethora of culinary delights. There are almost too many good places to eat out (the dilemma). Well, the crowning glory of this foodie capital is Bristol Food Connections, a festival running May 1st – 9th celebrating good food and local produce. If you have spent the last year building a list of foodie intentions, you now have no excuse to tick off Bristol’s best cafés. The people at Food Connections have mapped a food trail around the city, downloadable here, which tracks 50 of the best independent spots in Bristol. Discounts and offers can be found at every stop if you tell them you’re trailing. If food won’t satisfy, there’s also a cider trail. Be still my beating heart.
Bank holiday weekend is made even sweeter when three markets pop up in the centre of town. Last year Alex and I spent a happy afternoon hopping from stall to stall, sweeping up tasters by the dozen. The Producer’s Market on College Green boasts a wide variety of cheeses, breads, crackers and wines. Be careful though – I discovered that the taste sensation of truffle honey followed swiftly by a french macaron really stays with you. For a more substantial lunch there is the Street Food Market found in Millennium Square. The struggle is all too real when it comes to choosing between the delicious smells wafting from each place.
Just over the harbour lies the Eat Drink Bristol Fashion tipis in Queen Square. My favourite spot in Bristol springs to life in the summer with the addition of a tipi village. Should your parents, and a larger than student budget, be in town then check out the fine dining tent. Across the week the tipi plays host to the best chefs in Bristol, with each putting on a special menu for diners. For the rest of us there is a cider bar and tapas tent – the perfect way to enjoy our newly sunny days! Follow in mine and Alex’s footsteps and you may find yourself at The Apple just behind the square…
As if all this wasn’t enough, there is still a huge range of free, and paid, events running over the course of the 10 days, far too many to list right here! Head to http://www.bristolfoodconnections.com/whats-on/ for a full listing, I for one can never say no to a freebie so it’s worth a look. You will find me Cider Tasting at the Cori Tap and The Apple, 5th and 7th May, and at Lakota’s ‘It’s a Bristol Ting’, jerk chicken in one hand, falafel in the other.
Bring on the feast.