Foodies Festival 2015

Regardless the drizzly day, we have been at the Foodies Festival on Sunday. It is a food festival which happened between 26-28^th June this year, and as a novelty, it has been held at the beautiful Clifton Downs instead of the Harbourside.

As recommended by the organisers of the event, we took the bus to get to The Downs, and our invitations were waiting for us at the ticket office right at the entrance. Two days earlier I was lucky enough to win a couple of day tickets in a competition at the blog A Life Less Organised, which I am very thankful for. ;)

I personally love food festivals because I love tasting free samples of... everything! Ginger beer, cheese, chocolate, chilli sauces, special oils an vinegars... Nonetheless, we also filled our shopping bags with some Ruby Mist cheese from the Snowdonia Cheese Company (one for £4; three for £11); chocolate from Sciolti Botanical Chocolates (£4), biscuits from The Sawley Kitchen (Offer! £1.50), although there were plenty of other tasty things we could have bought!

We stopped for lunch, which was a tasty rib-eye sandwich (£8) at BoyMeatsGrill and a glass of great wine (£4.50) at the Rioja stand, and continued with the route once our stomachs were full. There were many events for adults. I have been told that each ticket got you access to one of the events on each stage but on Sunday, probably because the weather was not in favour, there were many seats available except for the wine tasting event, which was very popular.

Nonetheless, it is not a festival for adults only. There were many activities for children as well. Starting from cookery classes to bouncy castles and slides, kinds can also have a lot of fun! However, only cookery classes were free: face painting for example cost £3.50, and the bouncy slide wasn’t free either (£1).

On our way out, we were given a set of freebies including a nice Stella Antois chalice, Chupa Chups bubble gum, a can of energy drink and some tea. Brilliant!

WEBSITE: http://www.foodiesfestival.com/bristol/

The Better Food is always in season!

It's Good Friday and St Paul's is quiet today. I walk down Sevier Street and I see people coming in and out of The Better Food Company, a supermarket selling local, organic, ethical and fair-trade goods, apparently open as usual. Outside the shop, I find a poster that says "Fashions come and go. Veg is always in season". Once and for all, I decide to have a look inside.

When I go in, I find a very nice looking and appealing shop with a café next to it. It is the perfect place to find products for people with special dietary requirements from dairy free to gluten free. There is also a wide range of healthy options such as high quality raw products and a section entirely dedicated to superfoods. In addition, they have locally produced food directly from farmers and artisans. It doesn't really matter if you are a meat-eater, vegetarian or vegan, they have products to suit all of us.

Good quality local groceries; superfoods; chocolates and sweets; dairy products; local eggs and bread; meat, poultry and seafood; dairy-free, gluten-free and Poleo diet products; health and bodycare; gardening... You will be able to find anything!

It really surprises me to find products from the Basque Country in there! They have tinned tuna Bonito del Norte from Conservas Ortiz. It is a very well-known Basque company which sells canned tuna, anchovies, sardines and many other types of fish. I add a tin of tuna to the basket where I have a organic carrot and coconut soup (Free&Easy) and slow dried whole wheat Sicilian Gomitini pasta (La Bio Idea), which costs £5.28.

And the best: the friendliness of the staff member at the counter! Have a good Easter you too! :)

WEBSITES: 

• The Better Food Company: http://www.betterfood.co.uk/
• Conservas Ortiz: http://www.conservasortiz.com/home_en.php

Eat and drink is Bristol's Fashion!

Starting today 1st May until 18th May, Queen Square is hosting Eat Drink Bristol Fashion. During 18 days, there will be food, live entertainment and drinks in the tipi village they built in the beautiful square close to the Harbourside.

Queen Square, planned in 1699 in honour of Queen Anne, is a garden square in the centre of Bristol. It was originally a fashionable 18th century residential area but now most of the beautiful buildings have been converted into offices. The statue of William III in the centre of the square was casted in 1733 by John Michael Rysbrack.Nowadays and especially during summertime, the square is used to host many festivals and concerts.

Eat Drink Bristol Fashion is a collaborative project that champions sustainable food production, ethical food systems and food traceability... knowing where your food has come from. All this while showcasing Bristol and the South West’s abundance of quality chefs, suppliers and restaurants to the rest of the country!  (Check website)

The May Bank Holiday is full of activities in this festival: Tomorrow (2nd May) chefs Nathan Outlaw and Valentine Warner will combine their forces to offer a fine dining schedule. Saturday, the Invisible Charity Banquet will be presented by Bristol's chefs, Coexist and The Invisible Circus. On Sunday, dinner will be provided by Head Chef at Michelin starred Bath Priory Sam Moody. And on Monday, dinner will be cooked by Casamia Michelin-starred restaurant owners Peter and Jonray Sanchez Iglesias. 

There is free entrance to the Tapas Cafe and Bar although they recommend to book a table for the dinners.

LINKS

Eat Drink Bristol Fashion: https://eatdrinkbristolfashion.co.uk/

Queen Square in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Square,_Bristol

Eat.Drink.Dance

Next Friday, 6th December, The Island will host a new night market from 5pm to 12pm. The concept behind the street market is a social gathering. It will combine local breweries, artists, musicians and you!

There will be street-food traders, local craft beer brewery bar, hot coctails bar, DJs, local arts & crafts, live t-shirt screen-printing, handmade goodies, kids corner, pop-up record shop, seating and many more.

Before reading about this event, I had no idea what The Island was. As they state in their website, The Island is "a multiuse arts facility and creation center located in the old police station in Bristol city centre".  There are a wide variety of creative spaces for circus training, dance, art studios, dark rooms, recording studios and many other things. It is located at Courtyard, and the entrance is on Silver Street.

The poster has been designed by Hannah McPostlethwaite and I have to say it is a very nice piece of art. 

Some of the street food stalls have already been confirmed:

• Dorshi www.dorshi.co.uk/
• Viet Vite www.facebook.com/vietvite1
• Vee Double Moo www.veedoublemoo.co.uk/
• Chomp www.chompgrill.co.uk/
• ASIA POP! www.asiapopfood.tumblr.com/
• Minno Kitchen www.minnokitchen.com/
• Stiw www.facebook.com/stiwbristol
• Gopal's Curry Shack www.facebook.com/GopalsCurryShack

It doesn't say anything about tickets so I assume it is a free event. So, come on people, this is an alternative plan for a Friday night! I want to see you all there! 

LINKS

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The Island: http://www.theislandbristol.com/

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/463811197061317/

German Christmas Market

For the 5th time, the German Christmas Market set up in the shopping quarter in Bristol. Why go to Germany or Austria, when a the market itself comes to your town? 

The market opened its doors the 8th November in Broadmead and they will stay open until few days before Christmas day (22nd December). The 38 festive stalls will be selling food, drinks and all kind of gifts. 

Home Christmas decoration, traditional handmade wooden games, all kind of cheese and ham, wool clothes and blankets for cold days, scented candles, salt crystal lamps, chocolates, glass crafts, hot chestnuts, bags... Everything!

In the German outdoor bar, they claim to have an authentic German Sausage which you will be able to enjoy in exchange of 4 pounds along with a mulled wine (3.5 pounds). They also have other choices such as hot chocolate, coffee, German beer, and something I've never heard about called "Grog", which is actually hot water with rum. Very interesting! They serve the drinks in very nice wintery mugs and you will have to give a 2 pounds deposit. 

The market is open 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays, it is closed an hour earlier. It gives you plenty of time to buy a couple of nice presents for family and friends and warm up afterwards with a glass of mulled wine.

Lunch at the Canteen

The Canteen is around the corner from my place, and everytime I go there to have some coffee and I see somebody having lunch there, I always get green of envy. So, I finally convinced my friends to go there for lunch. One of them was a little hungover and he just had a coffee, while another friend and I were having our lunch. 

The Canteen serves lunch everyday between 12-3pm and dinner between 5-9pm. They promote local and organic food above all: the organic fruit and vegetables are supplied by the Community Farm, fish comes from Cornwall, they have  Gloucestershire pork and the beef is from Herefordshire. They serve a special roast dinner on Sundays too. 

The Canteen has a nice outside terrace that gets completely full when the sun shines. There are around 20 all-size tables inside, most of them occupied lately, probably because the weather is getting worse, and the terrace is now empty. There is a reading area in one corner with comfortable sofas where you can borrow a book and read, and there is also a music are at the opposite corner, where you can buy local music artists' works. All artworks hanging on the walls are for sale as well as the lamps and tables!

There were 6 main dishes to choose from today, all of them local home-made dishes, making the best out of simple ingredients. The menu is written in a blackboard next to the kitchen, which changes every day and prices are quite low (main dishes cost between 6.50-11 pounds). I ordered Linguine with a side salad, and my friend went for the Roast Beef. We ordered and paid at the bar, and they brought the food to the table when it was ready.

Any main dish includes the soup-of-the-day. Today, we had a homemade tomato soup (top left picture), very tasty, which arrived within 7 exact minutes, and we were having our main dish 10 minutes after the soup.

My linguine (lower left picture) had an interesting mix of flavours: the sweetness of red peppers with the hotness of the jalapeños, and goat cheese on top. My friend's Roast Beef (top right picture) had good size cuts of meat and he was very satified with the portion of food (I must say that this does not happen very often).The only small inconviniences we had were regarding the vegetables, which we would have cooked for a little longer (onion in my case, leek in his case). We had coffee to finish, which was as good as always.

Overall, good and fast service, tasty local food for a very affordable price. Very recommendable! 

More info: http://www.canteenbristol.co.uk/

Spotted Cola Cao in Town

Nesquik VS Cola Cao: eternal battle. Ever since I was a child, I considered myself member of Cola Cao team. When you are a kid back home, depending on which one of them you had for breakfast along with the milk and cereal, then either you belonged to Cola Cao team or to Nesquik team. It was as simple as that.


It is not easy to find Cola Cao here in the UK. I know they sell it in the big Tesco in Eastville, in the International Food section, but it is not easily accessible for people like me who don't own a car. To my surprise, I  have recently discovered another place in town where you can find it, closer than big Tesco: El Colmado,  the 10-days-old Spanish Deli located in 57 Gloucester Road. 

They have my beloved Cola Cao, but also Paladín for more traditional chocaholics. Both are energy chocolate drinks with vitamins and minerals originated in Spain. Paladín, however, is a thicker drink, particularly suitable for dunking churros. To complete the breakfast, you could also get Galletas Maria, a traditional spanish sweet biscuit similar to Rich tea biscuit.

Paella ingredients such as rice and colorants are nicely located in wooden shelves in a beautifully decorated shop. At the very end, they have a good number of paella pans (paellera) and pottery plates. If you feel lazy to cook, you could opt for tins of prepared lentils, white beans (Fabada Asturiana), spanish style meatballs, Ortiz tuna, olives, three types of gazpacho, cheese... and much more!  
A very good variety of spanish origin food brought right into the centre of Bristol.  

One of the owners assured the business is going very well so far, with a very big smile in his face. They opened the delicatessen on 13th June. I sincerely hope all the best for the business and I encourage you all to go have a look!

PS: I borrowed the pictures from your Facebook page. I hope you don't mind! ;)
El Colmado on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elcolmadospanishfood

The Big Market: Highlights

The Big Market located in Corn Street and surrounding roads gathered all type of organic food and crafts. I would like to highlight a couple of interesting stalls starting with the smelly organic body oils two women from Opulentia Organics were selling. You can see their business card and you might be able to appreciate the softness of my hand after applying Ylang Ylang and Lime oil in the second picture. 

I felt in love with another stall as well. The Metal Press was selling original jewelery inspired in the life under the sea. All earrings and necklaces had the shape of different molluscs and crustaceans. Check the thirds picture out and you will see!

In another stall in Wine street there was a guy selling very different style of necklaces. He happened to be the Californian/Mexican guy who I happened to meet in a National Express coach a couple of days ago. It's a small world!

For chilli lovers, Wiltshire Chilli Farm was selling spicy products: chilli plants, oils, sauces and spices. At the end of Corn Street, Shiatsu professionals inside a tent were providing 20-min-long  Shiatsu sessions for £10, if I am not wrong. Riverford organic farms was advertising their organic veg and fruit boxes starting from £6.95 as well as White Lake Cheese brought a good selection of goat cheese for the Big Market. Very good cheese! (I tasted some of them). Severn Cider had also its own corner in front of the Walkabout.

My morning ended with a very tasty lamb bun with salsa verde and salad. The lamb was very tender and the salsa verde gave a special touch. I have to give a big congratulation to the three boys who prepared it!

LINKS
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The Metal Press: www.metalpress.co.uk 
Opulentia Organics: www.opulentiaorganics.co.uk 
Riverford Organic Farms: www.riverford.co.uk 
The Wiltshire Chilli Farm: www.wiltshirechillies.co.uk

Green Day

Bristol's biggest market day is here. Next 22nd June, 200 stalls will invade Corn street and surrounding streets. Anything will be selling there: food directly from producers, local artisan products, crafts, vintage and ethical stuff,... The open air event has it all.


The BIG market will start at 11am and it is part of the BIG Green Week. During the week, there will also be numerous activities related to art, music, family events, walks and tours, talks and debates, comedy and many more. I suggest you visit the website to check the programme. 

Follow the BIG Green Week on Facebook for latest news and updates or in the official website. 

Chocolate!

As Joanne Harris' novel Chocolat whets you appetite, the exhibition currently in the MShed does the same. Tastiest exhibition called Chocolate! has been extended until 23rd June due to popular demand. The exhibition unwrappes secrets and stories of chocolate makers who lived in the city over the past 300 years, exploring the history, mystery, magic and science of the product.

But... why do we like chocolate that much? There are actual studies to back up some of the physical effects you can experience while eating chocolate. The stimulation your body gets provides a pleasant feeling to your taste buds, making you always come back for more. In the exhibition, you will also find out why chocolate tastes so good.

According to some sources, as chocolate comes from plants, it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables, acting like antioxidants, protecting our body from free radicals, which can lead to heart diseases. However, chocolate does contain fats and sugars, which are not healthy, but as long as you eat in moderation, the science suggests you can add as much as a year to your life.

See the leaflet of the exhibition HERE.

MORE INFORMATION
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Articles:

• Why do we like to eat chocolate? - Article - Here
• Five reasons why we love chocolate - Article -  Here

Other links:

• MShed Chololate! Exhibition Here
• Joanne Harris' Chocolat Here

Feeding 5K

Forks ready, people! They will be serving free meal next 1st June in College Green. A menu prepared by the Thali Cafe and cooked by Pieminister will promote the issue of global hunger and food waste next Saturday between 1-5pm in the city centre. 

To do my bit on the global hunger awareness, I post a list of facts and figures on world hunger compiled by the World Food Programme:

1. 870 million people in the world do not have enough to eat. This number has fallen by 130 million since 1990, but progress slowed after 2008. 
2. The vast majority of hungry people (98 percent) live in developing countries, where almost 15% of the population is undernourished. 
3. Asia and the Pacific have the largest share of the world's hungry people (some 563 million) but the trend is downward.
4. If women farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of hungry in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million
5. Undernutrition contributes to 2.6 million deaths of children under five each year - one third of the global total.
6. One out of six children -- roughly 100 million -- in developing countries is underweight. 
7. One in four of the world's children are stunted. In developing countries the proportion can rise to one in three. 
8. 80 percent of the world's stunted children live in just 20 countries. 
9. 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone
10. WFP calculates that US$3.2 billion is needed per year to reach all 66 million hungry school-age children. 

They will be serving free lunch to 5000 members of the public, all made from fresh food that would otherwise have gone to waste. 'Feeding the 5000' (that's how the event is called) comes this year with live music, children's activities, cooking demonstrations and more. Volunteers are needed to help chop vegetables, serve the massive vegetarian curry and other activities. If interested, sign-up here. 

More information: http://www.faresharesouthwest.org.uk/feeding5k/

Meat | Music | Mayhem

Although BBC does not forecast good weather for this coming weekend, it won't be short of plans. Apparently, the "original and true celebration of barbacue culture" arrives to Bristol. Grillstock Festival combines a two-day low & slow barbacue competition with international music artists, a barbacue academy, awesome festival craft beer bars, live entertainment, chilli-eating and hot-wing competitions, plus a vibrant mix of traders and exhibitors. 

Grillstock Festival 2013 will take place in the Amphitheatre (BS1 5LL) and rockabily, cajun, bluegrass, country and other south American rhythms will flood the environment.

In the BBQ competition, teams from all over the world will be competing against each other to decide who smokes joints of pork, lamb, beef and chicken the best. The Grand Champion will win the £1000 price.

Fans of authentic BBQ will be pleased to hear that there will be some  "smoky and juicy lunchtime treats" in St. Nicholas glass arcade.

The chilli-eating competition is one of the activities that drawns my attention. If you are mad enough to do this, you should get there early and sign up on the day. After filling a health questionnaire (!) where you will state you understood the side effects, you can join the competition. It will start of mild before scaling to the hottest chillis on the planet. The last person standing will take home a fantastic prize from a sponsor, which is not defined what will be. I guess the honour of being the winner would be enough for some of the contestants.

If chillis are too much for you, there are a hot-wing and rib eating competitions as well. It's all you can eat in 5-10 minutes! Contact them if you want to enter the competition in info@grillsock.co.uk.

INFORMATION
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• Dates: 11-12th May, 2013
• Location: Lloyds Amphitheatre, The Harbourside.
• Opening Hours: Saturday 11am-10pm // Sunday 11am-5pm
• Tickets: Weekend £15 // Saturday only £10 // Sunday only £7.5 // VIP £55
  Buy tickets HERE
• Website: http://grillstock.co.uk/bristol-festival

French Market

According to the flags around Broadmead, something "frenchie" is going on. Bristol Shopping Quarter is hosting the French Marked for the weekend.

Soaps from Provence, traditional French dishes such as Ratatoille, honey, saucissons, Dijon mustard, foie gras, sweets... They are some of the things I could identify in the market.

My french friends will have to judge if those goodies are really French or not, but I found something in the cheese stand that made me smile and miss my country very much.

P'tit Basque cheese has its heritage in the Basque Country, a proud region between Spain and France, where the culinary tradition very much alive.

For more information about the market: http://www.bristolshoppingquarter.co.uk/offers-and-events/news-and-events/2013/3/1/french-market-on-broadmead-a2093