I love Bristol! It's got a wonderful heritage, having been a vast international port trading all over the world.
It's also very multicultural, and even has its own language (I can now say gert lush)!
So when my wife suggested a break in Bristol I instantly said yes (I'd forgotten it was the Big Apple's Blossomtime in Herefordshire). I then found Bristol Food Connections were holding a major event - and Brisol's wonderful Cider Shop was even running a West Country Cider and Sausage Festival!
We had fantastic time. Living in a world where many are happy to mass consume junk food, it was nice to see large queues of people wanting to buy good quality food, - direct from the producer.
The BBC make a lot of their food programmes in Bristol, and there was a large area where you could learn more about how your food is produced:
as well as meet and watch celebrity chefs cook and even watch programmes being recorded.
There was even a giant water slide, as part of the city's Make Sundays Special campaign:
As there were large crowds, I went up the amazing Wills Memorial Tower:
to get a better view!
There were events all over the town (too many to cover here), but one of the highlights for me was Slow Food UK Ark of Taste,
where you could speak to people who make artisan cheese, from Keen's Cheddar, Montgomery Cheddar and Westcombe Dairy
Doves Farm organic flour specialists had a fascinating display of ingredients, including Buckwheat, Einkorn, Emmer, Khorasan, Spelt and Rye for their speciality flours.
It was fascinating talking to Michael, who knew so much about these different ingredients.
It was nice to meet the Eads from the Chough Bakery in Cornwall, who sold me some lovely Cornish pasties, saffron cake and Cornish heavy cake, as well as clotted cream:
There was a pop-up pizzeria on College Green, with freshly made pizza's made in front of you:
There was also Eat-In Bristol, hosted by the Sustainable Food Trust, in collaboration with Feeding the 5000 and Slow Food Youth Network. This was a gathering of people on College Green:
sharing a meal they have produced and prepared together.
Their manifesto (above) explains that it is a protest against artificially cheap and industrially produced food, and a demand for democratic access to food that is 'good, clean and fair'.
Next time I'll make sure I get a seat near Source, a wonderful shop and café, situated in Bristol's historic St. Nicholas Market:
They will be getting a separate mention in this blog soon...
So whilst I regretted missing the Big Apple's Blossomtime, I had a fantastic time in Bristol - and even managed to try some real cider:
Bristol Food Connections continues until 11th May 2014.
Bristol Food Connections: www.bristolfoodconnections.com
Comments