I was inspired by my recent restaurant experiences in and around Bristol, to explore that dreaded question when walking into a restaurant “have you booked?” I personally think I am pretty well qualified to delve into this “hot topic” considering my 20+ years in hospitality and also my endless meals out in Bristol and further afield. I fully intend to see it from both the customers point of view and delve into how it makes them feel but also put my operators hat on and see why, in some instances some establishments have a very strict regime. My recent experiences As I mentioned I have had some ..read more

For literally centuries pubs have been operating in Britain with the first claiming to be serving customers since the year 560. Since then they have become a cornerstone of our world and for many of us, our first hurdle in life was to actually get served in a pub while underage. Certainly, where I came from, life pretty much revolved around the pub – which even included in playing football for the said pub team on a Sunday morning (quite often hung over from the previous night drinking in that pub), now there is an irony for you! Fast forward to 2019, what would those first customers from The ..read more

Is it just it just me or does there seem to be a food business closing as quickly as one opens? I wonder if the new owners of the proposed exciting addition to the local area have actually done any research and have a plan and a vision in order to survive? Did you know that 59% of new businesses close within the first year? That, however, doesn’t seem to be putting potential newbies off from opening and trying to be a success. I decided to look at what key ingredients are needed, to get past year 1 and then establish yourself within the local food scene. Location Although it’s not a guarantee ..read more

First of all, I have a confession, I don’t actually like coffee but drink lashings of tea. However, the title ‘Tea and Cake’ doesn’t have quite the same attraction and the fact that coffee is the most consumed drink in the world, I was worried the title wouldn’t be cool. So now that we have managed to bring some honesty into our relationship, get ready for my top 5 in Bristol and I would like you all to know it been an extensive research project. Anna Well, this one cannot be a surprise to anyone who lives within a 100-mile radius of Clifton Village. Anna has established itself as a mainstay ..read more

I often get asked by both friends and strangers about which are my favourite places to eat in Bristol. They ask for recommendations and as my public has requested (well both of them), I thought it’s about time to share my top 5 with you all so that you to can go and experience my favourite places. So, how do you even start to compile a list when there are literally thousands to chose from? Well after some thought and trust me I totally started to over think this and even considered using an excel spreadsheet! Then it came to me early one morning while sat in my “man cave” pulling on that day’s ..read more

Apologies to all my readers (well both of you). I haven’t blogged for what seems like ages! Why I hear you ask? Maybe a combination of working too hard, eating out in all my spare time and a touch of “writer’s block” – well that’s what the professionals call it. So if you haven’t worked it out yet, this blog post is about our recent adventures in Italy. We have talked about doing a mini Italian tour for a few years and decided to take the plunge. Obviously, we did some sightseeing but mainly we ate food and mixed with the locals. You might say this is a very rough guide to the Italian foo ..read more

Well, without knowing it, the last few months of my food journey in this amazing life seems to have taken me along the Spanish route of “tapas”. Sandwiched in-between a weekend visit to Madrid (the city not a new restaurant in Bristol) and some great visits to an ever growing trend led me to ask the above question. Is it the future of how we order and eat out or is it just a fad that will disappear as quick as it has arrived? The word “tapas” when I researched it had a few meanings and it’s about which one you prefer to believe. My favourite is the Spanish King Alfonso the 10th, also know ..read more

A few weeks ago, we had some family visit us in Bristol and obviously being a food blogger I have the added pressure of finding somewhere amazing to eat, to live up to my reputation as a food lover. Fast forward and we are sat in a restaurant in Bristol and I was looking for some inspiration for my next blog. Considering I was sat in http://www.spitfirebarbecue.com on a Sunday afternoon (for those who haven’t worked it out its a BBQ restaurant – see photo below), made me wonder why did I not decide on a good old traditional Sunday roast? Well, If you continue to read I might explain my reasons ..read more

I thought over the next few weeks and months I would visit the best food “hot spots” in Bristol and pick out my favourite places and then both sample the food and document them visually, (the tough tasks I have to go through as a blogger, I hope you all appreciate the sacrifices I am making). Bristol is quite a small city and very walkable, and officially now we have one of the best food scenes according to the national press, but didn’t I say it first? There are in my opinion pockets of great food “hot spots” dotted around the city, which you can pretty much rock up and spend a few hours enjo ..read more

Sitting on the train travelling to “the big smoke” on Saturday, I started contemplating why do I eat out so much? Surely I can buy the ingredients cheaper and with so many amazing videos on http://www.youtube.com, transforming these into a tasty and well presented dishes is easier than ever! (Oh and I also have a dishwasher so I can’t blame the washing up). Then it hit me as I recalled my early morning visit to http://www.hartsbakery.co.uk. For those of you that know Temple Meads train station in Bristol, like many stations, it has a few food options. Everything from porridge to a pasty. Howev ..read more