As the festival approaches we are asking festival organisers and participants to pick 5 things they want to see. The line up is huge so this might help you to make your choices too!
First up, Clare McGinn, head of BBC network radio in Bristol…
To be honest the choice is overwhelming and restricting it to just five things is almost impossible. I want to learn how to do things but also think about food. For this list I’ve deliberately picked non-BBC things, which would feel a bit like a busman’s holiday so here goes ….
1. SLOW FOOD – ARK OF TASTE MARKET AND POP UP PIZZERIA
SATURDAY MAY 3 – MAY 5TH
COLLEGE GREEN
Getting Slow Food International to come to Bristol is an enormous coup for the city. The chance to see some of the top chefs in Italy creating a pop up pizzeria to show how real artisanal pizza is made with authentic ingredients is too good to miss. This is the closest I’m going to get to going on a holiday without leaving Bristol. More importantly, it’s a chance to learn more about Slow Food - a movement which has really changed the way people think about food around the world and to learn about the important foods and food traditions they are trying to preserve.
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2. REAL ECONOMY POP-UP MARKET – KNOWLE WEST
THURSDAY MAY 8TH
1000 - 1400
One of the things we talked about from the very beginning was that we wanted Food Connections to be open to as many people across Bristol as possible. We wanted to challenge the idea of a “foodie” festival where a tiny pot of strawberry jam (insufferably called “a berry conserve”) costs £6 and” truffle oil infused artisan toast” sells for £3.50 a slice. These real economy pop-up markets are about offering fresh affordable food and getting advice on back to basics fun cooking and baking that anyone can have a go at. That means making it accessible, affordable and enjoyable. I’m really looking forward to seeing the produce in Knowle and learning some new easy and cheap recipes.
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3. SIKH TEMPLE OPEN DAY
SUNDAY MAY 4TH
0900 – 1400
SIKH TEMPLE, ST GEORGE
One of the wonderful things about food is how it can open the doors to understanding, learning and new experiences. I don’t know very much about the Sikh religion nor have I been in a Sikh temple before but I’m curious to learn about how a Sikh langar(kitchen) works and to find out more about the main laws and beliefs relating to food. I have lots of questions I want to ask and this feels like a great privilege to go the Gurdwara and not feel like I’m intruding.
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4. MI CASA – RADIO TAPAS
WEDNESDAY MAY 7TH
STARTS 1930
This combines my two favourite things in the world – listening to morsels of amazing radio in the dark from around the world and experiencing morsels of equally amazing food from around the world. For anyone who hasn’t experience the “IN THE DARK” radio sessions this is going to be such a treat …. You sit cocooned in the dark, focussing on amazing stories, voices, sounds, and experiences and making the pictures in your head. But, on this occasion, a 6 course tapas menu provides a whole other level.
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5. AFTER HOURS AT-BRISTOL FOOD
THURSDAY MAY 8TH
1830 - 2200
As a child my parents told me off for “playing with my food” but there was always a little part of me that loved tinkering with ingredients to see what could happen. The furthest I got was honey, paprika and a dead wasp on a cream cracker which I tried to feed to my brother. This session gives me the perfect excuse to put on my white coat and experiment. The idea I could taste foods of the future that glow in the dark and pop or even make my own caviar is irresistible. I’m there already.
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Visit the What’s on section to start planning your 11 days…