The Everyday Review - GOOD: Stories in Food
Bristol based food tour agency, GOOD: Stories in Food showcase independent, sustainably sourced food and drink, served by some of Bristol’s most beloved restaurants, bars and eateries. Founder, Florence Pardoe brings over 10 years of food industry experience to her tours, and, essentially, an absolute love of food. You can opt for a food and drink tour in Bristol Old City, a wine and cheese tour in the Somerset valleys, or a self-lead, digital guide of Bristol’s best gin spots.
The Bristol tour starts from the city centre, through St Nicks Market, to St Stephens Street (by the likes of Marmo and Rudy’s Pizza). The line-up of eateries changes from tour to tour, with a select few having been on the rota for the last 4 years, simply because they are too good to miss.
In our tour, a small group of about 8, all strangers, varying ages, some tourists, some local, with one very clear commonality: food. At first, most, if not all, our conversations centred around food. Our favourite restaurants. Places we want to try. Countries with the best food. Where we want to visit. What we want to eat. Then I thought: what a perfect way to meet people. Simply turn up with your love of food and an empty belly.
Nutmeg
First up, Nutmeg for Indian street food: onion bhajis, momos with smoked tomato and garlic chutney and golgappa, (also known as panipuri – fried dough balls stuffed with spiced potato and served with a tangy, sweet mocktail.) Golgappa is a one-bite, all-in experience. As instructed by our host, simply pour the mocktail into the dough ball, and pop the entire piece into your mouth for a punchy taste. Hands down, Nutmeg had to be the most beautiful restaurant visited, by décor and plating. Each plate was so rich and vibrant in colour.
At each place we were greeted by a chef, server or barista that introduced us to them, their produce and what they were all about. GOOD: Stories in Food is just that, a chance for local businesses to tell their story and be discovered by new people.
The Bristol Loaf
Next, the Bristol Loaf in the Beacon. We all loved the novelty of cake and coffee after Indian food. I mean, the best part of a food tour is someone else choosing where and what you eat. When else is a salted caramel brownie a chaser to an onion bhaji? I also enjoyed a raspberry and chocolate oat slice with coffee from Oddkin Coffee Roasters in Bristol. The Bristol Loaf source all their produce locally and in the West Country, from their milk in Somerset to their vegetables from Hugo’s Greengrocer in Bristol.
Pieminsiter
An absolute Bristol classic, Pieminster has been on the tour’s itinerary for years. They first opened their Bristol doors in 2003 and now have 15 restaurants across England. Although they’ve grown, their ethics are still top priority. Their pie packaging is 100% recyclable – they don’t use foil tins or plastic, and their bakeries use 100% renewable energy. They also have a crazy number of pie flavours, meat, veggie, vegan and gluten-free. The joy of the tour meant that we could try a good number of them.
As we headed to our next stop, Florence pointed our attention to the clock at the entrance of St Nick’s Market which has two minute hands, one for Bristol, one for London. It shows how Bristol was about 10 minutes behind London, back when each city set its own time.
As someone who lives in Bristol and has passed said clock countless time, it felt nice to stop and actually look around.
Big Juice
St Nick’s has an impressive number of vendors within just a 50-metre stretch, and Florence made sure that we tried a good selection. Big Juice sell cold-pressed juices and smoothies from their one and only stall in St Nick’s. As well as being delicious, each juice includes a specific combination of fruits and veggies to help aid sleep, digestion or boost metabolism or vitamin intake etc. The juice was a nice mid-tour perk-up, well timed by our guide.
Eat a Pitta
I mean, having lived in Bristol the last 5 years, I’ve had my fair share of Eat a Pitta, but who can deny their legendary falafels? Crispy, nutty and gently spiced. The og secret falafel recipe, passed down from the founder’s grandmother, is still used today, 80 years on. Their falafels alone are a great snack, or you can opt for a bowl or pitta with fresh salad, hummus and pickles.
We continued our stroll through the market, falafel in hand. We had time to poke around and eye up the other vendors. After ticking off a good few places earlier in the tour, the gentle pace of the market felt right, giving even the most ambitious of us a chance to digest.
Burger Theory
To end the food portion of our tour, we stopped by Burger Theory who boast an impressively large selection of burgers, including a huge range of vegan and veggie burgers. I think its fair to say most burger joints have maybe one decent, classic veggie burger. Not Burger Theory. They get creative with their numerous options, from mock fried chicken with Korean sticky chilli sauce, to a ‘beef’ patty with blue cheese sauce and candied chillies. For those wanting something meatier, their beef is a mix of fresh and dry aged rib cap and locally sourced in the West Country. Luckily, we didn’t have to decide which we fancied, we all shared, each having a good half of several different burgers, alongside a healthy portion of chips. After chatting as a group for the last few hours, you could feel how relaxed everyone was. Conversations ventured from food (and back again of course).
I asked Florence how her businesses had changed over the years, with the rising cost of living and the uncertainty of the food industry. She spoke of some years that had been quieter, and more recent years that saw an eagerness from the public to explore the Bristol food scene.
By joining food tours, like GOOD: Stories in Food, you not only sample tasty food, you support restaurants that have been expertly chosen for you, independent businesses that deliver in quality and care for their local community. The Bristol Loaf location in Bedminster acts as a community hub, a space to socialise and work, and they also sell goods from other local producers such as Hugo’s Greengrocer and Two Belly Cheesemonger.
The Library
A cocktail at The Library was a very indulgent way to end our tour. We entered through a door cleverly disguised as a bookshelf, to a low-lit bar with red plush chairs and dark wood walls, into a private room with a very traitors-esque table. Very sultry for two in the afternoon. We sampled a gorgeous cocktail from their menu in collaboration with Witchmark Gin, Man on The Soil, a gin-based cocktail with apricot brandy, yellow Chartreuse, cherry bitters, lemon and basil. We all remarked at how fresh yet sharp the drink tasted, warm in the chest yet cooling to taste, especially with the acidity of the citrus.
I cannot wait to return for another tour, maybe to see what spots change and which are still firm favourites. Thank you, Florence, for your expertise and welcome.
Review by food editor of the Everyday Magazine, Amelia Ling
