Food/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property
ISSUE 249 / HIGH SUMMER 2018 / COOL COCKTAILS, HOT OVENS AND DIRTY NORTHERN BASTARDS
A LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE CITY
YOU’RE FIRED, MATE! THE OUTDOOR COOKING REVOLUTION
SQUARE DEAL
A GEORGIAN TOWN HOUSE WITH A KILLER LOCATION
Issue 249 / High Summer 2018 / £3
ART LOVERS
RELATIONSHIP GOALS AT RWA
AMERICAN DREAMIN’ RIVER TOWN RETURNS TO BRISTOL
COOLER
SHAKERS SUMMER COCKTAILS TO MIX LIKE A BRISTOL BARTENDER BOSS
large version
EDITOR’S LETTER
ABOVE, We’re feeling cooler just looking
at this cocktail from Milk Thistle
BELOW, Well, who hasn’t? The art of
Harland Miller at The Other Art Fair
W
hat does summer mean to you? Chances are that cool drinks and outdoor cooking are in the mix somewhere. That’s handy, as a big chunk of this issue is given over to stuff to eat and drink. Bristol’s bartenders have given up their most cherished cocktail recipes, Genevieve Taylor and Jon Finch tell us why wood-fired ovens can cook practically anything (except crumpets), while Bar 44 have got us a bit excited about chocolate gazpacho and sherry-with-everything at their soon-to-beopened Clifton gaff. And speaking of gazpacho, if you take just one tip from us this issue, let it be this: get yourselves down to Tare in Cargo 2 while the candied beetroot version is still on the menu (page 34). You can thank us later. We also have an incredible summer of art in the city; Upfest takes place at the end of July, but we’re also a bit excited for The Other Art Fair in its new, bigger location – don’t miss the secret Art on a Postcard Auction (page 20). We’ll be back in three weeks with a rather special issue – our 250th, would you believe. All we can say is that the time has flown, Bristol . . . COVER We’re having: a glass of Beg, Borrow and Steal, mixed for us by Alex Godfrey of The Milk Thistle. Photo by Kirstie Young
DERI ROBINS Follow us on Twitter @BristolLifeMag Instagram @BristolLifeMag
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 3
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Issue 249/High summer 2018
the arts
13 art page Please don’t say “cheer up luv” to The Girl
with the Sad Face
14 WHAT’S ON Festivals for days 18 music Sing your song, sweet music man 20 art fair It’s The Other Art Fair, it’s bigger than
ever, and it may be arriving earlier than you think
22 art Love, art and collaborative forces at RWA 26 bristol heroes Take four artists, and one GoPro
shopping
32 editor’s choice Red or dead
food & DRINK
34 restaurant Our new Cargo favourite 38 Food and drink news Tapas y copas, to you
18
mate; new openings, and a pair of Bristol fire starters
44 cocktails Please deliver one of these to our desk
right now....
51 Café society Ice, ice baby
a man’s world
53 Kam kelly Introducing the only lady in Kammy’s
life right now (sorry, girls)
Business
65 business insider Two Gromits, a Window
Wanderer, and why family law is nothing like The Split
Property
71 showcase Regency elegance meets clean
contemporary design in a killer location
Regulars
7 spotlight 9 instas 56 society 74 bristol lives Matt Hampshire. He’s a bit of a
perfectionist, you know . . .
26 Editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior Art Editor Andrew Richmond Graphic Design Megan Allison Cover Design Trevor Gilham Contributors Colin Moody, Kam Kelly, Stan Cullimore Advertising manager Lily Dalzell lily.dalzell@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager James Morgan james.morgan@mediaclash. co.uk Account manager Jake Newland jake.newland@mediaclash.co.uk Production/Distribution Manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager/production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Chief Executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief Executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Bristol Life MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash. We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Salisbury. We also publish foodie mag Crumbs (www.crumbsmag.com, @CrumbsMag) and wedding title Vow (@VowMag). Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help. Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk
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SPOTLIGHT Music
LOVE ISLAND V SHED OR DEAD
The debate surrounding the location of a new Arena for Bristol continues apace, with Massive Attack now adding their influential voice in favour of Arena Island next to Temple Meads. “We need an arena that belongs to Bristol, that is at Bristol’s public transport hub and contributes to city centre life,” said 3D (Robert Del Naja). “Something that the city can be proud of, that will inspire future generations of musicians, rather than going back to square one with an untested plan for a big shed in a car park in the suburbs.” Event promoter Conal Dodds says he’s totally in agreement with Massive Attack, “and what seems to be the majority view, that any arena for Bristol must be built in the centre of the city. “It needs to have the best possible transport links and a local infrastructure of hotels, bars, restaurants in order to service the number of people who will be coming into the city. Bristol needs a brand new, top-of-the-range, 21st-century building – not a glorified shed on an old air strip.” Portishead’s Geoff Barrow says he thinks the thing should be built at Filton. Where should we have the Arena? 3D and Conal Dodds are firmly on Team Arena Island Well hello again, Peanut Man!
Art
SPRAY FOR BS3
Been longing to see who’s painting what wall at Upfest? Simples – you can now pick up the brochure from the Upfest gallery, or download the map from the Upfest website: www.upfest.co.uk
Festivals
EYES ON THE SKIES
Don’t go blind trying to read the map on this page. Download it from the Upfest website
It’s a rather special Bristol Balloon Fiesta this year, as the festival celebrates its 40th birthday with a series of special shape displays at Ashton Court between 9-12 August. Forty of the most cherished special shapes from down the years will have a special tethering on each day of the Fiesta; expect newer favourites such as Simbaloo and the Belvoir balloon to rustle their silks alongside classics such as Peanut Man, the Michelin Man, Owlbert Einstein, the Superbike and Bertie Bassett. Oh, and look out for the huge Birthday Cake Balloon, making its spectacular début. www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk/tickets
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SPOTLIGHT ON THE WATERFRONT
Harbourside – heart of the city. A place for lovers, ciderdrinkers, paddleboarders and ship-fanciers. Nautical, and oh-so-very-nice. Take it in every kind of weather, any time of day, but especially at the Harbour Festival between 20-22 July. Bring your camera, obviously . . .
@richmccluskey
@richimal_bristol
@carolyn.eaton
@timmah666
@kruggy01
@richimal_bristol
@sambinding
@elsaannukka
@josh.perrett
@sambinding
@emotionsinframephotography
@richimal_bristol
@chill1983
@chill1983
@helenisbell
@neiljamesb www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 9
advertising feature
Let Airsorted help pay for your summer holiday Airsorted is taking the hassle out of Airbnb hosting for Bristol homeowners
H
ave you ever considered letting out your home on Airbnb while you’re on holiday to earn some extra income, but the thought of managing bookings, meeting guests and arranging the cleaning afterwards puts you off? Or are you already hosting and hate the hassle of it? Then this could be the perfect solution! Airsorted, the world’s largest host management service, has opened a new Bristol office to bring its hassle-free hosting service to homeowners across the city making it even easier to generate extra income throughout the year – it could even cover the cost of your holidays and weekends away! Airsorted’s South West team directly handle the management of properties to provide a 24-hour hassle-free hosting solution. The team create and market listings on travel websites including Airbnb, Booking.com and HomeAway, provide hotel-quality linen for every guest, ensure the highest standard of cleaning, manage all guest communications and use their property management expertise to ensure the correct
WHAT’S INCLUDED in Airsorted’s ‘hassle-free’ hosting service? • Listing creation - professional photography and search optimisation • Price optimisation - specialised technology and local knowledge help us set the perfect price • Professional cleaning - arrange professional cleaning paid for by your guests • Hotel quality linens - beds made to a hotel standard with towels and linen laundered offsite • Guest vetting - strict screening of guests using both online and offline verification checks • 24 hr check-in - peace of mind for your guests as they can check-in anytime • Account management - one point of contact for all your queries • Property maintenance - highly skilled professionals on call • Guest communications - prompt responses to your guests • Replenishment - monitoring and restocking of necessary items
Why leave your home empty when it could be earning money in your absence?
pricing strategy for every listing. Offering a 24/7 hosting platform, Airsorted amalgamates and services all bookings to a property on behalf of the owner for a small percentage of the property’s earnings. Airsorted’s Bristol City Manager, William Caiger said: “We are finding more and more people are renting out their homes when they’re not in use to help generate extra income and help fund their lifestyle. “A host’s involvement in the day-to-day running of their listed property is decided by the host themselves - we can be in touch as much or as little as they like, and our Bristol team are available 24/7 on our host support line. This commitment is why our hosts trust us
Airsorted Bristol team – Sarah Shorrock, Will Caiger and Christina Sinclair
to ensure their property is profitable and wellmanaged. We look forward to hearing from local homeowners who are looking to make some extra income on a flexible basis, and those looking for a consistent, manageable solution for their property portfolio.” n
If you are a Bristol based host already, or are new to home sharing and interested in hosting in Bristol, Airsorted would love to hear from you. Call 0117 325152 or visit the website at www.airsorted.co.uk/bristol www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 11
the arts s n a p s h o t s o f B R I STO L’ S c u lt u r a l li f e
Robert’s exhibiting at The Other Art Fair, 26-27 July - see feature page 20
about face
Local artist Robert Hewer is fascinated by the human face and figure, and if these paintings are anything to go by, the ethereal beauty of his subjects. He explores the way that paint can be used to describe form, layering it on the canvas in different ways to capture his subject. We couldn’t decide which we loved the most: from top left, clockwise, French Fingertips, Red Lips; Strike a Pose; The Girl with the Sad Face; The Girl with a Flower – so we’ve shown them all. www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 13
What’s on 13 July-13 August
Festivals, mostly, but not exclusively . . .
Who was your favourite Two Tone band? Us too – luckily, The Beat are headlining the Bristol Ska and Mod Festival
exhibitions
navigate being and working together. rwa.org.uk
reflect on the human heart; centrespacegallery.com
MARLA ALLISON: PAINTER FROM THE DESERT Native American artist Marla draws on her Laguna Pueblo heritage, and influences such as Picasso, to create strong acrylics; Rainmaker, rainmakerart.co.uk
Until 15 September
magnum swaps No, not an ice-lolly exchange, it's tastier than that: the collection of David Hurn at Martin Parr Foundation; martinparrfoundation.org
21 July-11 August
Theatre & shows
Until 9 September
Until 23 September
21 July-23 September
thriller live Obviously, it’s not just the Thriller video, or we’d all be out back on St Augustine’s after ten minutes. Instead, it’s a two-hour moonwalk of a show in homage to Michael; at Bristol Hippodrome. atgtickets.com
Until 11 August
in relation The work of nine couples who made an indelible mark on British art; see page 22. RWA; rwa.org.uk togetherness Complementing In Relation, this exhibition explores different examples of collaborative creativity and examines how we negotiate and
bristol music Using stories contributed by people from all over the city to chronicle the history of music in Bristol. M Shed; bristolmuseums.org.uk
14 July-19 August
the heart of the matter New Centrespace exhibition that brings together art and medicine to
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Diverse A return to the Guild Gallery with new work from the So What art collective – a collaboration between former students of Bristol School of Art; bristolguildgallery.co.uk Nina beier: european interiors Danish artist Nina works with an array of objects that carry particular social histories, from human hair wigs to mechanical rodeo bulls and cigars to luxury soap, uncovering multiple layers of meaning in her objects. At Spike Island; spikeisland.org.uk
Until 14 July
anne boleyn Passive victim? Pawn of an ambitious family? Sexual predator? All-round little madam? Henry’s second wife takes centre stage in a play first commissioned for The Globe, and reminds us once again to be careful what we wish for. At TFT; tobaccofactorytheatres.com
what’s on
birdsong The inexhaustibly popular stage version of the Sebastian Faulks novel is revived at Bristol Old Vic, to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I; bristololdvic.org.uk parlour games A cross-dressing comedy for anyone who enjoys Victoria Sponge and playing with their Prince Albert; from Sharp Teeth at The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com
Until 29 July (selected dates)
above A few more rivers to cross until Jimmy reaches Harbourside left The hat's a clue to the genre; catch one-to-watch Country & Western gal Holly Macve at River Town below Friends or frenemies, when everything's Said and Done?
romeo and juliet It’s Verona, but not as you know it; Bristol’s site-specific ninjas Insane Root take the Bard’s duellin’ and lovin’ to Eastville Park Old Swimming Pool Garden; insaneroot.co.uk
17-27 July
south western An odyssey of revenge, from the mean streets of Bristol to the cliffs of Cornwall, via Wookey Hole, Eden Project and Easton-inGordano services, in a spaghetti western with Cornish pasties and cider. TFT; tobaccofactorytheatres.coms
30-31 July
said and done Darkly comic with snippets of original music and dollops of cheesy pop – a snapshot into the lives of two women who are far too close by Sugarscratch Theatre; at The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com
30 July-4 August
an officer and a gentleman New musical based on classic movie alert; as well as lifting you up where you belong expect lots of other '80stastic tunes. Bristol Hippodrome; atgtickets.com
1-3 August
rex the king Wassail Theatre presents its witty, uplifting and ludicrously tragic adaptation of Oedipus Rex; sounds like one for The Wardrobe, then thewardrobetheatre.com
8-19 August
Shrek the musical The fairytale featuring the jolly green monster comes to The Hippodrome; atgtickets.com
Music
Until 5 August
rivertown Colston Hall and St George’s bring the music of America’s heartland to Bristol again; Graham Nash, Rosanne Cash, Kelly Willius and The Grahams are among the treats still to come; various venues; tickets colstonhall.org
Until 9 September
skyline series The new series of outdoor concerts: continues with Future Islands and Little Dragon on 20 July, and Bristol Ska and Mod Festival on 3 August, at St Philip’s Gate. More to come. www.skyline-series.com
Comedy 28 July
The Establishment: Fool Britannia Stiff-upper-lipped hilarity as Dan Lees and Neil Frost bring their idiot's guide to Britishness to The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com
29 July
mark olver Mark kindly offers his services to Bristol Zoo, helping to raise funds for essential conservation work; bristolzoo.org.uk
festivals Until 15 July
bristol pride The annual celebration of the LGBT+ community; a week of partying, theatre, comedy, dance, tribute acts and – yes! – dog shows. Alexandra Burke headlines on 14 July’s Pride Day; bristolpride.co.uk
Until 28 July
bristol shakespeare festival Taking the Bard outdoors and to unusual venues; everything from traditional productions to the more out-there; bristolshakespearefestival.org.uk
20-22 July
harbour festival Used to be just a flotillla on the harbourside; just look at it now. Jimmy Cliff, Grandmaster Flash and Trojan Sound System kick things off musically on the opening night. bristolharbourfestival.co.uk
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what’s on 26-29 July
the other art fair 100 of the best emerging artists handpicked by art industry experts; at Passenger Shed. See page 20 theotherartfair.com cinema rediscovered New digital restorations, contemporary classics and film print rarities, up on the big screen where they belong; watershed.co.uk
26 -31 July
festival of what if We The Curious's summer event asks the questions (and encourages visitors to do the same). Including Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space, Aardman model-making and bags of workshops to encourage kids to get their science on; wethecurious.org
28-29 July
weston-super-mare pride Two days of colourful Pride events and you get to be beside the seaside; take us now. www.wsmpride.com
28-30 July
upfest The quintessential Bristol art festival sees BS3 transformed by the world's best street artists; all the gen in our previous issue (still on the app). upfest.co.uk
3-5 August
valley fest Farmer Luke Hasell invites you to get on his land, for one of the UK's most family-friendly festivals with killer Chew views, where Spice is more likely to refer to the harissa in your organic burgers; valleyfest.co.uk
4 August
redfest Vibrant community fest drawing artists and performers from across the local area and further afield; redfestbristol.co.uk
9-12 August
bristol balloon fiesta The most beloved and Instagrammable of all the summer festivals celebrates its 40th anniversary. We're hearing lots of rather exciting but still embargoed rumours. bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk
Other Until 31 July
thirteen No, not the recent Bristol-based thriller
series; this is a rather special new exhibition from Diana Porter. Speckled salt-and-pepper rose cuts; geometric angular shards; unusual irregular facets – Diana shows her latest collection of one-of-a-kind diamond rings crafted from Fairtrade gold, with striking textures and finishes. dianaporter.co.uk
15 & 27 July, 5 & 12 August
bristol hoppers Fun-sounding walking tours exploring Bristol's craft beer scene, each with a different locality and theme; bristolhoppers.co.uk
20 July (season launch)
Blood, Booze and Buccaneers Show of Strength's new walking tour launches at Harbour Fest and then on selected dates until September; expect some startling revelations about Bristol's most famous pirate, Blackbeard; showofstrength.org.uk
Until 2 September
Gromit Unleashed 2 The painted pooch trail is back, and this year Gromit’s joined by owner Wallace and arch-nemesis Feathers McGraw; all profits to Grand Appeal, as ever. gromitunleashed.org.uk
4 August
tropical rooftop brunch Foozie's epic monthly day party at the Radnor Rooms; house and disco beats in a tropical paradise with pop-up BBQ Flamingo Kitchen. foozie.co.uk
Booking now 11 September
the downs Headlined this year by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Paul Weller, Orbital, Goldie and Basement Jaxx; thedownsbristol.com
18 October
joanna lumley The fabulousity that is Joanna brings her live tour, It’s All About Me, to Bristol Hippodrome; atgtickets.com
7 May-8 June 2019
matilda the musical The RSC’s runaway hit, based on the Roald Dahl classic and with tunes from Tim Minchin, comes to Bristol Hippodrome; atgtickets.com n
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above, I must spray on walls I must spray on walls I must spray on walls right, One of a kind beauties at Diana Porter below, Eyes on the skies (we hope) for the Balloon Fiesta
In God we Trust
Satasn! Rock Elf In A Man Suit Productions present:
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot 11-13 Sep 2018 at The Redgrave Theatre Side splitting courtroom drama with a deep theological twist Buy tickets online 24/7: redgravetheatre.com | Box Office Tue-Fri 12:30-5:30pm: 0117 315 7800
MUSIC
This is america . . . or Americana, to be precise: let River Town’s blues, gospel, country and bluegrass sounds enter your Bristol soul this summer
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MUSIC
A
MERICANA. It’s the sound forged in smoky late-night bars where pool balls click and the lights are turned down low. It’s the background music to driving down Route 66, or tales played out in the shimmering heat of the Southern delta. It’s the sound that runs through the DNA of American music – and it’s taking over venues across Bristol this month, showcasing the best in Americana and involving some true legends as well as up-and-coming acts. With Colston Hall undergoing its £48.8m transformation, the music is spreading out across Bristol from The O2 to The Redgrave, Thekla, Louisiana and The Wardrobe. There’s Graham Nash, Rosanne Cash and Steve Earle & The Dukes, representing Americana royalty. John Moreland, bringing his alt-country sound to St George’s on 5 August. There’s an all-female line-up at the same venue on 22 July when Emily Barker, Holly Macve and Jade Bird show us why they have attracted so much critical acclaim. And that handsome devil Sam Palladio – yes, a Brit, but the star of TV series Nashville – who promises a memorable night on 23 July. But how about those that we who don’t regularly tune into Bob Harris Country mayn’t have heard of ? As Todd Wills of Colston Hall tells us, River Town offers the chance to catch great new acts on the way up. “River Town is particularly exciting this year, as we have a fantastically diverse line-up, from up-and-coming artists to bona-fide legends. For 2018 we’ve secured a significant number of artists who I’m convinced are going to be huge in the nottoo-distant future – such as Jade Bird, whom I saw at SXSW this year, where every gig she did was full beyond capacity. On the same bill are Holly Macve and Emily Parker, both of whom are garnering greater attention year-on-year. “And while having Sam Palladio is a coup in itself, having Sarah Darling and the Wandering Hearts in support makes it a must-see . . .” More highlights to book for now . . . Steve Earle & The Dukes + The Mastersons, O2 Academy, 18 July Three-time Grammy winner and 11-time Grammy nominee Steve performs a rare full- band performance with his fellow country musicians The Dukes. He may have several albums and decades under his belt, but Steve’s passion for writing and performing Country hits shows no sign of dimming. The Grahams, The Wardrobe Theatre, 22 July The story of The Grahams drips Americana from every pore. Always on the road, with their guitars and whiskey safely stashed for the next town, Alyssa and Doug Graham have spent much of the past decade traversing the USA. A rare chance to witness the pure passion of their brand of Americana.
main image, Rosanne Cash – so much more than the scion of Country royalty; above, No, he’s not
an American, and no, he’s not a Ramone, but Sam Palladio is playing River Town; bottom, The Grahams are going to get a bit of a shock when they board the GWR service to Temple Meads
“It’s the sound forged in smoky latenight bars, where pool balls click and the lights are turned down low”
Sam Palladio, St George’s, 23 July Indie-folk rocker Sam tips his hat to classic musical storytellers such as Paul Simon and James Taylor; his unique sound combines elements of his Cornish upbringing with the style and rhythms of TN. Kelly Willis, The Redgrave Theatre, 23 July Eleven years after her last solo release, Kelly’s seventh album, Back Being Blue, was released this spring. Signed to a major label as a teenager, Kelly’s incredible voice is familiar to millions (it was used on the soundtrack to hit movie Thelma and Louise.) A unique blend of old and new Country style. River Town runs until 5 August at various venues www.colstonhall.org; www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 19
fair deal
L
The Other Art Fair’s back at the end of the month – just in time for payday . . .
A. London. Brooklyn, Chicago and Melbourne – apart from being the coolest cities on the entire planet, what else do they have in common with Bristol? Give up? OK. These are the carefully selected locations for The Other Art Fair, an annual shindig that’s fast gaining a reputation for being the place to buy art directly from the best emerging artists, working in all kinds of mediums. It likes to keep us on our toes. Just when we’d got used to it being a weekend in September at Arnolfini, it’s returned to its original July spot, moved to Passenger Shed, and morphed into a far bigger, four-day event than we’ve seen before. At the fair you’ll find not just the work of around 100 artists, but the artists themselves, the vast majority of whom can be found manning their stalls. They like it if you stop by and say hello. Some you may have heard of, others are up-and-comers. The fair comes courtesy of those high priests of art, Saatchi, and the line-up has been carefully curated not merely by their own art expert, Rebecca Wilson, but also artist Eileen Cooper, Sarah Martin of Margate’s Turner Contemporary and George Vasey, curator of last year’s Turner Prize. What those guys don’t know about contemporary art could be fitted on a postcard – which seamless link takes us to Harland Miller.
20 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
“Harland’s work is so relevant in a city as liberal and culturally rich as Bristol”
Harland’s a standout at this year’s fair, taking part in the Art on a Postcard auction, which otherwise has a Street Art vs Street Photography theme. It’s in aid of the Hepatitis C Trust, and Harland has contributed a triptych of limitededition prints in his trademark, witty photorealist style that riffs on classic Penguin Books covers. The hand-finished prints for auction are entitled Colour Made Me Hard (pictured above), Back on the Worry Beads and Overcoming Optimism. Here’s a bit of context: at last year’s Art on a Postcard, people camped out all night to be first in line for a Miller postcard. This year, they’ll need to attend Art Fair in person to enter a ballot. “We’ve been a fan of Harland’s work for years,” says the fair’s manager, Jessica Chow. “His work is so relevant in a city as liberal and culturally rich as Bristol. The paintings are witty, humorous and nostalgic – accessible for artcollectors of all types. The undertones of social commentary make them gritty and relatable to people all over the world. “Harland’s paintings are typically very large, so it’s amazing to see them downsized to postcard size – ideal for first-time art-buyers who often make their first purchase at the fair. We’re excited that the fair can provide a platform for Art on a Postcard to auction these works in Bristol. It is a fantastic opportunity to get your hands on one or all three of the exclusive collection.”
art fair Also, says Jessica, look out for…. Anna Higgie From huge festival murals to detailed newspaper illustrations, Australian-born but Bristol-based artist Anna Higgie combines traditional and digital techniques to create fun, colourful artworks. Her clients include Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Converse and Glastonbury Festival, so don’t miss the chance to get your hands on one of her illustrations, or take a selfie outside her eyecatching entrance mural. Richard Heeps Cambridge-based photographer Richard Heeps captures a variety of subjects in a dreamy style. Inspired by American culture, his compositions and colours create a nostalgic feeling. Marcelina Amelia Marcelina draws on her Polish heritage, working in mixed media to explore themes of religion, childhood memories, dreams and the human condition. Her work is fun and provocative, and has been featured in Vogue, Refinery 29 and The NY Times.
Jessie Woodward Whether it’s a tiny painting or a large canvas, Jessie’s abstract works express bundles of energy and joy. The evocative brush strokes and bright colours are spontaneous yet thoughtful and a pleasure to look at. Brook Tate Brook Tate is a self-taught artist living and working in Bristol. He combines beautiful lifelike portraits with careful compositions and bold colours, creating a unique and distinctive style that encapsulates his subject. The Other Art Fair is at Passenger Shed between 26-29 July; www.bristol.theotherartfair.com Keep up to date with news on Twitter @theotherartfair
opposite page, top, Pick up a Penguin – the middle work is one of the three postcard prints up for auction; below, Blimey, those canvases are HUGE; Harland helpfully offering scale this page, clockwise, from top Our five
to watch: Anna Higgie, Marcelina Amelia, Richard Heeps, Jessie Woodward, Brook Tate
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arts
The Day’s End by Ernest Proctor. Both Ernest and artist wife Dod were influenced by the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists; unlike Ernest, Dod had to fight for acceptance in a then male-dominated art world
Art lovers RWA’s new exhibition takes a look at the way that nine romantic partnerships inspired and altered the course of each artist’s creative life By Lisa Warren 22 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
N
ow here’s a phenomenon that’s bound to resonate with anyone who’s ever attempted to work alongside their other half, for better or for worse. Eighteen artists, nine couples; how did melding the professional and the personal affect their creative output? That’s the idea behind In Relation, the exhibition showing at RWA until 9 September, where you’ll find some impressive loans sitting alongside works from the gallery’s permanent collection. Running in tandem with the show, and complementing the theme, is a second exhibition called Togetherness, which takes a look at what happens when collaborating artists pool their influences, materials, skills and perspectives in single works. But it’s the former that we’re concerned with here. In Relation focuses on some of Britain’s most influential art couples, viz: Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth; Laura and Harold Knight; Dod and Ernest Procter; Eric Ravilious and Tirzah Garwood; Robert MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun; Rose and Roger Hilton; Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant; Mary Fedden and Julian Trevelyan; Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher. “The RWA has an excellent collection of 20th-century British art,” says curator James Russell, “Particularly by Mary Fedden and Julian Trevelyan, and by Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, so it seemed a good opportunity to explore the subject of personal relationships and their impact on British art. “The In Relation exhibition brings together some of the most significant British artists and designers from the last century. That in itself is pretty cool, I think. But what really matters here is that we’re looking at the subject in a new way. We know that artists are influenced by their illustrious predecessors and by new ideas, but what happens when two artists share their everyday life together? How is the work and career of each one affected by the other? “Because these relationships are often undocumented – you don’t write letters to someone you live with – it’s easy to overlook them; yet it is clear that in some cases, the
top, Bloomsbury in love? Vanessa Bell by Duncan Grant ; bottom, still life by Mary Fedden
“What happens when two artists share their everyday life together? How is the work of one affected by the other?” www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 23
arts course of British art in the 20th century was significantly influenced by the romantic entanglements of these artists. This exhibition gives people a chance to look at their work, and think about the similarities and differences.” What James is particularly looking forward to is seeing the artworks made by each couple side by side, “because this is a new way of looking at modern British art and, I hope, one that people will find intriguing and inspiring. When I curate exhibitions I always try to include one or two surprises – objects or artworks that will make people stop and stare – and this is the case here.” We didn’t expect James to choose a favourite – curators hate it when you do that – but he promises a wealth of treats in store for visitors. “Fans of Eric Ravilious will enjoy Painted Dresser, a watercolour that has never been shown publicly before; there’s also a chance to view rarely-seen work by his wife, Tirzah Garwood. “There are some cracking loans from Tate and the National Portrait Gallery, including a lovely portrait of Vanessa Bell by Duncan Grant, and the gorgeous double portrait 1933 St Remy by Ben Nicholson. And we have two beautiful Barbara Hepworth sculptures, rare early works by Mary Fedden and even a woman’s wedding suit made from block-printed fabric by 1930s designers Barron and Larcher.” All of the artists were significant in different ways, says James. “Each of the 18 was in some sense a pioneer, and they all enjoyed time in the limelight. They all struggled at times, too. Laura Knight and Dod Procter overcame institutional sexism, including a ban on women attending life classes, to achieve incredible success. Their artist husbands, Harold and Ernest, then had to cope with their fame, which they both did admirably. “I love the sheer bravado of Roger Hilton’s work and his courage in pushing abstraction to its limits, but in a way I admire Rose Hilton more, because she overcame so much to find success – and her work is so warm and colourful. I’ve devoted much of the last ten years to researching Eric Ravilious, but I love Tirzah Garwood’s work too. And so it goes on!” James has been involved with the RWA in one way or another for almost ten years and describes himself as “a massive fan. It’s one of the best medium-sized exhibition venues in the country, and in Alison Bevan it has one of the best directors. With very little public funding, the RWA maintains an outstanding exhibition and education programme, and has built up tremendous goodwill in Bristol and beyond. At a time when many publicly-funded institutions are struggling, the RWA should be held up as a model of what can be achieved by an optimistic, hard-working and inventive team.” The café’s really good, too. In Relation: Nine Couples Who Transformed Modern British Art shows at RWA until 9 September www.shop.rwa.org.uk
24 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
from togetherness – top, Musings on the modern world from Andy Holden, Steve Roggenbuck and Leonard G Stephens; bottom, Two men in a Boat; John Wood and Paul Harrison attempt to capsize a semi circle
“The RWA should be held up as a model of what can be achieved by an optimistic, hardworking and inventive team”
Ghorlideayafutn For all the family
For more info and to book visit www.redpointbristol.co.uk or call us on 0117 332 2222
BRISTOL HEROES W elcome to an unusual Heroes this week. It’s not just people this month – it’s their space. I was very lucky to be able to visit some of our finest artists in their studio spaces as they get closer to this year’s Upfest. Upfest is now such an important festival, not just locally but for so many artists of the can and other mediums from all over the world. It puts us on the world stage, and attracts thousands of visitors to the city. But with rents going up, I was keen to meet the artists and see how they make their art and the spaces needed for them to be able to do this. “Fill this city with artists,” they said and boy we have. All over the postcodes. So, rather than eight different subjects, I am giving you four different artists from this year’s roster. Each with their own style, and for whom having a space to work is very important. Come with me now as we go to spare bedrooms, man caves, studios and other spaces to meet four art heroes and four spaces that allow their owners to grow our art scene.
Andy Council
First up is Andy Council whose large city animals adorn many a wall in the city and further afield. He is well-established and his work much-loved. When a pub had some decorators in a while back and accidentally (how do you do that?) painted over one particularly fine work of his they raised the money to have it put back. I got to see the studio space Andy uses, with other artists sharing the space. Look out for Cheo’s unmistakable work and testing on the wall in this picture. “Its important to have a space to work, away from home, away from all the rubbish things like washing up,” says Andy. “A space where I can thrash out ideas, and hang out with other artists and bounce ideas off them.” I asked him about artists working in the city and he said he knew some who had had to move out from the city to villages outside Bristol. He wondered how it would be for the next wave of artists. Sharing space is certainly one answer.
26 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
In your own space, no one can hear you spray... Words and pictures by Colin Moody
photography
“Getting your name up more than your opponent’s – that’s where ‘Upfest’ comes from”
Jody Thomas
Jody. Artist. Man cave-owner. Seen here working on a commission. I meant to pop in to have a quick chat and take some shots. Ended up staying most of the morning because Jody didn’t just share his own studio; I got the full tour of how eco the place was, shown the other businesses that were growing their start ups here, taken up on the roof to see the views, and a long chat about the whole scene for him. At once I knew this was a Bristol artist who was proud of his city. His work isn’t officially ‘graffiti’ in the strictly traditional sense of the word; Jody considers himself more an aerosol artist. His work takes inspiration from fashion and film and takes a strong, graphic and noirish take on photorealistic female portraits.
He explained how much it meant to him when he had heard that people who were struggling with life would come and see his work and it moved them, it helped them. The work at Upfest can do so much good for us in our day-to-day lives. Before I left I asked him what the most important object was in his cave. He then introduced me to Batman. Seems fitting, given how the graffiti scene has grown from those early days with everyone out under cover of night working up an art form that has led to Upfest and much more. He explained to me how Upfest got its name during our chat for BCFM. Sneak preview: “Tagging... well there is getting up, to get ‘up’ above your opponents. Getting your name up more than your opponent’s. That’s where Upfest comes from...”
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 27
photography Bex Glover
Bex Glover deconstructs the organic world, exploring shape, geometry, intersecting lines and the fusion of foreground and background elements, in vibrant colour palettes and atmospheric layers. She also does it upstairs in the art room of her house in a regular street just a few miles from the city centre. Makes you want to be an artist, right? Go on then. Just a corner of a room is all you need. By now you may have noticed that the range of spaces Upfest artists are using is varied, from purpose-built studios to home space. Bex makes work that, for me, adds music to the scene. The shapes and forms are like a Kandinsky, and when I see her work all around I just have to smile and ‘engage’ with the music.
28 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
photography Sophie Long
Sophie met me at her front door all covered in acrylic paints, so I knew I must have arrived at the right house. Taking me to the art studio part of her house I was met by a cornucopia of animals – such a joy to stand in among them all – and then we went over to where she was putting the finishing touches to a recent commission. “Following in my father’s footsteps and growing up in an innovative family, I found it very easy to express myself creatively. I knew sitting in an office for the rest of my life was never for me, but to take the plunge and say “I am an artist” is the most terrifying but incredible thing I have ever done.” Then, for fun, on my request she painted directly onto the lens. Dab dab in the acrylics and a most unusual portrait, but one of my favourites [see page 5]. For artists I have been meeting, being creative and being able to work in Bristol mean everything. I want to see more people covered in acrylics and spray paint fingers please. It makes me happy. Follow Colin on Twitter @moodycolin Instagram @moodycolin319
“To take the plunge and say ‘I am an artist’ is the most terrifying thing I have ever done” www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 29
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REDPOINT BRISTOL Bristol; www.redpointbristol.co.uk Indoor climbing centre with walls for all levels, lessons, a bouldering zone, viewing area and cafe BRISTOL HIPPODROME St Augustine's Parade, Bristol; www. atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome The Bristol Hippodrome is a theatre located in The Centre, Bristol, England, with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951
EXETER / DEVON PAIGNTON ZOO Paignton Devon; www.paigntonzoo.org.uk At Paignton Zoo you will find over 2,500
WE THE CURIOUS Harbourside, Bristol; www.wethecurious.org We The Curious is a science centre and charity in Bristol, England. The aim of the centre is "to create a culture of curiosity" TOBACCO FACTORY THEATRES Raleigh Road, Bristol; www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com Intimate space, housed in a mixeduse cultural building, known for Shakespeare and in-house theatre. HOLBURNE MUSEUM Great Pulteney St, Bath; www.holburne.org/events/colourscape 30 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
Exeter Quay
animals spread across 80 acres. The zoo is laid out so you can get up close to some of the animals across especially designed habitats. LIVING COASTS Torquay Harbourside, Devon; www.livingcoasts.org.uk All weather attraction costal zoo where you can mingle with playful penguins and get up close to Otters, Octopus seals and much more HONITON AGRICULTURAL SHOW Honiton; www.honitonshow.co.uk An annual show which has grown to be one of the largest one day shows in Devon. A showcase for the best of local farming, produce, crafts and rural skills CASTLE DROGO Drewsteigton, Exeter; www.nationaltrust.org.uk A dramatic castle overlooking the Teign Gorge with project viewing tower and garden with miles of pathways in the woods and a Bunty House replica for children to play in KENTS CAVERN Torquay, Devon; www.kents-cavern.co.uk Explore Kents Cavern an all weather attraction with a cave system notable for its archaeological and geological feature. Go back in time and step into the stone Age, visit the summer evening ghost tour this summer.
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THE BEAR TRAIL Cullompton, Devon; www.thebeartrail.co.uk Muddy outdoor adventure trail assault course for all the family to enjoy making a great day out. DONKEY SANCTUARY Sidmouth; www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon is open 365 days a year. There are hundreds of donkeys waiting to meet you here so take a glimpse of what our little corner of Devon has to offer LUNDY ISLAND Bideford; www.lundyisland.co.uk Visit Lundy island for a day on MS Oldenburg Lundy¹s supply ship and discover a unique island environment RHS GARDEN ROSEMOOR Torrington; www.rhs.org.uk/ gardens/rosemoor Nestled in the Torridge Valley, Rosemoor is an enchanting place to visit in every season; cherry trees blossom in the spring, the iconic Hot Garden dazzles with vibrant colours in summer, while the woodlands blaze with autumn finery and the Winter Garden catches the eye later in the year BUCKFAST ABBEY Buckfast; www.buckfast.org.uk Nestled in the shadow of Dartmoor, in a beautiful wooded valley beside the river Dart, Buckfast Abbey offers visitors a tranquil refuge from the hectic pace of everyday life. The Abbey is a working monastery where a community of Benedictine monks live self-sufficiently, welcoming visitors from all around the world DARTMOUTH STEAM RAILWAY South Devon; www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk Based on the glorious South Devon coastline in South West England, enjoy your days out in Devon on our steam trains, boat trips and paddle steamer - the only attraction in Devon that lets you enjoy the delights of Torquay, Paignton, Brixham, Dartmouth and the River Dart, Kingswear and Totnes on your day out! STUART LINE CRUISES Exmouth; www.stuartlinecruises.co.uk Boat trips sailing the coast around Exeter, Exmouth, Torquay and Sidmouth, we give hundreds of thousands of happy passengers the chance to see the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, cruise the beautiful River Exe or visit a picture-postcard South Devon town BODMIN AND WENFORD RAILWAY Cornwall; www.bodminrailway.co.uk Discover the excitement and nostalgia of steam travel with a journey back in time on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway,
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MORETONHAMPSTED MOTOR MUSEUM Moretonhampstead Devon; www.moretonmotormuseum.co.uk A motor museum where you can see a fine collection of over 130 historic vehicles from pre-1920’s to the 1990’s. This collection is complemented by motoring artefacts, automobilia and a viewable restoration workshop
MONKEY WORLD Dorset; www.monkeyworld.org Enjoy a fun-filled, fascinating day out for all the family at Monkey World – Ape Rescue Centre in Wareham. The 65-acre park is home to the stars of TV’s ‘Monkey Life’ and ‘Monkey Business’, and provides sanctuary for rescued and endangered primates from around the world
SALISBURY & SURROUND THE WARDROBE MUSEUM (THE RIFLES BERKS & WILTS) Salisbury; www.thewardrobe.org.uk 1200 items from the Berks & Wilts regiment exhibited in a historical residence CROSS KEYS ARCADE Salisbury; www.crosskeysshopping.co.uk The only covered mall in Salisbury, often free face-painting and bank holiday events NEW FOREST CIDER Burley, New Forest; www.newforestcider.co.uk The home of Real Cider Pantry, shops and events END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL Larmer Tree Gardens; www.endoftheroadfestival.com Outdoor music festival with camping, family friendly. 30 August to 2 September ARUNDELLS Salisbury; www.arundells.org Grade II listed house – once the home of Edward Heath, the former prime minister KING JOHNS HOUSE Romsey; www.kingjohnshouse.org.uk Located in one of Romsey's oldest thoroughfares, King John's House and Heritage Centre is an accredited
NEW FOREST LAVENDER FARM Landford, Salisbury; www.newforestlavender.com Nursery and tearooms SALISBURY ESCAPE ROOMS Salisbury; www.salisburyescape.com Called in to assist with specialist search teams, you and your team will need to find the evidence to make arrests. You have one hour! The only escape rooms created, built and run by UK detectives SALISBURY CATHEDRAL Salisbury; www.salisburycathedral.org.uk A living church and a place of prayer. It is also a centre of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, holding many events and exhibitions NEW FOREST WILDLIFE PARK Southampton; www.newforestwildlifepark.co.uk Falconry handling and training days home to over 50 species of birds of prey, including eagles, owls, hawks and falcons. We aim to make your day with us truly great STONEHENGE Amesbury, Salisbury; www.english-heritage.org.uk Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, consisting mainly of a ring of standing stones www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 31
DES PETITS HAUT LAVINIA PLAIT BELT, £55 Why stop at a pop of colour, when you can also add glitter? From Maze 26 The Mall, Clifton www.mazeclothing.co.uk
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32 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
VELVET ROSE & OUD BUBBLE BATH, £68 Poppy Delevingne says “bathtime is one of my most favourite things in the world.” We’d say she should get out more, but you know, she’s Poppy Delevingne. Anyway, she’s collaborated with Jo Malone on their stylish new Queen of Pop range – including this indulgent bubble bath. Be like Poppy From www.jomalone.co.uk
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SMASHED LEMON POPPY POLKA DOT DRESS, NOW £31.49 Can't choose between bold mono and colourful florals? You don't have to From Amulet Boutique, 39A Cotham Hill www.amuletboutique.co.uk LACE DRESS, £179 A head-turner in saucy tomato red lace, with a sheer panel at the neckline, silk ruffle sleeves and a delicate cotton lace trim From Mint Velvet, 44 Regent Street www.mintvelvet.co.uk
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 33
Tare
We can hardly claim it as a new discovery – it’s been open for a year, in full sight – but if you haven’t visited Tare, you really haven’t ‘done’ Cargo By Deri Robins
T
are opened alongside a slew of other new restaurants and cafés in Cargo 2 last spring. Maybe it was the slew factor that kept it bubbling under our radar – there were so many people shouting at the same time – but until we paid a visit this week, all we knew about it was that it offered ‘fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere’. That, and the fact that it had a slightly odd name. Let’s start with the name; don’t be wrongly steered by the Google definition of ‘an injurious weed resembling corn when young’.Tare, we’re told by owner/chef Matt Hampshire, is a shipping term referring to the empty or ‘tared’ weight of a shipping container before any cargo is added. Neat, huh? Matt also told us that his mate Chris designed the logo, using the same vintage font you will find on the side of most containers. That tells you nearly all you need to know about Matt Hampshire. This dude is thoughtful and careful about the smallest detail of his restaurant, and that naturally translates into the cooking, from the homemade butter to the main dishes, all of which are crafted with a care, creativity and delicacy that honestly blew us away. Here’s a bit of background. Matt used to combine cheffing – at Riverstation, among other places, where he graduated from sous to head chef – with a DJ career; but
34 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
now he’s a father of a little girl, his priorities have shifted. The clubs’ loss is Tare’s diners’ gain, because all the love, care and eclectic enthusiasm Matt used to put into his DJ sets now go into the Tare playlists; one moment you’ll be tapping your toes to Kuusumum Profeeta, then The Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, then the Florian Pellissier Quintet, then – oh OK, OK, we’re not that cool either, we Shazamed the hell out of it, getting a musical eduction along with our meal. So, food-wise, when did we know we were on to a winner? Probably as soon as we settled into our outdoor table on the terrace – Harbourside sunsets come as standard – and opened the menu, a folded sheet of recycled paper with that thoughtful logo on the front. There’s a five-course tasting menu for £40, or a short à la carte; information is brief and informative, eschewing the hipstery one-word trend (‘beef ’; ‘egg’ etc), but stopping short at fulsome descriptions of every chicken and carrot’s life story and star sign. An overture of amuses bouches – a pair of tartlets filled with mushroom paté and hazelnuts – was a tiny woodland feast, with a sprig of tarragon and a dash of raisin purée to balance the boskiness; the quality that we’d hoped to find in the Tare kitchen was confirmed with this little dish, and the remaining courses sealed the deal. Forget tomatoes and peppers; in future we’re always
restaurant
going to make our gazpacho from beetroot. Candied for sweetness, and topped with toasted almonds and tiny, refreshing cubes of cool cucumber, we want to see this recipe in the first Tare cookbook, please. It was a hard act to follow, but it may have been eclipsed by Matt’s deceptively simple take on another staple from the Med: three types of Isle of Wight tomatoes paired with Laverstock mozzarella, which has a slightly chewier bite and stronger flavour than most Italian kinds; something crumbly on top for a bit of crunch, and a blob of good balsamic made us glad we’d hung on to our freshly-baked sourdough for the mopping. All the dishes were effulgently pretty, none more so than a second salad combining a tangle of courgette ribbons with peppery radish, the greenest, sweetest baby broad beans, and an anise hit of dill; as with the other dishes there was a bit of nutty excitement in the form of honeyroasted (?) – we’re guessing – cashews. While the majority of tasting menus are of the ‘you get what you get’ kind dictated by an omnipotent chef, Tare’s are a bit of a hybrid, in that you get to choose your mains from the three choices on the à la carte. The last few times I’ve had duck in a restaurant I’d been underwhelmed, but Tare had given me the confidence to give the thing another chance. Bingo. Four perfectly pink slices, as tender as the night, with an indulgently crispy skin, were set off by a cherry compote that was exactly the right side of sweetness. We’ve never been as down with the turnip craze as some of our favourite chefs seem to be, but it actually took me a few mouthfuls to realise that the dauphinoise that fell apart so promiscuously at the first prod of the fork was not, in fact, made from a particularly flavoursome variety of spud. That left Your Man choosing the fish. Turnip conversion is quite enough for one night; we weren’t sure we were ready to address a lifetime dislike of globe artichoke, the veggie option. His generous portion of cod was mild and flaky, with a punchier accompaniment of prawn tortellini that could easily give Pasta Ripiena a run for its money. From the get-go, every single dish was as beautifully orchestrated as a symphony. Pudding refuseniks though we are, we even enjoyed a white chocolate cheesecake and lemon semi freddo, both with the same lightness of touch as the mains. When it’s been sitting there in plain sight for over a year, it seems silly to describe Tare as a bit of a find – but that’s how it seemed to us. Along with Box E and Root, Tare confirms Cargo as a destination for serious foodies with an allergy to pompous service and over-inflated prices. The cooking’s assured, ingredients are locally sourced, it’s laidback and friendly – in all, it’s just very, very Bristol. n
“From the get-go, every dish was as perfectly orchestrated as a symphony”
Dining details Tare, Cargo 2, Bristol BS1 6ZA; 0117 929 4328; www.tarerestaurant.co.uk Opening hours Tuesday to Saturday, 6pm to 10pm; Saturday lunch only, 12pm to 2.30pm We visited On a balmy Tuesday evening Prices Five-course tasting menu £40, à la carte starters £6-8; mains £16.50£19; puds £7.50-£8.50 Drinks Thoughtful international wine list, local beers and ciders – and ask GM Sara about the sake . . . Atmosphere Relaxed, buzzy Service Informed, friendly and helpful Disabled access There’s a main lift to terrace level at Cargo
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Breakfast, lunch and supper
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BAR 44 Say shwmae to the Morgan family: Owen, Tom and Nat, who’ve made a splash across the Severn with their four Spanish restaurants, and who now have their sights set on Clifton. Owen’s in charge of the food and drink offering; here, he gives us a taste of what to expect when Bar 44 opens on Regent Street at the start of August
A
s children, the Morgan kids travelled frequently to Spain for family holidays – “the ‘nonpackage’ areas, which fuelled our passion for food hugely,” says Owen. “Me, as a googly-eyed seven yearold, looking up at some bar with all sorts of bits and bobs on it. Then when I was older, summer jobs in Spanish bars and restaurants just kept feeding the bug even more.” The ‘bug’ led to them opening their first Bar 44 restaurant in Cowbridge16 years ago. That one’s still going strong, with the addition of two more, in Penarth and Cardiff; last summer they opened their north Spanish-themed venue Asador 44, also in the ’Diff. Owen, can you sum up Bar 44? In one sentence, a modern tapas bar, based on incredible quality of every ingredient and drink we use, in a modern environment. We’ve got Tom Maynard heading up the kitchen; Tom has worked with Stephen Terry at The Hardwick, and at Scott’s and J Sheekey, arguably two of the best seafood restaurants in London. Tom’s exceptional. He’s currently our head chef in Cardiff, but he can’t wait to do the big opening in Bristol. We know you have strong connections with Bristol… We spent our formative years here; Tom and I studied at Clifton College. We’ve always wanted to open in Bristol, as we see it as our second home. We’re good friends with all the teams operating in this kind of venue in Bristol, even travelling to Spain with many of them. It’s so exciting to be joining such a vibrant buzzing scene, I think we’ll bounce off each other well. Hopefully we’ll be a good addition to the mix with our different menus
Brothers in tapas: l-r, Tom and Owen Morgan
and combinations. Our drinks lists are very different, too; we are big on cocktails, using a lot of our Spanish kitchen ingredients as well as sherry. How does the Bristol eating out scene compare with the ‘Diff’s? Bristol’s always been a creative city, whether that’s arts, culture or music, and the food scene is an extension of that. Cardiff’s food scene is great, but it’s much further ahead in Bristol, and we really want to be part of it. You had us at ‘chocolate gazpacho’ – will Bristol diners find some surprises on the menu? The Bristol menu will be eclectic, inspired by mine and Tom’s regular research trips to Spain. There will be Ibérico hams from different regions, local fish used for Spanish classics, the very best Spanish shellfish and local seasonal vegetables, in modern but authentic dishes. We’re keeping our creative dishes under wraps for now, but to give you a taster, dishes will include Ibérico lamb fillet with spinach and mint, and smoked almond and courgette ajo blanco with seared mackerel. Vegetarians and vegans are well catered for too. We’re guessing that there’s a serious sherry offering … It will come as no surprise to those that know me that there will be a big sherry list. Sherry will be making its way into most other things too, from the tapas to the ice creams. There will be a sherry-based private dining room downstairs, plus a sherry museum of vintage bottles on the walls. Arguably, we are the most sherry-obsessed people outside of Jerez . . . For more www.bar44.co.uk/bristol
“Arguably, we are the most sherry-obsessed people outside Jerez” 38 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
food & drink New arrivals Honest Burgers are big on local collaboration: this poutine burger features Pilton Cider and Westcombe Dairy cheese
Amuses bouches Much-loved chocolatier Zara’s is moving to a new home – but they’re remaining on North Street. The team are planning to expand the range of products and workshops, to create a chocolate hub centred on a Hot Chocolate Bar – “a sort-of speakeasy for cocoa lovers.” They’ve launched a kickstarter to generate funds for the project; more at www.kickstarter.com/ projects/zaraschocolates Valley Fest, which takes its foodie line-up very seriously, has announced details of the three organic feasts taking place over the weekend – from a three-course Legend of the
Lake meal prepared by Paul Collins from Yeo Valley Canteen (fancy dress encouraged) to a BBQ from landowner Luke Hasell, who’ll be grilling his famous chicken wings while pal Josh Eggleton whips up a superior salad. Chew Valley lake views come at no extra cost. Much more at www.valleyfest.co.uk The Ivy Clifton Brasserie is serving its afternoon tea chocolate Nursery Pot up until the end of August, along with truffled chicken brioche rolls and smoked salmon on dark style rye bread. Indulgent. www.theivycliftonbrasserie.com
below, Nice threads, Luke Hasell!; bottom, pot luck at The Ivy
and they’re open! So get your face around some of the following... • As can scarcely have escaped your attention, Pizzarova has opened its third site, on the corner of Park Street and Unity Street. The new space will have space for up to 45 diners, and will also offer pizzas to takeaway. www.pizzarova.com • You may not have heard of Season + Taste, but you’ll definitely know their restaurants – viz Bravas, Bakers & Co, Cargo Cantina and Corner 77. Get down to Wapping Wharf pronto for Gambas, the team’s second Cargo opening. Among the authentic Spanish-inspired tapas, you’ll find plenty of fresh fish and seafood with a Catalan accent; staples include paella with cuttlefish, mussels and monkfish, salmorejo and crispy fried chicken with paprika, chilli, garlic and coriander. www.gambasbristol.co.uk • Also just open are latest kids on the burger joint, Honest Burgers – review coming soon... www.honestburgers.co.uk
Open any day now…
Jon Finch and Ben Merrington are no longer involved with Grillstock, but they are about to open Quay Street Diner. The all-day restaurant brings in the guys’ favourite dishes from all over the world, so “lots of southern Californian and Mexican influence, but sitting alongside classic Italian food, British classics, brunch, cocktails and a great draft craft beer selection,” says Jon. www.quaystreetdiner.co.uk
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 39
food & drink
Their latest flame
You wait years – years! – for a book on wood-fired ovens to come along, then two arrive at once – both by Bristol foodies
W
e lie. In fact, we weren’t really waiting for a book on wood-fired ovens, because while we always thought they looked supremely cool, we thought they were just for cooking pizzas. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Turns out, the only limit to the stuff you can cook in these little beauties is your imagination – and that’s something that our fire starters Genevieve Taylor and Jon Finch are not short on. So let’s see what these guys have to say on the matter, then we’ll have a couple of recipes in the next issue to get you all fired up. You’ll have built your own oven by then, yeah?
Genevieve Taylor Food writer and stylist Gen’s a well-known face on the Bristol foodie scene – and as she tells us, she’s always been a girl with a yen for the great outdoors
I
’ve enjoyed cooking outside for many years now, starting with campfire cooking as a Duke of Edinburgh teen on Dartmoor, progressing to barbecues and fire pits in my own back garden, so a wood fire oven was a natural progression – basically I just want all the fire toys in my garden! I really love being outside, so cooking outside is really just a good excuse not to stay indoors any more than I have to.” What can we do on a wood-fired oven that we can’t do on, say, a BBQ or in an oven? Well, pizza for starters – wood-fired ovens get up to 400 degrees plus, and you can cook a pizza in less than two minutes. You just can’t replicate that kind of inferno in an indoor oven. What else can it cook? In descending order of temperature (which is how the book is ordered), pizzas first, followed by hot- and fast-roasting and grilling of meat, fish, shellfish and fruit and vegetables; baking bread of all styles, and cooking lovely puddings like crumbles and pies; then moving onto overnight slowcooking of meat, beans and pulses, vegetables, overnight porridge and a Christmas cake, and finishing with a meringue base for pavlova. You say in the intro to the book that a wood-fired oven can make you a more intuitive cook – explain? Cooking with fire has to be instinctive; you can’t set the beeper for a specific time or turn the dial to a specific temperature, and therefore you need to cultivate a ‘done when it’s done’ attitude. You need to learn to work with the fire, get confident in controlling it, know where the hot spots and cooler zones are. It’s a deliciously analogue way of cooking, which I find both elemental and empowering. What was the most surprising thing you learned from cooking on a wood fired oven? Discovering that with one initial fire I can cook for up to 24 hours, learning to use the dying curve of the energy to cook stuff at lower and lower temperatures, because its so well-insulated. What kind of oven do you have? My oven is a precast dome made by Gozney Ovens, which we installed on a heavy duty plinth of reinforced concrete and rendered breeze blocks. The oven dome got insulated really well all round, including the
40 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
food & drink base, with a mix of a thermal wool blanket and a porridge-like sludge of heat-retaining vermiculite and concrete. Kindly pick out a few favourite recipes from the book ... I have so many favourites! The Boston baked beans are an awesome thing to wake up to when you’ve had a party the night before – chuck everything in a pot and shove them in the oven, and all you need to do in the morning is make coffee and toast. The salt-baked beetroot mayo is as vibrant as it is delicious, and I was pleased as punch with the prawn bisque, a frugal but luxurious tasting soup made with the leftover shells of the smoked grilled prawn recipe. Were there any hilarious failures during testing? Yeah, wood-fired crumpets! I really, really wanted this recipe to work, but after several failures I decided it was just too much faff and the result was a crumpet not as good as one I could buy. So I made a wood-fired cream tea instead, complete with roast raspberry jam, which worked a treat. It’s really important to me that my recipes work and are achievable – I want to make people more confident with their cooking, and so if something turns out to be too tricky or just a bit average it doesn’t make the final recipe list. Any that worked better than in your wildest dreams? The Christmas cake and pavlova were pretty good. And it’s so satisfying to know you are wringing every last drop of energy out of your fire… What single thing do you cook the most in your WFO? Well, most firing-up stages involve a few pizzas or some sort of speedy flatbread – my kids demand that of me – before moving onto all the other stuff. Probably my favourite thing to cook is wood-roast vegetables, peppers, aubergines, carrots, fennel, all sorts – real fire does amazing things to veggies, really concentrating the flavours, and then you can make an array of different salads, pasta sauces, risottos etc with them later in the week. The Ultimate Wood-fired Oven Cookbook by Genevieve Taylor is published by Quadrille at £15 hardback; www.genevievetaylor.co.uk
Salt-baked beetroot mayo – “goes so well with all kinds of roast vegetables”
Jon Finch & Ben Merrington As the original founders of Grillstock, Jon Finch and Ben Merrington have long been our go-to BBQ gurus – so when and why did they first get excited about wood-fired oven cooking?
I
go to Italy every year with my wife and boys to stay with my family, and there’s a huge built-in wood oven in the garden,” says Jon. “I’ve been cooking in it for about ten years now. It’s fabulous, but so big that you need to light it about four to five hours before you cook! “Over the past few years we’ve seen a whole range of small wood ovens that are small enough to chuck in your car boot. They are fired up and ready for pizza in 20 minutes. All of a sudden the whole idea of cooking in a WFO is much more accessible. You can fire it up as easily and quickly as you can a backyard BBQ , and it takes up no more room. “Wood ovens are the ultimate in communal cooking and eating. Nothing beats sitting around with family and friends, prepping a dish together then sitting round the wood oven hanging out together while it cooks away. “ So, first came the pizzas – what came next? My first step off the pizza path was to cook half a lamb in the oven. I asked the butcher to split the side of lamb down into joints for me, but he misunderstood my terrible Italian, got a huge cleaver out and chopped the whole thing into one-inch strips. I took a big roasting dish, added some roughly cut onions, potatoes, plenty of olive oil, rosemary and garlic then slid it into the oven.
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 41
FOOD & DRINK
You can take the lads out of Grillstock, but good luck finding a photo of them without a Grillstock background/logo/t-shirt...
The combination of flavours with the wood-roasted aroma was off the chart. That was it – what else can I cook in this lovely oven? Well, the answer is pretty much anything you can cook in a regular oven or a pan on a hob can be cooked in a wood oven. They are incredibly versatile, being able to cook anything from pizzas at screaming hot temperatures up to 450°C, right down to low ’n’ slow overnight roast meats. ABOVE, Mmm, beef barbacoa... recipe in our next issue; THIS PIC, Jon’s baby blue Delivita oven. You’re right,
mate, she’s a beauty
Were there any hilarious failures during the trial process? We tried to cook brownie s’mores, a thick chocolate brownie in a skillet covered with marshmallows on a crushed digestive base. We had the oven running a little hot and the whole thing went instantly black and burst into flames. We managed to cook it successfully after a few more trials, though. … and any that worked better than in your wildest dreams? A humble steak. We know that steaks benefit from being seared at very high temperatures, to give the lovely crust on the outside, while keeping the inside juicy and pink. Our method for cooking steak in the wood oven is to slide in a cast-iron skillet until it is screaming hot then add the steak to the pan and slide back in the oven. You can add butter, herbs, garlic etc to the pan to baste with as it cooks, and because the steak is in a pan, all those flavours get captured along with the amazing wood-fired flavour. Please pick out a few favourite recipes from the book Simple pizza bianco (no sauce) with confit garlic, rosemary and Maldon salt; king prawns with garlic and chilli; tacos with slow-cooked beef barbacoa [recipe next issue]; tandoori chicken, using a recipe kindly given to us by Romy Gill; Yorkshire puds; focaccia. What kind of wood-fired oven do you have? I have a baby-blue Delivita wood oven. I wanted something that would easily fit in the garden that I could also pick up and take to friend’s houses or to the local park on sunny weekends. Also, it looks absolutely gorgeous. What single thing do you cook the most in your WFO? Being as versatile as they are, pizza is still the number one dish that I cook. 60 seconds for each one and EVERYONE loves a ‘make your own pizza’ night. FIRED: Over 100 Simple Recipes & Top Skills to Master the Wood-fired Feast by Jon Finch & Ben Merrington is published by Sphere, £16.99 hardback
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 43
COCKTAILS
cooler shakers Mix it up this summer: massive thanks to the six Bristol bartenders who’ve shared a favourite cocktail from their current menu
Yes – all the bartenders at The Milk Thistle look as cool as Alex Godfrey
44 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
COCKTAILS
The Lost and Found
If Alan Bennett was a cocktail he’d be this one, mixed by bartender Harry Jones
Milk Thistle Thanks to Alex Godfrey at the Milky for our cooool cover cocktail this issue. Here’s how to make it
To Betty’s For Tea Ingredients: 1½ oz Masons Yorkshire Tea gin ¾ oz briottet bergamot ¾ oz lemon juice 1½ oz milk & cream 1 egg white 1 dash teapot bitters Method: 1. Half fill a Boston glass with cubed ice. Pour all of the above ingredients in and shake. Strain into a glass and empty the ice from the Boston.
2. Shake again, then strain the drink into a stemless wine glass over cubed ice. 3. Serve with a choccy biccy on a saucer. Tea bag dangled over the side entirely optional . . . Harry’s favourite liquor is currently Ron Zacapa 23. He says the craziest cocktail name he’s ever come across is Goat’s Delight – brandy, kirschwaeer, cream, pernod and orgeat. No goats were harmed, apparently.
Beg, Borrow & Steal Ingredients: 30ml belvedere 20ml ginger and lemongrass vermouth 25ml lemon 10ml grapefruit sherbert* Method: Put everything into a shaker. Shake, pour into a wine glass and garnish with a slice of grapefruit and a rosemary sprig. *No, we don’t have this in our store cupboard, either. You can use sugar syrup instead – it won’t give as much fizz as sherbet, but will still sweeten it up a treat... The Milky team always love a good whisky, but will never say no to a cheeky tequila. Alex tells us the craziest cocktail name he’s come across is the WTF Daiquiri...
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 45
COCKTAILS
The Pump House
Pump House has the biggest selection of gins in Bristol, so we didn’t fall off our bar stool when mixologist Tenzin Phuntsok sent us a cocktail based on Forest Gin – which Tenzin describes as “a refreshing savoury cocktail with salty undertones – extremely light and moreish!”
Green Emperor
Hyde & Co
Bristol’s original prohibition-style bar, and still many people’s go-to for sophisticated cocktail-supping. Dan Bovey mixed this one for us
Tattletale Ingredients: 35ml 15yr Glenfiddich 15ml Ardbeg Barspoon of honey 2 dashes orange bitters 2 dashes angostura bitters Method: Simply shake and serve over ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Dan’s tipple of choice is always a good scotch. He says the most bizarre cocktail he’s ever come across is one with sambucca and sardines (yes, in the same glass) back in his bartending days in Reading. Odd he hasn’t imported that one to the Hyde menu...
46 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
Ingredients: 50 ml Forest Gin 4 leaves oregano muddled with 1 slice of cucumber 5 ml freshly squeezed lime juice Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic
Method: Shake together, pour, and garnish with a ribbon of cucumber and oregano flowers.
Wellbourne
Thanks to Ben Porter for this summer refresher, which probably covers at least one of your five-a-day
Rosé Sangria
Corner 77
Josh Krysiak wins our unofficial ‘most exotic-sounding cocktail name’ award for his Garden of Jalisco
Ingredients: 35ml orange liqueur (eg Gran Marnier) 250ml Spanish rosé wine 2 dashes of orange bitters Squirt of soda water Raspberries, peaches and mint Method: 1. In the bottom of the glass, pour in the orange liqueur. 2. Add your raspberries and peaches and let them infuse for 30 seconds. 3. Smash a good bunch of mint in your hands to release the oils and add into the glass. 4. Pour the rosé wine over the top and add ice. 5. Top up with soda water, add the bitters and a nice bunch of mint to garnish.
The Garden of Jalisco Ingredients: 35ml blanco tequila (Josh prefers Tapatio or El Jimador Blanco) 15ml Bombay Sapphire 30ml fresh lemon juice 10ml fresh lime juice 20ml hibiscus syrup 50ml Jalisco tea (Corner 77’s custom-blend of Earl Grey and smoky lapsang; at home you can make the tea with some sugar syrup, two Earl Grey teabags and one of lapsang)
Method: 1. Fill a highball to the rim with crushed ice. 2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir over four ice cubes for 20 seconds. 3. Strain into the highball over the crushed ice. Add a little more crushed ice on top. 4. Garnish with two mint leaves, a blackberry and a sprinkle of icing sugar.
All out of briotteT bergamot? Or just simply too hot/ lazy to mix your own drink? Get down to these bars, and our lovely mixologists will show you their moves . . .
Corner77 77-79, Stokes Croft www.corner77.co.uk Hyde & Co The Basement, 2 Upper Byron Place www.hydeand.co
The Lost and Found 85 Queens Road www.the-lostandfound.co.uk/ bristol The Milk Thistle Quay Head House, Colston Avenue www.milkthistlebristol.com
The Pump House Merchants Road, Hotwells www.the-pumphouse.com Wellbourne 25 The Mall, Clifton www.wellbourne.restaurant
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 47
ADVERTISING FEATURE
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applications for patient education. There is even an app to help patients on their treatment journey through surgery, recovery and rehabilitation. At no additional cost to the patient, the knee specialists work with specialist physiotherapists and the two Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing gyms in Bristol to get people back on their feet faster. Having attended primary school in Brazil, Damian Clark is also fluent in Portuguese. This was followed by secondary education in the USA and Clifton College Bristol and then medical school at King’s College London. He undertook his postgraduate training at the University of Calgary, University of Swansea and the University of Bristol. In Canada, he was the most highly awarded fellow of his cohort receiving two fellowship prizes for best surgeon research. In 2013, he was awarded both Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons and the European Fellowship exam. Damian Clark explains about his specialist clinical knee practice, “I bring a modern approach to orthopaedic surgery. To get the best results for my patients here in Bristol, I apply the lessons
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cafÉ society Stan Cullimore
Ice, ice baby Summertime, and the tea and the Magnums are lovely in St Andrews
N
ever underestimate the power of advertising, that’s my thinking. Saw something on telly the other day explaining how the late, great James Bond himself, Roger Moore, invented the Magnum when he simply suggested someone should put a choc ice on a stick. Genius! The very next afternoon I found myself strolling through the glorious sunshine of St Andrews Park. Children played, dogs ran
“A corporate stick of Satan crammed with non-essential fats and sugars from a factory is not my usual weapon of choice when it comes to snacks”
and everywhere, shiny happy people were holding hands. Apart from the ones juggling or walking in the air on slack lines, obviously. Smokey fumes wafted over the grass and all around me, beer and barbeques were being consumed like there was no tomorrow. It was the best of times. But also, the worst of times. For in the midst of all this summery goodness, all I could think of was having a Magnum. Not the sort of thing I would normally go for. I’m more of a ‘summer fruits with yoghurt,’ type. A corporate stick of Satan crammed with non-essential fats and sugars from a factory is not my usual weapon of choice when it comes to snacks. But what else can you do when advertising takes over? So I folded like a Brompton and went in search of sin. Luckily, help was at hand. The Tea Garden is a small hutlike café that brings hope, light and happiness to St Andrews throughout the summer months. Sitting at one of their open air tables while sipping a cup of their lovely tea is one of the most civilised ways to pass the time of day. It also gives you the added bonus of being able to watch a community at play, as a procession of excited locals scamper up to grab their very own piece of happiness. After taking my turn in the
queue, I chose a Magnum from the freezer, along with a cup of tea and a homemade crispie cake to keep things on an even keel, then sat down to watch the world go by. Along the way, I couldn’t help but notice that they serve hot drinks in their very own, personalised mugs. Reader, I bought one. Which got me chatting to the owner, who explained that the council may be about to kick her out of the park. Which was a bit of a downer. Made me wonder what it is with bureaucrats and their clipboards. The minute they see people pulling together and enjoying a genuinely community experience, they feel the need to pull it down and stamp on the remains. Most irksome. So, if anyone out there can think of a way to advertise the charms of this exquisite little jewel box to Bristol City Council, let me know. Please. Because so far, the only other option I can think of, is to find the person responsible and shove one of those Magnum sticks where the sun don’t shine. Which probably wouldn’t be very helpful. Though I’m sure James Bond would approve. n
Former Housemartins guitarist Stan is now a journalist and travel writer www.stancullimore.com
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 51
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Hound of love Candy in the pub, there’s nothing better. In fact, if you’re not dog-friendly, don’t expect a visit from our favourite local DJ
A
s mentioned recently in one of my unforgettable Bristol Life columns, I am a self-confessed Sad Dog Man. The Sad Dog Man is the male equivalent of the stereotypical woman of a certain age who keep too many cats for company, and has accepted, with a certain inevitability, that this is probably her lot. She is often referred to as a Mad Cat Woman. Well I’ve accepted my fate and choose to face it head-on with my little Cojack (a breed that crosses a Corgi and a Jack Russell) named Candy beside me. Until I became single at the
beginning of this year, my main criteria for venues to frequent would depend on whether it was a date night or a family day. Date night would usually just be me and my ex wanting a lush meal and good wine, at somewhere where we could talk, and lighting that wouldn’t give me more than one chin. Family days would mean finding venues that had activities and menus for my ex’s kids, and lighting that only gave me one chin. Now, date night and family days have just become ‘going out’. And I don’t like going out without my dog by my side. To this end, I will give you some dog-friendly places we like a
“There’s a jar of treats to reward your little partner in crime for not starting on the other dogs”
lot. And should you find yourself in the same position as me, we could maybe choose one of these places to hold our monthly Sad Dog Man Anonymous (SDMA) support groups. Chequers, on the river down at Hanham Mills, has recently been taken over and properly refurbed. It still offers river views and loads of outdoor seating for those classic, lush Bristol summer days. It also offers the cosiness of open fires within, and their secret recipe mulled wine, for those colder and more indoorsy times, you know, August. The beer’s always cold, the food’s always fresh and delicious but more than that, it has a side of the bar where you can have your dog(s) with you while you drink or eat or both. There are also little troughs of water (dog bars) both inside and out, plus a jar of doggie treats on the main bar, so you can reward your little partner in crime for not starting on other dogs or doing something on the carpet which ends up with you sheepishly asking at the bar for “as much kitchen/blue roll as you can spare, please, landlord”. It would be remiss of me not to mention The Old Lock and Weir, which is literally next door to Chequers. They are also dog-friendly, and maintain a more ‘traditional pub’ feel as well as having even more riverside outdoor seating. But what separates them from the others are, in the summer, their Thatchers Slushies. An actual thing! For those who enjoy an ice-cold cider on a hot day, it’s perfect. And for those, like me, who refuse to grow up, you can pretend it’s a Slush Puppy, with
the added bonus that your mouth isn’t dyed blue or red for the next 24 hours. Then there’s my local. Oh, my good ol’ local. Oh, it’s dogfriendly, alright. Maybe too dog-friendly. While walking Candy off the lead along the river one day, she bolted off. Now, despite the fact that Usain Bolt and I have the same physique, even I couldn’t keep up with her. I shouted her name, and searched and searched, but to no avail. My absolute worst fear was that she would have gone towards Crews Hole Road. She had. I found her sat on the doorstep of The Bull, patiently waiting for me in front of a closed front door. The Bull may be slightly rough and ready, but its interior, its locals and Steve, the happiest landlord in the world, all go towards making it worth running to, apparently. When they see me coming there is always an ice-cold Bud on the bar alongside some dog treats for Candy. Not only does she get to play with other dogs, but pretty much all the locals make a fuss of her, and will often buy her a pack of Mini-Cheddars or Twiglets. She is also referred to by Mike (one of the locals) as Tonto, based on the pub-loving Jack Russell from the ’80s John Smith’s TV ad campaign. Just in case you were wondering how I punished her for running away, we didn’t go to the pub for three whole days. She knew. She knew. Kam Kelly’s breakfast show, every weekday from 6am, Sam FM Bristol, 106.5fm
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 53
advertising feature
Meet the home improvements experts
Can’t DIY, won’t DIY? Reluctant gardener? Need a new extension? These firms are here to help James dyer
David Lawrence Collins
Greener Design 07909988399; www.greenerdesigns.co.uk What sets you apart from other companies? Knowledge and experience. I have qualifications in plant knowledge, design and construction and I also have a RHS medal under my belt. My business, Greener Designs, has been established for over 10 years. We build amazing gardens month after month. My whole life is dedicated to designing and building quality gardens. What do you find most rewarding about your work? Without a shadow of a doubt the most rewarding thing about my job is watching the client’s reactions at the end of each job. They are always so amazed at their new garden; it’s nice to end each job with such joy. Why should a client utilise your services? One of the most important things in a garden is the design. I use a 3D computer design package; my plans come to scale with your house featured in the plan to help get the true feel of how the garden will finally look. It has often been commented that I have been chosen on my design presentation over other landscapers. The reason clients should use my services is because you get a full package from start to finish.
Andrew Sperring
JAS Building Services 07720840677; www.JASbuildingservices.co.uk What sets you apart from other companies in your field (builders/designers)? JAS are an honest family run business who offer a turn key service for our client’s. We offer APMP project management techniques to carefully deliver a project through its full life cycle whilst monitoring cost, quality and time to ensure successful completion. Our core team and centre of excellence is derived from our multiple trade experts and quality controlled by our senior management team. With this and our close working relationships, we like to think of ourselves as a one stop shop for all your property needs. We have a five star rating on Houzz due to receiving great reviews which has enabled us to be awarded the Best of Houzz for service 2017 and 2018. Houzz is a great platform for inspiration and collaboration with clients when planning a renovation project, we highly recommend! What do you find most rewarding about your role? We take great pride in all the work we do. Personally for me it is seeing our client really happy with their new finished home (or even a kitchen or bathroom). We are often told we have made their dreams come to life! It’s so rewarding to see a happy customer.
54 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
Artistic Plastercraft Ltd 01225 315404; www.artisticplastercraft.co.uk
James Dyer
David Lawrence Collins
Tell us about your company Artistic Plastercraft is a family business formed by my father, Lawrence, in 1986, and joined by myself in 1987, and my son Ben in 2006 and recently my other son Danny in 2014. We are a true family business which we hope will continue for generations to come. What sets you apart from other companies in your field? We specialise in the ornamental side of plasterwork with hundreds of original moulds collected over the years. We can copy any existing moulding exactly or create a new moulding to the client’s design. We operate throughout the South West. What projects are you working on at the moment? We are currently working on the prestigious Fitzroy House on Bath’s famous Great Pulteney Street, This involves six large Georgian Houses turned into 29 luxury flats; Artistic Plastercraft carried out all the decorative plasterwork. We have also recently finished various work on Killerton Court, a National Trust house in Devon. We had to put a new cornice around the main stairway copied from another area and also add decorative curved moulding to the two new domed roof lanterns.
DOM Walkiewicz
Build Bristol 01179 091969; www.buildbristol.com
Andrew Sperring
Dom Walkiewicz
How did you get into the construction industry? I moved to London from Poland in 2001 and started working as a labourer for a large property developer. I moved to Bristol in 2005 to work for a building company. I went on to become a project manager for a large West Country-based renovation company as well as renovating some of my own properties in Bristol. In 2014, after renovating for friends and family, we launched Build Bristol growing from just me to a team of 25. How would you best define your building style? A lot of the projects Build Bristol undertake are family homes, where it’s all about creating space. Living in a city, you need to squeeze every centimetre out of a house! In Bristol clients still love Victorian houses from the outside with a very modern interior. I wouldn’t say the way we build has drastically changed over the 17 years I’ve been building. What are people’s biggest worries about using you? The builds costs will spiral out of control... Build Bristol have an in-house quantity surveyor and we meet with our clients on a weekly basis to keep them in the loop on the build costs. By using a QS it ensures the costs are as accurate as possible, offering reassurance to our clients.
advertising feature Stephen Williams
Graham Rivers
Williams Plumbing & Heating SW Ltd 07799471192; www.williams-plumbing.co.uk What sets you apart from other companies? When looking for a company to provide you with reliable and quality plumbing and heating services, you need to choose one with a reputation for providing excellent services and a long track record of customer satisfaction. At Williams Plumbing and Heating, we have 15 years experience in the industry and our efforts to go above and beyond what is expected of our team have resulted in countless loyal, satisfied customers. We are a fastgrowing company with specialists covering all aspects of the trade. We are also members of Which? Trusted Traders and CheckaTrade. We operate all around the south of England and are very flexible in working hours to suit our clients. What projects are you working on at the moment? We’re working on a range of different projects at the moment from bathroom and kitchen installations, boilers and heating systems, new build housing and residential properties so our company offers all different aspects of jobs, including domestic and commercial plumbing. What do we find most rewarding? Our jobs differ from day to day, and the location of work changes daily to hourly. All jobs are different and can also be challenging, the most rewarding part for us as a company is accepting these challenges and completing them to a very high standard and seeing customer satisfaction on completion of the job.
Graham Rivers Architects 0117 942 8373; www.riversarchitect.co.uk
Stephen Williams
Graham Rivers
HANNAH WALKIEWICZ
Build Bristol 01179 091969; www.buildbristol.com What sets you apart from other builders and designers in the city? Build Bristol is run by my husband Dom and I, it’s a joint effort, and we aren’t just your average builders. I believe we have far more female clients than other Bristol-based company because they’re dealing with me. When you’re undertaking building work it can be so stressful, and I get that; also if you’re working around a young family I get that, too. I’ve been there! The reassurance is key to our clients. I offer ideas and suggestions to clients so they get far more than just a building company. What do you find most rewarding about your role? The end result – often clients come to us with an idea and we help it become reality. If clients are unsure how to make space work, Build Bristol is able to offer ideas and solutions. We have an in-house architect who’s amazing at looking outside the box, too. I spend hours lusting over interiors on Pinterest, so whenever a client asks for some suggestions I’ve got thousands. What bespoke services do you offer clients? Build Bristol offers a turn-key service for our clients. We’re able to draw up plans with our inhouse architect and submit planning and building regulations; we have an in house quantity surveyor to offer costings for your build and have the resources to add the finishing touches with the interior designers we work with. It’s a brilliant solution for anyone undertaking building work for the first time.
What projects are you currently working on at the moment? A new sixth-form centre in Dartford; a mix of domestic new builds and extensions; and two projects to add penthouse apartments to buildings in Southwark and Bristol harbourside. New commissions include a design for a woodland retreat in the Cotswolds and an extension to a local primary school. How has your industry changed in the last 10 years? The knowledge on-site about construction and materials continues to fall, and as architects, we need to be vigilant to ensure good building practice. Information requirements for planning applications have intensified, making good professional advice and drawings essential to navigate the maze; that’s one of our roles. What do you find most rewarding about your role? To produce good buildings you must have good, trusting clients; that’s essential. The joy is in the final product when you hand over a building which exceeds your client’s requirements. Sometime ago, I was appointed to alter, refurbish and furnish a house in London. The client’s only stipulation was that it should be black and white throughout. He didn’t visit the house again until it was finished. Nerve-racking, but very rewarding. Why should a client use your services? As architects, we add design-value as well as constructional and contractual expertise to any size project.
PETER BRADY
Bristol Boiler Company 0117 9396202; www.bristolboiler.co.uk
Hannah Walkiewicz
Peter Brady
Tell us about your business? Bristol Boiler Company was established in 2002 and still has repeat customers going back to that date. We offer a reliable quality service that remains competitive, the aim being to retain customers for regular annual work such as boiler servicing and Landlord Gas Safety Inspections. What sets you apart from other companies in your field? The company is Gas Safe Registered and an Accredited Worcester Bosch Installer. This accreditation allows us to guarantee the boilers we install for up to 10 years which gives customers confidence in our work and the boilers we fit. The engineers, apart from being Gas Safe Registered, are also qualified plumbers so we can offer a complete plumbing and heating service to our customers. Why should a client utilise your services? The majority of our work is quoted for, so customers know from the outset what products and services we are providing. What bespoke services do you offer clients? For house buyers we offer a Heating Health Check. For this we test the entire heating system and provide a report on the condition of the heating system and, if necessary, a budget figure to upgrade the boiler if it is near the end of it’s useful working life.
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SNAPPED AC ROSS BR IS TO L , O N E SH I N D I G AT A T I M E
Royal Opera singer Rebecca Chellappah 11-year-old singer Kori Campbell
Ketibu
Doug takes the mic Ketibu
HAIR TODAY
The Hobbs Show made a triumphant return in June, with over 150 people attending the music, entertainment and fashion extravaganza at the Harbour Hotel, raising well over £6,000 in the process for local charity Help Bristol’s Homeless. With all of the acts having a Bristol connection, it was, as ever, very much a home-grown affair – and an opportunity for guests not only to be entertained but also reminded of the urgent need to address the city’s chronic homelessness problem. Photos by Paul Lippiatt www.bristolpicture.co.uk
Heartfelt Vintage Uncle Sam’s Vintage
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SOCIETY
Tom Hall XXX
Dan Talkes with Bob Durie
LOCATION, LOCATION
Architecture firm Purcell launched their new Bristol office at the Old Police Station on Bedminster Parade. “We wanted to focus the event around the local community and the positive regeneration of Bedminster,” said Purcell’s Rob Gregory. With this in mind, all refreshments were locally produced, with canapés from Wilde Kitchen and kegs of Beer from Lost and Grounded. Community Theatre group ACTA provided interactive theatre, while a local Upfest artist worked on a canvas throughout the event based around the regeneration of the local area. Photos @JonCraig_Photos
Scott Rushford and Sophia Barker with Rob Gregory
Clare Phillips Tony Brown with Richard Henson
Tom Russell (Emmett Russell) and Rob Gregory (Purcell)
Matt Tyrrell with Alex Jeremy
Lloyd Burnell (Bristol Aero Collection Trust)
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SOCIETY
Johan and Lorynne Heyns and guests Sonia Mumtaz and guest
Christabel Saunders and Jemma Thomas
I WANT CANDY
Manny Masih with Zoe from the Blonde Blog and husband
The ‘Queen of Confectionery’ Lorynne Heyns launched new luxury confectionery company The Great British Confectioners, with an evening of (yes) candy and cocktails. Photos by Chris Knight Photography
ALWAYS FABULOUS
Joanna with an understandably delightedlooking James Eggels, and Louise Thornhill, both of Smith & Williamson
Most of us mere mortals will have to wait until October to see the divine Joanna Lumley, when she wafts into the Bristol Hippodrome. Not so the guests of St Peter’s Hospice’s 40th anniversary Ruby Dinner at Badminton School, supported by Smith & Williamson and Spire Bristol Hospital. Joanna kindly hosted the champagne reception, dinner, and entertainment from Bristol Symphony Orchestra and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School; funds raised went to the Room to Care Appeal. Photos by @JonCraig_Photos
Joanna with Spire Bristol Hospital staff
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SOCIETY IT'S THE LAW . . .
... that you should celebrate a 20th milestone anniversary in style – and that's precisely what AMD Solicitors did, with a drinks reception and summer BBQ at The Mansion House.
Too many to name! But you know who you are...
BRUSH WITH FAME
Trevor Sorbie was in town to launch his new salon on the Clifton Triangle – an event that, as you can imagine, attracted the city's bloggers like moths to a flame. The salon is now open at 65 Queen's Road.
Lyzi Unwin and Lori Taylor-Arnold
Anna Jackson and Chrissy Ellis of Style in the City with Trevor Sorbie Lucy Duckett, Lyzi Unwin, Jo Denning and Victoria Valentine
Trevor Sorbie with Josie Harvey, Frankie Parry-Jones and Claire Urquhart
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advertising feature
Mobius Works Ltd A new home for the Wokstars
F
ounded by MasterChef finalist Larkin Cen, WokyKo is an awardwinning Asian restaurant in Bristol with two unique sites – Kauto in Clifton and CARGO at Wapping Wharf. Having previously fitted out the WokyKo restaurant at the CARGO development in Wapping Wharf , Mobius was engaged in 2018 to fit-out the latest restaurant, WokyKo Kauto, located on Queen’s Road in Bristol’s vibrant Clifton area. Mobius worked closely with Larkin’s architect and kitchen designer to ensure the look, finish and practical elements were in line with the concept, and the results are spectacular. The work involved a full internal fit-out of the restaurant including all associated mechanical,
electrical and build services. From start to finish, the project took just eight weeks to complete, enabling the restaurant to open for business in late May 2018. Larkin commented, “Having worked with the Mobius team for some time they felt like the natural partner to help us bring WokyKo Kauto to life. They are great to work with, bringing expertise, enthusiasm and innovation to the project. We are delighted with the result.” Why not see for yourself? It is well worth a visit! Mobius is a leading integrated services company offering electrical, mechanical and build services for commercial, industrial and luxury residential projects. If you have an upcoming project, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today for a noobligation consultation. n
Mobius Works Ltd Tel: 0117 403 8560 Email: hello@mobiusworks.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 63
Proud sponsor of
Email: simon@serialtrainer7.com
businessinsider B R IS T O L g e t s s e r i o u s
Nick Park with new bestie Long John Wallace
Quote of the issue
“when people come together to do something playful, a certain magic occurs” Discover who’s waving the magic wand(erland) on page 69
The Big Number
long john arm of the law Isn’t there a law against piracy? VWV have made an exception for the sake of the Grand Appeal By now, you’re bound to have clocked at least a few of the sculptures on the Gromit Unleashed 2 trail; if not, have you even been in Bristol? The 60 decorated models of Gromit, Wallace and Feathers have brought a huge amount of colour and fun to the city this summer, but obviously there’s a less frivolous reason for it all – from the on-the-spot contactless donation points to the big auction in autumn, it’s all in aid of the Grand Appeal, raising millions of ££s for Bristol Children’s Hospital and the Special Care Baby Unit at St Michael’s Hospital.
And once again, Bristol’s top firms are getting in on the act – including law firm VWV, who have sponsored one of many people’s favourite sculptures this year. Designed by Elaine Carr, Long John Wallace was unveiled on 2 July on Cascade Steps, by the firm’s office on the waterfront. VWV also organised a ‘Grand Day Out’ to celebrate its sponsorship on 4 July, with staff taking part in a number of fundraising activities tailored to each of the Wallace & Gromit films, from popping on the ‘wrong trousers’ to getting their beards shaved and legs waxed – all proceeds, as ever, go to
30,456
That’s the number of Lego bricks it took to create Cracking Build, Gromit, which can be found at the home of sponsor Cabot Circus
The Grand Appeal. “We are so lucky to live in such a wonderfully creative city, and as a Bristol headquartered law firm, we are proud to support a charitable initiative that brings so much to the community,” said managing partner Simon Heald. “Raising money to support sick children and their families at Bristol Children’s Hospital is something our staff are truly passionate about. We are delighted to be able to give something back to the Bristol community.”
www.vwv.co.uk
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BUSINESS INSIDER
business and commercial hubs are thriving. I really enjoy walking into Queen Square, where our office is based, and admiring the beautiful Georgian town houses. But it’s not all about business. Bristol has a cutting-edge art, bar, festival and food scene – perfect for dinner after work or weekends in the city.
FAMILY AFFAIRS Jemma Slavin, managing partner at Stowe, tells us what it’s like to work at a top Bristol family law firm – and no, it’s nothing like The Split . . . Since opening on Queen Square in Bristol, the Stowe family law team has been working with clients on everything from divorce and financial settlements through to cohabitation agreements, grandparents’ rights and mediation. Jemma, what has Stowe brought to Bristol? Bristol has a thriving legal sector; however, we only practice family law, which ensures we attract the best family lawyers who excel in an area of law they are passionate about. The breadth of knowledge across the firm means that no matter what our client’s personal
situation, they can be assured that we have handled similar cases. What areas of family law do you personally specialise in? I have helped many clients through divorce, separation and disputes concerning children. I’ve also worked extensively in high-value financial cases involving complex assets in the UK and abroad including property, pension assets, shareholdings in companies and offshore trust assets. My previous casework frequently included proceedings in the High Court. What do you like about working in Bristol? Bristol is a great city to work in. The
Without naming names, what is the biggest divorce settlement you have heard of or worked on in Bristol? We often hear about high-profile divorce settlements, but in reality, the biggest divorce settlements are not always those in the news, but those conducted under a shroud of secrecy. High-net-worth divorces are often the most complicated, from the valuation and splitting of significant financial resources (property, investments, pensions and business assets often tied up in complex corporate and legal structures) to arrangements for children and maintenance. We specialise in cases with substantial and complex assets including pensions, company structures, offshore trusts etc as well as finding hidden assets in the UK and abroad. We have an in-house forensic accountant which sets us apart from other law firms in Bristol. What advice would you give to someone who wanted a divorce, but was worried about the financial and legal repercussions? Divorce can be daunting, and people often do not know where to start. I would recommend that people seek advice from a specialist family solicitor as early as possible. Making informed choices is key,
and having the right support and team behind you can make a world of difference, not just to the outcome of the case but to a client’s wellbeing. There is no one-size-fits-all approach at Stowe, as every client’s circumstances and needs are different. We offer a bespoke service, and tailor each case to the client and their needs. This helps them to manage their divorce and move on with their lives. At what stage should someone come to a specialist such as Stowe, if they are thinking about a divorce? I cannot stress enough how important it is to seek specialist legal advice as soon as possible and to choose the right solicitor for your needs. Divorce can be complicated, and your solicitor will be your voice throughout the case. It is essential that you have confidence in them, and trust that they will do everything they can to secure the right outcome for you and your family. The strategy you choose to adopt can have far-reaching implications on the outcome of your case, and your choice of solicitor is critical in determining your strategy from the outset. I would describe my approach and that of my team, to be proactive, not reactive. You may need to involve a variety of experts including financial advisors, surveyors, counsellors and a solicitor will be able to guide you on who you need to call upon and when. Get in touch . . . You can reach Jemma on 0117 321 7569 or email on enquiries@ stowefamilylaw.co.uk www.stowefamilylaw.co.uk
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BUSINESS INSIDER Kate, pictured centre
Is there any one area of surgery/treatments that has become a specialism? We pride ourselves on delivering high quality care over 28 different specialities, and we’ve been doing it here for over 30 years. Like I’ve mentioned, we are capable of providing complex surgery whether that’s neurosurgery or cardiac surgery within our cath lab. One area I am proud of is our paediatrics department. We have a dedicated team of paediatric nurses that support both pre- and post-operative care. We have some of Bristol’s best surgeons, who can offer surgical treatments to children as young as three years old, and non-surgical treatments to even young children.
YOUR VERY GOOD HEALTH Kate Hoffman is matron in charge at Spire Bristol, and head of all clinical services at the hospital Spire Bristol Hospital is the largest private hospital within the South West, offering a range of non-surgical and surgical treatments to insured patients as well as patients willing to pay for treatment themselves. Let Kate Hoffman tell you a little more about it. Tell us a little about the history Established in 1987, Spire Bristol Hospital has been providing excellent care, expertise and knowledge in a safe, clean environment for over 30 years, offering the greatest range of high-quality treatments, services and diagnostic facilities in the South West, which are consultant-led and underpinned by an experienced critical care team and ITU. What facilities are available to patients? There are en-suite bedrooms, flexible visiting times, and catering led by an experienced head chef. Patients and visitors further benefit from free car parking and a concièrge service that will support them during their stay. Spire Bristol is the only independent
hospital in the area which treats children from the age of three, supported by an experienced team of paediatric nurses who work in a dedicated wing with family rooms. What makes you different from other private hospitals? We differ from many other private healthcare providers in the country, and are the only independent hospital in the South West with the ability to undertake highly complex and advanced surgery. This is due to having a fully equipped intensive care unit which provides expert nurse care for patients who have had brain, spine and heart surgery, including all other major complex surgery. Spire Bristol sees more than 40,000 patients per year and performs over 10,000 operations, with higher than 98% of our patients telling us every month that they are likely to recommend our hospital to friends and family if they need similar care or treatment. We lean that people could be eligible for interest-free finance or an alternative medical loan
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to pay for treatment . . . Some patients can be waiting weeks, if not months, for treatment on the NHS and in addition, some treatments are not available at all. Going private is an alternative option and you don’t necessarily need medical insurance. You can pay for diagnostic tests, non-surgical and surgical treatments yourself. Some people still view private treatments as quite expensive. However our partnership with a medical loan provider allows individuals to pay for their treatment in more manageable monthly amounts. Sometimes we can’t put a price on time, and going privately can speed up your journey to better health. We’ve all got better things to do than worry about pain and health problems. What are the advantages of being part of a bigger group of hospitals? We have 38 hospitals across the United Kingdom. At group level we have an extensive team with years of clinical and managerial experience. This helps us drive the high-quality standards that we set ourselves throughout all our hospitals. By having such a successful brand we can invest in, and develop, state-of-the-art facilities that allow us to bring the highest of clinical quality throughout our hospitals. Locally here in Bristol we are proud to be the largest private hospital within the South West. Many consultant specialists apply to work with us and in fact we have over 300 consultants practising here, many of which are long established with the local NHS trust, too.
Are there any up-and-coming events we should be aware of? We run a number of patient information events throughout the year and they are very popular. These evenings cover a variety of topics from hip and knee pain through to blurry vision and weight-loss surgery, and they are completely free to attend. The evenings are led by a consultant, who will talk about specific symptoms, conditions and treatment options that are available. It’s a great platform to meet the expert and get your questions answered. More information of these can be found on our website. How do you market Spire, as a business? We use a variety of marketing methods, including print advertising in magazines and newspapers, adverts on the backs of double-decker buses, radio and, of course, online and social media platforms. The majority of patients can be from an older generation, as our health tends to deteriorate with age. However, contrary to popular belief, the older generations are OK with using the internet, and social media too. Many people often Google symptoms, conditions and where to get the highest quality treatment. As an organisation we have invested heavily in building a really informative website and support this with our social media activity and campaigns. Social media is great to share our success stories and promote our many of our treatments and services direct to those who demand them. Even I’m on Facebook! www.spirehealthcare.com/Bristol
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business insider
BRISTOL life awards 2018
Lucy Reeves Khan created Window Wanderland out of her own experience – see how it’s grown! On 29 April this year, Lucy collected the Bristol Life Award for best Creative – an impressive win, considering the calibre of the finalists. Perhaps even more so when you learn how her business, Window Wanderland, began. “I was stuck in the home for many years because of chronic pain (grim) and being a stay-at-home-mother (gorgeous),” says Lucy. “While doing short therapeutic walks around the block, in the winter darkness to hide my disability, I noticed that if the curtains were open in neighbour’s houses, I didn’t feel the pain so much. For years I assumed I was just a nosy parker, but I realised that the light and openness made me happier. I imagined the streets being alive with different displays and the seed was sown for Window Wanderland. I created the first one in Bishopston in 2015. “
CREATIVE WINNER
Sponsored by Enlightened Lighting
There are so many, but this year, walking down one local street I saw a handcrafted, lifesize pink flamingo, a silhouette of a huge cat and a working bubble machine, in just one road! An entire house was created to remember a lost friend – they made a silhouette of him and filled it with hearts. Those who walked past would smile, even though they didn’t know him – the ripples of this event go deep. You won the 2018 Bristol Life Award in the Creative category, which had some really big and exciting finalists – what was your reaction on discovering that you’ve won?
You must have a few favourites – can you tell us about a few that really took your breath away?
Some of Lucy’s favourites from the trails. Fancy doing a window of your own next year?
Come to www.windowwanderland. com anytime.
How does Window Wanderland benefit the community?
It is inclusive, fun, healthy, easy to be part of and provides a safe, nonjudgemental space for people to be creative.
Which social media platform do you find most effective?
Instagram and Pinterest are great, the displays speak for themselves! What accolades or comments about the trails have pleased you the most?
If the residents of Bishopston had not taken to it, then it would have stopped right there with just one large giraffe in my window. Because of them, Bedminster, Chandos, Windmill Hill, Arnos Vale, Montpelier and Easton have all been fantastic.
Has the success of the trail surprised you?
How can people get involved in beginning a new trail?
Yes, I grew up in a house called Playtime – my father was a theatre director and I trained as a set designer.
Which Bristol areas have risen most enthusiastically and creatively to the Wanderland challenge?
Forty, from Cornwall to Canada.
who had recently passed. Each one has a story.
Do you have a creative background?
I was up against We the Curious and a whole raft of creative companies! I went along to the Awards certain that I had not won, so it was a shock when it was announced, and it has taken ages to sink in. It was a fantastic night, and I am very grateful to have been recognised for the work that has gone into Window Wanderland.
How many trails are there now, and which are the furthest-flung?
It doesn’t surprise me that people enjoy being part of it, as when people come together to do something playful, a certain magic occurs. What has surprised me is the willingness of people to organise the events, spending time to make it happen.
Any standout memories?
A row of Hawaiian shirts, put up minutes before the event, which gave everyone in the street a colourful insight into the owner. Another of knitted flowers by a woman in memory of her husband
Winning the Bristol Life Award is a high point for me – it sits proudly on the piano in the kitchen. We were mentioned in the House of Commons when an MP in Glasgow saw his local event and put in an early day motion to congratulate the community group who made it happen – that was lovely.
What’s next for you and Window Wanderland?
We are a community interest company looking for partners/ sponsors to join us. This will sustain us so we can keep supporting communities to create their own magical events. n
Get in touch: www.windowwanderland.com
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square deal Location, location? That’s just the start . . . welcome to our new Bristol home* (*Oh, we can dream . . .) By Lisa Warren www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 71
A property place to call home
P
lease excuse us while we drool a little. It’s just that we’ve stumbled across the most mouth-watering home for sale in the city. They had us at ‘Regency town house on Queen Square’; they piqued our curiosity further with ‘has been used as a location for Sherlock’ – and then we saw what the current owners had done with the place, at which point we lost our heart completely. The house was built in 1833, and thanks to careful and respectful curators down the years, it’s kept a wealth of its gorgeous, classic architectural features – you’ll find sash windows with working shutters, ceiling cornices, period doors and architraves, open fireplaces, and (destined to be your favourite detail) the canopied, wrought iron balcony, from which you can survey the Square and enjoy its endless people-watching possibilities. So far, so Georgian – but this knockout of a home also comes with the added twist of an architect-designed two-storey glass extension at the back, centred around an ‘oasis’, ie inner, garden. Permit us to give you a tour. From the entrance hall, inner double doors take you to the lobby, with its Douglas fir flooring; here, you’ll long to stroke the mahogany handrail of the staircase leading to the upper floors. Go ahead – it’s been polished by countless generations of
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hands ascending and descending; you’re unlikely to do any harm. At the front is the morning room (every home should have one) overlooking Queen Square. Ornate pillars frame an opening to the snug, with its window overlooking the oasis courtyard. Snug? It’s over 14ft wide. We’ve seen snugger main receptions. The relatively narrow front of the house belies how deep it is – these houses go back for days. Keep going, and the long inner hallway takes you to the doubleheight glass extension, where the kitchen/breakfast room – a bright, colourful mood-lifter of a space – is fitted with contemporary units, Corian work tops, and numerous discreetly hidden appliances. There’s a separate utility cupboard and a larder – we’re told it’s possible to convert the latter to a dumb waiter to the firstfloor dining area – who’s never wanted one of those? This dining room, incidentally, has a double-height ceiling, a glass wall to the garden and access to the back balcony/terrace/bridge that reconnects to the staircase of the main house (we do love a surprising layout). Right at the front of the first floor, in classic Regency style, is the original drawing room with its original white marble fireplace. At over 19ft, the room runs the whole width of the property, framing views of the Square through its triple sash windows, which open to the canopied balcony. There’s another room at the back of the house – study? Family room? Fifth bedroom? Shrine? Your call.
property
Four more bedrooms are on the top two floors, and even if we hadn’t fallen in love by this time, the deal would have been sealed by the opulent bathroom next to the master bedroom (another 19ft room with Queen Square views), with a walk-through shower and freestanding bath. Admire its gorgeousness in the photo on the left of this paragraph. Head right down to the lower ground floor and you’ll find extensive vaulted cellar – a house like this demands a wine collection roughly the size of the one in Notorious, right? – and the original walk-in safe. Parking, you say? All sorted – there’s a reserved space (permit paid annually) right opposite the property. Unless you’ve recently arrived in Bristol for the first time, we scarcely need to explain the local amenities and facilities that are a walk away – we think ‘just about everything in Bristol worth visiting’ probably covers it. Invite us round for a glass of something decent from the cellars when you move in, will you? n
House details GUIDE PRICE £1.35m BEDROOMS
5
RECEPTIONS 3 BUILT IN
1833
GARDEN
Central garden and raised sun terrace
Savills Clifton, 20 The Mall, Clifton BS8 4DR; 0117 933 5800; www.savills.co.uk
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bristol LIVES
“I’ve become pretty skilled at hauling fridges up and down stairs” a restaurant to run, other things have started to take priority. I just can’t justify being out till 5am every weekend any more and the hangovers are definitely not getting any easier . . . Sum up the Tare philosophy
Matt Hampshire The name’s Hampshire; he’s originally from Exeter, but he’s become a bona fide player on the Bristol dining scene. Meet the owner and head chef of Tare, based in Cargo 2 Before opening Tare, Matt earned his Sabatiers at Riverstation, initially as a sous and then head chef; in his time he’s also cooked in the kitchens of Michael Caines. Last summer, he took the plunge and opened his own restaurant in Cargo 2.
taste of fine dining to Cargo 2, while maintaining a welcoming, fun and informal atmosphere. We have an à la carte menu and a five-course tasting menu, and our aim is to always use top-quality ingredients while keeping our prices accessible.
We’ve been wondering, Matt – what does Tare mean?
I used to play in lots of bars and clubs around Bristol – I still try to play once a month at my favourite residency, The Plough in Easton. Music is a big part of the experience at Tare, and I enjoy updating our playlist regularly.
It’s a shipping term, referring to the empty weight or ‘tared weight’ of a shipping container before any cargo is added. My friend Chris designed the logo, using the vintage font you’ll find on the side of most containers. What has Tare brought to Cargo that makes it unique?
I think we have brought a little
You used to be a DJ, right?
Why did you switch from DJing to cheffing?
I have always combined the two, which has been hard at times, but with our first baby arriving and
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Animal welfare, sustainability and locality are all very important to us, so we use local small farmers and we will go to the nearby market throughout the week to get the freshest produce. Our ethos at Tare is to provide skilfully cooked, tasty dishes, in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Please recommend a killer dish on the current menu
I am a big fan of the Isle of Wight tomato dish. The tomatoes are at their best this time of the year and the dish is the epitome of summer. It has a great balance of sweetness, saltiness and tartness with a hint of vanilla added in. When cooking at home, what is your signature meal?
At home, I’m not the one who does the cooking; this is usually taken care of by my partner Diana, who is great at making hearty, homecooked meals. Tell us about a few of your favourite Bristol places
Birch is definitely a favourite, and we always have a great meal at Box E and Root. For a staff lunch I love a good Squeezed burger, or Eatchu if we’re going further afield. For a drink I’m never happier than having a beer with mates in the garden of The Bell in Stokes Croft on a Sunday afternoon. Where would you take the team for a celebratory meal?
You can’t beat a midnight feast at
The Mayflower next to the Bearpit – turnip cake and XO sauce all day long! Which part of Bristol is home?
We live in Brislington – it’s a bit out of town, away from most amenities, but we have great neighbours. In February we welcomed a new addition to our family, and the area will be great for her growing up, with lots of nearby green spaces. When and where are you happiest?
I love to spend time in new cities, whether in the UK or abroad, digging for vinyl – most definitely the hobby I enjoy the most. Do you have any secret skills?
I’ve become pretty skilled at hauling large fridges up and down stairs this past year. Your most regrettable habit?
I can be a bit of a control freak. I’m passionate about what we do at Tare, and I’m a perfectionist about every tiny detail, but this must be a little annoying for others at times. We’d better let you get on. What are you doing immediately after answering these questions?
Today is a Monday, and the restaurant is closed, so I am taking advantage of the quiet time to catch up on admin. After this I will get some food from a local restaurant with my partner and daughter here in Cargo, then finish making the overnight sourdough ready for service tomorrow.
www.tarerestaurant.co.uk