Image: 'The Crow Girl' courtesy of Paramount+

TV thriller filmed in Bristol released on Paramount+

The UK original series The Crow Girl, that filmed on location in Bristol in early 2024, is now available to watch on Paramount+. 

The six-part series is an adaptation from Erik Axl Sund's international best-selling novel of the same name, and is described as “a nail-biting, twisted and contemporary psychological thriller”. It is produced by Emmy-winning creative team Buccaneer (Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Marcella) and stars Eve Myles, Katherine Kelly, Dougray Scott and Elliot Edusah. 

Guns N’ Roses guitar legend Slash, who is an Executive Producer on the series and also contributing to the soundtrack, took time out to visit the show’s Police HQ set at a Bristol location earlier this year.

Find out more about the production at filmbristol.co.uk

Have you read January's issue yet?

While January can often feel a bit blue, we've been working to keep spirits high with this issue, and it's filled with great pieces that we’re really excited about...

Our cover star is the fabulously chatty Gyles Brandreth. The writer, broadcaster and speaker brought his show Gyles Brandreth: Can’t Stop Talking to Bristol Old Vic on 12 January, and discussed (at length) his lifelong obsession with talking. In the interview on page 16 Melissa Blease discovers a childhood filled with garrulous gallop, his time as MP for Chester, his loquacious domination of prime-time TV and bookshelves… and that's only about a quarter of his CV.

Elsewhere, we hear from the Baltic Wharf Sailing Club whose boats take to the water in the city centre every week, making the historic harbour pastime more accessible for everyone. We’ve also got a who's who of the city's best and brightest health & wellbeing providers, a special look at food and drink trends we expect to be served up in 2025, and a deep dive into deep tech masterminds from Bristol solving global problems with ground-breaking ideas.

15,000 copies are delivered door to door, and you can pick up a copy at many places around town – including our stands at Waitrose and John Lewis.

Read the digital version of our current issue here!

And if you would like to have a copy sent in the post every month, then we offer a postal subscription for just £35 for 12 issues, £20 for six issues or buy a copy for just £4.95. UK mainland prices. For Euro and World zone subscription prices – click here to subscribe on our website. 

Cullen Skink

Recipe by Melissa Blease

Full-flavoured, filling and comfortingly creamy, Cullen Skink easily tops the upper echelons of the world's Finest Fish Soup charts and comes second only to haggis as Scotland's most iconic dish, making it perfect for a Burns Night celebration on Thursday 23 January - or indeed, a perfect cosy supper on any chilly winter evening.

Ingredients (serves 4)

500g smoked haddock fillets
350ml vegetable stock (or water)
1-2 bay leaves
40g butter
1 large shallot, peeled and sliced
1 large leek, sliced
1 stick of celery, sliced
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small dice
400g waxy potatoes (eg. Charlotte potatoes), chopped into small dice
300ml whole milk
A large bunch of fresh chives, snipped
To serve: single cream and oaty brown bread

Method

1. Place the haddock fillets (skin side down) in a large shallow pan. Add the vegetable stock (or water) and gently bring to the boil. As soon as the liquid boils, take the pan off the heat and set to one side.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently sweat the onion, leek and carrot, covered, for 6-8 minutes or until soft but not coloured. Add the potatoes and continue to cook for a further couple of minutes, stirring continuously.

3. Lift the poached fish onto a plate and strain the poaching liquid into the soup pan with the vegetables. Add the milk, bring to a simmer and cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are really tender, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, remove the skin from the poached fish, flake the flesh into chunky pieces and set to one side.

4. When the potato mixture is ready, remove the pan from the heat and blitz the soup with a hand-held blender (or mash with a potato masher) until smooth but still retaining a bit of texture; aim for a chunky broth. Season to taste with black or white pepper (you probably won't need any salt as smoked fish is quite salty) and add the fish back to the pan, along with a generous handful of snipped chives.

5. Gently heat through before serving in warmed bowls topped with generous drizzles of single cream, more snipped chives and plenty of oaty brown bread and butter on the side.

Vino down under

After a couple of weeks of weather cold enough to make your toes fall off, we're all dreaming of sunnier climes. This weekend, we're heading south of the equator where the blazing summer heat and diverse topography grows a unique range of grapes... 

While Australia may have once been famed for its bags of cheap Chardonnay and Shiraz known as 'goon', in recent years the country has propelled itself to the forefront of winemaking innovation, providing us with some of the most interesting wines on the market. 

Take a wine tour of the Land Down Under, and click the links to discover the exciting wineries behind the bottles: 

Western Australia: 2019 Chenin Blanc by Corymbia winery | £16.65

South Australia: 2016 Red Art Shiraz by Rojomoma | £18.85

Victoria: 2021 Chardonnay by Rob Dolan | £19.50

Tasmania:  2022 'Tupelo' Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer by Stargazer | £22

New South Wales:  2022 Backyard Riesling by Mayfield Vineyard | £16.65

Visit greatwine.co.uk to discover these and more Australian wines

A Toast to Timeless Taste with an exclusive half-price wine offer
at Ivy Clifton Brasserie

This January, guests can elevate their dining experience to new heights with an exclusive wine offer across The Ivy Collection.

For a limited time only, guests can enjoy the full wine list at half the price on bottles, including an extensive range of wines from diverse regions, premium champagnes, and non-alcoholic options. This offer is available all day every Wednesday to Friday until 31 January.

This is the perfect opportunity to indulge and raise a glass to the start of a new year. Whether savouring a classic wine, celebrating with a bottle of champagne, or exploring innovative non-alcoholic selections, diners can toast to timeless taste and elegance.

Guests are required to make a reservation in advance to enjoy this exclusive offer. Whether for a special occasion or a sophisticated midweek escape, it is an experience not to be missed.

To make a reservation please visit: ivybookings.com

Terms and Conditions:

The offer is valid only for wines ordered by the bottle; reservations must be made in advance to qualify; the offer is available all day, Wednesday to Friday, until 31st January 2025

Geo Mix Button Tank from White Stuff | £55

Bold geometrics in dazzling blue and white (with a zingy pop of yellow for good measure). When it comes to making a statement, this knitted tank is not messing around. Wear it layered up with jeans and a classic shirt.

Shop online at whitestuff.com or visit the store at
Unit 104-105 The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol BS34 5DG

Panerai Luminor Quaranta™ BiTempo Goldtech

Founded in Florence in 1860, Panerai has become synonymous with Italian design and Swiss precision. Once the exclusive supplier of diving instruments to the Italian Navy, Panerai began creating watches for the civilian market in 1993 and is now revered by fashionistas and horophiles alike for its luxurious and innovative timepieces. The Luminor Quaranta™ BiTempo Goldtech exemplifies this legacy, combining heritage and modernity in a refined 40mm ( quaranta ) case.

The case, crafted from Panerai Goldtech™—a unique and robust alloy of gold, platinum and copper, boasts a distinctive red hue and resistance to tarnishing. Inside, the P.900/GMT automatic caliber ensures precision and reliability, delivering a 3-day power reserve. This movement, with its slim profile and stop-second function, ensures precise timekeeping and highlights Panerai’s engineering excellence.

Offering dual-time functionality, the watch is ideal for those who frequently track multiple time zones. A luminous blue-tipped GMT hand enhances visibility in low-light conditions, while the larger date display ensures effortless readability. The iconic cushion-shaped case and Panerai's iconic crown-protecting bridge provide both style and water resistance up to 10 bar (~100 meters). The sun-brushed black sandwich dial, complete with luminous hour markers, is both chic and elegant, while through the sapphire crystal case back the intricate inner workings of the movement can be fully appreciated.

Designed with versatility in mind, the Luminor Quaranta™ BiTempo Goldtech PAM01641 comes with a black alligator leather strap and an interchangeable black rubber strap, both secured by a brushed Panerai Goldtech™ buckle - such adaptability makes the watch suitable for any occasion, both an elegant dress watch that looks great in formal settings to a casual, everyday sophisticated look. Simply exquisite. £21,900

Find this and more from the Panerai range at Mallory.

Chanel announces SS25 makeup collection

No combination is off-limits with Chanel's new makeup collection. The idea of giving freedom to create technicolour makeup looks is what led the CHANEL Makeup Creation Studio and Cometes Collective member, Ammy Drammeh, to design the Spring-Summer 2025 Collection.

In this sparkling, playful collection, lively colours cheerfully clash with one another or smoothly combine in a tone-on-tone look. Ever unpredictable, these daring shades are the expression of a timeless style that is invariably chic and refined. 

Pictured below, clockwise from left: Jeux de Lumières Multi-Use Eyeshadow and Highlighter Palette (£75); Rouge Coco Baume in Tender Peach (£36); Le Vernis in Artiste (£29); Twin set of Ombre Essentielle in Mauve Sucré (£36) and Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Mauve Intense (£27).

To shop this selection and more from the Spring-Summer 2025 Collection visit chanel.com

Curated by Daniel McCabe

Fare is a unique magazine that makes culinary tours of the world's most interesting cities. The latest destination is Taipei. Among many forays into Taiwan's capital city, the author of this issue, Aichu Hung, guides us through its oldest district and a treasure trove of traditional ingredients, Chinese medicine and Japanese colonial architecture, before journeying to the lush Yangmingshan National Park where cafes serve hungry hikers a range of mountain vegetables, warming soups and local chicken dishes. There’s a visit to a ‘sober day bar’ hidden in the streets of Zhongshan creating tea-based cocktails and much more in what I think is this magazine’s most fascinating issue yet. | £16

magalleria.co.uk

First screenings of A Complete Unknown at Watershed

The critically acclaimed Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown hits our screens today.

Set in the influential New York music scene of the early 60s, A Complete Unknown follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan's (Timothée Chalamet) meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts – his songs and mystique becoming a worldwide sensation – culminating in his groundbreaking electric rock and roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

Watershed is screening the film at various times over the coming week; book now at watershed.co.uk

NEXT WEEK: ALT BLK ERA Acoustic Performance & Album Signing

Next Friday Rough Trade Bristol will present a live performance and signing from ALT BLK ERA. The unique event celebrates the release of their debut album 'Rave Immortal'.

Formed of sisters Nyrobi and Chaya, genre-defying duo ALT BLK ERA create tenacious alternative tunes designed to showcase their vivid personalities. Inspired by the likes of Ashnikko, Hacktivist, The Prodigy and Billie Eilish, they blur the boundaries of pop punk, nu-metal, rap and electronic music to form their riotous sounds.

Tickets for this event also include a physical copy of the fantastic new album in the format of your choice to be collected from Rough Trade Bristol on the day of the show.

Friday 24 January | 7pm | Tickets from £14, head to dice.fm to buy

One month to go until Slapstick Festival 2025!

Only a month to go now until the 20th birthday edition of the UK's biggest celebration of screen comedy - Slapstick - gets underway in Bristol and already birthday messages are starting to come in from many of the festival's celebrity fans. In addition to those featured in the trailer, around another 20 greetings from showbiz friends will be shared via Slapstick's social media channels starting on 23 January and continuing until the opening day (12 Feb).

The festival runs until Sunday 16 February at Bristol Beacon, Bristol Megascreen, Bristol Old Vic and Watershed. Live guests will include Samira Ahmed, Stephen K Amos, Ben Elton, Harry Enfield, Martin Freeman, Graeme Garden, Adam Hills, Paul McGann, Lucy Porter and Rick Wakeman.

Click here to visit their website where you can view the full schedule and book tickets

Lower Cheltenham Place, BS6

Offered for sale by Ocean Estate Agents

This charming mid Victorian terraced house is located in the sought-after area of Montpelier, just a short distance from Bristol city centre.

Upon entry, you are greeted with a hallway that leads to a spacious living room with a large bay window, filling the room with natural light. The living room features retained period features such as high ceilings and original fireplace, combined with tasteful modern decor.

The open plan kitchen/diner/family room is the heart of the home, complete with a wood burner creating a cozy atmosphere. The kitchen is fully equipped with modern appliances and plenty of storage space, making it perfect for entertaining guests.
This space is L-shaped and gives access to the rear garden - giving that all-important 'inside / outside' living arrangement.

Upstairs, there are three well-proportioned bedrooms, all beautifully finished with modern decor full of personality. The family bathroom is sleek and modern, featuring a modern white suite and stylish tiling.

Outside, the property boasts a private rear garden made up of two distinct areas. The first of which is a patio that extends from the kitchen/living space. From here a couple of steps lead up to an attractive and yet low-maintenance area - perfect for entertaining.

In terms of amenities, Montpelier is a vibrant neighborhood with plenty of cafes, restaurants, and independent shops within walking distance. The city centre is just a short distance away, offering a wide range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options.

Guide price: £545,000

Click here to view this property on the Ocean Home website