OUR NEW SEPTEMBER ISSUE IS HERE!

As summer gently draws to a close, we welcome a new season, new school year and a new calendar month brimming with things to do...

Catch our exclusive interview with Nish Kumar, who talks us through the intricacies of a politically outspoken stand-up career ahead of his show in town; fans of Peaky Blinders will delight in a new stage production arriving in Bristol soon - find out everything you need to know from the show's creator himself; and we were extremely excited to hear from Bristol's leading poet Vanessa Kisuule, who's releasing her first non-fiction book in September. There's also a chat with the owner of Brislington's very own Boeing Airbnb, music education from Bristol Beacon and - as you'll see from our stunning front cover - so, so, so, so, (so!) very much more to feast your eyes on. Enjoy!

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, John Lewis and Harvey Nichols.

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 £33 for 12 issues, £18 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. 

Mushroom Stroganoff

Recipe by Melissa Blease

Ceps, field, chanterelles, trompette, hen of the woods – the UK's wild mushrooms are at their very best right now; miss their autumn food catwalk moment and you'll seriously miss out. But if you can't get your hands on any, good old chestnut mushrooms are always reliably flavoursome and will work just as well in this elegant vegetarian stroganoff.

Ingredients (serves 2)

400g mushrooms (see above)
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
4 pickled onions (preferably silverskin), finely-sliced
2 cornichons, finely-sliced
½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp capers
50ml brandy (optional)
1 tsp smoked paprika (plus extra to serve)
100ml crème fraîche (reduced fat is fine)

Method

1. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the mushrooms and dry-fry for 5 minutes (dry-frying brings out the nutty flavour in the mushrooms), stirring regularly.

2. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan followed by the red onion, garlic, pickled onions, cornichons, parsley stalks (chopped) and capers. Sauté over a high heat for 3 minutes, then add the brandy (if using; if not using, add 2 tbsp boiling water). Allow the brandy/boiling water to bubble down for a couple of minutes before adding the paprika, crème fraîche and parsley leaves, then toss together to combine.

3. Loosen with a splash of boiling water to a create a saucy consistency, then season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

4. Serve immediately on a bed of steamed rice, sprinkled with a little bit more smoked paprika.

A mixed case of wine rack essentials

The Cape wine lands of South Africa are home to some of the finest wineries and winemakers we have come across. Beautiful wines that show a true sense of place and authenticity, outstanding value for money, diversity of styles and considerate production - they can't be recommend highly enough to you.

• Pinotage 'Printer's Ink' - Meinert 2018 | £17.70
• Cabernet Sauvignon - Thelema Mountain Vineyards 2020 | £24.40
• Lourens River Valley Red - Morgenster 2016 | £21.00
• Reserve Pat's Garden - Ken Forrester Wines 2019 | £16.60

Click here to see this and many more wonderful wines at The Great Wine Co.

The Ice Cube Collection by Chopard.
The shimmer of light on ice.

This luxury jewellery collection of rings - that are perfect for stacking - bangles and bracelets, necklaces and earrings is a beautiful range of pieces that marries urban elegance with modernity and very different to traditional jewellery making conventions.

The geometric design of Chopard's Ice Cube collection with its square facets are meticulously crafted to reflect light, as if off ice. The Ice Cube creations embody style, sophistication and glamour. 

Click here view the collection at Mallory.

Curated by Daniel McCabe

Japan’s number one ‘Life Design Magazine’ Casa BRUTUS devotes 96 pages of its September issue to a guided visit to Finland, Denmark and Sweden in the company of clothing and textile designer Akira Minagawa (the creative force behind the mina perhonen brand) who toured the region in June of this year, kicking off with a look around Alvar Aalto's eponymous house in Helsinki. It’s a formidable round-up of Scandinavian design inspiration, curated, catalogued and presented with the impressive clarity and detail of Japanese-style layouts. Casa BRUTUS has released some real bangers of late and we’d pick this out as one of the best. | £25

magalleria.co.uk

ALTERED STATE: THE TRUTH ISN’T OUT THERE - THE ERA OF CONSPIRACY THEORY 11 September, 7.30pm

Conspiracies are rife again today. We will ask why, what powers conspiracy theories and what effect they have on our communities and our understanding of the notion of truth. This talk will investigate their sometimes highly problematic nature and ask what this says about us. But some conspiracies are true: there were no weapons of mass destruction, VW did lie about their emissions and not all truthers are hate speech propagators. Many come from a place of seeking to help others or expose wrongdoing. Panelists also look at the effect of the traditional media gatekeepers being usurped by the newly democratised means of digital information flow.

Hen & Chicken, 210 North Street Southville, Bristol BS3 1JF

Click here for more information and tickets.

St Peter's Hospice Open Garden Event
September 8, 10am-4pm

A popular event which sees the beautiful gardens at St Peter’s Hospice open to the public, is returning this September for the first time in four years.

The annual Open Gardens Day was a highlight for many years and is making a welcome return after being paused during the pandemic. Now guests are being invited to enjoy the Hospice gardens in bloom once more.
The event will take place at the Hospice from 10am-4pm on Sunday 8 September. Open to all ages, tickets cost £6 each or are free for those aged 15 or under. The flower arranging workshop is £15 and includes the entry fee.

St Peter's Hospice, Charlton Road, Brentry, Bristol, BS10 6NL

Click here for more information

Rebel Curators at M Shed

As part of marking the recent UNESCO World Day for Remembering the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its Abolition Curiosity UnLtd and M Shed launched Rebel Curators.

· If you’re over 18 and passionate about culture, heritage and Black history
· If you’re up for getting paid to help create an intervention in the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans area.
· If you’re of African Caribbean descent and live or work in Bristol?

If YES, and you can commit to 4 days between Sept and Oct please express an interest to become one of our 6 Rebel Curators. To find out more and to get involved click here or email connect@curiosityunltd.com by Sept 13th. 

M Shed, Princes Wharf, Wapping Rd, Bristol BS1 4RN

Pitchcombe Gardens, Bristol, BS9

Offered for sale by Knight Frank estate agent

• Five bedrooms
  
• Three bathrooms 
• Detached family home
• Garage & parking

Coombe Lea offers accommodation of circa 3300 sq ft arranged predominately over two floors with a clever loft extension to one side, creating two bedrooms and a family bathroom. Further extensions could be possible, subject to the necessary planning and building consent.

On the ground floor, there is a wealth of accommodation perfect to entertain or simply to relax. Enjoying a south-westerly orientation, a bright and airy sitting room affords direct access to the garden and boasts solid wood flooring and a feature fireplace, with a high degree of natural light. Central to this large home, a stunning bay fronted dining room complete with original oak panelling and solid wood flooring creates a more formal place to entertain, flowing to a further study which benefits from access to the garden.
Completing the accommodation at this level, a bespoke kitchen breakfast room affords a range of integral appliances and an abundance of storage, with a useful further study at the front elevation.

On the first floor, a principal bedroom faces south, commanding a high degree of natural light and storage with a tiled en suite bathroom. From a spacious landing, there is a west facing guest bedroom with extensive wardrobe space and dual aspect, with a further guest bedroom and tiled bathroom found to the east elevation. On the second floor, there are two large guest bedrooms which are serviced by a family bathroom with separate shower.

Surrounding Coombe Lea are established gardens blending extensive level lawn and mature specimen trees and shrubbery, as well as an abundance of parking and a useful double garage. Guide price £1,295,000

For further images and details click here to view the property on the Knight Frank website.