A specially curated guide to help you enjoy the next 48 hours (or more) in Bristol

A GENTLEMAN THIEF RETURNS  |  FRENCH CRIME DRAMA

This week, Netflix confirmed that the second series of the highly-acclaimed French crime drama will be released on 11 June.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting part two since the first five-part series was left on a dramatic cliffhanger.

According to the streamer's official synopsis, "Assane’s quest for revenge against Hubert Pelligrini has torn his family to pieces. With his back to the wall, he now has to think of a new plan, even if it means putting himself in danger."

Catch up on series one here!

OUT NOW  |  OUR MAY ISSUE

CITY ARTS  |  RAINMAKER GALLERY

CAMPAIGN LAUNCH  |  CLEAN UP OUR RIVERS

NEW LAUNCH  |  COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE

BREAKFAST DELIVERED  |  A FAIR WAY TO SHOP

As the Great British summer of staycations draws ever-closer, ethical, sustainable online farm shop 44 Foods has the perfect start to your holiday - the Staycation Bundle.

The bundle contains everything you need to rustle up a delicious, hearty breakfast to start your day and can be ordered to be delivered directly to your holiday home - so the essentials will be waiting for you when you arrive.

The Staycation Bundle (£22.50) contains:

- Dry Cured Back Bacon (300g).

- Sliced Everyday Harvest Loaf (800g)

- Cacklebean Mixed Chicken Eggs (6)

- Cotswold Salted Butter (250g)

- Mudwalls British Apple Juice (750ml)

- Wholemilk Yogurt Selection (4 x 150g)

- Fresh Semi Skimmed Milk (1l)

- Strawberry Jam (340g)

- British Piccolo Tomatoes (220g)

- Ready To Eat Avocado (single)

Launched in January 2021, 44 Foods is a collective of farmers and food producers who are passionate about ethically produced, fairly priced, sustainable food. Together, they supply fruit and veg, meat and dairy and larder essentials direct from their farms to your door - offering customers a fairer way to shop, and promising to pay producers and farmers a fair price.

Visit 44foods.com for more information and be tempted by some of the other fabulous food packages available.

WEEKEND WINE  |  FABULOUS VALUE

Hugely underrated, Domaine Louis Michel produces consistently exquisite and good value Chablis, a fact recognised and praised by The Wine Advocate. Guillaume Michel makes no apology for his refusal to use oak barrels to age his wines, to ensure that they convey - unmasked - a very special sense of their unique vineyard origins.

These Chablis wines are expressive, individual and fabulous value: offering quality to rival the most famous white Burgundy from further south, at a fraction of the cost.

Explore this superb collection of fine Chablis with The Great Wine Co.

Here are a few highlights:

Petit Chablis

This comes from from a special vineyard site on the hillside above the Chablis Grand Cru vineyards. While cooler, it experiences exceptional drainage and exposure to sunlight, making it one of the very finest Petit Chablis locations. The wine is bright white-gold in colour, with an expressive apple and citrus zest aroma. £18.50

Chablis Premier Cru Montmain

Louis Michel’s four Montmain vineyards are planted with mature vines, and extend along a clay slope known for being sensitive to spring frosts. Careful attention is therefore required to cultivate this land. It's worth it, because the wine demonstrates that magical Premier Cru combination of ripe fruit with quintessential Chablis saline character. Intricately complex, with spicy floral aromas, toasted almonds, candied lemon and apple; it is dry, lively, pure and accessible, with no artifice. £30

Chablis Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre

Montée de Tonnerre is the very finest and most prestigious Premier Cru, offering quality regularly approaching that of Grand Cru Chablis. Louis Michel produces grapes from an entire slope at this location, creating a powerful wine with complexity, balance, wonderful refinement and ageing potential. It has concentration and richness, carried in such a subtle way. "Grand Cru, at half the price" - fabulous, and not to be missed. £36

Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir

Grand Cru Vaudésir is truly one of the profound white wines of Burgundy, and yet it costs the same as a simple 'village' Meursault. Louis Michel's vines are in the lower part of the Grand Cru vineyard, and therefore yield fabulous 'puissance', richness and concentration, underpinned by the region's hallmark dryness. There are hints of buttered brioche and gorse flower, alongside rhubarb and acacia flower. Remember, this is fermented and aged exclusively in stainless steel, so these flavours come entirely from the site, the fruit and the fermentation - no 'artificial flavour' from oak barrels. It demands keeping at least a couple of years, and will age gracefully for a decade or longer. £59.50

Visit the Louis Michel cellars at The Great Wine Co here: greatwine.co.uk

ENVIRONMENT NEWS  |  BRISTOL'S GREEN SPACES

Have you herd the news?! A group of cows have been welcomed to Stoke Park Estate as part of the city’s continuing drive to address the ecological emergency declared by Bristol last year.

Following the success of grazing goats at this historic park and garden alongside the M32, 20 cows have arrived at the estate, helping to care for the landscape through conservation grazing.

Made up of Shetland, Hereford, British Blue and Holstein cows, the herd will improve the biodiversity of Stoke Park and provide a more sustainable and natural way to manage the land.

Cattle can often get to places that machinery cannot and they also help stop the spread of scrub and invasive, more dominant plant species. This allows other plants, including wildflowers, to thrive, which will encourage insects, which in turn provide food for birds and mammals.

Wildflower grassland is not only a beautiful landscape to enjoy, but a rich habitat for many species including butterfly and bee populations.

Fields containing cows will be clearly signposted and alternative routes will be available to avoid the cows completely. Visitors are being advised to not feed the cows as this could make them sick and they will already be very well fed.

bristol.gov.uk

RECIPE ROSTA  |  EASY BREAKFAST

With origins dating back to the 16^th century, this Maghrebi dish is a breakfast/brunch menu staple across Israel, the Middle East, North Africa... and, for the last couple of years at least, the UK.

The word 'shakshuka' translates from the original Arabic as 'a mixture' and, like all recipes with a long-standing history, there are multiple variations on the theme; you might see onions, mushrooms, feta cheese, parsley and various spices such as nutmeg included on menu descriptions, so feel free to shake it all about. One strict rule must, however, be adhered to: the tomatoes and eggs are non-negotiable.

I've used spinach in this version because it brings a lovely silkiness to the party plus a pop of vibrancy, and by using roasted red peppers from a jar (one of my favourite store cupboard stand-bys) we're saving ourselves the trouble of slaving too long over a hot stove on a laid back weekend morning.

Ingredients (serves 2)
4 large eggs
4 large, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
200g roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and sliced
200g/7oz baby spinach leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp red chilli flakes
Salt and freshly-ground pepper
Olive oil, for sautéing 

To serve: thick plain yogurt, toasted sourdough

Method

1. Heat a slick of olive oil in a large, lidded frying pan over a medium heat and sauté the spring onions and garlic until just turning translucent.

2. Add the tomatoes and the tomato purée, season well and cook for about 5–8 minutes, or until the tomatoes have softened (if they start to catch on the bottom of the pan, add a splash of boiling water to loosen), adding the cumin and smoked paprika for the last couple of minutes of cooking time.

3. Add the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring the leaves into the tomato mixture as you go. Put the lid on the pan and allow the spinach to wilt completely (which should take a couple of minutes.)

4. Take the lid off the pan and allow the mixture to reduce and thicken for another couple of minutes before making four cavities in the tomato mixture, at regular intervals. Crack an egg into each cavity, put the lid back onto the pan and leave on the heat for around 4 minutes, or until the egg whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny.

5. Take off the lid off the pan and sprinkle the chilli flakes over the eggs. Spoon the tomato/spinach sauce topped with 2 eggs onto each plate and top with a dollop of yogurt. Serve immediately, with toasted sourdough.

OBJECTS OF DESIRE |  WHICH ROLEX
 

INTERIORS  |  CLASSIC STYLING FROM SWEDEN

BRISTOL PROPERTY  |  EXQUISITE FAMILY HOME

This is an exquisite five bedroom, Victorian family home with the added extra of a self-contained single bedroom lower ground floor flat. 

This lovely property is ideally situated on a quiet road between Clifton Village and Whiteladies Road and offers versatile, very well-presented accommodation with plenty of period features and well-proportioned rooms.

In brief it consists of: Entrance hall, main reception room with by window to the front and opens through to the kitchen / breakfast room. The kitchen is modern with plenty of storage and built in Neff appliances including a double oven, coffee maker and wine cooler. There’s also a utility room with door leading out to rear garden.

On the first floor is a family bathroom, and two spacious bedrooms ( one currently being used as a second reception room). On the second floor are three more bedrooms and a shower room. 

Separately ton the lower groupd floor a one-bedroom self contained flat, with hallway, front reception room, kitchen, bathroom, and the bedroom leads to the rear covered courtyard. Outside the rear, walled garden offers plenty of privacy, with steps down to the courtyard and a second patio area. The front garden is paved and has steps down to the flat. Offers are invited in excess of £1,450,000

For more images and details visit Howard-homes.co.uk