Join celebrity guests Bake-Off Star Briony May Williams and winner of Britain's Got Talent, Lee Ridley (the Lost Voice Guy) at the Paul’s Place Charity Ball! 

The ball will be a great night out for for everyone: enjoy a delicious dinner and a fabulous auction before dancing the night away to live music. Paul's Place support disabled adults to live life to the full.

Bookings are now open: tickets can be booked as individuals, small groups or whole tables (for £49.95 each). Contact: email fundraising@paulsplace.org.uk, or call 01454 777236

Featured image: Briony May Williams 

As production companies continue to use Bristol as the backdrop to their major titles, returning to the city’s urban streets and green spaces time and time again, Simon Horsford explains why the city has become such a hive of activity and discovers what’s set to be released in 2022…

To read the full article, visit our website: thebristolmagazine.co.uk

Featured image: Christopher Walken and Stephen Merchant film at The George, Shirehampton (image credit BBC/Amazon/Big Talk/Four Eyes

Ingredients (serves 4-6, with plenty of lamb leftovers) 

2kg bone-in lamb shoulder
6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 litres lamb stock

For the chargrilled vegetables

2 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 yellow peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
2 large courgettes, sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Olive oil for brushing

For the cheesy polenta

1.5 litres chicken stock
250g quick-cook polenta
4-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
120g parmesan, grated

For the gravy 

200ml red wine
1 tbsp cornflour

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and put the lamb shoulder into a large roasting tin. Using a sharp knife, make small incisions all over the meat and stuff the minced garlic into the gaps. In a small bowl, mix the dried thyme and fresh rosemary with around 1 tsp salt, lots of freshly ground pepper and a little olive oil to make a paste, and rub it all over the lamb.

2. Roast the lamb uncovered for 30 minutes until the skin is starting to brown, then turn the oven down to 160°C/gas mark 3. Pour the stock into the base of the tin and continue to roast the lamb for around 4 hours, basting with the stock/juices every 30 minutes or so.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Heat a large cast iron griddle or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brush the peppers, onions and courgettes with a little olive oil and griddle in batches until tender and charred. Transfer the vegetables to an ovenproof dish, toss with the garlic and chilli, season to taste, cover with foil and set to one side.

4. When the lamb is tender and falling off the bone, transfer it to a board set on top of a lipped baking tray to catch the meat juices and leave to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Put the chargrilled vegetables (still covered with the foil) into the oven to heat through and put an ovenproof serving platter, big enough to rest the lamb on, into the oven to warm up.

5. Meanwhile, make the polenta. Bring the stock to a simmer and slowly sprinkle the polenta in, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Simmer and stir for around 1 minute (or according to the instructions on the packet) until thickened. Take the pan off the heat and add the olive oil and cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and the consistency is similar to wet mashed potato. Season to taste, transfer to a suitably-sized ovenproof serving dish, cover with buttered foil and put in the oven to keep warm while you rustle up the gravy. 

6. Spoon off as much fat from the roasting tin as you can (it should be about 4-5 tbsp) and discard. Tip the rest of the juices from the tin plus the lamb’s resting juices into a saucepan. Mix 1 tbsp cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water to create a paste, and add it to the pan. Turn the heat under the pan up to medium and stir well. As soon as the mixture starts to thicken slightly, add the red wine, bring to the boil, then simmer (stirring occasionally) for around 5-6 minutes until you have a smooth, glossy gravy. Transfer the gravy into a warm jug.

7. Plonk the rested lamb shoulder onto the warm serving dish ('cos everybody's going to pull their own portions of lamb off the bone at the table). Serve alongside the cheesy polenta, chargrilled vegetables and gravy.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / gas mark 4. Sauté 1 small peeled, sliced onion and 1 small peeled, sliced leek in a little olive oil until soft but not browned.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked onion and leek with 225g finely-chopped mixed nuts, 2 tbsp ground almonds, 100g wholemeal breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp dried sage, a pinch of cayenne pepper and 10ml (2 tsp) yeast extract dissolved in 150ml boiling water. Mix thoroughly (the mixture will be quite wet) and turn into a greased, suitably-sized ovenproof dish and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Steam or gently boil 1 large, whole cauliflower (stem trimmed) for 6-8 minutes or until just tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove from the heat and, when cool enough to handle, pat dry with kitchen paper. Meanwhile, combine 1 tbsp smoked paprika with 1 tbsp olive oil, 50g softened butter (or vegan alternative) and two peeled, crushed garlic cloves. Transfer the cauliflower to a roasting tin and spread with the paprika butter. Season well and roast for 20-25 minutes until golden, basting with the tin juices halfway through. While the cauliflower is roasting, heat 70g butter (or vegan alternative) in a small pan and lightly toast 100g breadcrumbs (sourdough breadcrumbs work well here) until crisp and golden. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, season and add a handful of finely-chopped fresh parsley. Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a heated serving dish, spritz with the juice of ½ a fresh lemon and scatter the breadcrumb mixture across the top to soak up all the buttery juices. Serve hot.

Cut 2 x 280g packs of firm tofu vertically into two slabs per pack to create 4 'steaks' in total. Using a fork, gently pierce each slab on both sides and put them a dish large enough to allow them all to lie flat. In a small bowl, thoroughly combine 200ml dark soy sauce with 2 tbsp tomato purée, 2 tbsp organic white miso and 2 tbsp HP sauce. Pour the mixture over the tofu slabs and marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 hours). When you're ready to cook the 'steaks', preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and, in a large frying pan over a medium heat, heat a little olive oil. Fry the 'steaks' on one side for 3 minutes, turn them over, brush the top with English or Dijon mustard and continue to fry the uncooked side for a further minute (you may have to do this in 2 batches). Put the 'steaks' on a roasting tray and roast for fifteen minutes, brushing with any marinade that has collected in the tray halfway through the cooking time. Serve hot.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Mix 1 large, peeled red onion (cut into wedges) with 2 large red peppers (deseeded and cut into bite-sized chunks), and 2 sliced courgettes. Drizzle with olive oil, season well and roast for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are just starting to char around the edges. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and turn the temperature down to 180°C/gas mark 4. Unroll 1 x 375g pack of ready-rolled puff pastry onto a large baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Thinly slice 2 x small, peeled sweet potatoes and use the discs to cover the base of one half of the pastry sheet in a slightly overlapping layer, leaving a 2cm border. Mix the roasted vegetables with 200g hummus, 2 tbsp finely-chopped fresh parsley and the finely-grated zest of 1 lemon. Top the sweet potato discs with the hummus and vegetable mixture, brush the pastry border with beaten egg and carefully fold the blank half of the pastry sheet over the filling to create a large pasty-style pie. Crimp the edges, brush with beaten egg, cut 4 diagonal slits in the pastry to allow the steam to escape and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is puffy and golden brown. Serve hot.

It’s never too late to try going No or Low in January – but if you are looking for real inspiration and wonderful quenching tastes then try these (preferably before the 31st…)

Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Rose – JJ Leitz
Germany. The Leitz EINS-ZWEI-ZERO sparkling rosé is clean and fresh with notes of pale strawberries, raspberry and hints of fresh grapefruit. £9.95

Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Riesling – JJ Leitz
Germany. The Leitz EINS-ZWEI-ZERO Sparkling offers an original character that is clean and fresh with notes of lime and citrus; surprisingly rhubarb and a little hint of red apples on an underlying mineral base. The finish is dry and relatively long. £10.95

Fresh – Crossip
England. Fresh has an array of punchy fruity flavours . The opening combination of pink grapefruit and orange is a bold start. The body develops with the citrus of lemon and eucalyptus. All bound together with a crisp light bitterness. 50cl £22.50

Seaward – Pentire
England. This is a bright, zesty, and verdant non-alcohol botanical spirit from Cornish based Pentire who inspired by surfing and Cornwall’s coastline are making a big impression with their two excellent spirits Seaward and also Adrift. £25.95

Organic Sparkling Tea Blue – Copenhagen
Denmark. Based on 13 different teas. Jasmine, white teas and darjeeling. Highly complex taste, which develops on the palate. Starting with delicate aromas of jasmine, followed by a fresh and soft expression, thanks to the white teas, and finished off with a more deep and dusty character, thanks to the darjeeling. Complemented by the carefully adjusted bubbles. £16.50. Copenhagen also produce a number of low (5%) ABV sparkling teas, so if you don’t fancy ‘No’ there’s certainly a ‘Low’ option to be enjoyed.

Original – Fluere
Netherlands. Both Juniper and lime peel give a bright and fresh character whilst the lavender and coriander add the herbal notes. £18.95

The Great Wine Co has one of the best selections of great 0% - ers: from big names as well as small independent producers.

Italian jewellery designer Roberto Coin sets each and every piece of his jewellery with a small ruby, usually hidden from sight and in contact with the wearer. The brand has become enormously popular not only because of this quirky signature but also for creating beautiful romantic pieces embraced by a huge celebrity following. 

We love these three simple but super-chic pieces from the Roberto Coin Classique Parisenne collection. From the left: 

Diamond bangle, 18ct yellow and white gold. £3,045
Diamond pendant and chain, 18ct yellow and white gold. £1,435
Diamond pendant in 18ct yellow and white gold with a 63cms chain. £1,500

Summit At Home is expanding its offering by launching four new fabrics from British heritage manufacturers, Harris Tweed®.

Summit at Home is the first British manufacturer to offer Harris Tweed® on both their ergonomic home office chairs and bespoke home seating. The range will also include lap blankets to match the furniture.

Harris Tweed® is made from 100% British wool, which is naturally renewable, biodegradable and recyclable. It is more than a unique handwoven product, produced only in the Outer Hebrides: Harris Tweed® sustains specialist weaving and textile production skills throughout remote rural communities – generating sustainable employment opportunities through generations of islanders. The Summit at Home cloth is handmade at the Carloway Harris Tweed Mill on the Isle of Lewis.

Four tweeds have been handpicked for the collection – Heather Pink, Marine Navy, Moss Green and Mallard Green – which will now be available on all Summit at Home ergonomic home office chairs and bespoke home seating collections.

Shown above: several items from the Bespoke Home Seating Range. You can shop the Harris Tweed® collections on the Summit at Home website: summitathome.co.uk