MIKA announced as headliner at Bristol Sounds gig series

Everybody's gonna love today as Bristol Sounds brings upbeat lyrics and colourful performance to Amphitheatre stage

Bristol Sounds has revealed MIKA as its final headliner for the five-night gig series at Bristol Harbourside on Wednesday 21 June. Lloyds Amphitheatre will be transformed into a world of gritty romance amidst the joy and playfulness of technicoloured alternative pop as MIKA kicks off a week of live music.

MIKA has gained legendary status in the industry alongside big names such as Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Prince. Storming his way through the violet skies, MIKA launched his career in 2007 with the iconic single, Grace Kelly - landing him at number one in the charts.

Bringing self-love, expression and good vibes only to the harbourside, MIKA fans can expect nothing but bangers from the Big Girl singer with hits like Grace Kelly, Lollipop and Love Today on his repertoire. Guaranteed to have crowds movin' and groovin', MIKA says: "Express yourself, you won't be judged here," making this the ultimate show to let loose and celebrate.

Pre-sale tickets will go live on 19 April, and general tickets will go live on the 21 April. To register for pre-sale sign up to the mailing list here: Bristol Sounds 2023

OUR APRIL ISSUE: OUT NOW

You'll love our fabulous April magazine which features a great collection of reading by our team of wonderful writers as well as beautifully presented advertising by Bristol's best businesses. We hope you enjoy the read!

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, House of Fraser 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 £4.25. UK mainland prices. For Euro and World zone subscription prices – see our website. 

Recipe by Melissa Blease

Fennel and Sausage Ragù

If you're looking to put a sophisticated spin on a simple sausage supper, this is the recipe for you.

For a meat-free alternative, simply replace the porky bangers with a vegetarian variety, leaving them whole for the best result (or, consider vegetarian meatballs?). Meanwhile, if you're not too keen on double cream, crème fraîche will add a similarly silky texture to the sauce, but the end result won't be quite as luxurious. On the pasta front, I recommend pappardelle here as the broad, flat ribbons carry the thick sauce really well and seem to really suit the overall rustic 'attitude' of this dish, but any high quality dried pasta will work.

This recipe serves 2-3 people depending on appetite, but any leftover ragù is particularly good reheated thoroughly the next day and slathered onto thick, warm focaccia.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

6 meaty, free range pork sausages
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 bulb fennel, peeled and finely-sliced
1 tsp fennel seeds, roughly ground in a pestle and mortar
1 sprig of fresh rosemary leaves, finely-chopped
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
150ml dry white wine
150ml double cream
150ml chicken or vegetable stock
4-5 nests dried pappardelle (or around 130g dried pasta of your choice)

To serve: plenty of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Peel the skins from the sausages and break the meat up into chunks (don't be too neat about it; we're not attempting to create meatballs). Heat a little olive oil up in large, lidded pan over a medium heat and brown the meat for around 8-10 minutes until the fat has rendered out and the meat has caramelised. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set to one side.

Tip the onion, fresh fennel, celery, fennel seeds, rosemary, chilli and garlic into the pan and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and cook until reduced in volume by half, then add the sausage chunks back to the pan along with the cream and the stock. Season with salt and pepper, stir gently to combine all the ingredients and allow to simmer gently (partially covered) for around 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle (or your pasta of choice) according to the instructions on the packet. Drain (reserving a splash of cooking water) and add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the ragù, tossing it around with tongs to coat the pasta in the sauce. Serve in warm bowls topped with plenty of black pepper, the freshly-grated Parmesan – and a carafe of Chianti Classico. Saluti!

Bogle Wines from California

If you missed the excellent wine tasting session on Wednesday evening with winemaker Jody Bogle and hosted by The Great Wine Company then you really did miss something very special.

Jody beautifully narrated the story behind the history of the family vineyards in Clarksburg, the artisan techniques employed, sustainability and just making excellent, award winning wines, while guests enjoyed glasses of 7 delicious wines to try.

These tasting sessions are informative, great fun and a lip-smackingly good way to discover fine wines from independent growers. Watch this space or follow The Great Wine Co for future events.

Here are just four wines from the evening but click the link below see the cellar of Bogle wines at The Great Wine Co.

Phantom Chardonnay £19.55

This is a wonderful Californian Chardonnay, with generous pineapple, peach, juicy ripe pear and papaya notes, followed by buttered toast, vanilla pod and fragrant wood. A perfect pairing for comfort food, or as a stand-alone treat. It's supremely easy to love!

Juggernaut Russian River Pinot Noir £26.50

A Pinot with irresistibly easygoing Californian style, yet with defined aromas and flavours of red cherries with hints of fragrant wood, cherry leaf and toasted coconut. Super-soft and succulent in texture, gentle acidity and soft tannin, it is effortlessly enjoyable. Juggernaut is the name of Bogle's selections from particularly special vineyard sites, offering a clear step up in concentration from their regular reds, while maintaining their hallmark easygoing style.

Viognier £15.50

Displaying appetisingly luscious ripe stone fruit aromas, with fresh apricot and juicy pear on the palate. To achieve Viognier's fabulously expressive fruit character, most of the final wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks. However, to introduce some spicy complexity and develop richness a portion was fermented and matured on the lees in American oak barrels.

50th Anniversary Petite Sirah £52.88

A truly remarkable wine and a fitting tribute to the Bogle family's extraordinary success over half a century. This is super-concentrated - full of dense, concentrated, jammy black cherry fruit and peppery spice, and an almost indescribable thick, velvety texture. An astounding wine, it has to be tried.

Click here to Explore Bogle Wines: greatwine.co.uk

May 2023 // Gastronomy Month

Premium Spanish beer brand Estrella Galicia is excited to announce that its month-long celebration of Spanish food, Gastronomy Month, will be taking place for a third year running this May, and tickets are on sale now.

Across the UK, guests can get a taste of Spain early this year, as Gastronomy Month offers over 22 masterclasses, tasting menus, tapas tours, Spanish Fiestas and enticing offers to bite into for the whole month.

In Bristol, enjoy a guided beer tasting paired perfectly with an array of seasonal tapas at one of the city's most authentic Spanish restaurants, Bar 44 (31^st May). Throughout the month guests can also try out Beer and Bite, where you can enjoy an Estrella Galicia beer paired with a delicious tapas dish. Gambas and El Rincon will be participating venues.

For more details on Estrella Galicia Gastronomy Month and to book tickets, please visit: estrellagalicia.com

Mary’s Living and Giving (Save The Children) Charity Shop celebrate 5 years

In early April 2018, the ‘boutique-style’ Save the Children shop, Mary’s Living and Giving, opened its doors in Bristol. As the first MLG outside London, its reputation soon spread and it has become a go-to shopping destination for Bristolians and visitors alike.

"We punch well above our weight in terms of funds raised for Save The children, mainly due to our wonderful customers" says volunteer Nicola Parkson, "also because we are open 7 days a week, (we) attract amazing quality local donations plus we receive donations from the London MLG stores too". They host school uniform sales, support local artisans and often have one-off specific events such as fashion shows and plants sales.

MLG Bristol is hosting a party to celebrating its 5th birthday on 20th April - please pop along and say hello whilst finding something beautiful for yourself or a loved one

Located at: 24 Regent Street, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4HG. Follow them on Instagram at: @maryslivingandgivingbristol

In the mood for summer

With the sunnier days of summer on the horizon, nothing says statement style more than putting on a really great pair of shades. in fact whatever the weather, you’ll feel cool, glamorous, and be very much in your own Hollywood moment. Shown here are four great styles from Mallory:

Click here to see these and more fab accessories at Mallory:
mallory-jewellers.com

Curated by Daniel McCabe

After water, tea is the world’s most popular drink. Tea magazines (or at least Independent tea magazines), however, are a relative rarity – we have one, but it’s an excellent one and it comes from Portugal, of all places. Eighty Degrees is published biannually but we’ve waited more than a year for the ninth issue so it’s pretty packed, taking in yellow tea, edible tea, walking meditation, fermentation versus oxidation, Czech potters, historic Chinese teahouses, senchadō, wulong and much more. | £14

store.magalleria.co.uk

Go Green for Bears V Sale Sharks, Friday 14 April, KO 7:45pm

Bears take on Sale Sharks this Friday night at Ashton Gate as they look to make a late surge for a top-four spot.

In addition to an evening of exciting rugby, we'll also be going green for the game, celebrating all the work we do with Project Whitebeam. The project is all about us trying to measure and minimise our impact on the environment.

Adult tickets start from £32 and U12s from £10, with Hospitality packages also available.

Click here to buy your tickets

Russell Lane Jewellers Gold Buying Event, 24 April, Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel

Russell Lane are looking to purchase gold, whether intact or broken. Immediate cash offer. Taking place at Russell Lane Jewellers.

Hotel parking charge £4 an hour | 9.30am–5pm

Russell Lane | 01926 494 494 | sales@russell-lane.co.uk | russell-lane.co.uk

Kustom Floors and Furniture

Operating in and around Bristol, Kustom Floors and Furniture are market-leading experts in the supply and installation of flooring as well as offering striking, quality furniture. The company supplies and fits carpets, vinyl, laminates, real wood, LVT and safety flooring in Bristol and the South West. Kustom tailor their service to fit with all your requirements in the belief that no two customers are the same. Whether you’re looking for a premium real wood flooring or you’re shopping for a new coffee table they have you covered. No job is too small and the friendly team are happy to help with your every need. Kustom proudly work alongside brands such as Karndean, Woodpecker, Cormar, Quickstep and many more. Think Kustom for all your flooring and furniture needs in Bristol and the South West.

Branches in Clevedon, Bedminster and Downend; kustomfloorsandfurniture.co.uk

Royal York Crescent, Clifton, Bristol, BS8

Offered for sale by Rupert Oliver estate agents

Situated on this magnificent terrace of Grade II Listed Georgian townhouses, this garden maisonette encompasses everything that is sought-after within these majestic period buildings.

Accessed from the famous promenade, the hall floor opens up into a magnificent suite of two beautifully proportioned reception rooms. To the front is a superb sitting room with far-reaching views whilst to the rear is a large dining room with views over the private garden. Both rooms enjoy handsome period marble fireplaces as well as detailed ceiling plaster work. The rooms are separated by a pair of oversized wedding doors.

To the rear of the property is an exquisite open plan modern kitchen and breakfast room with an architect designed, fully-glazed rear extension. The kitchen itself is beautifully appointed with a range of floor and wall mounted storage cupboards, an expanse of Corian work space and a range of top quality integrated appliances.

The breakfast room enjoys underfloor heating and an oversize pair of fully glazed French doors opening out into the garden. Also on the hall floor is a useful, wet-room style shower room.

A bespoke oak staircase leads up to the first floor half-landing, where there is a well appointed family bathroom and access to three separate double bedrooms as well as convenient additional access into the property from the communal hallway.

The charming master bedroom lies to the front of the property, with a glamorous carved wooden fireplace, high ceilings, a suite of fitted wardrobes and there’s a sash window converted into French doors leading to a sunny, south-facing, canopied balcony while a large second double bedroom with a shuttered sash window overlooks the rear garden.

The third bedroom has been cleverly converted to provide a mix of reception / play space with a mezzanine bed deck above. A shuttered sash window opens up to another balcony and spectacular far-reaching views beyond.

Outside, to the rear is a well-established private garden with plenty of space and features a timber-framed summer house. In addition, to the front of the property is a small under-croft garage.

Royal York Crescent itself benefits from a well-maintained communal garden stretching for almost the full-length of the crescent. Guide Price, £1,295,000

Click here to see more images and find out more on The Rupert Oliver website.