Name: Jane Duffus

Occupation: Founder of What The Frock! Comedy

Hometown: BRISTOL!

Tell us a bit about What The Frock! What’s the story behind it? I set up What The Frock! Comedy in January 2012 to try and counter the fact that I’d discovered that on an average Friday night in the UK, only 8% of the comedians being booked by comedy clubs were women. This made no sense to me! So since then, I’ve gone on to put on 40+ events, expanded to 5 cities, added workshops and a comedy competition to our portfolio, and early next year we’ll be publishing a book celebrating 100 years of fantastically funny women. Phew!

The venue for this WTF! event is pretty classy! How did you first come across and choose The Mauretania? The Mauretania is gorgeous! It’s named after the Mauretania ship, as the original owner in the 1930s bought a load of the fittings from the ship when she was taken out of service and used them to decorate his venue. In the Mauretania Bar, where we are on Friday October 17, there are still the original pillars, panelling, ceiling covings, mirrors and more from the ship and it’s stunning – like going back to an Art Deco cocktail lounge.

Are there regular house comedians people can expect to see? On October 17, one of our two resident comperes Cerys Nelmes will be hosting the night. Cerys is a local act and we’ve worked with her for about two years now – she’s fantastic and our audiences absolutely love her. She’s a great compere, and is so at home chatting with the audience. Our other resident compere is Jayde Adams, who is originally from Bedminster and earlier this year won the national Funny Women competition as well as the London Cabaret Awards. Jayde and Cerys host on alternate months, and the next night with Jayde in charge is November 14 (at the Colston Hall’s Lantern).

What events should we come down & check out to get the full WTF! vibe? On October 17 at the Mauretania, Cerys will be running our New Kids On The Frock! night. This is our new material / new talent night, where some of our favourite established acts can try out their newer sets, and we can share some of the best up and coming comedians with audiences who may not have seen them before. With seven acts on the bill, and a £7 door charge, that’s literally £1 an act – which seems like a good deal to me! The other night we run is classic What The Frock! – which is the night Jayde runs. This is when we welcome two acts who are a little more established, who you’ll have spotted on shows such as Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats etc, and who you’ll jump at the chance to see in your home city. We’re very excited about both nights.

Tell us a bit about the previous artists! Any personal favourites? We’ve had about 150 comedians through the What The Frock! doors so far, and are constantly adding to that number. It’s hard to pick favourites as obviously I love them all – I only book acts who I know to be brilliant, as I want to ensure my audience sees the very best possible comedy. I’m very proud of Cardiff-born Bethan Roberts, though, who won the first ever What The Frock! Newcomer Award back in 2013 and has come on in leaps and bounds since then, and we still regularly work with her.

How did you personally get into the world of comedy? Simply through frustration! I’m a journalist originally – I spent my 20s living and working in London as a busy freelancer on celeb and telly magazines, but after I moved down to Bristol in 2008 I slowly gravitated more towards events promotion. I love it! The two are actually quite similar and require the same sort of personality to make it work. I often think the most fun things are those that you accidentally end up in… fate puts things in front of you for a reason.

What’s the plan for the upcoming winter months? Anything exciting lined up for the future? Very much so – every month is an exciting month in Frock! land. As well as the October 17 and November 14 shows (on November 14 we have Aisling Bea and Shazia Mirza, by the way – look them both up on YouTube and be blown away), in January we’re moving to a new venue. We’re pleased to be working with the new Rip Roar club in central Bristol, which will be opening in November, and we’re moving in from January. There will be a lot of exciting things happening once we’ve got our feet under the table there.

When you’re not busy organising comedy nights, where do you like to head to in Bristol to wind down? I love walking my dog up at Ashton Court through the woods. And I’m a keen runner, so like heading out and discovering new parts of Bristol on my long training runs – the towpath to Pill is a personal favourite route. But I also love going to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, and have seen some absolutely amazing shows there – we’re very lucky to have a theatre of that calibre on our doorstep.

Want to check out What the Frock! Comedy? Keep your eyes on the app for exclusive tickets to upcoming events! Find out more from the goings-on in the Frock! comedy world by dropping them a ''Like" on Facebook or a swift "Follow" on Twitter.

Ursula, founder of Asia Pop! serves some outstanding street food. She's also a member of the formidable Bristol Eats Collective - a Bristol based street food group that aim to create & serve the finest food from across the globe. With a huge event lined up for this evening, we couldn't resist getting the inside scoop & it looks like it's all go for the bEATS gang...

Could you tell us a little bit about Bristol Eats? Who’s currently involved? Bristol Eats was started in 2013 by a group of six traders passionate about bringing street food to Bristol.  The membership is now over 25 including Viet Vite, Gopal's Curry Shack, Vee Double Moo, Pizza Monkey, Asia Pop,  Bertha's Pizza, Hickory Pig and a whole host of amazing traders offering a wide variety of street food. We were really pleased in 2014 to be given an award from The British Street Food Awards as ‘best collective in the UK'!

What started your interest in the street food scene? I started as a street-food trader then became a promoter so I can see both ends of the equation. I jumped onto the street-food wagon back in 2012. It all started when myself and a couple of friends, all with asian backgrounds loved going out to eat proper asian food! At the time we were in London, so were open to the diversity of food choice available, and introduced each other to the food from our cultural backgrounds; from Okonomiyaki, to Ramen, from Chaat to Dim Sum. We decided to use this inspiration to form ASIA POP! - bringing authentic asian street-food culture to Bristol.

Would you say it’s a similar motivation/interest shared amongst the group, or is there a lot of interests floating around? Although it was a trend, I loved the idea as it was a new way to get people out in the evening and socialise over good food and drink. And not just that, but to also experiment and try different cuisines as well as immerse yourself culturally in street- food culture from across the globe. Sounds cheesy, but quite simply - I love bringing people together, over something positive, and thats why I later formed Eat.Drink.Dance; a street-food market hosted in the brilliant backdrop of The Island (Old Police Station), and the Firestation courtyard, bringing street-food traders an artisan market, drink and DJ’s together for a night market. As for the rest of the collective, I can’t talk for everyone but I think the general reason why all members are involved are for similar reasons, to be creative and experimental, enjoyment of cooking food, feeding people and the idea of bringing people together over something special.

Tonight people should be keeping their evening free as Bristol Eats are holding an event by Clifton Down Station & we’re definitely gonna pop down! A great way to spend the evening! Could you tell us what to expect & who’s there? The lineup for tonight’s event is as follows: Viet Vite, Ah Ma's, Featie Boys, Moorish, Gopal's Curry Shack and Pastilla House. From Beef Doughnuts to Authentic Asian Dumplings, from North African Pastilla's to Vibrant Indian Vegan Spinach & Onion Pakoras. There is lots to choose from! I’m looking forwards to trying the food from The Feastie Boys and Moorish as they are two newest additions to the Bristol Eats collective. Feastie Boys - Think, locally & ethically sourced Hot Meat Sandwiches, Vibrant Salads and their infamous 'Beef Doughnut’ - which sounds intriguing! Moorish announced that they are bringing down a big batch of 'Mojo Rojo’ - which they say is roasted red chillies & peppers, greek yoghurt, cumin and paprika. Think locally sourced Mackerel, Salt March Lamb, Flatbreads and Prosecco on tap ;-)

There’s also some live music lined up right? Any clues who’s going to be playing? Yes, we do have some music lined up! A couple of special guests who are friends of the Bristol Eats family. So you’ll have to come to find out!

On the Facebook Event, we couldn’t help but notice that it’s the last event of the season! Does that mean there’s a pause in Street Food over the winter months or should we expect some seasonal popups? Anything planned around Christmas? No this definitely isn’t the end; that’s just the end of the summer season! From the way things are panning out, and with the collective’s commitment it looks set that there will be much more on the horizon for Bristol Eats street-food events. Some of our traders do take to the indoors over the winter months. As you may know Bagel Boy, have a permanent home now on St. Nicholas St. You will also find Burger Theory at the Golden Lion,  Hickory Pig at the Three Tuns, and Bosh hosting a monthly supper-club. Asia Pop! also has some exciting news soon to announce for the winter months... Stay tuned!

We’ve been keeping an eye on the work of bEATS members Hickory Pig in the news & on twitter as the battle with the council for disused space to be granted a new lease of life! Could you tell us a bit more about this? Nick and Mike from Pizza Monkey and Hickory Pig have been pushing our campaign to make use of dis-used spaces around the city, in particular the Norwich Union site! We feel this void area would be a perfect spot to bring alive with global street-food; bringing people of Bristol together over good food, and music, for a regular social gathering, (aside from our bi-weekly event at Temple Quay). We know that the Bristol council is supportive of making use of disused spaces, so we have put a plea forward to George Ferguson.

How does the campaign seem to be going so far? I have been in brief conversation with Nick and he says he has news which looks promising, but we’ll have to keep you posted on that one!

What’s in store for bEATS in the future? It's an exciting time for Bristol Eats, as we push forward for a regular space for the collective. Our aim is to build a regular street-food night for the city of Bristol and continue with pop-ups and other events over the winter months.

For more details on tonight's event, head on over to their website, give their Facebook page a like, or follow them on Twitter.

Name: Debbi Lander

Occupation: Festival Director for Bristol Encounters Film Festival

Hometown: Liverpool

So firstly, what is the Bristol Encounters Festival? Encounters is the UK’s leading short film festival. It has been running for 19 years and this year it celebrates its 20th anniversary. It has a number of different aims and objectives. Its primary one is to showcase new high quality short films from all over the world. It is one of the UK’s largest competition for film makers with 2000 submissions from 80 countries and we select the ones that are most topical and are the best. We put these in front of the industry and audiences to develop opportunities for film-makers and show the people how good shorts films can be.

Bristol is often mentioned as being a hotbed of emerging artists and creative types. Do you think that the Encounters Festival is fortunate that is set in such a great setting? In terms of having a film a short film and animation festival, yes being in Bristol where the animation industry and the digital film sectors are really strong is great as it means we can bring that talent into the festival. Also short film is used by filmmakers to experiment with left field and alternative cinema. You can thank Banksy for that image of Bristol that is really perfect for what the films are trying to portray.

This is a big year for the encounters festival celebrating its 20th year, is there anything particularly special happening to signify this achievement? We are running a bit of an experiment in this year’s festival by hosting a perpetual cinema event. It is the first time we have done it. What this entails is every evening for 3 hours and all day on the weekend we will take over a cinema and run the Encounters Retrospective our selection of 20 films. This is a unique collection of 20 short films from 20 years of the Festival. Individually each one champions the form of the short film, while united they show the full breadth of diversity and freedom which the festival has had the pleasure to showcase over the last twenty years. So it acts as a drop in and is free. We are doing this so local people come and can come during their lunch or after dinner and just pop in. Another thing I want to mention is the project Vinyl requiem. Anyone who has a passion for records or a love of turntables and the analogue era then this is an ode to that.

Do you find that the Encounters Festival provides and experience unmatched by other film festivals? Providing the opportunity to discuss, debate and explore present and future in small films. It depends on which film festivals we are being compared to. They fall into either one of two categories. They can be audience focussed whereby they are about screenings or they are more industry focussed where there are workshops and masterclasses. Traditionally we have been more at the industry end but also we have quite an extensive public program as well which I am growing. Its multifaceted.

Are there any filmmakers or animators that you are particularly excited about this year? In the Retrospective is John Smith I absolutely love his films. I particularly enjoy short films that get into that non-narrative, nonlinear, weird territory. I have been programming the live AV(Audio Visual), at the Arnolfini, performances so am looking forward  Philip Jeck and Lol Sargent’s remake of Vinyl Requiem.

Do you feel fortunate that Bristol has some fantastic venues like the Watershed and the Arnolfini that can only add to the experience that the festival provides? The watershed, Arnolfini and cube are great venues. We benefit as they have audiences all year round and they benefit because we bring in internationals and different kind of audiences to their venues. In the future I’d like to be more site specific. In Bristol there are some great industrial sites and forests. There are some really interesting non funded spaces, but that requires a lot more money of course. There is a lot more demand for event based cinemas like rooftop cinemas, picnic cinemas.

Do you feel the UK has real talent for small films and animation and that this festival again promotes that talent? Its hard to say for me personally but what I do know is that filmmakers from other countries feel that Britain very much sets the standard for short films. I think it depends what you are looking for; the craft, the story. British films have won both the animation grand prix and the live action grand prix in the last year, which is the first time they have been won by the same nation. Also over half of the filmmakers at our festival are British. I think it’s safe to say that we are pretty good.

Hey Steve, how’s it going? A little rough around the edges but pretty well thanks!

The second annual Bristol Beer Week has arrived! Excited? Could you give us a little insight into the event? Where did the idea come from to start the week? I am very excited indeed. The idea came from the US via my beer week husband Lee Williams. He lived in the US for quite a while and experienced a number of beer weeks. He asked me whether I'd like to help him set up an equivalent event for Bristol when he moved back to the UK. The rest, as they say, is history. I've tried explaining beer week in a number of largely unsuccessful ways. The best I've come up with so far is "it's like the Edinburgh Festival but based around Bristol's blossoming beer culture”.

How many people are involved?  At the moment there are three people involved to a varying degree. Me, Lee "hoptopia" Williams and my best buddy Mike O'Connor. Unfortunately, Lee's had a lot going on this year so hasn't been as involved with the general running of beer week as he'd have liked. Mike is the brains behind the Bristol Beer Week logo and, as a very experienced graphic designer, has given Bristol Beer Week the illusion of professionalism! My role is to coordinate and publicise. I am the "head of communications" if you want to give me a silly title.

Before the Bristol Beer week was formed, what were you up to? Is this a huge new venture for you compared to your previous 9 to 5? I'll take it as a compliment that you have assumed this is my actual job! Alas, I still very much have a 9 to 5 too. I work in communications in an industry which has very little to do with beer (pensions!). I'd love to think that Bristol Beer Week becomes successful enough to support at least one person in a full time role but the problem is, beer week is very much a community style event and introducing any kind of commercialism could be really detrimental at this early stage.

Have you always been a big lover of beer? Well, not when I was a kid. Sorry, couldn't resist! In a word, no. I went to University in Bristol so that was three years of drinking the cheapest stuff we could get our hands on. My 20s weren't much different, though the beer got a bit more expensive I suppose. Belgian beer was probably my first beery fascination. I'm a bit obsessive myself so I love the whole glass matching thing. But it wasn’t until I had my first properly hoppy beer a few years ago (probably a Moor So’Hop) that I was hooked.

At the minute, the beer business seems huge! What do you think about the current beer scene? Are you noticing any changes in the way pubs function and what sort of drinks they’re offering customers? I think the current beer scene is 95% great. A huge range of beer available in keg, cask and bottle with establishments really trying to offer something interesting to the customer, all molded around an ever increasing community of likeminded people. I am only really qualified to talk about Bristol pubs but definitely I’ve seen a change, yes. We’ve always been blessed with great traditional freehouses selling a wide range of different, mainly local, beer. But whereas in the past we’ve generally had cocktail bars for people who didn’t fancy the trad pub route, we now have a new wave of places filling the gap in between. Whilst I don’t want to go anywhere near the cask/keg/craft/young/old debate, it’s undoubtable that there a lot of people who are having their eyes opened to beer as a result of these developments.

Just to going back to the 95% thing quickly, which may seem like an odd comment. Nothing is ever perfect, you wouldn’t want it to be. With rapid growth trends you will always get some people who either don’t get it or think they get it more than anyone else and designate themselves as an expert whose opinions cannot be challenged. I am not a huge fan of either group but it’s only 5% of the “scene”, so let’s not dwell on it.

On the opening night of Bristol Beer Week, Bishopton Supper Club hosted a beer matching dinner & in the Bristol Beer Week program, Stella of Avon Gorged talks a little about beer & food pairings. It’s an exceptionally interesting topic! Could you explain a little more? What should we be drinking with what, for example? I went to the Bishopston Supper Club meal and it was fantastic. Danielle’s food is right up there with the finest restaurants in the area and the beer chatter from Adrian Tierney-Jones was enthralling, even for the least beer-centric people in the room. The thing I like about beer and food tasting is that it doesn’t really have any rules. Well, that’s not strictly true, there are guidelines that you will learn if you aim to become a beer sommelier or certified cicerone. But it does feel a bit less regimented than wine and food matching. When Adrian was discussing his pairings he always concluded his summary with a question of “do you think it works?”. That’s the beauty of beer and food matching for me, it’s new and it’s inclusive. If you like it together, drink it together. Hopefully that covers the “What should we be drinking?” question too. The answer being “whatever you like”. I will say that the Wild Beer Co Modus Operandi with the pork terrine was pretty out of this world in terms of the way it worked together, so that’s as good a place to start as any.

It seems that we’ve reached the end of a long slog for cider, & I know there’s mixed opinions regarding cider with the Wriggle team alone. But with companies such as Carling jumping on the trend to create their own cider, is there any concerns that the real ale & craft beer business might have a similar fate or is that really out of the question? I am going to steer clear of cider if that’s OK. It’s a huge part of the West Country and something I know next to nothing about so I absolutely don’t want to offend anyone. I think I know what you’re getting at though. Yes, there absolutely will be big breweries who try to get a share of the craft/artisanal/micro beer industry, in fact it’s happening to an extent now. Some of the bigger breweries are actually creating offshoots smaller breweries that aren’t so restricted in what they can brew. I think that’s fine, as long as they’re producing good beer. Ultimately, it’s something they wouldn’t have done 5-10 years ago and I think that’s a really interesting development. Not everyone agrees with me but that’s a three pint discussion at least!

Has Bristol always been your hometown? If not, what brought you this way? No, I moved here 18 years ago when I went to Bristol Uni. I’ve never stopped being excited by Bristol and that’s why I chose to stay here after I graduated. I love the independence and creativity of the place, we always seem to do things a bit differently. That’s why I got involved in the music scene a few years ago and that’s why I am involved in the beer scene now.

Probably a tricky decision but where’s your favourite place to grab a drink or two? Anywhere we should be heading for a bite to ear & a pint? There are, of course, a number of places you should be heading to for a bite and a pint, most of them are covered in our beer week programme which is dotted about the city and is available to download on our website! There are places I go quite a lot but, as a general beery advocate for the city, I probably shouldn’t pick out my favourites!

Back to the festival -  What are you most looking forward to about the rest of the week? Well there are only a few days left now unfortunately but I am hoping to try and get around as many events as I can before Bristol Beer Week ends. Again, I am not going to pick out a specific event because I think that would be against the spirit of my involvement in the week. Keep an eye on our Twitter feed where we keep everyone up to date with what is happening. There will definitely be something special for everyone.

What’s the future got in-store for yourself & Bristol Beer Week? Anything we should be keeping an eye out for? The future for Bristol Beer Week is, I think, pretty rosy. We have fantastic levels of engagement this year and it’s been a palpable step up from last year. At the moment, the best I can say is that we hope we can take the same step forward next year and the year after and so on. The more I think about it, the more I think Bristol Beer Week can become a Bristol institution and be a huge event on the tourist calendar. I’d certainly like to continue to be involved as that happens.

Anything else you’d like to add? We hope that everyone has had an amazing time during Bristol Beer Week. Thanks to everyone that has bought a t-shirt, attended an event, followed us on Twitter and recommended us to their friends. Thanks also to the venues and breweries who have made the week what it is.

One of the things that we do want to do soon after the week has ended is try and get some tangible feedback so that we can put a good case together for future years. We’ll be issuing brief questionnaires via our website in a week or so and we’d be incredibly grateful if people could find one or two minutes to answer them. We’ll also be thinking about a round of crowd funding whilst we’re at the front of everyone’s thoughts so please keep an eye on our website for more details of that. Cheers!

Name: Hannah Clark

Occupation: Artistic Director, Bristol Biennial

Hometown: Newport, South Wales

What brought you this way? I studied in Bristol

So firstly, what is the Bristol Biennial? The Bristol Biennial is an artist-led festival of visual art that works with remarkable emerging artists. We have 31 art events taking place all over Bristol between 12-21 September. Some last for the whole festival, others are just 20 minutes long.

How did you personally get involved in the Biennial? Were you one of the original team from the first biennial in 2012? Over two years ago I emailed Catherine Bourne, the previous director, and asked if I could help with something. I came in quite late into the first Bristol Biennial, and helped with smaller aspects of the festival. We kept in touch and then she handed the festival over to me last May.

How come the festival is once every 2 years rather than the more traditional annual occasion? Being behind the scenes on this kind of event, you see how much planning goes on. It’s a bit like organising a few weddings over a week and a half. It’s not something you want to rush. It also gives time for projects to grow and develop and relationships to form. We will hopefully also be running some new projects between our festivals alongside 'I’M STAYING'.

Is the main focus of the festival public interaction and participation? This year the main focus is on bringing an extra element of engagement with the artworks. So yes, participatory, interactive, fleeting on the hoof chance sightings are all here. It’s about having an experience with art, and maybe art having an experience with you.

Do you feel the best way to connect with people through art is by encouraging public interaction and inclusion, to help them better understand the concepts being portrayed? It’s something I want to develop and understand more fully. I feel like humour in art and participation can break the ice and get people excited. There’s still the stigma around art being inaccessible and un-inclusive. It’s a different language like science and maths, but one that’s incredibly broad and open ended. It’s fascinating to test out what it is, what works and what doesn’t for engagement.

Bristol is often mentioned as being a hotbed of emerging artists and creative types. Do you think that the Biennial is a great outlet for many of Bristols emerging stars? Ooh yes I really do! I know that it’s very difficult to let people know what you’re doing, the spread the word and get people to your events, especially cracking out of the same crowd. We select our artists through an open call, which is very diplomatic for a Biennial! It gives artists the chance to take part, meet new people and we make sure they can be seen and heard as well as supporting them to produce their work.

Are there any artists or installation that you are particularly excited about this year? Of course! I’m very excited about the whole thing! But if I need to pin point certain artworks I will say Blind Chance, MINE, Cranberry Fields and Grass Men.

Are there plans to carry on the Biennial for many years to come and grow it further? I have strong intentions to carry on building the Bristol Biennial. We see it as a very important part of Bristol’s cultural scene. It provides so many opportunities and a fantastic portfolio of outstanding emerging artists. You will have to wait and see what unfolds for 2016, but now it’s just a seedling - it will grow.

What do you usually get up to in & around Bristol? Where are your favourite places to eat and drink? I am a prawn lover, a foodie and take delight in being in such a food and drink haven. My favourite places are Pocos, The Olive Shed and Small bar; oh and Obento with their week day deals! Other things I might get up to include cycling, going to gigs or events, having meetings at Harbourside no.1, and singing my heart out (alone) at home to a small cat called Hermione.

September is one of those forgotten months. The festival season has drawn to a close and none of us are sure whether to pack a rain coat in the mornings or not. But it shouldn’t be that way! In fact, Bristol is a bit of a pioneer - rather than lamenting the end of summer and falling into a grey pit of despair, Bristol kicks back into action as if to shout “we’re not going anywhere without a fight!” So let’s do it justice - let’s crawl out of those jumpers, put our sunglasses back on and pick up a pint! Here’s just a few things Bristol has in-store for us the next few days...

  Shadowing

Winner of the 2014 Playable City award, Shadowing is an inner-city installation starting tonight (Thursday 11th September) and acts as a reminder that we share this city with a whole host of different people. Jonathan Chomko, founder of the project says the installation will nudge “us to connect with those that share our spaces, and in doing so raises questions around anonymity and community, and which we value more.”

For those who stumble across the project in the streets of Bristol, which launches after dark, it’s a chance to interact with the city of Bristol - to make the streets a totally different experience, and transforming that normal walk home into an exciting new experience. The streets of Bristol are never static; they’re always full of commuters and dwellers, hustling and bustling to their next destination. This project will be a mighty reminder that our city is alive and ever changing with the people around us. It’s going to be a great way to see the city in quite literally a new light, within the shadows of others!

If you want to find out more about Playable City head on over to their website. You can also catch a few more words from Jonathan Chomko right over here!

  Stokes Croft Arts Festival

If you haven’t checked out Stokes Croft Arts Festival yet, don’t worry because there’s still a few days left! From Guerilla Gardening, Performance Poetry and extra special club nights, Stokes Croft Arts Festival can see you through the day from 9am to 3am with more events and activities than you could possibly imagine.

We caught up with Melissa, a true champ of the festival last week to find out more about the event which you can read this way. Some of our favourite bars and restaurants in Stokes Croft also have some extra special opportunities for Wrigglers this weekend, so keep checking the app regularly - that is, if you can take your eyes away from the booming Stokes Croft scene!

  Bristol Beer Week

Friday is the beginning of great things to come - the second annual Bristol Beer week. All across Bristol, a huge variety of incredible locations have some great events lined up for beer and food lovers alike. And this is something special. Pick up a program and you’ll be told almost immediately that this isn’t a beer festival. Steve, co-founder of the Bristol Beer Week says “festivals take place as part of the week but they are not the primary driver. The week is a collective celebration of beer and Bristol and we ask pubs, bars, breweries, shops and restaurants to put something special on to support this celebration.” So keep those diaries free from the 12th to the 21st - there’s a lot of drinking to be done. For more information on the very exclusive Bristol Beer Week events, visit their website, or track down a program with lots of tasty beer information buried away inside.

Bristol Biennial

This Friday also sounds in the opening of Bristol Biennial - The Folk House, tucked away on Park Street will host a huge launch party with drinks, entertainment and food, along with the switch on of Shaun C Badham’s artwork “I’M STAYING”. The following nine days boast a huge showcase of visual art from exceptional emerging artists all across the city. And there’s a huge amount for you to play a part in - believe us, this isn’t your usual white walled gallery exhibition - this is a feast for your senses! Check out more (you won’t be disappointed) on their website but hurry as many events are ticketed!

  Small Is…

If music, visual art, hands-on workshops and a pinch of philosophy is your thing, then Small Is Festival is a must this weekend. This festival is built around a huge amount of passion and thoughtfulness for the environment and nature, with workshops for the whole family that address energy issues, such as Solar Car Racing, to effortless music infusing inspirations of folk and world origin. If you’re popping along, check out The Melodic perform on Saturday night after their sellout tour - we caught these guys a while back and they’re mighty fine!

And the Small Is gang aren’t stopping there! They’ve also got hold of the Spotless Leopard to provide delicious vegan foodie treats throughout the weekend. From lentil burgers to die for, to cakes so perfect they melt in your mouth, the Spotless Leopard is part of the festival any attendee can’t afford to miss out on!

Want to get your hands on some tickets? Grab them over on their website now, or...keep an eye on the app !

Grape & Grain

Beer? Check. Wine? Check. Food? Check! Yep, Grape & Grain really do have a lot to offer any Bristolian foodie! With cookery demonstrations from chef masters, including Mary Berry, and food from Steak of the Art and the Canteen, the Grape & Grain festival is a haven of culinary delights and delicious beverages. Tickets are bound to shift quick, so if you’re free from tonight until the 14th and this sounds like your cup of tea, head over to the website and book, book , book!

Name: Jonathan Prestidge

Occupation: Director - Repack Espresso

Hometown: Brixham, Devon

What led you to Bath? My wife and I were moving back to the UK having several years living in Greece and Amsterdam. Bath seemed like a great place to live, and was equidistant to our respective parents.

Tell us a bit about Repack Espresso! How long have you guys been open for now? We opened in mid-March this year, so we're just coming up to the six month point.

What’s the story behind it? What made you decide to open your own place? I first became interested in speciality coffee after visiting Colonna and Smalls in Bath during their early days. I was amazed with the way in which coffee could be made into something much more complex and interesting than I had previously experienced. I'd spent the last ten years in higher education management and was looking for a change, and to do something I was passionate about - so my wife and I took the leap and opened our own shop.

Where does the name ‘Repack Espresso’ come from? Repack is the name of a dirt track in Marin County, California where the very first mountain bike race took place. Mountain biking has been a hobby of mine for more than twenty five years, and we wanted a name that reflected our interests and was related to cycling, so Repack Espresso fitted the bill perfectly. The word 'repack' also reflects the repacking of our lives for the adventure of starting the business.

Before the Repack Espresso days, what were you up to? I've been a teacher, a project manager for dotcoms and have worked in various management roles in the university sector.

What’s the best thing about having your own place? Meeting interesting people and serving them great coffee!

Down to your serious business: Coffee! Where do you usually source your beans from? What sort of tastes can we expect to find in-store right now? We have a number of suppliers, the main ones being Round Hill, Square Mile and Nude Espresso. We only use high end single origin/single estate coffees and are meticulous about their preparation.

At the moment we're running an Ethiopian natural espresso that tastes like strawberry cheesecake in milk, and an El Salvador espresso that tastes like banoffee pie as a flat white. This may sound far-fetched, but those flavour notes are quite pronounced! We've also got a Kenyan filter made with the Aeropress that has a lovely juicy peach and mango flavour profile.

You’re definitely more than just coffee though! You also stock some great biking goods that we definitely need to get our hands on. How have you integrated your love for cycling with Repack Espresso? We're cyclist friendly with racking for bikes outside, and products inside. Most of these are spares/lights/etc, but we also stock Torq energy gels and bars, which we think are the best and tastiest around. I've been biking for many years and have competed in mountain bike races and Ironman/half Ironman triathlons, so I would class myself as a keen cyclist. I also enjoy taking part in Sportives.

Aesthetically, we think Repack Espresso is stunning, both the interior & the logo design. What inspired the design? Jo, my wife and business partner, is the creative brain behind Repack. For the logo she wanted something that reflects the mountain biking background to our name but is also clean and uncluttered. She came up with a basic triangle with a wavy line that replicates the elevation profile of the Repack course. She had always loved the look of OSB which, like marble, has it's own unique patterns and a warm and tactile quality. She wanted to mix this with natural and black-painted wood as well as the clean white walls which form a canvas for our menu boards and, soon, some artwork. The school chairs, stools and tables mix nostalgia with an industrial feel but are also solid quality, like the coffee we serve! She has collected stainless steel-ware and quirky souvenir spoons for a long time so wanted to incorporate this into the design too, so her touch is in everything, even down to the sugar bowls!

During your launch, you hosted an after hours Latte Art competition right? Any events lined up for the near future we should be popping along to? We're always interested in running events - watch out for some coffee cupping events later in he year. We also offer barista training to the home user and aspiring professional baristas. My past career as a teacher definitely helps me to get the best from people in these sessions. I'm also keen to do some bike-related events and am working on something at the moment.

When you’re not busy in the shop, whereabouts do you like to unwind? Any great places we should be heading to? I like mountain biking on the trails around Cheddar Gorge, cross country running and hanging out with my wife and young daughter. Favourite places to eat/drink are currently the Sheppey in Godney Stoke (really cool pub in the middle of nowhere), Bakers and Co in Bristol and The Curator Cafe in Totnes, Devon.

Any plans for the future, both for yourself & Repack? We'll continue to source the best coffees in the world and will look to expand our food offering. I'm really interested in finding flavours that complement our coffees - much like a restaurant matches food with wine.

Autumn might not be something everyone looks forward to. The evenings are drawing in, and sunglasses are rapidly being replaced by pac-a-macs (donned only in 'screwed-up fashion, of course). But there's always something to look forward to at the turn of a season - the new issue of Shipshape magazine!

Bristol-based Shipshape magazine launches a new issue quarterly, filled to the brim with the very best of Bristol. Flicking through the pages, you'll find yourself lost in a world of exclusive interviews, event listings & maps allowing you to make the most of Bristol and explore every inch of its interesting demeanour.

Name/Occupation: Melissa Grace Farnie, Stokes Croft Festival of the Arts, Event Coordinator. It's great to meet you!

Hometown: Sunderland - A Mackem lass!

What brought you to Bristol? I absolutely fell in love with the city’s amazing energy and sense of community, the wonderful people that inhabit it and because the houses are funny colours here.

What’s special about the arts scene here? It's ALIVE! The art scene is vibrant and exciting, forever changing and every last inch is covered in paint! What’s the Stokes Croft Festival all about? It’s a week long celebration of all things art shaped within the creative quarter of Bristol, Stokes Croft!

Where did the idea come from? The idea was coined in April by the lovely people at It's All 2 Much Gallery and PRSC. We finally got the ball rolling around a month ago to go ahead with the celebration of the creative Croft!

Which places have you been working with? We are working with venues from Boston Tea Party all the way down into the Bear Pit; we've got the cream of the crop lined up for the event - we can't thank them enough for their involvement!

What has been the biggest challenge putting it together? Oh gosh, probably the tight timeframe! We've had a little over a month to piece the festival together but we've managed! PMA guys!

Where should we be grabbing something to eat in Stokes Croft? That's a toughie! The Stokes Croft area really does spoil us for choice, doesn't it? Hmm. I absolutely swear by the grub in The Canteen, there's always something a little bit different to pick from, and you can't grumble with the portion sizes! Where do you recommend to drink in Stokes Croft? Easily The Crofters Rights! The range of cider and beers is forever changing. It always gets us heading back for more! What event should we be checking out at the Art Festival? We are very, very much looking forward to the Collage Club at The Crofters Rights on Friday 12th. Like we keep saying, it's going to get sticky! Any installation or Street Art feature we should keep a look out for? Keep your ear to the ground for big Bear Pit announcements throughout the week of the festival - we have very big plans soon to be unveiled! Who’s your favourite Bristol based artists? I absolutely love Fuller - he's the lovely tall chap that illustrates the incredibly intricate maps of Bristol. We are looking to project his map on a building during the festival so keep your eyes peeled! Oh! Also, I have a huge soft spot for Deamsy - he lent us his awesome talents to create the poster and print design for the festival. Many, many thanks once again Deams! How can people get involved? In an all manner of different ways! We are looking for guerrilla gardeners, street team volunteers, buskers, painters, performers, film makers and all the bits in-between! We would love to get as many people as possible involved so don't be a stranger, link up with us on [email protected] - we are looking forward to hearing  from you already! Do you use the Wriggle App yourself? I do! It's absolutely awesome for keeping upto date with all the excitement bubbling away in Bristol!

Anything you’d like to add? We are thoroughly excited to champion the creative quarter of Bristol and we hope you will all join us to celebrate throughout the week. See you all there!

Hi Ursula, how are you today? I would say better than the average! I’m currently out in the countryside at my Mum’s farm, making the most of the fresh air and quiet. Oh, and developing our upcoming Autumn Menu! She grows tonnes of fruit and vegetables too, so I’m making the most of that.

Where’s your hometown? Brighton is my hometown. I moved around a fair bit growing up, but because I was there longest and have good memories of it, I call it my hometown.

What are the origins of Asia Pop? ASIA POP! started between me and two other friends with different Asian backgrounds and a mutual love for Asian food; Yoko, Sarah and Ursula. Our mission was to always bring authentic dishes from the East to the UK, and taking our main inspiration from the fascinating culture of Asian street food and food culture to create a unique culinary experience. It’s just me driving this forward now, as the other two live in London, and I’m in Bristol! Unfortunately it was hard to keep it running together due to other commitments.

What’s your all-time favourite Asia Pop dish? That’s a tricky one. My all-time favourite Asia Pop dish is probably our dumplings, but the Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza) is a big favourite amongst our customers.  All the dumplings are family recipes, handmade, and special to eat because they take loads of time and love to prepare.

Where do you see Asia Pop in 5 years? I see it popping up in another unique space or venue. The idea behind Asia Pop! is to be spontaneous, so you don’t know where we’ll be next. However, I do have an exciting collaboration idea in the bag, which we’re hoping to start this autumn or winter.

What’s your favourite place to eat in Bristol at the moment? This is a tricky one as there are a handful of great independent eateries in Bristol. I always enjoy my experience and food when I go to Bravas, a tapas restaurant started by a couple, initially as a supper club in their front room. I’ve chosen them because you can’t beat the atmosphere and the food is so delicious - you can clearly see the love and passion which has gone into it from the food, to the venue to the service. Otherwise, the collective I’m a part of - 'Bristol Eats' (British street-food awards winners for best UK collective) - have a great range of imaginative street-food vendors. I have tried the food by most of them and booked many of them for my inaugural street-food event ‘Eat.Drink.Dance', but you can find them at Temple Quay twice a month, and there is discussion about a regular Bristol Eats street-food night.

Favourite place to go out for drinks in Bristol? I would have to stick to a nearby local pub, so I’d go for either The Bell or The Hillgrove!

The Autumn Menu is coming up. What does it involve? DUMPLINGS!

How do you decide what to include? I try to keep the menu with a good balance between fun, healthy and delicious! I don’t tend to eat meat; I’m mainly vegetarian with some fish and dairy, so I always design the menu around this. I would say our menu is usually 90% vegetarian, but this doesn’t put the meat-eaters off. I try and tempt people to eat delicious food without meat being the centre stage. I do this by being imaginative with the menu. Creating vibrant and exciting dishes is key, but the exotic aspect helps! I am also conscious of where I source things, and we try and be as ethical and responsible as possible from the produce to the packaging!

What’s the highlight of the new menu? I have spent the last two weeks experimenting with researching different dumpling dishes, and also hi-jacking my Mum’s country-esque kitchen as a testing ground. I like to get her opinion, as many of the ingredients and recipes are influenced by family recipes. My Mum’s one of the main influences of my menu because she’s the reason I’m half Asian!

As a result, I recently came up with the 'ASIA POP! Special Dumplings' which is my highlight of the menu. It has a unique filling of 5 things for a real texture and crunch: spiced tofu, cashews and Chinese vegetables with a special homemade marinade which is a secret recipe! I was also pretty pleased with how the Spiralized Salads went down on the last menu, so I’ve decided to keep the Spiralized Sesame Carrot Salad (in the shape of noodles) on this menu too.

When and where can we get our hands on it? We’re opening with our new menu this Weds (3rd Sept) from 9am - 3pm at The Crofters Rights!

Name: Kate Brundrett What's your role in Picnic Cinema? Letting people know about the amazing thing that Picnic Cinema is. Hometown: Penrith, but we love Bristol! Tell us a bit about the Picnic Cinema. What’s it all about? Well, its not just a film but a whole experience – live band and entertainment, quiz, games, everyone dresses up –  more like a mini festival rather than a film showing – for people who like a party! Where did the idea come from? Our man Adrian. How long does it usually take you to get the event organised? We imagine one of the hardest parts is finalising a film, or does the whole team often naturally agree? Yeh we throw about film choices a lot – and put suggestions on our facebook page for people to feed back on; there’s a lot of banter on the fb site (and loads of pics of people dressing up from previous gigs!) We’re pretty intrigued by the location - How did you stumble across this one? Leigh Woods is ACE – an amazing location for both films and particularly The Hunger Games. The National Trust have been great to work with – we knew it’d be a Good Thing.

Tell us about the tour, these are the final dates! Where are the most interesting places you have been? We’ve been all over England in castles, courtyards and forests. But The Shining at Muncaster Castle was a highlight of the tour, and Robin Hood – Men in Tights at Sherwood Forest. Your ‘Idiots Guide’ is quite comprehensive! Are there unusual things Cine-goers have brought along with them that you might recommend or maybe even discourage?  Their grannies?! A chair is useful and warm stuff – it’s always colder than you think...  Finally, anything exciting lined-up for the future? Or is Picnic Cinema just where you want it to be? We always have surprises up our sleevies... Subscribers hear about things first!

Name: Chris Scullion and Christian Morrish

Occupation: If we actually had job descriptions that may ruin part of the fun of it. We like to think of ourselves as spiritual advisors.

Hometown: For Christian, Cornwall would be his spiritual home having shaken, strained and stirred with the best mixologists in Cornwall. He is however a local boy to Bath through and through. Chris spent many years in Scotland working for The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Gleneagles and some of Edinburghs top cocktail haunts.

  Tell us a bit about Independent Spirit - What’s the story about it? Independent Spirit of Bath was the culmination of many years of experience on both Christian and Chris' part. The shop came into being following a discussion about where to find the products we wanted to buy and the desire to do more than just the usual drinks offering. A combination of internal and external events/tastings married with a constant rotation of products keeps us excited about what we stock and gives us a stage to interact with our customers and guests like no one else can.

When you’re choosing drinks for your stock, how do you go about it? Anything specific you’re after? Anything that interests us! We receive a lot of samples and get to try really unusual stuff - but it really comes down to us wanting to share it with our customers. That’s what makes it on the shelves. For spirits, it’s always been about enjoying, engaging and entertaining about the wonders and intricacies of new and unusual spirits that keeps us passionate about it.

Where does your love for drinks stem from? I think we are both agreed that it was cheap and nasty mass produced beer. We live in a time where UK craft breweries and in particular the ones in the SW are leading the way in the world brewing stakes.

So this might be a tricky one but of all the drinks you stock, do you have a personal favourite? For Chris, whisky. We have some cracking american whiskies and one of our favourites is an indian whisky at the moment. For Christian, gin is the tipple of choice with Monkey 47 being a clear favourite. 47% and 47 different hand picked botanicles from the black forest in Germany.

You host regular tasting nights right? We hold our tasting events both internally in our tasting room downstairs or externally in venues across bath.

Any events lined up that we should stop by for? We have some great events lined up including cocktail masterclasses, specialist whisky tastings, rum, gin, craft beer and many more topics. We have a tequila tasting coming up next month that looks set to be an absolute blinder given how popular the last one was.

When you’re not busy selling some mighty fine drinks, where do you usually head to in Bath to wind down? Anywhere we should check out for great drinks? Our favourite place for a beer has to be Bath brew house, a brewpub here in bath with some great events. For a great night out off the beaten track we have beside us here in Terrace walk, Sleight magic bar - a great venue with live magic shows every weekend.

You already know about Biblos. Founded and run by the charming Ariel and William, Biblos has become a Bristol streetfood institution during its brief and successful history. Synonymous with high-quality locally-sourced fast food, Biblos caters a delightful mix of Middle Eastern and Caribbean flavours in simple, well presented dishes made to order.

Expect big flavours and fresh stock in its unique flat bread sandwich wraps, served with a smile. We love that there’s a concerted effort to provide home-made food sourced from local suppliers, with an emphasis on seasonal produce.

Biblos debut on Wriggle this Sunday (3rd August) and Monday (4th August). Follow them on Twitter and Facebook and check out their website www.biblos.co.uk

Name: Ariel Czackers

Occupation: Flavour Wizard & co- owner of Biblos.

Hometown: Wheatley (outside Oxford).

Hi Ariel, as a Flavour Wizard, what’s your favourite food at the moment? I love anything slow cooked, beef cheeks are a real favourite at the moment.

What about a favourite beverage? I’d say Coconut water. I just feel so good when I drink it! I can feel the health.

Tell us about Biblos. What’s the big idea? The idea behind Biblos is to bring the best bits of Middle Eastern and Caribbean street food together in one tasty, convenient package. This is combined with an easy going modern attitude. Everybody can feel comfortable walking in. Also it was important for us to get the consistency right. We want people to rely on us. Your Halloumi Wrap should taste the same now as it does tomorrow, and next month, and next year, and in ten years.

What do you recommend to a newcomer? My favourite Biblos offering is the falafel. It’s my pride and joy; the original recipe was passed to me by my father.

That’s what we like to hear! So where do you see Biblos in the future? I see Biblos opening a few more outlets around the city, maybe we’ll venture out towards Bath or Stroud. We want to grow, but at a controlled pace where we can keep on top of the developments and maintain quality. I would also like us to have established ourselves as the premier specialists in festival food offerings.

So what’s good about being a foodie in Bristol? I love the scene in Bristol, there’s so much choice and people are really passionate about what they do. 

Names: I’m Jethro Tool (living near Frome) the keyboard player with The Mangledwurzels. The other band members are guitarist Seth Pitt (Midsomer Norton) and our front-man Hedge Cutter (Shepton Mallet).

What’s the band history? Formed originally (and short-lived) as a four-piece in Jan 2005, we slimmed down to the trio for our first gig at the Somerset Wagon in Chilcompton in May of that year, and stayed as a three-piece ever since. We have released two albums on the Loose Records label (who had The Wurzels on their books in the 1980s): ‘Get Orf My Land!’ which was a live album recorded at the Charlton Inn in Shepton Mallet (our singer’s local pub), and ‘Wurz ‘Ee II’ a studio album of original songs recorded at the now-closed Handsome Llama Studios in Frome. We also released a three-track Christmas EP called ‘Stuff The Mangeldwurzels’ which raised funds for the charity RABI.

Any highlights? With over 850 gigs played, it’s hard to select highlights; but the Bath & West Show, Bristol Harbourside Festival, Bridgwater Carnival - and of course all those huge cider festivals at Bath Pavilion and Temple Meads are all up there. Stand-outs would be Bristol Airport (where we accidently met Acker Bilk as he arrived off a plane), and the Keep Cadbury’s Open campaign in Keynsham (where we almost got The Wurzels’ Pete Budd to join us on stage).  We have travelled as far as Brighton, London, Norwich, Northampton, Birmingham and Wrexham; supported punk icons Half Man Half Biscuit and in turn been supported by the Built Wells Male & Female Voice Choirs; and performed at Sheep Races in Priddy, Raft Races in Minehead, and the UK Mangold Hurling Championships in Sherston. Our most recently gig was at the Lowland Games in Muchelney.

What’s the best Wurzels track? The audience’s favourite is still Combine Harvester, with Cider Drinker, Blackbird and Drink Up Thy Cider as close seconds - but having performed these songs well over the thousand times, my personal favourites are the more obscure songs like Ferry To Glastonbury and Down in Neptnett Thrubwell.

Cider or Perry? I am partial to both; give me a good medium cider or perry (the real stuff, not these fizzy ones) and I am happy! And as I have a terrier called Perry and a spaniel called Scrumpy - it seems unfair to discriminate!

Favourite producer? There are a lot of great cidermakers out there - and most of them seem to be in Somerset. Check for Rich’s, Sheppey, Burrow Hill and Hecks medium ciders, although they’re just the best of an excellent range. If we are talking single varieties, probably Yarlington Mill cider and Blakeney Red perry. However, our guitarist prefers a dry cider, and our singer drinks sweet ciders - so they will totally disagree with me! 

What’s your best cider pun? We always end the first set with the line “…and remember folks, drink more cider because the more you drink, the better we sound”. Not sure if this is a pun, more just a fact of life!

What’s the Best Pub in Somerset? I live between Bath & Frome, just a few fields away from Tuckers Grave in Faulkland (BA3 5XF). Now that is a proper old school cider house; and must be seen to be believed. Not a huge range of ciders, but what they serve is proper stuff! And with one of The Mangledwurzels living so close AND the manager of The Wurzels and The Stranglers living even closer, you never know who might pop in for a pint!

Best Pub in Bristol? From my days as a Bristol resident in the late 1990s, two pubs stand out. The Coronation Tap in Clifton is a must-visit; I’ve been there several times, but can’t remember much - a great cider pub with regular live music. And there’s also the Cotham Porter Stores - that was my local when I lived in Redland; real cider on tap and tables made out of barrels - I know it’s changed hands recently; I hope it hasn’t changed too much because I had a lot of fun (and a lot of cider) in that pub!

Now we don’t mean to stand with achy feet that feel far too big for our boots, but we like to think things are going well - no, more than well - fantastic, perhaps? The app has just flown through the 3000 download mark and we’ve been receiving some ace feedback that leaves us beaming in our sleep after a hectic day at the office.

But it’s not about us at all really. Alright, we put the idea forward and developed the app but that doesn’t make it successful. So what does? Well, all in all, it’s thanks to each and every one of you who’ve downloaded the app. It’s down to the top-quality independent places and it’s a result of the incredible opportunities they offer. All of this keeps us motivated; a mixture of wonderful people and glorious gaffs, coming together to make Wriggle what it is! So to keep you coming back for more, we’re making it even easier for you to access Wriggle wherever you are. Whether your hands are tied to an office computer or your phone has slipped down the side of the sofa, you can still get your Wriggle on! We’re pleased to announced the release of our brand new Wriggle web-app that allows you to access fantastic offers at the greatest establishments in your city right on your web browser.

Name: Graham.

Occupation: Owner of the Berthamobile - a bright yellow Land Rover Defender complete with half a tonne of pizza oven.

Hometown: I'm northern and proud but more recently London.

What led you to Bristol? We moved to Bristol a couple of weeks ago but it's been our spiritual home for some time. We love its passion for the independents, the great food scene and the outdoor playground on the doorstep!

What’s the history behind Bertha’s? Back in London we had a Sheffield steel wood fired oven - Bertha to her friends. That's where our obsession with wood fired cooking took hold and the next thing I knew I was staging in some of the best pizzerias in the US and trying to turn our dream of owning a neighbourhood restaurant into reality.

So Bertha started off in London - What lead Bertha to Bristol? Bristol rocks. We've admired from afar for some time and never saw ourselves settling down in London. When the pizzeria idea was born we considered a whole host of possible locations around the country and beyond. Bristol just kept cropping back up, it seems to share the same values that we hold dear.

What encouraged you to leave your desk-bound world behind you and start a new adventure? There came a stage when we realised we'd regret it more if we never tried than if we tried and failed. Besides all our mates were getting sick to death of us talking about it so we had to give it a go.

You keep all your ingredients fresh, local and seasonal which leads to an ever-changing, exciting menu as well as food of the highest quality that leaves our taste buds demanding more - but we’ve been wondering: where did the inspiration to focus on Sourdough bloom from? Sourdough is where bread began. Right now it's in fashion but we're far more interested by how it tastes. We push our ferments longer so the gluten breaks down further and you end up with something which is both delicious and easy to digest. My life would be much easier if I switched to commercial yeast but where's the fun in that? A sourdough starter is for life not just for Christmas.

We love your land rover! Street food that can handle all weather! What’s the story behind it? Thank you. We looked at all sorts of vintage vans but a couple of days cycling around Bristol's hills and we knew they wouldn't cut it. Plus I'm a engineer by trade and love how accessible it all is; I'd take 'rustic charm' over plasticised features any day. The other traders seem to like her around too, only last month we towed out two transit vans which we're stuck on site.

Where’s your favourite place in Bristol to park up and get selling? Temple Quay market's a firm favourite - see you there on Thursday?

You’re also available for private hire, right? Ever rolled up to some mightily unusual events or has Bertha stayed in the realms of sanity so far? A wedding half way up the Old Man of Coniston in the Lakes would have to make that list. Five hours of jostling with the lorries in the slow lane was all worthwhile for the last couple of miles on a sheer gravel track.

When you’re not busy making and baking, where do you spend your down time kicking back? Any cool places we should be checking out in and around Bristol? We're the newbies, you should be telling us... It's early days but we love No. 12 Easton, East Bristol Bakery, Harts Bakery and Small Bar.

What’s the future for Bertha’s Sourdough Pizza and yourselves? Anything you’ve always wanted to try out? The master plan is to open a restaurant, get a dog and live happily ever after - who's after a wood fired sourdough pizzeria in their neighbourhood?

Although we’d never claim to be mega-movie nerds, we could probably muster up the spirit to quote the majority of perfectly placed one-liners from the entire Lethal Weapon Quadrilogy. And although we aren’t rulers of a vast movie collection that spans from the lighter lands of Romantic Comedy to the darker realms of film noir, you’ll regularly catch a few solitary tears as we crash through Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But perhaps that’s the thing - cinema is for anyone and everyone. Whatever you’re interested in you’ll find a film to suit; whatever mood you’re in, they’ll be something roaming around Film4 or the back of the DVD cupboard.

So where the heck does Bristol come in, you may ask? Well, amongst the food and drink festivals, gallery opening nights and effortless swarm of music from every nook and cranny, you’ll find the very best of Cinema in perfectly unique settings. Grab a pen and a scrap of paper - here’s a hitlist for the best of large and small screens throughout the city.

Two-Wheeled Drive In: A few weeks ago, we saddled up and spun our wheels with the Two-Wheeled Drive In gang to a secret location, tucked away off the Bristol to Bath cycle route. The film of choice: the outstanding classic comedy Zoolander. Now this night was more than just a cinematic experience. It was all about screaming cheesy lines, dressing up in our best derelict outfits and singing Wham at the top of our lungs. For anyone who loves to cycle and to dive into the depths of the unknown (we honestly didn’t know what to expect at all), this is most certainly the event for you. The location changes each and everytime to keep the vibe fresh so you never know where you’re going to end up! Keep an eye out to see what the gang are doing in the future.

Bristol Bad Film Club: Set up by a couple of self-confessed film geeks, Bristol Bad Film Club is essentially the very worst of Cinema transformed into the very best of experiences. With screenings of greats/absolute shockers such as Hercules in New York, Pulgasari and Samurai Cop, the evenings bring together a shared spirit of love and nostalgia for films that never quite made the big time, but in doing so, succeeded in becoming something even larger than ever could have been expected. This nights occur regularly enough (with an extra special event in Bedminster very soon) so if this sounds right up your street, check out their website and grab yourself some tickets.

Found Footage Festival: This hit cinematic event returns to the Watershed this year after two sell-out years in a row! The idea of the Found Footage Festival is to compile VHS footage uncovered in thift shops or discovered in the depths of garage sales. This footage is then packed together to create the one of a kind event of the finest and funniest footage this world has ever seen. If you’re feeling mighty intrigued, you can grab yourself some tickets now - certainly don’t hang around because this are gonna fly!

However, if you’re up for a spare of the moment event, or want to get into a movie marathon routine then regular film nights are probably the way forward.

Under the Stars: If you’re a lover of fine ales, refreshing ciders, and the mere mention of the seven seas, then this is the place to fulfill your film fantasies. Under the Stars is a bar on a boat at Bristol Harbourside, with a top deck perfect to spectate the stars (hence the name), that regularly hosts Monday Night Film Clubs. From Where the Wild Things Are to Mathilda, Under the Stars has the perfect selection of films for everyone to enjoy in an idyllic Bristolian setting.

The Cube: Driven by strong DIY ethics and volunteers, the Cube Microplex packs a strong punch at the Cinema scene in Bristol. From the monthly Hellfire Video Club showing the greatest “vintage psychotropic celluloid” to nights hosted by 20th Century Flicks, this is the place for serious film lovers of any and every genre.