This time last week, I was enjoying VegFest in Bristol. I have been to VegFest before in London but this was my first time visiting the food festival in Bristol. I lived in Bristol for three years for university and this was a great opportunity to visit the city, as I haven't been back for four years. So with the nostalgia came good food and it surprised me just how Bristol has raised it's foodie game and how much I remembered of the city.
The main difference of the two locations is that the Bristol version is in a venue that is situated outside and is near the beautiful harbourside, whilst the London version is in a large indoor arena. This contributes to two very different vibes, which are both fun and full of food, which is perfect for me! There was alot on offer and I tried as much as my stomach would allow me but of course some things had to be overlooked, such as the lasagna in the picture above, which I would love a piece of now.
It was a lovely day in Bristol, not as nice as the Saturday but nice enough for a daytrip. As I mentioned before, the festival was held outside and there were alot of vendors there. 2 marquees and a vast outside area was full of stalls with lots on offer. I was disappointed that Mighty Food Fight, a vegan donut company, were there on the Saturday but not the Sunday, however I soon forgot about that with the other vendors that were in attendance. Why is it human nature to concentrate on what is NOT there?! Anyway, I digress.
The picture above is the first foodie treats that we tried. This was all £5, we have a samosa, chilli pakora, andwa, atom bomb and 2 different types of bhajia. The samosa and andwa were my favourite out of this selection and I quite liked the tamarind sauce that it came with. Needless to say, that was my week's worth of fried food done with.
I love every kind of banana and when I saw there was Carribean food on offer, especially plantain, I knew I had to try it. It cost me £2.50 for this selection and it was the best plantain I have tried. They had been caramelised beautifully, it was a good portion and I just loved it.. St Best Caribbean Caterers, you rock!
This vendor had a queue that was a mile long, obviously Bristol is craving Lebanese food.
I tried some ice-cream made of coconut milk, which was really delicious. I tried two flavours, chocolate and caramel. The caramel was my favourite and I honestly thought it was normal ice-cream but had seen the sign so I could reassure myself. Creamy, full of flavour but yet not too sweet. Perfection!
I love anything coconut related and just like my visit to VegFest London, I had to have the fresh coconut water. It was refreshing and the perfect pick me up to revitalise me. The best thing was that once you finish the water, they split it in half for you and give you a spoon to scoop up and eat the inside. I wish that coconuts were available like this in Birmingham, I could use the water and insides for smoothies. They would be so tasty!
Interesting how this vendor had made smoothie mixes into ice-lolly's, reminded me of the fruit ice-lollies I had in Barcelona.
I love potatoes and there was one stall that was dedicated to double cooked chips. We decided to try the cajun spiced variety, they were crispy and well-spiced on the outside, also soft and warm on the inside. Also quite a big portion for the £3 price tag.
As well as going to VegFest, we had a little reminiscent trip around Bristol.
This stall was on the high street near to Cabot Circus and it served just Falafel. They had salads and hummus to go with the fresh falafel. I never got to try it but wished it had been around when I was in uni, especially at 3am when I used to be heading home from clubbing. I imagine it would have been so much better than a kebab!
Tried out a Green Goddess from a independent coffee shop, called The Crazy Fox. It was tasty but a tad too sour but their coffee looked great and smelt great.
Another food stall I spotted was this one called Rana's Daba, which was serving Indian street food, which smelt amazing.
Bristol, why you so pretty?! Also, many thanks to my mother for being my model in this image. Wouldn't this be a great place for a fashion show?
How could I go to Bristol and not get a picture of Banksy piece?! My particular favourite is the Pulp Fiction image in Stokes Croft, which pictures John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's characters within the movie but instead of guns they have bananas. Another is of an astronaut with Lidl bags. I didn't have images of these because we didn't go to the Stokes Croft side of the city on this particular day but I remember them as they used to be on my way to my flat in my second and third year of university.
College Green has always looked pretty.
These are the goodies we came away with, the rest were in our bellies.
Did you go, what did you think of VegFest Bristol?
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