Bristol24/7 to take over Better Food for a series of panel discussions

Bristol24/7 is hosting a celebration of Bristol’s culinary scene at Wapping Wharf on Thursday to launch our latest EatDrink24/7 guide.

Alongside a unique tasting menu, a host of Wapping Wharf traders serving street food plates, and live music and DJs, there will also be some of Bristol’s best restaurateurs and local thought leaders engaging in panel discussions in organic food haven Better Food.

The following line-up celebrates the work of Bristol businesses to support local communities and challenges trends in the hospitality industry.

Tickets for the Wapping Wharf event are available from £12 from Yuup, though Wapping Wharf will be free to enter as usual.

6pm – Regenerative farming and proper meat: A panel discussion and Q&A with Luke Hasell, The Soil Association (tbc), Jan Ostle and Mary Wilson

How we farm and grow food is absolutely key to reducing our impact on the planet. Mass producing and transporting of food has been one of the biggest contributors to climate change, loss of biodiversity and soil degradation. Hear from local growers and experts on the work being done in Bristol to grow and source food produce sustainably.

Jan Ostle and Mary Wilson are the owners and chefs/growers behind Wilsons on Chandos Road, which was recently named among the top 100 restaurants in the UK.

Luke Hasell is the owner of MeatBox and a keen advocate of regenerative farming and proper meat.

The Soil Association is a charity based in Bristol working to transform the way we eat, farm and care for our natural world.

The Wilsons team grow almost all of the produce for their restaurant – photo: Martin Booth

7pm – Brewing for good: How Bristol’s brewers are supporting their communities. A panel discussion with Arbor Ales, Good Chemistry, Wiper & True and Bristol Beer Factory

Bristol has an incredibly strong brewing scene, known not just for its excellent beer but also a strong community ethos. Hear from Jamie from Arbor Ales about their collaboration with Team Canteen, and how Kelly from Good Chemistry is using her work to platform and create inclusive spaces for women.

Sustainability manager at Wiper and True, Joe, will share details on how they have designed their new taproom and brewery to minimise waste and be completely accessible. Bristol Beer Factory will talk about the plans for their new Brewed to Give scheme, set to uplift local people and places.

The Wiper & True taproom and brewery has been designed with sustainability and accessibility at the fore – photo: Aaron Gibson

8pm – Are restaurants too expensive? A panel discussion with Josh Eggleton, Xanthe Clay and Ellie Pipe

For most people in the not too distant past, visits to restaurants would be reserved only for the most special of occasions and would be limited to once or twice a year. With rising costs at all stages of the supply chain, restaurants have recently been forced to increase prices at an unprecedented rate. But are they now at risk of forcing us back towards old dining habits?

Josh Eggleton is a chef, restaurateur and the owner of The Pony Chew Valley. He also owns Root, Salt & Malt, The Kensington Arms and is a partner in Bristol Beer Factory. In 2021 Josh founded community interest company Team Canteen that helps to connect hospitality to community.

Xanthe Clay has been a food columnist at the Telegraph for 24 years, including four years as President of the Guild of Food Writers. She is also the UK & Ireland Chair for World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Before joining the Telegraph, she worked as a chef.

Ellie Pipe is Bristol24/7’s Deputy Editor.

Josh Eggleton also teaches cooking classes at the newly reopened Pony Chew Valley – photo: Meg Houghton-Gilmour

All talks will be hosted by Florence Pardoe who runs food tours around Bristol with her company Good Stories in Food.

Talks will be free to attend and there is space for 35 people standing at each talk. Tickets from Yuup include a drink and a plate of food.

Recording and photography will be taking place inside Better Food.

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read next:

• Join Bristol24/7 to celebrate the launch of EatDrink24/7
• Redland restaurant placed in top-100 of UK’s best
• Bristol Beer Factory to invest £80,000 in local community

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