People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol favourites: Genevieve Taylor
Genevieve Taylor is a food writer and food stylist who shares her home in St Anne’s with her husband, two children, two dogs, two cats and three chickens. Genevieve’s new book, How to Eat Outside: Fabulous Al Fresco Food for BBQs, Bonfires, Camping & More, was published earlier this month by Bantam Press.
Here are Genevieve’s top-five Bristol favourites:
Nightingale Valley, St Anne’s
“People ask me where I live and on hearing its St Annes, the reaction is generally ‘St where?’; to which I usually reply, ‘sort of the back end of Brislington’. It’s a truly secret corner of the city, even for many life-long Bristolians and I love it primarily for its green spaces. Our house is above Nightingale Valley, a slender strip of woodland that spreads upwards from each bank of the Brislington Brook and home to a plethora of wildlife, from kingfishers and tawny owls, to badgers and foxes. There is even a rumour that otters are coming back and setting up home there. It feels like a real lung for Bristol, and as I take my daily walk through with my dogs I feel really content to live is such a secret part of town.”
Sweet Mart
“When I head to St Mark’s Road in Easton I always have one destination in mind, the legendary Sweet Mart, a veritable treasure trove of exciting ingredients, spices, herbs, interesting pulses, bottles of sauces and relishes. Not to mention the whole rows of Indian street food snacks that I always indulge in. As a cook with a passion for travel and spicy food, it’s literally like being a kid in a sweet shop. Maybe that’s why they call it Sweet Mart? But it’s not just this shop I love; the whole street is a hustle and bustle of activity, especially on a Friday afternoon when people are gathering for prayers at the mosque at the end of the road. And as for the fabulous East Bristol Bakery – best ciabatta in Bristol, so says my son who could munch through a whole one in a single sitting.”
Driving along Brunel Way
“It’s a big busy road, I’m often in a hurry, stressed and impatient with the traffic (this is part of my twice daily school run route… we’re invariably late) but there is a certain point on Brunel Way, just as you turn the corner with Greville Smythe Park and the Create Centre on the right hand side, that you get the most amazing view of Bristol. It begins when the Suspension Bridge comes into my eyeline, with Royal York Crescent sweeping off to the side and the gorgeous pastel hues of the Cliftonwood houses tumbling down the hill towards the harbour. It always lifts my spirits, without fail.”
Bristol harbour
“Last summer we spent most Sundays canoeing around the harbour, taking advantage of Sport England funding that All-Aboard Watersports had secured to encourage more families onto the water. I’ve lived in this city for nearly 20 years but, bar a couple of booze cruises eons ago, I’ve never really been on the water. It was fab to get a whole new perspective on a city I thought I knew inside out. Being small and close to the surface it was amazing to paddle up close to the large boats and historical buildings, in and out of the little nooks and crannies. A whole new world.”
Bravas
“As a food writer it is perhaps surprising that I don’t eat out that often but two kids scuppered impromptu evenings out long ago and we often forget to get round to organising a babysitter. But when we do I like to go to somewhere really relaxed. I’m not a particular fan of of fine dining and loathe fuss and pomp of ‘posh restaurants. Bravas, a tiny tapas bar on Cotham Hill where you just turn up, perch at the crowded bar or hover in a corner until there’s space at a table, fits the bill perfectly. The food is amazing, the beer is icy cold and they have some lovely sherries (one of my favourite tipples). Actually, I’d go as far as to say it’s the most realistic tapas experience I’ve had outside of Spain.”
