The return of the Somerset Food Trail, are we all actually eating empty calories, and where to find a nice pint in Bristol

Also featuring a mugging on the author, committed by a Bristolian seagull

It is time, dear readers, for your monthly digest of Food-Related Things That Are in My Head and May or May Not Be Worth Documenting, But Let’s Do it Anyway. Today we have a variety of topics ranging from ‘how regenerative are Yeo Valley’s dairy products actually’ to ‘what’s really in – or more appropriately what really isn’t in – your food.’

Free subscribers get a sneak preview, paid subscribers get the jucier stuff.

Alright, on with it then.

An On the Spoon lunchtime feast, not unlike this one, is set to take place in Kingsbury Episcopi as part of the Somerset Food Trail

For the first time in two years, the Somerset Food Trail returns this July. Live now is their line up of 75 venues taking part, with 30-mile menus, farm tours, cheese tastings, and suchlike. Find the closest food trail venue to you from the directory here.

Among the recent and soon-to-be openings – at least those in the eastern part of Somerset to which the WFJ radar coverage is, admittedly, mostly attuned – are the following: In Frome, an ex-Old Pharmacy chef’s butchery named BØF (pronounced ‘boof’ and meaning ‘steak’ in Danish – don’t worry, early signs are positive) has appeared in place of the old H.E. Williams, while a bagel shop from the folks behind Glastonbury bakery Fara is taking over the former Tondo site. Over in Bath, Emberwood (the chef was previously at Poco Tapas and Clifton Lido) is gaining momentum, while probably the region’s best ice cream is serving from Brickell’s new pop-up hut in Milsom Place.

Love the platform or hate the platform, Substack continues to attract a cohort of food writers with something new and/or interesting to convey (this one notwithstanding). Over the last month or so I’ve stumbled upon and enjoyed reading what

Cheryl Queen of Markets

has to say about the stigma unfairly aligned at farmers’ markets;

The Goal is to Eat

’s minor London food scandals and other scuttlebut; and

Dan O'Regan

’s musings on what it’s like to run (and lose money in) a (Bristol) restaurant. If you feel you might be missing out on new writing too, Substack’s Notes feature is a good place to frequent.

If you ever find yourself in Bristol a little parched, you could do a lot worse than what appears on

Boak & Bailey

’s list of suggestions. Personal favourites include The King’s Head, Wiper & True’s taproom, Left Handed Giant’s brewpub, The Barley Mow, and The Strawberry Thief.

I really liked grower Sarah Alun-Jones’ account on the continual devaluation of organic veg. Or rather how responsibly-produced food requires a large amount of labour, and that, based on her experience, in order to keep costs to the consumer down an exploitation of that labour (or an insufficient number of workers) is almost always preferred.