People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol favourites: Jonathan Parker
Jonathan Parker is team leader and services manager at Off the Record, a charity celebrating its 50th anniversary this year that provides free, confidential and self-referral mental health support to young people around Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
Here are Jonathan’s top-five Bristol favourites:
Birch
is needed now More than ever
“I remember walking past Birch, noticing the hard work of the couple Sam and Becky who decided to give this old rundown takeaway a new lease of life, wondering what would come of it. Well, as the Guardian put it in a recent review, “I’d give my eye teeth to have this a my local”, and I am lucky enough to have it around the corner. It is a fantastic place to go and have a meal, with all the produce grown and produced by the owners. The atmosphere is intimate but laid back and the food and service is spot on.”
Lido
“A good friend introduced me to the Lido, and I understood very quickly why he had been an advocate of its offerings. It would be easy to walk past without realising what lay behind its discreet signage; an oasis in the midst of busy city life. The pool and its other facilities provide a chance to switch off, unwind and enjoy the general serene vibe of the place.”
Rare Butchers
“Although frequenting Aldi for the weekly staples, Rare Butchers of Southville is among a few other local shops that offer fantastic produce and service. The meat is second to none, demonstrated by them recently being crowned the best butchers by the Bristol Good Food Awards. If you fancy cooking up a steak, having a BBQ or cooking a roast this is the place to go for the ingredients.”
Angel Berry
“I recently went to Angel Berry on the centre with a couple of friends who were frozen yoghurt newbies. Having tucked into the frozen good stuff covered in pick and mix, they were so grateful for its discovery they went in for a weird post-froyo hug of thanks. On a hot summer’s day, after a long day’s work, or frankly, for any reason at all – it makes life seem a little sweeter.”
Bristol Roller Derby
“We were very fortunate to be made Bristol Roller Derby‘s charity of the year, so along with their fast-paced, high-energy roller derby matches, they’re also great folks doing work behind the scenes to support OTR. They recently skated from Bristol to Bath (I’m exhausted just thinking about it) and raised more than £1,200 from their efforts.”