Food for Thought

Monday night and I'm in Bristol... we were on a one-liner today in London as it was day three of the Budget debate, and, having managed to persuade a colleague to do my SI (delegated legislation committee) for me, I was able to spend a day with the team in the constituency. We went to Grounded in Church Road for lunch, which followed hot on the heels of my first ever visit there, on Saturday in between campaign sessions. (St George in the morning, Brislington in the afternoon with our council candidate, Mike Wollacott, and then Eastville yesterday.)

Grounded is another step in what some might dub the gentrification of St George - it's all goats cheese, capers and parmesan shavings, quite Clifton in fact, but we like it. And it does soya lattes, which gets my vote. It was virtually full at lunchtime on a Saturday and also at 3pm on a Monday, which bodes quite well for its survival.

In other local news, I also popped into Love Food's Spring Festival at the Old Passenger Shed, Temple Meads, yesterday. Stunning venue and good to see it being used for a farmers market type event, rather than the usual corporate affairs. Lorna, whose brainchild the Love Food Festival is, will feature in the next edition of Marie Claire. Great example of how the Prince's Trust has helped get an original, local business idea off the ground. As I write this I am eating a (vegi-deli mince) shepherd's pie made with forraged wild garlic; someone gave me a bunch at the festival, and very nice it is too. Again, another plus to being able to spend a bit more time in Bristol; I can cook!

I'd been hoping to travel down to London tomorrow morning, but as it happens, I have to catch a late train to London tonight because I'm doing some filming in Parliament with the Vegan Society tomorrow morning, for a promo. At least it means I get to watch "Ask the Chancellors", starting on Channel 4 in a moment. I suspect expectations of George Osborne are so low, he might exceed them, but let's see.