Two of the most successful websites in Bristol have joined forces to create the definitive guide to food and drink in the city.
Bristolbites.co.uk is the culmination of six months’ work by food blogger Emily Knight and Chris Brown, editor of the award-winning online newspaper Bristol24-7.
The site, which builds on Emily’s hugely successful Bristol Bites blog, has been built by Bristol24-7 and incorporates the latest news and reviews, events calendar and dedicated business directory. The move underlines the creativity of Bristol's independent media community and its ability to use innovation to outpace the city's struggling traditional media organisations.
Emily said: “I set up the original blog in January 2010 after moving to Bristol the previous August.
“I’ve always had an interest in food and drink, and couldn’t believe how many great restaurants, bars and amazing local producers the city had.
“I had searched for a resource that would keep me updated with what was going on in the city but found nothing, so decided to chronicle my discoveries via a blog so that I could share what I had found with residents and visitors.”
Bristol Bites now has more than 10,000 page views a month and 2,600-plus Twitter followers. Its reviews regularly appear in Bristol Business News's weekly e-bulletin.
Emily first started working with Bristol 24-7, the EDF Energy South West website of the year, when Chris agreed to syndicate her blog content on his site.
The pair decided that there was a gap in the market for a comprehensive local food and drink resource, and have been working together over the past year to create the new site.
It will still feature all of the elements for which the blog has become known – reviews, a calendar of events, profiles of local businesses and details of local offers, but will also include some new additions.
The directory will provide a searchable database of Bristol-based food and drink businesses, from pubs, pop-up restaurants and producers to shops and supper clubs: including a Bristol Bites review where available, contact and social networking details of the business, and a chance for site users to post their own reviews and ratings on each business' listing page.
The partnership with Bristol24-7 has allowed Emily to provide the city’s food and drink business with a great range of digital marketing services – such as website design, social media campaigns and PR – as well as event management and networking events.
Chris said: “Working with Emily was one of the easiest decisions I have ever had to make.
“Her dedication over the past 18 months has allowed her to create one of the most popular blogs in the city, and I can only see her going from strength to strength.
“It was important to offer the great food and drink businesses in Bristol real added value and services they desperately needed to help them grow through the recession and its fallout.
“Our combined backgrounds allow us to offer a range of services, from organising events such as launch nights and press and blogger activities, to enabling brands to make the most of their online presence.”
The site goes live at on Monday, October 17. Later that day a launch party takes place at the recently-opened Milk Thistle on Colston Avenue with dozens of the city’s food and drink industry movers and shakers already confirmed to attend.
Bristol24-7 has gone from strength to strength since its launch in June 2009 by former Independent and Western Daily Press journalist Chris Brown. It now has 60,000 unique visitors a month and 3,900 Twitter followers.
