Food mileage
The latest openings and food travel trends around the world
EAT
Food-obsessed Bristol is an apt choice to host the first ever British Dal Festival. A free event, one of the highlights will be a Dal Trail around the city’s restaurants, cafés and markets; venues will serve their favourite dals, with the winning recipe announced at the end of the week. Other initiatives include an online recipe bank and the planting of pulses in The Bearpit roundabout by volunteers from Incredible Edible. Local chefs will be demonstrating various dal dishes at Bristol Farmers’ Market and the celebrations will finish at Paintworks on 25 March with street food, market stalls, children’s activities and music. 19-25 March; britishdalfestival.com
STAY
It may not be possible to sleep in the Château de Chambord itself (the largest château in the Loire, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site’s architectural highlights is a double spiral staircase rumoured to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci) but, from this month, you can book the second-best option when the Relais de Chambord opens. A partnership between the French government and the Marugal hotel group (whose other hotels include Mallorca’s Cap Rocat, Menorca’s Torralbenc and Hotel Viura in Rioja) the Relais de Chambord is a vast former farmhouse only 50 metres away from the famous château. Lavishly restored, when it re-opens expect 56 indulgent bedrooms, a spa, a wood-panelled bar and a restaurant, Le Grand Saint Michel, serving classic French cuisine and the region’s best wines. Doubles from 148, b&b; relaisdechambord.com
TOUR
If you live in the south-east and are curious to find out more about the region’s best wines, beers and gins, you’ll want to hop aboard Grape & Grain Tours’ minibus for one of its new food-and-drink-themed day trips. Launching this month, the company is starting with two tours – one focussed on the Surrey Hills and one on Hampshire. Hosted by guides with insider knowledge of the drinks industry, both trips will take in tastings at local boutique wineries, breweries and distilleries, as well as lunch at a recommended local gastropub. If you’re struggling for Mother’s Day present ideas, the all-inclusive tours can, handily, also be bought as gift vouchers. From £99 per person;