Rosanna Spence

That Bristol has a vibrant independent restaurant scene is a given and with culinary gems dotted all over the city, it’s one that demands to be noticed. But what does it take to run a restaurant in these challenging times? What are the talents required to be a top chef, is every restaurateur after a Michelin star, and are the kitchens really like those depicted on screen in the likes of The Bear and Boiling Point?

We hear from screen and stage star Les Dennis, who plays Old Joe, the owner of the diner and pie shop where Jenna (Carrie Hope Fletcher) works, in the current UK and Ireland Tour of the musical Waitress, coming to the Bristol Hippodrome from Tuesday 4 until Saturday 8 August… What do you love about playing Joe? I played the father Wilbur in Hairspray, who was devoted to his wife and daughter, and I love this show just as much. Joe is a surrogate dad to the main character Jenna.

Our friends at Gloucester Road Books present their pick of the fresh pages being published this month which should be top of your ‘to read’ list… The Leveret  by Anna Goldreich – Penguin Books – paperback published June 18 This story of queer love promises to be a heartbreaking and nuanced exploration of the differing forms grief can take.