The big day will soon be upon us, and bookings for Christmas lunches, dinners, drinks, and other activities are already open at many of the city’s hotspots, so here’s the low down of great things to organise for partying with your friends and colleagues.
Activity Afternoons
The number of venues offering an activity other than boozing in the city centre has risen dramatically over the past couple of years. Why not use your Christmas party as an opportunity for some team building and socialising that doesn’t need to be white wine fuelled? OK, you can have the wine after you’ve had some imposed jollities…
- Axe Throwing @ Whistle Punks – Unleash your inner lumberjack and compete with your colleagues or even in the national league. https://whistlepunks.com/, Holloway Head, B1 1QP.
- Escape Rooms @ Escape Live – Get locked up with your team and work through puzzles to make your escape. https://www.escapelive.co.uk/, Henrietta Street, B19 3PS
- Table Tennis @ Serve – Food, drink, disco, and…… table tennis. https://www.servebirmingham.co.uk/, Temple Row, B2 5LS
- Crazy Golf @ Ghetto Golf – Grab some street food with a cocktail or two and play a round on this funky (and slightly rude) Digbeth hangout. https://www.ghettogolf.co.uk/, Gibb Street, B9 4AA
- Bowling & more @ Lane 7 – Eats, drinks, and bowling, plus shuffleboard, retro arcade games, mini golf, and beer pong. https://lane7.co.uk/birmingham/, B1 1RN
- Darts @ 180 Club – What’s more fun than throwing little pointed sticks while having a beer and realising that the FD’s mental arithmetic isn’t what it could be? http://www.180club.co.uk/, St Paul’s Square, B3 1QS
Independent Food and Drinks
There is definitely a place for restaurant chains, and we have many good ones in the city (who doesn’t love a Nandos, cheeky or otherwise) but we love the energy and enthusiasm that comes from owner operated independents and these are some of our favourites which are perfect for festive fun!
- Whisky Tasting @ Birmingham Whisky Club – Try tots of the of the world’s finest whiskies with great instruction from the very knowledgeable staff. https://thebirminghamwhiskyclub.co.uk/, Vyse Street, B18 6HA
- Wine Tasting @ Loki Wine – Not sure how to drink wine? The team here will see you right, and once you’ve learned about it they’ll let you loose on the wine tasting machines. https://www.lokiwine.co.uk/, Great Western Arcade, B2 5HU
- Street Food @ Digbeth Dining Club – Can’t all decide what you want to eat? Why not spend an evening at Digbeth dining club trying one of the dozens of vendors offering everything from Thai to Toasties. http://www.digbethdiningclub.co.uk/, Digbeth, B9 4AG
If you’re after more traditional options (though I have no truck with turkey and tinsel being a necessity) then maybe lunch or dinner at one of these:
- Pint Shop – Christmas lunch with wine plus twenty draft beers and dozens of bottles. http://pintshop.co.uk/, Bennetts Hill, B2 5SN
- Fazenda – Perfect for larger groups this new Brazilian offers traditional rodizio style dining in an elegant dining room, and has delicious pescatarian and vegetarian options too. https://fazenda.co.uk/, Barwick Street, B3 2AA
- Opus Restaurant – Stalwart of the Birmingham dining scene they’re sure to offer you a swanky dinner. https://www.opusrestaurant.co.uk/, Cornwall Street, B3 2DE
- Pure Craft – Modern bar with good food. https://www.purecraftbars.com/, Waterloo Street, B2 5TJ
- JuJu’s Cafe – Dining here comes complete with a hug from wonderful and charismatic owner Julia. https://www.jujuscafe.co.uk/, Canal Square, B16 8EH
Merry Christmas!
Sadler’s have been part of my drinking repertoire since 2006 when the brewing dynasty of 150 years opened The Windsor Castle on Lye Cross, close to where I use to drink at The Shovel. They were, to my knowledge, the first micro brewery in the area, well before micro breweries were trendy. Since then they’ve moved operations over the road to Sadler’s Brewhouse and Bar with very significant expansion of operations. It’s still very much run from its Black Country site by fifth generation brewer Chris Sadler, who produces beers for venues across the country including three of their own; the brewhouse in Lye, a tap room in Quinton, and happily for us a new venue very close to us, Brewer’s Social Harborne.
dinner and drinks and ended up with free food courtesy of us being major fanboys of the brand. The odd freebie doesn’t change our opinion on somewhere, and you can see our 
The refurbishment has seen the first floor turned in to seating for dining. Windows have been covered with geometric detailing matching the modern wooden panelling, giving the space a cosy feel without it being overcrowded. Downstairs feels high end brasserie, with leather booths, dark woods, and bright metals, softened by an interior floral installation that spans half the ground floor ceiling. Geometric designs on floors and walls echo in the Chesterfield buttoning of the booths, bringing a real modern feel to the space.
chicken with waffles (£13.95). The crumb on the chicken was spicy and the meat succulent, drizzled with spicy sweet sriracha maple chili syrup, and dressed with soft waffles and candied smoked bacon. This came together as a great dish with layers of sweet and spicy flavours, and interesting textures.
“Are you sure it’s down this way?” asked the driver of our taxi after we’d been driving for 5 minutes away from the main road into the middle of the woods. While there has been a restaurant tucked away in Sutton Park park for many years, it still seems somewhat of a secret of Sutton residents. Recently this hideaway which is named after the large pool it sits beside, The Bracebridge, has been taken over by a family team, with chef brothers Scott and Steven Lewis in the kitchen. They’ve found it difficult to staff the place, partly because it’s not somewhere you can get public transport to, but after a few months of churn they’re happy now with the team.
We visited for a sunny August birthday lunch, and started out with a well-chilled prosecco. I’m picky about prosecco finding them often too tart and cheap tasting, and I would ordinarily choose a cava or a French sparkling. Occasionally though I try a prosecco like this one, which is balanced and fruity, and perfect for a warm day.
apples, sultanas, delicate tasting warm mackerel, and a dill crème fraiche dressing. Our friends took the smart looking Tarka Dhal Scallops, and tell us it packed a spicy punch.
style seating is well served by an outdoor bar.
Desserts aren’t my bag but if I’m going to have one it’ll be chocolate. Happily there was a chocolate torte with orange on the menu, and it did not disappoint. The torte was rich, and had a hidden pocket of orange syrup, and was topped with blackened orange segments. The passion fruit pavlova was vibrant and fun, and our friend enjoyed the lemon meringue tart with raspberry coulis, which looked great on the plate.
per person which I thought was good value for a top notch celebration meal in a beautiful location. We’ll be back.
What a brilliant weekend! The Birmingham Pride 2019 Parade was kicked off by Festival Director Lawrence Barton, who this year was joined by the deputy head teacher at the centre of anti-LGBT attacks at a Birmingham primary school, and two Muslim LGBT allies. Andrew Moffat MBE, an assistant headteacher at Parkfield Community School has been the focal point of sustained and continuing homophobic protests by people who say that Andrew’s work on the “No Outsiders” programme is contrary to the Islamic faith (
represented in the parade. Poignantly given the recent discussion around our Muslim community, The 
including those with international notoriety, and the attendant costs and security concerns around that are obvious. If you think the on-the-day tickets are too pricey I’d suggest getting in early – early bird tickets are available about 8 months in advance and are much cheaper.
do the right thing – I should know, I’ve been one of those staff members in several of those companies! Some companies also give at least some profits from sales of Pride promotional items to charity, like M&S and their rainbow cake (disclosure: we were gifted the cake for the photos #itsnotjustanyfreebieitsanm&sfreebie). Birmingham Pride also donates its profits to charity.
Over the last 5 years Independent Birmingham has championed both the city of Birmingham, and the marvellous independents that are the life and soul of this place we call home. The Independent Birmingham Awards are a way of further celebrating these magnificent independent businesses, and the hard working and talented people behind our favourite local spots.
and great people. It’s an event for the independents, to celebrate their successes and the love, passion and devotion they have poured into their businesses and this city.
Sadler’s Brewing Co. are proud to announce their newest seasonal beer – an Onion Bhaji Pale Ale, “Argy Bhaji.”
4.6% pale ale starts with a soft, sweet, thin mouth feel but gradually grows into sweet but subtle red onion flavours with a gentle but noticeable spice.
Some other notable ingredients include grated ginger, fresh coriander, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and a single Scotch Bonnet. But the real star of the show is the Coriander Seeds. They’re rich in essential oils which are similar to those found in the Citra hop. The finish brew has a IBU of C35, which goes to show how sweet this beer is.
CineQ launches a two-day queer film festival taking place on 22nd-24th March in venues across Birmingham. Shortcut to website and tickets 
representative of the LGBTQ community with which to tour cinemas, film festivals and film societies in the region in order to grow the appetites of LGBTQ cinema lovers in the Midlands.
Birmingham such as Phoenix Cinema in Leicester and has been awarded recognition by Cinema for All, Britain’s leading authority for community cinemas and film societies.
OUT IN BRUM 