Go nuts for Doughnuts on 'Fat Thursday'

A designated day for eating doughnuts? Tell us more...

Much like our pancake day in Britain, every February Poland goes similarly nuts for doughnuts. Fat Thursday, or Tłusty Czwartek, the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent (ALERT! It's this Thursday, 8 February 2018!), is traditionally a day dedicated to meeting with friends and family and eating sweet dishes – the most popular being pączki (Polish doughnuts) - in the name of good luck.  

A Polish proverb states ‘those who don’t eat a stack of pączki on Fat Thursday will have an empty barn and their field destroyed by mice’.     

And we can’t have that. So if you’d like to get in on the action, get your chops around Bristol’s finest doughnuts...

Image - @PippinDoughnuts

Pinkmans 

Start the day in the most delicious way and pick up one of Pinkman’s sensational sourdoughnuts, which hit the counter at 7.30am. Magnificent looking sugar-dusted doughy balls of goodness, their tasty regular bakes include Chocolate Brownie, Honeycomb and Apple and Blackberry Crumble and the chefs regularly dream up equally fun and interesting flavours. Scrum-diddily-umptious.

Image - Pinkmans 

Pippin Doughnuts 

These freshly made, handcrafted delights were included in Buzzfeed’s ‘18 British Doughnuts You Must Eat Before You Die’. Regulars include oozing fillings of molten chocolate ganache, creamy custard, lemon curd and sticky gem-like jam join weekly limited edition flavours plus tasty toppings, gorgeous glazes and seasonal specials. Snaffle them up every Friday from 9am onwards at St Nick’s Bristol Street Food Market, Wine Street. Go, go, go! 

Image - @PippinDoughnuts

Hobbs House Bakery 

Sometimes all you need is a simple, jam doughnut. But other times, it’s better to supersize it, go all out and sink your gnashers into a chocolate-filled brioche doughnut topped with a chunk of crunchy honeycomb. Hobbs House have got both bases covered – head to their shops on Gloucester Road or North Street, Bedminster for exceedingly splendid doughnuts.

Image - @HobbsHouseBakery

Joe’s Bakery 

This bakery on Gloucester Road dates back to the late 1800s which means it has many years of doughnut-perfecting under its belt. According to highly reliable sources, the blueberry doughnuts are the best… as are the apple ones, ring ones and iced ones - so you’re golden, whatever takes your fancy. 

Image - @JoesBakeryBris

Tincan Coffee Co.  

Doughnut Fridays at Tincan on North Street in Bedminster mean dangerously more-ish delights such as Chai custard or Vanilla custard and macerated date doughnuts grace the counters. Sink one (or several) with one of their specialist coffees, made to order by local artisan roaster, Clifton Coffee. 

Image - Chai custard doughnuts, @TincanCoffeeCo

Bomboloni  

Bomboloni in Italian means doughnuts and these doughnuts mean business. This new Italian kitchen on Gloucester Road do exceptionally tasty ones. Don’t just take our word for it…pop in and try some for yourself! 

Image - @1Bomboloni

VX Bristol 

This vegan junk food, coffee and grocery shop in Bedminster offers delicious alternatives to the bland lentil-bashing reputation that some associate with vegan food. Their Minty Monstershake milkshake topped with a ring donut, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and sweet popcorn is just one example.  

Image - Minty monstershake, @VXBristol

Krispy Kreme 

You’ll have heard of these guys and Bristol has a couple of them to satisfy your kravings. Cabot Circus – a huge shopping centre in the heart of Bristol Shopping Quarter – houses one, Avonmeads Shopping Park, St Philips Causeway, the other (a 24-hour drive-thru!). Go for a selection pack so you can try a bit of everything...

...Because, let's face it, you don't want your fields destroyed by mice. Right?

Image - @KrispyKreme