It’s been a busy week in food and much else with my birthday last Wednesday and then a trip to northern Spain with friend Annie over a long weekend (more on that to come in my next posts). Here’s how it shaped out:

Tuesday – Anything Goes Salad

It was book club night and I just threw some salad things together to eat before I went: tomatoes, red peppers, avocado, radishes, fennel, cucumber, diced Gouda cheese, fresh herbs and made a simple olive oil and cider vinegar dressing. I took the bus into Richmond and walked up Richmond Hill. It’s lovely to see how quickly the days are getting longer and the wonderful view from the top of the hill across the Thames towards Twickenham and Ham is becoming more visible as I arrive.

Wednesday – A Birthday!

I went to the Cloister Coffee House with my friend Liz for lunch (click here for blog review) and in the evening had a takeaway from my favourite local Indian restaurant, Tangawizi, with Jonathan and Lyndsey.

We ate in because it was easier than finding a babysitter for Freddie, but it’s still a good treat. We opened some Gewürztraminer wine, which is a great accompaniment to Indian food. And because I can never resist a sweet treat on a special day I’d bought these gorgeous little raspberry tarts with a chocolate crème pâtisserie filling at Your Bakery Whitton in the morning.

Thursday – Evening in Soho

This was the day I ate a snack at Bar Italia before meeting a friend to see a film in Soho. Click here for review.

Friday – Holiday Countdown

Annie arrived late afternoon on Friday to stay the night, as our flight from Heathrow to Bilbao was very early on Saturday morning. We took a very easy route to supper and walked down the road to Ruben’s Refettorio for one of their brilliant pizzas. I had a Pizza Margherita with an extra topping of roasted vegetables. It was – as always – excellent.

Saturday – Bilbao and Pinxtos

We arrived in Bilbao in time to drop our bags at our hotel and then make our way into the old part of town and find a bar to have a snack of pinxtos for lunch before going to the Guggenheim Museum. More on this later!

Sunday – A Relaxed Breakfast Before a Bus Trip to San Sebastian

We headed back to the Plaza Nueva where we’d eaten the day before and found a lovely café for breakfast: freshly squeezed orange juice, delicious croissants and a very good coffee.

Monday – Pinxtos, Pinxtos and More Pinxtos

San Sebastian is the capital of pinxtos (pronounced pin-chos), a large form of tapas – bar snacks – found in Basque country. The idea is you go from bar to bar, choosing just a couple each time and then move on to a new bar to try more. It’s a wonderful way to eat! And more to come on a later post.