Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
I’ve gone to Spain to visit my lovely friends Linda and George every year bar one (when we instead went together to Istanbul) since 2006. On the hour’s drive from Alicante airport to their home, about halfway into the journey, the towering buildings of Benidorm stretch along the coastline and in their own way they […]
Read MoreThe nearest towns from where we’re staying in Spain are Benissa (inland) and Calpe and Moraira on the coast. Moraira is by far the prettiest and one of the most unspoilt towns on this part of the Costa Blanca. Backed by mountains it offers some dramatic and often stunning views all along the coastal roads […]
Read MoreI love the outdoor living here in Spain. In common with many Spanish homes, Linda and George have a summer kitchen. Situated near their swimming pool it makes good sense, especially when family and friends come with children but in the heat, it’s just so nice to cook and prepare food outside. We eat outside […]
Read MoreI’ve been visiting my lovely friends Linda and George in Spain regularly for a few years but this year I’ve come with Jonathan, Lyndsey and Baby Gale. There had to be a few changes to the normal routine. No train to Gatwick but the car and long term parking plus hiring a car at the […]
Read MoreIt was a lovely sunny morning for my June visit to Kew for the ‘A Year in Kew Gardens’ project on the blog. Such a lot had changed in four weeks. The bluebells had died down, the wisteria flowers had gone and there wasn’t a tulip in sight. However, there was riot of colour everywhere […]
Read MoreOnce a friend sought some advice and when I’d given my thoughts she said she was so pleased she’d asked me as she knew I’d think the same way as her, and you should always seek advice from someone who will tell you what you want to hear. I was reminded of this exchange as […]
Read MoreChefs and TV cooks can be a little scornful of dried herbs. Mary Berry is a big pro-fresh herb exponent and Skye Gyngell writes in A Year in My Kitchen that ‘dried herbs (possibly with the exception of mint) are not worth using’ and only ‘contribute a musty staleness to a dish’. Of course, I […]
Read MoreI loved the Livorno style baccalà – salt cod – I had last week at the Orso regional dinner when they ‘visited’ Tuscany. I found a recipe in Antonio Carluccio’s Italia book and was keen to try it out for myself. Carluccio uses red mullet, which I found in a lot of recipes for this dish […]
Read MoreIn my search for good Greek food in London a few months ago – soon after I returned from Crete – I found The Life Goddess recommended by Victoria Hislop on her website and thought I must try it sometime. Today I decided to make the most of a free day and head into central […]
Read MoreI’m generally a fan of the minimalist approach to risottos: just one or two main ingredients that are allowed to shine with the rice. And, of course, the rice must be a good risotto rice that will give that essential creaminess, such as arborio or vialone nano. However, when I was in Venice recently, I […]
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