Rome.
The foodie capital of the world. In this series of blog posts I look at my top five foodie experiences in this beautiful city starting with two good old favourites…
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Grom gelataria
Not being the world’s biggest fan of ice cream, I never pictured the day I’d dedicate an entire blog post to ice cream. But that’s before I discovered Grom near Rome’s bustling Campo di Fiori.
Artichokes (Jewish style) and pizzas by the slice in the sun
Our foodie week in Rome couldn’t have got off to a better start. Last night, we looked in our trusty copy of the Lonely Planet to see where the nearest eateries were open late on a sunday night. We took our chances and headed to a little street called Via Portico d’Ottavia nearby. There were several small and welcoming looking restaurants open but we were drawn to the one with a man sitting outside peeling fresh artichokes. Only a few hours before, I’d been reading about how legendary Rome’s artichokes were, especially in the Jewish quarter. Thrilled at the thought of tucking into artichokes that had just been peeled minutes before, we headed inside Il Giardino Romano. Read More
Three leftover sausages
We had university friends to stay at the weekend and an obigatory fried breakfast was on the menu on sunday morning, following a night of wine, beer and in the boys’ case, a couple too many whiskies. Three leftover sausages remained. One of my pet hates in life is wasting food and I pride myself on my ability to create rather lovely meals from forgotten vegetables, lonely half finished packs of dried goods and perhaps a tin of something from the back of the cupboard. This recipe emerged from a little experimenting and it’s a real winter warmer that’s worth a try… Read More
The Three Chimneys and other stories
I woke up early and spent an hour or so nursing a cup of tea whilst staring out of the window at the view outside our cottage. This place is beyond tranquil – there’s something about being here that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a Britain from 1,000 years ago. Not to make it sound like it’s backward here or anything as it isn’t. It’s just life feels more simple here – away from the hustle and bustle. Away from ambition, money and social ladders. I felt so glad to be spending a few days here away from everything.
Once Jake was up, we spent the day driving around the circuit of the Trotternish Peninsula (where our cottage is.) We did a couple of long walks, the second of which took us up to see what’s known as “The Old Man of Storr” on the east of the peninsula. It was quite a walk up, but once we got up there, the views were quite amazing. Read More
Lochs and farm shops
Only two days married we found ourselves bombing up the A1 to the Isle of Skye for our mini-moon. From Leeds this was quite a journey so Jake suggested a pit stop at the Mainsgill café and farm shop at Scotch Corner. He told me this was where he and “the boys” would go whenever they did a mountain biking trip to Scotland. Not to offend Jake and his lovely friends… but a greasy spoon café came to mind.
It couldn’t have been further from that. It’s an enormous café/ farm shop on the site of a farm. Before you enter you’re welcomed by punnets of juicy strawberries, smiling button mushrooms and spindly carrots with punky green hairstyles.
My growing appreciation for oysters
I had a little taste of what hard-core foodies get up to in their spare time last night and I enjoyed every minute of it! My foodie friend Felicity Spector took me as her ‘plus one’ to the launch of “Hubbub” at the delightful Melrose & Morgan shop/café in Primrose Hill.
Hubbub is a bit like the online grocer Ocado but it’s a lot more focused on local artisan food products. Basically, you go onto the website and you enter your postcode (they only operate in London at the moment), then based on where you live, they link you to amazing produce from independent grocers, butchers, delis and fishmongers close to you. You can then place a food order from a range of different food outlets, then Hubbub delivers it to your door!
Best ever bacon sarnie
When I woke up this Sunday morning and peered outside at the street below, I knew it was a day for being inside. Tiny snowflakes were twirling and tumbling, covering the stationary cars, branches of trees and rooftops below like a thick dusting of flour. I switched on ‘Saturday Morning best bites’ and it wasn’t long before I started pondering what to make for Sunday brunch.
Home Alone
On Tuesday evening I was home alone. Not in the Macaulay Culkin sense… there wasn’t a tin of paint or a burglar in sight. No, Jake was away doing business – in Bucharest of all places. So I had the rare chance to eat whatever I wanted to in the evening. My mind started conjuring up all the foodstuffs loved by me, and loathed by Jake; olives, fennel, butternut squash… salad. Yes that would be it. A nice Asian salad. This is what I came up with, and it really was delicious…
Inundated by burgers
Is it me or are burger restaurants coming out of London’s metaphorical ears? It seems that every time I read Time Out, a new burger place is opening up in some trendy part of Shoreditch or Soho. Burger and Lobster is one of the chains that’s opened up quite recently, that I would really like to try. There are only two things on the menu, and there’s no prizes for guessing what those things are.
I’ve already tried some of London’s better known burger chains. Byron is always a failsafe if you’re in the West End and you fancy something a bit more substantial (and a bit naughty) than your average Pret.
The Aubergine Kitchen 