I have spent quite a bit of time over the last few days thinking through my blog and facebook page, and I have bombarded my patient husband with random ideas and he has tolerated and been supportive of my out of the box thoughts. This experience has really been...
Here is a little piece by Lawrence Durrell from his wonderful book Reflections on a Marine Venus – A Companion to the Landscape of Rhodes, first published in 1953. Having visited Rhodes in late August which is the time he is describing here, the scene painted here is clear...
I seem to be a ‘wine’ frame of mind today – no reason except that it is a beautiful day and I have been reading some wonderful material. Here is another except from Prospero’s Cell by Lawrence Durrell which really caught my imagination…. Read it and close your eyes...
If you love making preserves as much as I do then this little titbit from Lawrence Durrell in Prospero’s Cell will ring a chord with you…. “Now that the robola is safely on the way, the Count can turn his attention to the kitchens with their gleaming copper ware and dungeon-like ovens. Here he busies...
A little quote from Arrigo Cipriani of Harry’s Bar, Venice on choosing a wine glass…. “As for the shape and colour of the glasses, they deserve a whole treatise to themselves. Two years ago I remember seeing some small glass amphorae at the Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilization in Lyons,...
One of my favourite books is Elizabeth David’s A Book of Mediterranean Food, first published in 1950. This is a wonderful extract…. enjoy! “All culinary tasks should be performed with reverential love, don’t you think so? To say that a cook must possess the requisite outfit of culinary skill...
“Winegrowing involves aspects of craft which is not necessarily dependent on the achievement but the process. If there’s anything wrong with modern life from my perspective, it’s that people want a result…they think that by acquiring things they’ll be happy… But happiness comes from giving and receiving service. If you find that...
I was reading the Feb-March 2014 edition of France Today and came across this interesting piece of ‘wine trivia’ (trivia in the nicest possible way) about wine corks written by Linda Johnson – Bell and I thought I would share it with you. “Around 340,000 tonnes of cork...
“When you uncork a bottle of mature fine wine, what you are drinking is the product of a particular culture and tradition, a particular soil, a particular climate, the weather in that year, and the love and labour of people who may since have died. The wine is...
I love the relationship between wine and food. When the right wine meets the right food, something magical happens. Here are a couple of quotes from Jean-André Charial of Provence fame which those of you who appreciate this relationship should enjoy, as much as I do. “A good wine demonstrates the personality of the...
Welcome to my love affair with the food, wine, history and culture of the Mediterranean, past and present. Here you will find not only recipes, drinks and fabulous products, but the history of the food and culture of the Mediterranean.
My purpose is to get you to explore and experience new tastes and along the way to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of this diverse and wonderful region – from Venice to Istanbul, Rome to Dubrovnik, Athens to Crete and all places in between and in the surrounds. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and enthralled as you take this trip with me.
