Recently, I shared with you a favourite recipe from Belinda Harley’s delightful cookbook Roast Lamb in the Olive Groves. Here is the review I promised you. Roast Lamb in the Olive Groves promises a trip into the heartland of Greek cooking, the simple, honest food that she calls the...
If you are looking for a sensational preserve to serve with cheese, fish or on a tasting plate then my Green Tomato and Lemon Preserve has to on your to do list. It has the perfect balance between sweet and sour, quick & simple to make, and once tried,...
The body of the Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, lies buried in the small, superb Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida – but only his body, as his head has never been found. There has been numerous theories concerning the fate of Goya’s skull, and among them two,...
If you walk across the Pont de Toledo over the Manzanares river in Madrid, you will see a stone niche protecting a forgotten sculpture of Santa María de la Cabeza, the widow of San Isidro (St Isidore), male patron saint of Madrid. The bridge was built between 1718 and...
The Church of San José (St Joseph) at No. 43 Calle de Alcalà, is probably the favourite spot of the ghost hunters who seem to abound in the city. The first ghost story associated with the church took place in the nineteenth century shortly after the expulsion in 1836b...
I love this light and fresh mousse from Belinda Harvey from her cookbook Roast Lamb in the Olive Groves, a review of which I will put on the blog shortly. This is a garlic-free tzatziki transformed into a mousse, but you can add a little garlic to it if you...
Closed in 1804, the cemetery attached to the Church of Sainte-Marguerite in the 11th Arrondissement in Paris, contains a small tomb with the inscription “L XVII – 1785-1795”. There is a mysterious story associated with this, as for a long time it was taken to be the tomb of...
Here is a recipe for the chocolate lovers out there – a superb French inspired Chocolate Cherry Tart which is sure to be an absolute hit with family and friends. Warning – this is a little bit of ‘death by chocolate’ so be prepared!! I have made this...
I have just finished reading this wonderful trilogy from Michael Harrington and wanted to share the book with you. The book is described in the following way: “The City of Man is a trilogy based on a true story of the Italian Renaissance. The three books are structured on...
The fountain or Nymphaeum of Fata Morgana* (Ninfeo della Fata Morgana) is an astonishing building imbued with a dreamlike atmosphere of myth and, perhaps, magic! According to an inscription carved in stone – I am, o reader, the youthful Fata Morgana, who here gives youth to others – the waters...
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.
