From exploring Mauritius’ food scene through its street food, to learning to cook authentic Italian pasta, and understanding the stories behind Spain’s finest tapas, find out about the best food tours in the world in these blogs.
Happy eating!
What an adventure the last few weeks have been! A truly epic, eye-opening, heart-warming one.
For me, Japan was a country rooted firmly at no.1 on my bucket list. It leapt onto it a few years ago, and I can 100% say the food was a major reason.
I’m back from an incredible week in sunny Florida! Along with swimming with manatees (WOWEEEEE), cruising around in a 2-seater catamaran, seeing the beaches from above in a biplane and an action-packed road trip, we found plenty of time to eat too!
And oh how we ate. From Cuban sandwiches and gourmet ice pops, to bowls of ramen, poke and the freshest seafood, I was really impressed with the food scene out there.
For a flavour of my trip, check out the video first…
And now, sit back and relax as I take you on a foodie road trip around Tampa, St Petersburg, Pasco County and Crystal River. Don’t read if you’re hungry!
Visit Tampa…. for buzzing food halls, hipster cafes, retro diners and historic eateries.
The most photogenic restaurant I’ve been to in ages, Oxford Exchange is home to a light, airy, Instagrammable dining room, café, co-working space, book store and gift shop. After enjoying a strong coffee and a delicious slice of toast topped with smashed avocado, lemon and cayenne, I ventured out to explore the rest of the building. There’s a sunlit conservatory, with plants weaving their way up the white walls. There are areas that feel like you’re wandering the corridors and staircases of a historic university. There’s the book store and gift store where you’ll want to buy EVERYTHING (no, really!). It’s smart, yet casual, and one of my favourite finds from the entire road trip.
First things first, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room. Yes, England may be mocked internationally for its cuisine, with people assuming it’s all about greasy fry ups, meals soaked in gravy and overcooked meat… but right now there’s a food revolution going on.
As we pay more attention to where our food comes from and what’s in it, our relationship towards eating has changed. If we had all the money in the world, no doubt we’d buy free-range, organic everything and be on first name terms with our local butchers and fishmongers. We’d have gardens and grow plenty of our own ingredients too. Yet, this is becoming harder and harder as huge supermarkets are our main providers of our daily food.
However, this is not the case in Borough Market. Under one historic roof you’ll find freshly baked focaccia, ethically sourced meat, the most colourful (and organic) fruit and veg, sustainable seafood, stinky Swiss cheese, Indian dosas, Spanish chorizo and adorable macaroons. It’s a feast for the senses: a place where India mingles with China, Ethiopia, Argentina, France and England. It’s foodie heaven, and without a doubt one of my favourite places in London.
It’s also the starting point for the Best Of British Food Tour – something I was excited to experience on assignment with Viator and Lonely Planet. Over four hours I’d be taken on a tour of Borough Market, then on to a few foodie hotspots who were flying the flag for British cuisine. I couldn’t wait!
I absolutely adore the flavours of Indian food. The spices, the aromas, the powerful blend of ingredients and of course the heat! Since travelling, my chilli tolerance has grown a lot it. From fiery chillies in Mexico, to Caribbean hot sauce and the delicious spices in Indonesia, I’ve worked my way through some punchy, flavoursome cuisines. One of my favourite meals always has been (and probably always will be) curry! Whether it’s a trip to my fave curry house or mum’s homemade concoctions, it’s one of those meals I always look forward to.
When it comes to cooking curry, I’ve gone through phases. I own a lot of spices, including a special Indian spice set. Yet, without a permanent home these days, it’s gone into storage. More often, I use a couple of spices and then add a shop-bought paste, but I’m totally aware that is pretty generic and a bit of a cop out! I also discovered that my partner cooks a mean curry, and so we decided that I’m the ramen queen and he’s the curry king!
So when we had the opportunity to visit a cooking school in Central London for a two-hour curry cooking class with a professional chef, we jumped at the chance. We hoped to learn some new techniques and hopefully add some new dishes to our repertoire.
L’atelier Des Chefs is a top cookery school with two branches – one in London’s Oxford Circus and the other in St Paul’s. They offer classes from 30 minutes to 4 hours, and last year taught over 30,000 people how to cook. They cover everything from knife skills and bread making to sushi and macaroons.
