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I didn’t know what polenta was, so you can imagine the look on my face when our waiter delivered the plate of gloop to the table.īack in Venice this winter, ostensibly for the Biennale but armed with reservations at ANTICHE CARAMPANE, ALLE TESTIERE and AL COVO, we stayed in an apartment just steps from the VINO VERO natural wine bar. In late September I took an overnight train to Italy and trekked through the dark, wet, pre-Google Maps streets of Venice in search of a tiny restaurant said to serve the best polenta in the city, perhaps even in the whole of Italy. Over the course of that student summer I discovered fondue, oysters, tagine and pho … and life has not been the same since. My first tentative steps as a chowhound began in Paris, when a job at Habitat in Les Halles provided me not just with a comprehensive vocabulary when it comes to kitchen equipment, light fittings and curtain fixings, but also with a weekly allocation of Tickets Restaurant – vouchers intended to be used for lunch each day but which I saved up for weekend blowouts. Wasted food opportunities are another matter altogether. Put food and wine front and centre of your travel plans, we say, and no matter how bad the weather, how poorly the team plays, how expensive the shopping, how disappointing the AirBnB, the exhibition or the play, we’ll still have a good time and come home with recommendations to share. (How could we have allowed this to happen? We drop our heads in shame.) We’re the people who can’t countenance a holiday destination that doesn’t involve good food, the ones who are still smarting over the bad meal we had in the shadow of the Duomo in Florence a decade ago. Know us by the lists on our laptops, the accounts we follow on Instagram, by our restaurant triangulation. There are wonderful holiday homes in France, Spain and Italy, or any other destination you may want to choose for your next foodie holiday.Once a chowhound, always a chowhound. Particularly when going with a large group of people, having a holiday home can also be incredibly cost effective, of course.
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If you want to avoid staying in a below par hotel, it might be a great idea to hire a holiday home in the country where you want to go for your foodie holiday. You may have a crummy hotel, but if the food is good, your holiday will be a great success. Going on foodie holidays is one way to make sure that your holiday is a success. Spain offers a variety of seafood dishes that are truly amazing and there really is something for every taste to enjoy. The tapas and the paella are a true delight to the taste buds, particularly when enjoyed with some of the fine Spanish wines, or Sangria of course. Spain is another great destination for foodie holidays. The only solution to combat the weight gain you will experience if you go on foodie holidays to Italy, is buying a larger sized pair of trousers!Īs far as drinks go, a foodie holiday to Italy would not be complete without sampling some of the beautiful coffees and espressos, although be careful and remember that the caffeine in Italian coffees is strong enough to keep you awake at night! A holiday in Italy is most certainly not a good idea for those who want to watch their weight. Pastas, pizzas, cakes, deserts, you name it, the Italians make it.
Foodie holidays movie#
If you have read the book or seen the movie Eat, Pray, Love, you will know that Italy is the place to go to eat. Of course, a foodie holiday should also include drinks, and France has a host of wines for you to sample, as well a champagne and cognac, of course. Of course, France is also the place to go for foodie holidays if you like bread and cheese, as there is a tremendous variety of these on offer. Of course, the French enjoy some odd, although delicious, food, such as snails and frog’s legs, but you can also enjoy some amazing foods, like the world famous Coq au Vin or Boullabaise. The French usually eat around eight times per day, which is one of the reasons why you will find portions are small.
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For me, there are three places in the world to go to for foodie holidays, but this is mainly because, for me, there is nothing like Mediterranean cuisine.įrance is the place to go for foodie holidays if you like to nibble. You may be in a beautiful location with a fantastic holiday apartment and great temperature, but if the food is below standard and there is nothing for your taste buds to enjoy, that is the part you will remember for most of your holiday. In my personal opinion, food is often what makes the holiday.
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