Want to try the best street-food in the UK? Here’s our pick of the best food trucks and Britain’s best street-food vans…

Blue Caribou, Manchester – Québécois street-food

Graham Gartside-Bernier and Vincent Bernier are spreading the love for Québécois cuisine to the North West. Visit them in Manchester’s Arndale and try poutines (fries loaded with gravy and cheese curds) topped with pastrami and pickles, or seaweed and sriracha. @bcsnackbar

Green Label, south-west – vegan street-food

Husband and wife Jim and Kara Hayward run Green Label, serving vegan street-food across the country. Try meze boxes filled with Asian quinoa salad, smacked cucumber and cannellini beans as well as flatbreads topped with jerk jackfruit, plantain and coconut yogurt.

Click here to find out where to find it next @karasvegansoulfood

Cuban sandwich factory, Northern Ireland – Cuban street-food

Clued-up Belfast foodies love the Cubano-style pressed, toasted sandwiches at Carlos Arguelles’ friendly takeaway-café.

On Saturdays, the factory also pops-up at St George’s Market, where shoppers wolf-down his stacked beef brisket and roast pork sandwiches.

Go for anything that involves Carlos’s vibrant chimichurri sauce. It’s a zinger.

@cubanobelfast

Here are our best ever toastie recipes including:

 

• Gouda and chilli jam French toast

• Greens and gruyère toastie

• Quick and easy halloumi and honey toastie

• The patty melt sandwich

• Posh cheese, bacon and fig toasties

Cheese Toastie, southern England – British street-food

You already know Tom and Henry Herbert, The Fabulous Baker Brothers. But now another brother from the Hobbs House baking dynasty, Archie, is spreading the slow-fermented love with his self-explanatory Cheese Toastie stall.

You can expect tangy Hobbs House St. Martin sourdough with a cheese mix which includes Barbers’ punchy 1833 Somerset cheddar, or add home-smoked beef brisket or Wiltshire ham to what Jamie Oliver described as: “The most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten in bed.”

Click here to find out where to find it next @toastie_toastie

Listen to our podcast with Tom Herbert here…

The Little Taquero, Bristol – Mexican street-food

Bristol-based street-food truck The Little Taquero serves up Mexican- and Central American-inspired dishes. Expect soft corn tortillas piled high with refried beans and tender pork shoulder, or pieces of snapper fish topped with spicy jalapeño and guacamole.

thelittletaquero.co.uk

Nationale 7, Greater Manchester – French street-food

“French food is considered fancy and expensive, but that is completely wrong,” says Nationale 7 co-owner, Emily Bremond. “French food is simple, seasonal, fresh and that is what we’re trying to do.”

From their hut at Altrincham Market, Emily and Amaury Neury sell free-range rotisserie chickens flavoured with garlic, thyme and rosemary to take home or eat-now with roasted vegetables and swanky salads, as well as epic sandwiches such as their pulled chicken with homemade tarragon mayo and pickled red onions.

“In France,” says Emily, “there’s a rotisserie on every corner and it’s insanely popular.”

@nationale7deli

Bertha’s pizza, south-west – Italian street-food

Like many street-food slingers, when Graham and Kate Faragher set-up Bertha’s they were searching for a way out of the 9-5 rat race. They were looking, as Kate puts it, for: “A vocation not a chore.” Their salvation came in the form of wood-fired pizza.

After a couple of years roaming the south-west in a bright yellow pizza truck, Bertha’s opened a bricks ‘n’ mortar pizzeria on Bristol’s Cumberland Road. That progress is testament to the Faraghers’ fastidious approach. Their sourdough is proved for a whopping three days, their pizzas blast-cooked in 60 seconds.

The toppings are prime British ingredients (mozzarella from Glastonbury, tomatoes from the Isle of Wight) and foraged ingredients. “When the first of the nettles appear they go straight on a white pizza with cream, cheddar and chilli,” says Kate.

berthas.co.uk

Click here to read our full Bristol city guide

Mama’s Jerk Station, London – Jamaican street-food

It now has permanent sites at Deptford Market Yard and Pop Brixton, but the roots of Mama’s Jerk Station go back generations, to Jamaica. There, in her kitchen garden, owner Adrian Luckie’s great grandmother, Mama Charlotte, used to grow the ingredients that went into her jerk marinade, a secret family recipe which today puts the sweet, aromatic heat into Mama’s 48-hour marinated BBQ chicken wings or its chicken wraps with fried plantain and tropical mayo.

A jerk marinade usually includes fresh thyme, allspice berries and scotch bonnet chillies among other ingredients, but Mama’s goes that extra mile in its barbecuing, by mimicking the pimento tree wood that is the traditional BBQ fuel in Jamaica, “We add pimento flavour to the coals and wood in the drum smokers to give the food an even more authentic flavour,” says Adrian.

Mama’s also cooks at Street Feast’s Model Market, Lewisham, London SE13.

mamasjerk.com

Click here to read about the best street-food stalls in London

Goody Gujarati, Leicester – Indian street-food

Leicester-based street-food vendor Goody Gujarati serves up traditional Gujarati eats from a 1950s-style caravan. Expect the likes of samosa chaat, black chickpea and potato curry, and iced masala chais.

Head to its Facebook page for updates on where to find it @goodygujarati

Yakumama, national – Chilean street-food

Best Street Food winner at the 2015 Young British Foodies awards, Yakumama takes classic Latin American dishes (many of them family recipes from Chilean co-owner, Marcello Sandoval), and gives them a compelling creative twist.

Try its beef empanadas mined with olives and sultanas, choripan sandwiches or spiced pork rind chicharrones. They’re seriously next-level pork scratchings.

Click here to find out where in the country you can find it next @yakumama00

Brother Thai, Wales – Thai street-food

Andrew Chongsathien admits that not everyone is ready for the ferocity of hardcore Thai cooking. “Spice is a very hot topic!” he says. “We try to allow people to customise the heat so long as it doesn’t compromise the dish. But with the rise of street food, this is a good time for real Thai cooking as western palates are open to new flavours.”

You can regularly find Brother Thai turning-up the heat at Cardiff’s Depot street food parties, where its dishes such as pad thai and that classic Thai street food dish, pad kra pao gai (chicken with holy basil, topped with a crispy fried egg), are winning over Wales one hot, lush, mouthful at a time.

@brotherthaicdf

Twisted Chip Company, Brighton – Korean street-food

Influenced by Korean street food, Renee Keeffe set up Brighton’s Twisted Chip van as a way to jazz up the humble spud. The menu is simple, with Wilja and Yukon Gold potatoes (all sourced from Kent) being fed through a spiral cutter and then handshaped onto wooden skewers.

After being fried, you can dust the chips with classic crisp flavourings, from cheese and onion to barbecue and their famous chicken salt. Find the van at festivals across Sussex.

thetwistedchipcompany.co.uk

Read our full guide on where to eat and drink in Brighton here

Manjit’s Kitchen, Yorkshire – Indian street-food

Given the burgers ‘n’ ribs boisterousness of early street food, Manjit Kaur sometimes felt she was swimming against the tide with her vegetarian Punjabi snacks. Not anymore.

Such is Manjit’s popularity these days that you’ll find her café within Leeds Kirkgate Market. It’s been hard work (the masala that dresses the paneer in her chilli wraps begins in the cooking down of 50kg of onions to make a base sauce!), but it’s well worth it.

“Watching carnivores munch on a cone of bhel puri gives me immense pleasure,” says Manjit.

@Manjitskitchen

Click here for more places to eat and drink in Leeds

Bleecker St., London – American street-food

A New York corporate lawyer-turned-burger evangelist, Zan Kaufman’s uncompromising approach (50 day-aged grass-fed beef; handmade sesame seed buns; homemade burger sauce), has very much impressed London’s patty perfectionists. Refreshingly, Zan likes to keep her burgers relatively simple.

The Bleecker Black which sandwiches black pudding between two chunky, loosely ground medium-rare burgers swaddled in gooey American cheese is about as elaborate as her burgers get. Bleecker has quickly spawned a mini-empire that includes sites at Old Spitalfields Market and a Bloomberg Arcade in the City.

bleeckerburger.co.uk

Eat like a Greek, south-west – Greek street-food

“It’s all about transporting people back to Greece, even for a few minutes,” says Ruth Petralifis who, with husband Michalis, goes that extra mile (or thousand) to ensure that their grilled souvlaki meat wraps carry an authentic taste of the Aegean.

The meats may come from Devon, but they’re marinated in organic olive oil, herbs and spices from the Petralifis’s family farm on the island of Samos.

Click here to find out where you can find it next eatlikeagreek.co.uk

La Petit Crêperie, Newcastle – French street-food

After learning how to make crepes at École Maitre Crêpier just outside of Brittany, Julien Poulalion opened La Petite Crêperie on the corner of alley four in Newcastle’s Grainger Market.

Watch the sweet crêpes and buckwheat galettes being made in the large open window before they’re topped with rich chestnut spread, sweet spicy speculoos biscuits or goat’s cheese, fresh spinach, honey and roasted pine nuts.

Find them at Grainger Market and Tynemouth Market on a Sunday.

@LPCreperie

Find out where else to eat in Newcastle here

Alplings, Scotland – Austrian street-food

Martin Auer’s native South Tyrol is officially part of Italy, but the region retains its distinctive Austrian character. Knödel bread dumplings are huge there, and in Edinburgh now too, thanks to Martin’s Alplings stall. It sells three dumpling varieties (beetroot, spinach and cheese) dressed with nutty butter, parmesan and served with cabbage salad. It is a veggie dish with a “satisfying, oomph factor” says Martin.

Catch him at Portobello Farmer’s Market and Stockbridge Market.

alplings.co.uk

Ah Ma’s Dumplings, south-west – Chinese street-food

Anita Cheung is on a mission to popularise fresh, delicate, full-flavoured Cantonese cooking. A regular at several Bristol markets, Anita’s silky, ginger-laced prawn, scallop and leek dumplings or her slow-roasted pork belly bao, wow everyone who tastes them. As do her meat-free dishes: “We once had a vegan come back to check there was no meat in the shiitake and cashew dumplings, presumably because the shiitake makes them taste so umami and meaty.”

ahmasdumplings.com

Listen to our podcast with Anita here…

Habaneros, Birmingham – Mexican street-food

Blame the British weather (and councils), but most UK street food traders don’t trade on the street. Habaneros, however, is keeping it real. Located on Temple Row, it dispenses top-quality burritos Monday to Friday, packed with slow-cooked beans, salsas, hot sauces and chipotle slaw.

Look out for specials such as slow-cooked mutton or try its tasty pulled pork. It uses free-range Saddleback pigs from 19 Gales farm near Tamworth.

habvan.com

Find out where else to eat and drink in Birmingham here

The coolest street food markets and parties across the UK…

Corner 77, Bristol

Stokes Croft has welcomed a new bar, street-food and events space from the team behind Bravas and Cargo Cantina. By day a café, at night the venue will see an ever-changing rotation of street-food traders; corner77.co.uk

Grub, Manchester

A feast of street-food and DJs every Friday and Saturday night; grubmcr.com

Street Feast, London

Undisputed kings of the night market at Giant Robot, Hawker House, Dinerama, Model Market and Public; streetfeastlondon.com

foodPark, Cambridge

Roving weekly lunchtime markets and pop-up parties after-dark; foodparkcam.com

Digbeth Dining Club, Birmingham

Birmingham’s original street-food market taking place every Friday and Saturday night; digbethdiningclub.co.uk

At The Market Ltd, Edinburgh

Top weekly markets in Stockbridge, Grassmarket, Leith and Potterrow; stockbridgemarket.com

Street Diner, Brighton

A raft of traders offering Friday lunchtime treats in Brighthelm Garden; streetdiner.co.uk

Depot, Cardiff

Weekly Saturday warehouse shindig with Welsh street-food stars; depotcardiff.com

Kerb, London

Saving the capital’s office workers from sad lunches in Paddington, King’s Cross and more; kerbfood.com

Looking for restaurants on Tresco? Want to know where to eat on Scilly’s islands? Food and travel writer Clare Hargreaves shares here insider tips for the best restaurants, along with where to find crab sandwiches, rose geranium ice cream and seafood paella.

olive’s must-visits for foodies on St Mary’s

On The Quay, St Mary’s – for hip atmosphere

Crafted from a Grade II-listed quayside warehouse, and furnished with upcycled timber (including school benches, scaffolding planks and the former steps to Porthcressa beach) and local art, this vast and stylish first-floor restaurant-cum-cocktail-bar is as close as you’ll get to hip on Scilly. As you tuck into lobster linguini or duck breast with orange sauce, watch boats setting out for the “off” islands in the harbour (or, if you’re there in May, the World Pilot Gig championships). If you prefer to grab and go, there’s a cafe downstairs.

onthequay.com

St Mary’s Hall, St Mary’s – for carefully sourced produce

The chefs at this honey-stoned hotel restaurant, on the main street of Hugh Town, are sticklers for sourcing the best ingredients direct from their producers, whether it’s Scilly-caught seafood, beef and lamb from rare-breed herds reared slowly on the hotel owner’s Gloucestershire farm or duck from nearby Salakee Farm (see below). Try the latter as a duck leg and vegetable spring roll with Korean BBQ sauce, either in the bar or the more formal, table-clothed restaurant.

stmaryshallhotel.co.uk

The Beach, St Mary’s – for tables with a view

Owned by St Mary’s Hall, this casual beach café, set in a converted boat shed on Porthmellon beach, uses the same top-notch ingredients as the hotel but puts the emphasis more on barbecued meats. Sit in its shabby chic interior or outside on the decking and dig into a surf and turf burger (local lobster tail and 28-day dry-cured Gloucester beef), a salt-baked beetroot and feta burger, or barbecued corn on the cob. The Confit Salakee duck leg with black pudding and chilli hash, spinach and fried duck eggs, is the breakfast must-eat.

scillybeach.com

Dibble and Grub, St Mary’s – for tapas

The style may be Spanish but the ingredients at this cheery beachside restaurant (set in the island’s former fire station, hence the name) are mainly Scillonian. Go for the Taste of Scilly selection, which uses local produce such as courgettes, squash and new potatoes, and eat it on the terrace as you watch the sun set over Portcressa beach.

dibbleandgrub.co.uk

Salakee Farm, St Mary’s – for duck

Dave Mumford’s family has lived on Salakee for three generations and when he got together with his partner Kylie Carter they wanted a new venture for the 35-acre farm. They hit on free-range duck, which they now raise in small batches and supply to restaurants on St Mary’s and sell at the island’s fortnightly Taste of Scilly farmer’s market – try their delicious Asian-style duck pancakes or pick up a duck or some eggs to take home. They also grow no-dig, naturally cultivated vegetables which they sell via an honesty stall at the farm gate, along with fresh duck and chicken eggs.

salakeefarm.co.uk

Strudel In Town, St Mary’s – for apple strudel

Bavarian Apfelstrudel might seem an unusual delicacy to find on Scilly, but the apple pastries baked every morning by Munich-born Sabine Schauldolph have become a local institution. This pint-sized harbourfront café, up an alley off Hugh Town’s main drag, is attached to a hairdresser (locals dub it The Hairy Strudel) so you can fill up on clotted-cream laden strudel, organic German-roasted coffee or lunchtime soup before having a holiday haircut. If you prefer a peaceful rural location, work up an appetite with a walk to Strudel’s other branch, Strudel up Country.

strudelonscilly.com

olive’s must-visits for foodies on St Martin’s

Seven Stones Inn, St Martin’s – for laid-back pub grub

The food may be simple – maybe giant couscous with roasted veg and halloumi, a crab sandwich or pasty – but the welcome at this relaxed, single-room stone inn at the heart of St Martin’s is genuinely warm and the sea views from the terrace are spectacular. The convivial place was recently taken over by Dom and Emily Crees, and they’ve added a new events room for live music sessions and other island gatherings. Scilly-sourced drinks include wines produced by Val and Graham Thomas on St Martin’s, St Mary’s-made Ales of Scilly, and gins from Westward Farm on St Agnes – try the rose geranium.

sevenstonesinn.com

Island Bakery, St Martin’s – for bread

This artisan bakery, run by Barney and Ella McLachlan, is the only one on Scilly’s five inhabited islands; it’s alone worth a trip to St Martin’s just to buy their breads, pasties, cakes and pizzas. The pasties use a 1945 recipe from a Women’s Institute cookbook that a local fisherman brought in. Sit at the tables outside to feast on one of their sausage rolls or a bread roll filled with St Martin’s crab before relaxing on one of the island’s white-sand beaches. If you’re camping, their dinky ‘campers’ loaves are perfect, and don’t miss the chocolate cola cake.

theislandbakery-stmartins.com

olive’s must-visits for foodies on Tresco

Ruin Beach Cafe, Tresco – for wood-fired food

Sandwiched between a sandy beach and exotic-gardened timeshare villas, and crafted in the shape of a boatshed, the Ruin’s big thing is its wood-fired oven which brings a Mediterranean feel to the northeastern shores of well-heeled Tresco. Try its roast fish and beef, or pizzas, all cooked in the oven using wood from the island and often accompanied with veg from Scilly gardens. Sit out on the beachside terrace or, inside, on high-backed wooden settles furnished with cushions covered in marine prints. We love its relaxed vibe and no-fuss dishes.

tresco.co.uk/eating-on-tresco/ruin-cafe

Tuesday Market, Tresco – for street food

With just three or four stalls, this might be Britain’s tiniest farmer’s market. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth making a beeline for Tresco’s New Grimsby Quay on a Tuesday afternoon to stock up. As well as produce from Hillside Farm and Island Fish on neighbouring Bryher (see below), you can buy freshly baked focaccia and homemade vegetable or herb hummus made by herb and succulent grower Issy Tibbs from Bryher’s Veronica Farm – we loved her Thai basil and peanut dip and her home-baked herb scones.

tresco.co.uk/enjoying/events/market

olive’s must-visits for foodies on St Agnes

Coastguards Cafe, St Agnes – for crab sandwiches

Bryher crab sandwiches and mackerel pâté are the must-eats at this scenic cafe based inside the old coastguards’ cottages on tiny St Agnes. It’s run by a local, Tristan Hick, who’s furnished it with scrubbed wooden tables and regional art. Tristan makes scones and cakes while bread is baked daily by his mum, and apple juice, cider and gins come from the island’s Westward Farm. If the weather’s fine, eat on the terrace while soaking up the rugged beauty of Santa Warna cove. At night the cafe morphs into an elegant seafood restaurant, High Tide.

facebook.com/Coastguards-Cafe-325131911320/

Troytown Farm, St Agnes – for ice-creams

When the flower-growing industry fizzled out, the Hicks family decided to buy a herd of Jersey dairy cows. Today, as well as selling their lusciously creamy milk, they turn it into ice cream, clotted cream and butter – to the delight of those holidaying on its gorgeous beachside campsite, which looks out over the rocks to Bishop’s Rock lighthouse. The standout ice cream is its rose geranium, flavoured with plants grown on St Agnes; try The Works, a large waffle cone with two scoops of ice cream, a chocolate or fudge stick and a dollop of clottted cream. The farm’s tiny shop also sells its own Ruby Red beef, pork and potatoes.

troytown.co.uk

olive’s must-visits for foodies on Bryher

Hell Bay Hotel, Bryher – for high-end cooking

People return year after year to this huddle of New England-style buildings that look out across the Atlantic-bashed rocks on Bryher’s wild western shores. Their walls are packed with original artworks collected by the owners, the Dorrien Smith family. For foodies, though, the draw is Robert Kearsley’s cooking, a skillful celebration of Scilly’s amazing produce, including Bryher crab and lobster, and eggs and vegetables from Hillside Farm a few yards away (see below). Standouts include the frothy bouillabaise, made with local grey mullet, pollack and scallops, and the gazpacho, from Hillside tomatoes. In the summer months you can feast on local mussels, scallops and crab in the hotel’s pop-up Crab Shack, a relaxed, rustic barn near Popplestones beach.

hellbay.co.uk

Bryher shop, Bryher – for tattie cake

Recently taken over by Bristolians Mark Bothwick and Aaron Haile, this store combines post office, deli, basic shop and community hub. Top buy is the Scillonian tattie cake – a tray-bake made with local butter and tatties that used to be a favourite with the islands’ flower pickers and is made by talented cake-maker Zoe Dan (she used to run the shop before Aaron and Mark). Be warned: it’s addictive. You’ll also find Cornwall-made pasties, Westward Farm’s gin, cider and apple juice, and Veronica Farm fudge. If you’re renting a cottage, the shop will deliver to your door if you order in advance.

bryhershop.co.uk

Hillside Farm, Bryher – for traditional-variety strawberries

Graham and Ruth Eggins may sell their fruit, veg and eggs from a modest honesty stall, but the incredible fresh produce from their 40-acre, nature-friendly mixed farm has effectively revolutionised the island’s table. Find their veg served in local restaurants, sold in the island’s shop and used in Issy Tibbs’ beetroot hummous. In June, swing by the stall early to snap up their exquisite traditional variety strawberries, grown (like everything else) without the use of chemicals. The Eggins also rear hardy Devonshire Red Ruby cattle, which help fertilise the land and conserve its great biodiversity – as well as providing excellent sustainably-produced beef.

hillsidefarmbryher.co.uk

Veronica Farm Fudge, Bryher – for fudge

The tiny duck egg-blue honesty stall outside Kris Taylor’s home at Veronica Farm is another of Bryher’s foodie must-dos. Kris started making fudge 24 years ago after the bottom fell out of the narcissus market and the farm needed an alternative income, and she’s been making it in small batches ever since. The best seller is vanilla, made with proper Madagascan vanilla extract, plus milk, butter and clotted cream from Troytown Farm on St Agnes. We also loved her Scillonian Seasalt, using salt harvested on St Martins by SC Salt.

veronicafarmfudge.co.uk

Island Fish, Bryher – for Scillonian seafood

Although the Isles of Scilly are surrounded by sea, it can be bafflingly difficult to find locally caught seafood. So Island Fish, a fish shop-deli-cafe run by the Pender family, is a treasure. The Penders have been fishing for centuries, and today three generations of the family take their boats out daily, when weather permits. Their main catches are lobster and crab, which you can eat in sandwiches, salads or soup, but they also sell fish that’s caught off St Martins. Pass the shop at five in the morning, and you’ll hear the click-click of Amanda Pender hand-picking the crab. On Thursday evenings her mum, Sue, dishes out seafood paella on the verandah and on Sundays, her brother, Mark, does grilled lobster and coleslaw.

islandfish.co.uk

Every September the archipelago celebrates its food and drink with a Taste of Scilly festival. For more information see visitislesofscilly.com

Words and pictures by Clare Hargreaves, August 2019

Looking for UK staycations? Want to know the best towns for foodies? Check out our guide for the 10 must-visit UK towns that every foodie should visit…

North Berwick

There’s a food revolution underway in the seaside town of North Berwick, just half an hour from Edinburgh by train along the East Lothian coast. Millennials priced out of the city have de-camped to the coast bringing with them a demand for flat whites and sourdough – which they get at Steampunk Coffee Roasters and the Bostock Bakery. The croissants at the latter are so good that NOMA’s René Redzepi sent his pastry chef from Copenhagen to learn from Bostock’s Ross Baxter.

For seafood, try Lobster Shack – a seasonal operation on the harbour that cooks its catch from the neighbouring Firth of Forth Lobster Hatchery between Easter and October; the lobster and crab bisque is exceptional and the Shack is licensed so you can order a glass of crisp white to go with it. A blustery and beautiful walk out of town brings you to shipping container turned coffee shop DRIFT, perched on an outcrop above Canty Bay; sit in and order the bacon and egg sandwich with herby aioli. Stay just out of town, in Gullane, at The Bonnie Badger, Tom and Michaela Kitchin’s restaurant with rooms.

Abergavenny

Abergavenny Food Festival takes place each September and is one of the most creative and dynamic culinary gatherings in the UK, also one of the longest running (2019 is its twentieth year). Regulars come for talks by Diana Henry and Bee Wilson, Dinner Party masterclasses with Rosie Birkett and Elly Pear, vegan BBQing tips from Matt Pritchard, debates on sustainable farming, a children’s cookery school and outdoor feasts based around wild cooking. Beyond the festival, you’ll find a quiet market town packed with independent shops like The Angel Bakery, which serves seasonal fruit pastries and perfect artisanal baguettes. Pair one of the latter with a ploughman’s hamper from The Marches Deli (it includes three Welsh cheeses, local chutney, Cradocs crackers and Welsh ale).

The top table in town for breakfast and lunch is at The Kitchen at The Chapel where soda bread is baked each morning and might be served with pumpkin, butter bean and olive oil soup and a local craft cider, while the Walnut Tree Inn is just outside town. Stay at Old Lands in one of three pretty holiday cottages set within converted stables and barns on an old family estate. There’s a walled garden and an on-site micro farm shop and guests can book children into Forest School, go on a nature walk or take a rowing boat out to an island on the estate’s lake.

Clitheroe

The Lancashire market town of Clitheroe, in the Forest of Bowland, is the hub of Lancashire’s Ribble Valley. You’ll find a heaving cheese counter at Holmes Mill, Clitheroe’s monumental new food hall, and regional produce galore at Booths. Dip into independent food shops, such as Cowman’s Famous Sausage Shop, which sells over 70 varieties.

Then go for a walk on Pendle Hill, followed by lunch at the Assheton Arms in Downham, where the menu changes every day. Stay over at Freemasons At Wiswell, just south of town. As well as a new chef’s table experience the dining pub has recently added bedrooms; enjoy Herdwick lamb with aubergine and miso purée, and a superlative vanilla slice, then stumble into bed. Or head half an hour out of town to remote Dale House, a 400-year-old farm. One of its owners used to work as a chef for the Roux brothers so expect standout breakfasts and sumptuous (zero-mile) dinners, such as venison haunch steak with blackberries followed by homemade eccles cakes .

Malton

There’s so much going on in Yorkshire’s food capital of Malton right now. First, there’s the much-hyped Talbot Inn that reopened earlier this year following a re-design by ex-Lucky Onion founders, Georgie and Sam Pearman. Part traditional coaching inn, part boutique hotel, the Talbot (like much of Malton) is owned by aristocrat Tom Naylor-Leyland and his glamorous wife and Vogue-contributor Alice. Together they have put the town on the map, making it the mini-break destination of the moment. But those serious about their food won’t be disappointed.

Over the past four years 26 food and drink businesses have set up shop here. Many cluster around Talbot Yard – a former stables – which now houses an artisan roaster, Roost, the Bluebird Bakery, the Groovy Moo gelateria, macaroon-maker Florian Poirot, the Rare Bird Gin Distillery and a butcher, Food 2 Remember. Join a food tour, often led by Tom himself and new this autumn are Gin Tours on 13 September and 18 October.

Other dates for the diary include the Malton Harvest Food Festival (7-8 September), and the monthly food markets on 12 October or 9 November. These events will bring together the wider area’s exceptional producers’ including Malton Cider, cheese from Botton Creamery, chutneys from Sloemotion and lots more.

Porthleven

Almost as far southwest as you can get in England, Porthleven is a pretty Cornish port that greets you with waving sailing flags and colourful buoys bobbing in the water (and a medley of carefully curated food stalls if you time a trip to tie in with the annual Porthleven Food Festival each spring). It may be a tiny town, but the food scene is growing at pace here – think Padstow thirty years ago. Rick Stein opened up here in 2014, but he’s not alone.

Current neighbours include Origin, a coffee roasters that started here but now has shops in Shoreditch, Hammersmith, the British Library and Southwark too. Next door is Kota Kai which serves Thai tapas and forms a more relaxed little sister to Kota restaurant, up the road. Run by half-Maori, half Chinese Malay chef, Jude Kereama, Kota (meaning ‘shellfish’ in Maori) serves Cornish seafood with Asian and Kiwi influences; think pan-fried hake, crab ravioli, Cornish mussels and tiger prawns in a vegetable dashi broth or Porthilly oyster tempura with wasabi tartare. Try the tasting menu and then stumble upstairs to bed; the restaurant has two bedrooms above it so you don’t need to leave town. Alternatively rent a picture-perfect thatched cottage on the nearby Trelowarren Estate, also home to the excellent New Yard restaurant.

Tisbury

In Wiltshire’s pretty Nadder Valley, Tisbury is more village than town yet still packs a punch when it comes to eating and drinking. On its edge the Grade I thatched Tithe Barn has been converted into Messum’s, a contemporary art gallery where the Mess Restaurant offers much more sophisticated fare than your standard museum café – visit on Friday evenings and you can catch an exhibition then dine on a changing menu from the kitchen’s exciting new chef, Ana Ortiz, until 9.30pm.

In the morning Genius Coffea, on the High Street, is the first port of call. For sustenance to go with it, continue on to Tisbury Deli where the shelves prop up goodies from croissants to pork pies. Arguably the best food shop in town is the most aptly named, The Fishmongers; find Cornish mackerel and home-made meals from in-house cook, Ruth. Pick up a bottle to go with your supplies from The Beckford Bottle Shop, where you can try-before-you-buy and get expert advice from staff.

Pubs in the area are plentiful but few focus on food; the exception is The Beckford Arms where you’ll need to book to get ahead of the locals who come for a Beckford Bloody Mary and stay on for Sunday lunch. Pythouse Kitchen Garden should be on everyone’s radar too; not only for the first-rate restaurant but because the company’s new glamping village, tucked away in the orchard, is the perfect place to stay.

Bridport

It’s over fifteen years since Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall turned the spotlight on field-to-fork dining in Dorset, with the River Cottage, and West Dorset is now a firmly foodie pocket of the UK. Exciting things are happening in the market town of Bridport. A vibey Asian street food joint might be the last thing you’d expect to stumble on up a small-town alley, but Dorshi is exactly that. The name (“Dorset-sushi”) stems from the founders’ days spent doing a roaring trade out of a food truck.

Now in a bricks-and-mortar restaurant the menu is all about dumplings, buns, zingy salads and noodle bowls. Likewise the Soulshine Café is on-the-button with superfood spirulina smoothies, oat milk lattes and a vegan full English on the menu – meat-eaters needn’t worry you’ll find sausage sarnies here too.

For a sweet treat visit Baboo Gelato where the ice cream is award-winning – try the plum sorbet. Just outside the town visit Washingpool Farm, home to one of the region’s best farm shops (it stocks its own veggies as well as other local produce, like North Perrott apple juice and Dorset Cereals. Stay further up the sands at the Seaside Boarding House, a hip hotel with unrivalled views over Lyme Bay, elegant modern cooking and a grown-up line in cocktails.

Ashburton

Dartmouth and Salcome might get all the attention in Devon’s southernly corner, but look inland for fewer crowds and great food spots. Ashburton, on the edge of Dartmoor, is home to the famed Ashburton Cookery School where over 40 classes are offered from a five-day patisserie week to a three-hour Indian cook-to-go and a recently introduced range of Christmas classes, from festive breadmaking to party canapés and chocolate advent calendar workshops.

If you’d rather leave the hard work to the experts, the award-winning Ashburton Deli is the place to go, stocked with the best produce from across the West. Ten minutes’ out of town, meanwhile, brings you to Riverford, the organic farming champions – visit their home turf for lunch or supper at The Riverford Field Kitchen where the set veggie menu is about as close to farm-to-fork as can be. Stay at the Live and Let Live pub where there’s excellent provenance-orientated food and three bright and airy bedrooms.

Deal

Kent’s coastal towns are smartening up, luring in a hip London crowd who steer south on fast trains. Whilst foodies still love Whitstable, Deal is the buzzy new kid on the block. Find everything from Kent’s favourite chippie, Middle Street Fish Bar to date-night-dining at Victuals & Co. where the Raid the Larder menu on Sunday evenings is particularly good value.

The Deal Dining Club is an institution and its Friday and Saturday night set-menu feasts always sell out; typical events include a Taste of Kent, with a menu boasting Canterbury cheese puffs, Kentish brown shrimp, local pigeon, home-smoked haddock and rhubarb crème brulee. It’s BYOB so pick up a bottle beforehand at Le Pinardier, a French wine bar and shop with an array of predominantly natural wines.

For something stronger, cross the road to The Rose where the seasonal cocktails are invented by local forager and chef, Lucia Stuart, who also runs excursions such as a Berry Bonanza Wilderness Picnic via The Wild Kitchen. As well as a bar, restaurant and pretty courtyard garden, The Rose has eight artfully-designed bedrooms. It’s worth staying for breakfast – the sourdough toast with pear and ginger jam is scrumptious.

Orford

The Suffolk town of Orford may have kick-started its foodie reputation with the opening of the renowned Pump Street Bakery (a visit to its Suffolk-pink premises for breakfast pastries is a must) but the business has recently done a pivot into artisan chocolate-making so save space (and time) for a Pump Street Chocolate Tour to see what goes on behind the cocoa-laced scenes.

Proximity to the shingly coastline means the town is also home to two excellent seafood spots, fixtures since the 1950s – Butley Oysterage, a smart restaurant serving up plump oysters and griddled prawns dripping in garlic butter, and the sister shop, Pinney’s, where you can buy smoked fish, potted crab and angels on horseback to take away. Orford’s pub, the Crown and Castle, promises smart bedrooms overlooking Orford’s 12th century castle, but, better still, there’s the Wash House Studio B&B – stay in a sweet shepherd’s hut or the converted wash house next to the coastguards cottages and wake up to find a breakfast hamper covered with a gingham cloth on your doorstep in the morning.

If you’re visiting in September, Orford also makes a great base for exploring Aldeburgh Food Festival – confusingly not in Aldeburgh town but, rather, at nearby Snape Maltings, the Victorian red-brick malt kilns turned world-famous concert halls that sit amongst the reedbeds on Suffolk’s river Alde. It’s a great setting to learn, among other things, how to make bread courtesy of Marriage’s Bakery Room.

Words by Daisy Allsup

Photographs by Clare Hargreaves, Weekend Journals, Rhiannon Batten, Helen Cathcart, Keiko Oikawa

Looking for restaurants in Belfast? Want to know where to eat in the northern Irish capital? Local food tour founder Caroline Wilson and restaurant guru Mark Taylor share their insider tips for the best restaurants in Belfast, along with where to find the best brunch, Irish pubs and markets.

Established – for coffee

The coffee at industrial-chic Established is reliably well made but so, too, are the brunches. Try a gingerbread waffle with candied lime cream, bourbon-poached nectarine and pistachio crumb. For more coffee shops in Ireland, click here…

established.coffee

St George’s Market – for market vibes

Saturday is the day to visit St George’s Market if you’re in search of the best food stalls. Pick up some Belfast Brew (Irish breakfast tea) from Suki Tea, Barnhill apple juice from Armagh and Young Buck cheese from Tom & Ollie’s.

facebook.com/StGeorgesMarketBelfast

Bunsen – for burgers

Keeping it simple and using high-quality ingredients (such as Black Aberdeen Angus beef minced on site every morning, and homemade soft Amish dinner rolls) is what sets Belfast’s Bunsen apart from competitors. It’s a straightforward choice between classic hamburger or cheeseburger, the latter of which includes a special blend of comté and monterey jack.

bunsen.ie

Il Pirata – for rustic Italian

A neighbourhood Italian restaurant that uses stand-out local produce, Il Pirata gets it right whether you’re after lunch or a romantic dinner. Order a few dishes to share and get stuck in.

ilpiratabelfast.com

General Merchants – for brunch

When General Merchants’ chef and co-owner Tim Fetherston first visited Australia, its brunch scene blew him away: “I fell in love with the coffee and café culture. Lots of fine-dining chefs were opening breakfast places. It was an epiphany.” That inspired the original East Belfast General Merchants and its second branch, 361 Ormeau Road, which opened this year. Its sunny all-day fusion breakfasts range from huevos rancheros to mashed avocado on Zac’s Bakehouse sourdough with Vegemite, popped quinoa, mustard cress and optional eggs and bacon. Of course, General Merchants’ coffee is excellent. It’s sourced from Bailies in Belfast and guest roasters such as Berlin’s hip The Barn.

@GenMerch361

Co Couture – for chocolate

The first branded version of milk chocolate is said to take its name from a Northern Irishman, Hans Sloane. There’s no better place to continue his tradition today than tasting some of the creations produced by local chocolatiers Co Couture. Try the Irish truffles, made using Bushmills’ Black Bush whiskey.

cocouture.co.uk

Arcadia – for local produce

A local institution, Arcadia deli first opened in 1933 and has been going strong ever since. It’s supportive of local producers so new produce hits its shelves first. Look out for Broighter Gold rapeseed oils, Abernethy butter (try the dulse and sea salt), Passion Preserved pickles (including spiced apple jelly and kasundi chutney), Corndale chorizo and Ispini charcuterie.

arcadiadeli.co.uk

Home – for vegetarian food

Andy Rea is the culinary brains behind the Mourne Seafood Bar restaurants, but while Home, which he owns with Steve Haller, uses some meat, its vegetarian and vegan menus make it a flexitarian’s dream. “We wanted veggie dishes to be the star,” says Steve. The kitchen’s mantra is: “Source local and use global influences.”

Cheeses from County Tyrone’s Five Mile Town or Abernethy butter feed into dishes such as salt and chilli tofu with miso slaw or kale and quinoa tabbouleh with aubergine and mint yogurt. “Home embraces cultures where veggie food is the staple diet,” says Steve.

homebelfast.co.uk

Belfast Cookery School – for cooking courses

Set above a seafood restaurant and shop (they’re connected) Belfast Cookery School is an unsurprisingly good spot to sharpen up your seafood cooking skills. Sign up for its fish masterclass and learn how to prepare Strangford mussels in a light fennel cream.

belfastcookeryschool.com

Cuban sandwich factory – Cuban street-food

Clued-up Belfast foodies love the Cubano-style pressed, toasted sandwiches at Carlos Arguelles’ friendly takeaway-café.

On Saturdays, the factory also pops-up at St George’s Market, where shoppers wolf-down his stacked beef brisket and roast pork sandwiches.

Go for anything that involves Carlos’s vibrant chimichurri sauce. It’s a zinger.

@cubanobelfast

The Garrick – for pub vibes

A traditional Victorian boozer with wood-panelled walls and open fires, The Garrick has been one of Belfast’s best bars since 1870. You’ll find great session music, and the city’s best champ, plus a range of local ales (try a Hilden’s Belfast Blonde or a MacIvors cider).

thegarrickbar.com

The Muddlers Club – for modern dining

Deep within the Cathedral Quarter The Muddlers Club bar and restaurant takes its name from a secret society that used to meet on the site 200 years ago. There’s nothing hush-hush about its operation now, though; sharp, modern food (think venison with parsley root, salt-baked beets and bitter cherry) served from an open kitchen.

themuddlersclubbelfast.com

Merchant Hotel – for cocktails

The luxurious Merchant Hotel, in the vibrant Cathedral Quarter, makes a glamorous, Grade A-listed backdrop for a cocktail or two. Try a Finn McCool, made with Finlandia vodka, Amer Picon, house-made passion fruit cordial and lemon juice.

themerchanthotel.com

Ox – for dining with a river view

It may have a Michelin star, but dining at Ox is a relaxed experience overlooking the River Lagan. Classic dishes include hay-baked celeriac with black garlic, chanterelles, lardo and truffle. Or head straight to Ox Cave, next door, for excellent wines and Irish gins with plates of meat and cheese.

oxbelfast.com

Coppi – for Italian food

Located in St Anne’s Square in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, Coppi takes its inspiration from all regions of Italy, but when it comes to ingredients the kitchen looks to producers in Northern Ireland. “We work closely with local suppliers including award-winning farmer Peter Hannan – two of our signature dishes are Peter’s Tuscan spiced pork and fennel sausage cichetti and a steak florentine of salt-aged beef,” says Coppi’s Tony O’Neill.

“The pasta we serve is freshly made daily in our production kitchen and the duckragu, porcini mushroom ravioli and truffle has been on the menu from day one, along with our cichetti of feta fritters with truffled honey. I think there could be a riot if we tried to take them off the menu.”

coppi.co.uk

Titanic – for afternoon tea

On the exact spot where the British passenger liner RMS Titanic was built and launched in 1912, Titanic Belfast’s Sunday afternoon tea allows guests to step back in time to a period of luxury, elegance and five-star service. Set in the opulent surroundings of the Titanic Suite, featuring the replica staircase recreated for a few scenes in the 1997 film, afternoon tea here features a selection of finger sandwiches, scones with Cornish clotted cream, cakes, éclairs and savoury bites inspired by those served on board the original boat. Wash it all down with a selection of loose-leaf teas served in replica White Star Line crockery. The teas are supplied by Belfast’s Thompson’s Tea, a family-run business that pre-dates the Titanic itself. Its luxury Titanic house tea is a blend of second flush Assam and high-grade Kenyan teas, but the Irish breakfast tea and six champagnes are also worth a look in.

titanicbelfast.com

Where to stay in Belfast – The Grand Central

A large, luxury hotel in the heart of Belfast’s Linen Quarter. Expect panoramic views and Northern Ireland’s highest rooftop bar. There’s a definite dose of NYC swank about The Grand Central, from the uniformed top-hatted doormen to the huge, high-ceilinged glass and marble lobby. Despite the grandeur, however, there’s plenty of cosy Irish charm.

Rooms are spacious, calm and luxuriously furnished with king-size King Koil Cloud beds, smart white linen, and thick, noise-cancelling carpets. The bathrooms are particularly swish with double sinks, freestanding baths, walk-in rainfall showers and toiletries by ESPA.

The Seahorse restaurant on the first floor is an airy space, with floor-to-ceiling glass flooding it with light by day, and the twinkle of city lights by night. The dinner menu is a celebration of Irish and European classics, with modern touches and delicate portions.

The 23rd floor rooftop Observatory Bar is a must-visit, before or after dinner. With its own private lift, it’s become something of a destination for trendy Belfasters. But don’t mistake that for exclusivity; the welcome as you reach the top floor is still very warm. Each cocktail refers to a local landmark – try Napoleon’s Nose (a heady mix of mezcal, Benedictine, fig and orange bitters), or the more floral Botanical Garden, made from gin, rhubarb, aperol, pomegranate, pink peppercorn and citrus.

Rooms start at £126 per night, check availability at booking.com

More info: visitbelfast.com

Words by Caroline Wilson, founder of the Belfast Food Tour and Director of Taste and Tour NI (tasteandtour.co.uk) and Mark Taylor

Photographs by Leonid Andronov/Getty, David Cornder/Alamy stock photo and Elaine Hill Photography

Looking for places to stay in Alentejo? Want a vineyard in southern Portugal? Read our hotel review, and check out more places to visit in the Alentejo region here…

L’AND in a nutshell

Elegantly luxurious 22-suite spa hotel combining contemporary design and gourmet cooking, set among vineyards in Portugal’s Alentejo region, an hour’s drive from Lisbon.

The vibe

L’AND’s cutting edge design – including interiors by renowned Brasilian architect Marcio Kogan – and high-end cuisine and wines means it appeals to foodies, wine-lovers and design aficionados alike. Its spacious clean-lined wood-clad interiors are studded by artworks, including some by Michael Biberstein, and house a Caudalie vinotherapy spa (using natural ingredients extracted from grapes and vines), while outside there are organic vineyards and pine and cork tree-clad hills to explore. This is understated luxury at its serene best, the perfect place to unplug.

Which room should I book at L’AND?

Bag one of L’AND’s ten sky-view suites (they have skylights directly over the beds), allowing you to view Alentejo’s unpolluted skies at night and experience sleeping “under the stars”. Like all L’AND’s suites, they’re furnished in soothing natural woods, wools and stone, and have a private indoor garden with a plunge pool. Outside you have a private terrace with an outdoor fireplace and rain shower and bathtub. If you prefer space to star-gazing, book one of the 12 L’AND view suites; these have an additional room. Or stay at Monte do Freixo, a traditional 500-hectare homestead, with three luxurious suites in nearby Montemor-o-Novo (it’s also part of L’AND).

The food and drink

A meal in the hotel’s futuristic, pendant-hung restaurant, whose glass walls frame the vineyards, is the big draw. Chef José Tapadejo was born nearby in Castelo de Vide, and trained in Portugal. But he’s also worked in Scandinavia, so his dishes are creative interpretations of Alentejan classics, often using fermented and foraged ingredients. Local black pork is there, but it gets an innovative twist by being partnered with wafers made from the acorns the pigs eat. And instead of cod, José serves a local river fish, pike-perch, on a cushion of Alentejo’s must-eat migas infused with minty pennyroyal, and spoons on a saffron froth that’s as yellow as buttercups. We also loved the Scarlet Prawn starter, a single prawn that’s cooked sous-vide in butter and served with a puree of celery root, and edible flowers.

Being surrounded by six hectares of vineyards (all organic), you’ll want to taste L’AND’s own wines, made from a blend of native grapes, such as Touriga Nacional, and international ones such as Alicante Bouschet and Syrah. Pick of the bunch is L’AND’s full-bodied Reserva Red 2016. Or ask sommelier Gonçalo Mendes to recommend his favourites from the nearby Herdade do Freixo and Adega Cartuxa wineries.

Breakfast

Kick off with L’AND’s homemade granola or orange cake, then enjoy three different homemade breads (one made from acorn flour made at the nearby Freixo do Meio organic farm cooperative) with homemade pumpkin or strawberry jam or honey from L’AND’s own bees. Cooked dishes include porridge, sausages and eggs from Freixo do Meio, and Eggs Benedict.

What else can foodies do?

On site you can do tastings and vineyard and winery tours by arrangement, and the hotel can arrange visits to neighbouring vineyards, too. If you want to try other restaurants, head to historic Evora, half an hour’s drive away, where restaurants such as Fialho, Tasquina do Oliveira and Botequim da Mouraria will all hit the spot.

Is it family friendly?

Yes, although given the calm vibe here parents with more energetic children might not feel comfortable – and the spa and indoor pool can only be used by those over 14. However several of the L’AND view suites have two or three bedrooms, and some have their own private pools too. Monte do Freixo, all on its own, is a good choice for families.

olive tip

Don’t miss the free wine tasting in the bar at five o’ clock every afternoon. You’ll sample L’AND’s Reserva 2016 along with regional cheeses, smoked chorizo and other Alentejan specialties.

Book a stay at L’AND Vineyards here

l-and.com/en/

Words and pictures (except top image) by Clare Hargreaves

Looking for places to stay in the Cotswolds? Want a spa hotel in Worcestershire? Read our hotel review, and check out more places to stay in the Cotswolds here…

Dormy House in a nutshell

Despite the grandeur, this 17th-century Cotswolds farmhouse, transformed into a foodie spa hotel, is as welcoming as it is luxurious.

The vibe

Doormen dressed in blue checked shirts and chinos look more like guests than porters – a deliberate attempt to make visitors feel at home. Inside, mellow teal and green tones compliment the honey-hued stone building, while plush velvet sofas and vintage chandeliers add country glamour.

Sip pre-dinner cocktails in one of three luxurious lounges (you’re still allowed to wear wellies, despite the posh furniture), where punchy negronis come with a side of salt and vinegar popcorn. Or unwind in the serene spa, complete with three saunas – calming lavender, invigorating sea salt, and juniper-laced Finnish cabin – and an indoor infinity pool. There’s also an outdoor hydropool, where an electric fire adds a cosy blast of heat during the winter months.

Which room should I book at Dormy House?

There are 38 bedrooms spread across the main house and farmhouse outbuildings. Two Hot Tub Suites, in individual cottages with their own private patios, are decorated with delicate floral-printed wallpaper, upcycled furniture and Kilner jars filled with ginger biscuits. A quaint feel overall, although there are modern additions: tablets instead of books, for example.

Regular bedrooms, which range from Intimate to Top-Notch, are similarly decorated; the more you spend, the bigger the room (Top-Notch rooms come with vaulted ceilings and four-poster beds). Two of the Cosy Rooms, plus the Courtyard Suite, are dog friendly – expect a dog bed, towel, water bowl and treat on arrival.

The food and drink

The Potting Shed serves hearty pub-style food (think spiced cauliflower pie and double-patty burgers) in a low-key setting, while The Back Garden celebrates homegrown produce with simple, seasonal dishes. At the latter, you’ll eat at sleek marble tables, usually with a view of Dormy House’s vegetable plots.

Dishes are compact and elegantly presented. You might try marinated heirloom tomato with cool ricotta, poached chicken with buttery tubes of hand rolled macaroni, or blushing-pink new season lamb with a zingy parsley purée. Desserts balance sweet and savoury flavours perfectly – molten hot chocolate fondants come with a quenelle of tangy thyme sorbet, and lemon meringue is paired with fragrant basil.

MO, Dormy House’s most recent restaurant, is an intimate chef’s table experience (there are only 12 seats) featuring an eight-course tasting menu. It’s tucked away behind The Back Garden, so you have to be in the know (and book ahead) to get in. Each course focuses on a pair or trio of ingredients: scrambled duck egg, truffle and pea, for example, or konro lobster, grilled lemon curd and lobster bisque.

Breakfast

The make-your-own bloody mary station (with homemade tomato juice) is irresistible. As is the central buffet table, piled high with pots of plum jam, banana bread and bircher museli studded with cranberries. You can also order fluffy hotcakes and hearty Full Dormys (these come with good-quality bacon, sausages, black pudding and posh hash browns) from the hot menu.

What else can foodies do?

Stroll around the kitchen garden and check out what’s growing (everything from pak choi to Chantenay carrots on our visit), or pull on a pair of wellies and do the scenic four-mile walk to Broadway. It’s a quintessential Cotswolds village with an impressive independent deli, where you can buy locally grown fruit, jars of chutney and Creighton’s chocolate bars, handcrafted by an all-female team. If you want to dine al fresco, order a pre-made Dormy House hamper stocked with smoked salmon and capers, goat’s cheese salads, a ploughman’s platter and a cake of the day.

Is it family friendly?

It might have a luxurious feel, but Dormy House welcomes children (and dogs) with open arms. There are dedicated swimming times for tots, as well as special menus (although we’d head to the more informal Potting Shed for meals, rather than MO). Lounges are equipped with books and board games, and there’s a dedicated grassy play area for dogs.

olive tip

If you’re dining at The Back Garden, ask if you can keep hold of the pretty menus. Made from wood pulp and seeds, you can plant them in compost and wait for them to bloom.

From £215 per night, check availability on mrandmrssmith.com

dormyhouse.co.uk

Words by Ellie Edwards

The iconic Opera House and majestic Harbour Bridge, miles of sandy beaches, swish suburbs and crisp, clear light: Sydney is one of the world’s great cities. And one of its most foodie. The locals love eating out so there are great restaurants, bars and cafés to choose from whatever your appetite, with Asian cuisine a staple and a definite Middle Eastern culinary scene emerging. Australia is also the land of brunch, kicking Italian coffee into touch with a stellar home-grown coffee culture and introducing the world to avocado on toast.

Best brunch spots in Sydney

A1 Canteen – best for global flavours

East meets West on the menu at this industrial café, home to some of the most interesting brunches in town. Za’atar eggs come with tangy braised rainbow chard, while a lip-smackingly good XO crab omelette has salty undertones from a touch of finely chopped dried fish, as well as a light hum from fresh red chilli.

a1canteen.com.au

Concrete Jungle – best for Insta appeal

Become the envy of your Instagram followers at this feed-friendly café. It serves pretty plates of food that, thankfully, also taste rocking. There are a lot of plant-based dishes, including smoothie bowls and a dish of incredible beetroot hummus with sumac tomatoes. Brunch is brilliant, with an all-day selection of eggs and the obligatory smashed avocado.

concretejunglecafe.com

Reuben Hills – best for coffee

Coffee roaster, ethical sourcer and incredible café all wrapped up in one gorgeous location on a sleepy street in Surry Hills. The coffee is the best in Sydney (fact!) and the menu knockout. Fried tortilla chilaquiles are drenched in yogurt, salty feta and sumac, and the café’s take on the infamous breakfast bun (a Sydney staple found in different guises on every brunch menu worth its salt) comes with bacon jam, chipotle aioli and a smashed omelette.

reubenhills.com.au

Best Middle Eastern restaurants in Sydney

Nomad – best for seafood

Located in sizzling Surry Hills, this epic Lebanese-inspired restaurant has a modern menu and a buzzy open-plan dining room. Everything is cooked over wood-fired grills, giving the food a sensational smoky taste. Standout dishes include charred octopus with salty chorizo, kingfish ceviche served in a tart lime dressing, and spiced cauliflower on a slick of creamy labna.

nomadwine.com.au

Tayim – best for a date-night dinner

The Rocks neighbourhood would not be the first choice for a date-night dinner; it’s tourist-tastic. But Tayim breaks the mould. Hidden down a quiet alleyway, in a beautiful stone building, this intimate restaurant serves up a decent meze board to start, with lovely creamy hummus, thick labna and crisp falafel. Mains are equally exciting and the chermoula rainbow trout is face-plant food – tender, juicy fish encrusted with spices and made luxurious with decadent hazelnut butter.

tayim.com.au

Nour – best for new wave Middle Eastern dining

This casual neighbourhood restaurant in Surry Hills has a serious menu that really showcases the best of Middle Eastern cuisine. Kifta nayyeh, a sensational raw lamb tartare, comes beautifully spiced and covered in melted butter. Prawn dumplings are plump and juicy, enriched with chilli yogurt. For the main event, try a classic Lebanese dish called samke harra (a juicy baby snapper served with an intense tahini sauce).

noursydney.com

Best Asian dining in Sydney

Chin Chin – best for southeast-Asian cooking

This riotous Asian restaurant is the fun, naughty cousin to the Melbourne restaurant of the same name. In a huge exposed-brick dining room, lit neon pink, you can feast on shared plates of silky-soft kingfish sashimi with coconut and Thai basil, huge shell-on scallops swimming in a fiery chilli sambal and Chin Chin’s signature dish, beef brisket massaman curry, full of fragrant spices and enrobed in a wickedly claggy peanut sauce. Come for the food and stay for the cocktails. It’s a blast.

chinchinrestaurant.com.au/sydney

Chinese Dumpling Master – best for Beijing dumplings

With several sites across the capital, all with the same not-so-chic plastic tables and school dinner chairs, these little restaurants don’t look like much on first appearance. But boy do they pack a serious punch. It’s here that you’ll find the best Beijing dumplings in Sydney, all of them plump and juicy, and a steal at just under $13 for 12. Or try the mighty hand-pulled Xinjiang noodles, beautifully textured and flavoured with light soy and garlic, for an authentic taste of northern Chinese food. In fact, order both and roll home afterwards.

instagram.com/chinese_dumpling_master

Queen Chow – best for a night out

With a cute cocktail bar and bright, breezy, first-floor dining room, this lively Asian restaurant is perfect for a fun Friday night. Fill the table with bowls of deliciousness. How does peppery squid, lightly steamed dim sum, unctuous honey-glazed pork char siu and black bean Wagyu beef sound? To be frank, there’s little on the menu that’s not worth ordering. It’s slap-bang in the middle of Newtown, a hip neighbourhood that’s packed with cool bars, so hang around for an after-dinner nightcap.

merivale.com/venues/queenchow

Spice Alley – best for Asian street food

Just off Kensington Street (a foodie find in itself, with a great selection of restaurants and bars), Spice Alley is a collection of hawker stalls selling fast and furious Asian dishes, all brilliantly priced. Take your pick from Malaysian, Chinese, Indonesian or Japanese cuisine – sink into an authentic laksa flecked with chillies and lime, nutty nasi lemak or kecap manis squid. Everything is made to order and you can grab a cold beer while you wait.

spicealley.com.au

Best bars in Sydney

Willie the Boatman – best for craft beers

Kick back in the tasting room of one of Sydney’s hottest independent breweries, where you can take a seat and choose from one of 20 beers (all made using Australian hops) or grab a tasting flight of four fabulous brews. Try the Old Salty, a German-inspired Gosê beer made with coriander. It has a salty, mineral taste that is utterly addictive.

willietheboatman.com

Earl’s Juke Joint – best Sydney speakeasy

Hidden behind a butcher’s shop facade in Newtown this swinging speakeasy is heaps of fun. It serves a wide selection of well-crafted cocktails, plus very quaffable ready-mixed drinks on tap. Try a refreshing Jazzy Jeff Spritz, made with Aperol, tequila and melon.

facebook.com/earlsjukejoint

The Barber Shop – best for gin

Another speakeasy, this time hidden behind a barbers’ shop, this Dickensian spot in central Sydney puts the focus on gin. Slouch into a sofa and sip a Spice Trade, a decadent cocktail made with gin, dry sherry and orange sugar syrup. Or order a Desert Bazaar, a cool concoction of absinthe, gin, star anise and lemon curd.

thisisthebarbershop.com

Mojo Record Bar – best for beer and beats

Basement bars don’t get much better than Mojo Record Bar, a subterranean vinyl store and beer bar. It’s dark and dingy in all the right ways – a rock ‘n’ roller’s paradise, where you can fall into a red leather booth and put the world to rights over a few well-produced Ozzie tinnies.

mojorecordbar.com

Best out of town restaurants near Sydney

Barrenjoey House – best for all-day dining

Set on the glistening Northern Beaches coastline, this all-day brasserie and boutique hotel is ideal if you need time out from the city. It’s swanky enough to warrant frocking up but also relaxed enough to settle in for a decadent meal. The food is beautifully prepared and the menu casual. Think coral-pink tuna spaghetti, juicy steak tartare or battered cod. Make sure you save room for the peanut butter parfait with chocolate ice cream, a hot mess that gets better and better as it melts. Sheer heaven.

barrenjoeyhouse.com.au

The Boat House – best for tables with a view

On Palm Beach, of Home and Away fame, this roaring beach restaurant is the perfect spot to put your feet up after a hike in the surrounding area. Think Hamptons-style chic, with whitewashed tables on a terrace that extends right out over the sea. Order champagne and oysters and admire the coastline (some of the finest in the region).

theboathousegroup.com.au

Coogee Pavilion – best for long, lazy lunches

This huge restaurant and bar has three floors, all heaving with brilliant booze, wood-fired pizzas and mouth-watering Mediterranean cuisine. The best place to hang out is on the roof, a plush haven with panoramic views of Coogee Beach. Indulge in a bucket-load of ice-cold rosé and enjoy plates of charred octopus with chilli and capers, ’nduja-flecked Kinawooka mussels and whole baby snapper. It’s an ideal spot for a long, lazy lunch.

merivale.com/venues/coogeepavilion

Watsons Bay Boutique – best for sunset dining

With an enviable location right by the sea, this banging beach restaurant is the perfect destination for a day trip. There are several terraces to choose from and a modern menu of sensational seafood, comforting classics and salads. The sunset is truly magical here – watch the whole of downtown Sydney twinkle, as the sky fades into another epic evening.

watsonsbayhotel.com.au

Return flights from Heathrow or Manchester to Sydney, via Abu Dhabi, cost from £697 (etihad.com)

Words and photographs by John Gregory-Smith

Looking for an affordable ski resort? Read our guide on the eight best ski hotels for foodies, ideal for cheap ski holidays. Everything from trendy hotels in Val Thorens to modern hostels in Lake Tahoe, California. Expect outdoor swimming pools with panoramic views of the slopes, lounges with open log fires and Scandinavian style spas with steam rooms. If you want more even more foodie ski resorts, check out our guide here.

Terminal Neige Totem, France

As well as some of the resort’s best ski food, Hotel Terminal Neige Totem has the best position in calm, car-free Flaine. Part of this purpose-built resort – famously designed in ‘brutalist’ Bauhaus style by architect Marcel Breuer in the late 1960s – its picture windows frame wide-angle views of Flaine’s northwest-facing slopes. Slopes that are so close it truly is ski-in, ski-out.

Owned by France’s upmarket Sibuet hotels group, this was the first venture in a new, more affordable spin-off hotel brand called Terminal Neige (a second property has recently opened above Chamonix) – and is a return to form for Flaine, where the vision for Wallpaper-style interiors to bring out the best of Breuer’s bold concrete buildings (actually a beautifully graphic reflection of the limestone-lined bowl in which the resort sits) went dramatically off-piste in the 1980s and ‘90s as mass-market operators moved in.

The hotel is bookable on a b&b basis by the night as well as by the week, half-board (being under 90 minutes’ drive from Geneva airport also helps make it easily weekend-able). In an effort to keep prices down, there are few frills: no minibars, no fluffy bathrobes but decent bathrooms, plenty of storage space for bulky ski gear and great beds.

On the ground floor is a bar and lounge area (complete with original Breuer fireplace) that caters to the cocktails, craft beer and charcuterie crowd rather than the fine dining set. The restaurant food reflects the same philosophy, pairing carefully sourced ingredients with playful touches to suit for hungry skiers, couples and families alike. Hang out by the fire with a glass of wine from the owners’ Luberon vineyard, the Domaine de Marie, or a jam jar cocktail (we recommend the Ruby, made with gin, lime juice, raspberry liqueur and cranberry juice). Then take a seat in the restaurant for plates of charcuterie, slices of beef served with a nutmeg-spiked root vegetable gratin or pan-fried seabass with a rich ratatouille and green beans. Home-cooked pizzas, quiches and chips are usually on offer, too, as is fondue.

terminal-neige.com

The Green Leaf Niseko Village, Japan

A far flung winter option, Niseko Village, which huddles on the slopes of the soaring Mount Niseko on Hokkaido, in North Eastern Japan, is one of Asia’s most acclaimed winter playgrounds. At its heart is this traditional-style village, now also a focal point for an array of hotels, shops and restaurants.

Among the latter you can sample various strands of Japanese food including traditional kaizuko-yaki steamed crab. Stay at the resort’s ski-in, ski-out Green Leaf hotel and enjoy its Alpine/Japanese décor and the soothing waters of its own onsen, a time-honoured Japanese tradition for après ski winding down.

niseko-village.com

Rooms Hotel Kazbegi, Georgia

Anyone who has visited Georgia will attest that sampling the local cuisine is one of the highlights of this trending destination at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. At Rooms Hotel Kazbegi, high in the Caucasus Mountains, you can sample traditional Georgian food after hitting the slopes of the country’s most popular ski resorts. Housed in the remnants of a guesthouse formerly reserved for government officials, the style across the hotel’s 156 guestrooms is old-meets-new and most have panoramic views of the snow-shrouded peaks of Mount Kazbek.

Georgian cooks are fanatical about local produce and, as well as showcasing ingredients plucked from the surrounding mountains, river and pastures, chefs here also give impromptu workshops and cookery classes at communal tables. Don’t miss the chance to sample dumplings (khinkali), the ratatouille-like ajapsandali and a glass of local Qvervi wine.

designhotels.com

Milk Hotel, France

Milkhotel is one of a new breed of more affordable hotels popping up all over the Alps, where the ambience and gourmet offering are every bit as important as the white stuff outside. Set in the quiet village of Les Carroz, in France’s Grand Massif, there is an intimate, chalet-style atmosphere and pared-back Alpine aesthetic here.

Don’t check in if you’re looking for a thrumming après-ski scene but do come for relaxing afternoons spent on the hotel’s sunny terrace watching the sun’s rays fade. Come nightfall there are simple Haute Savoie classics on offer at the restaurant; well executed renditions of tartiflette, raclette and fondue.

milkhotel.fr

The Chandolin Boutique Hotel, Switzerland

You won’t find too many other tourists in Chandolin, a tiny, under-the-radar village in the Swiss Alps. Set at an altitude of over 2,000m it is one of Europe’s highest year-round inhabited villages, so the views from the hotel are pretty special. Surveying a pine and larch dotted valley in the Valais canton, this winter will see the first ski season unfold since the 25-room The Chandolin swung open its doors earlier this year.

The hotel’s design takes its cues from the natural surroundings, albeit with a modern mix – exposed larch and pine on the outside with natural materials like stone and aged oak parquet and warm tones on the inside. The St. Luc Chandolin and Val d’Anniviers ski areas are right on the hotel’s doorstop. Breakfast is an impressive spread of local produce, cured meats, cheese and dairy products, while at night, Le Restaurant serves Swiss classics and Val d’Hérens beef accompanied by a serious wine list of over 400 wines.

designhotels.com

Basecamp Tahoe South, Lake Tahoe

After a day on the slopes around Lake Tahoe you can return to Basecamp and join in that quintessential American campfire tradition – roasting s’mores around one of its two outdoor fire pits. This is a mountain basecamp reimagined for a more comfort-conscious traveller. The vibe is young and adventurous, somewhere between a stylish hostel and a hotel. Its 76 rooms are done out with a nod to the Great Outdoors with reclaimed wood, plaid blankets and bright orange kerosene lamps.

The restaurant, meanwhile, serves global mountain fare, which runs the whole gamut from Lake Tahoe chilli to Swiss fondue. Beer fans are in for a treat as the hotel’s Beer Garden has just unveiled its own Desolation Brewery and the hotel also conducts a Lake Tahoe Brewery Tour. Lake Tahoe is one of California’s great gateways to the wilderness and the Heavenly Ski Resort gondola is only four minutes’ walk from the hotel.

basecamptahoesouth.com

Rocky Pop, France

Rocky Pop is a fun and affordable hotel in the Mont Blanc valley, with an emphasis on attracting the lower-budget traveller – think vibrant lamps, exposed wooden tables and video game machines. There’s an open-plan area on the ground floor where you’ll find live music, movies and a photo booth to snap some post ski shots on, too.

When it’s time for après ski, grab a bite to eat from one of the food court-style counters serving up gourmet burgers, pizzas topped with rocket, ceps and Parmesan and traditional French mountain cuisine such as tartiflette and beef with pommes Lyonnaises. If you’re going off-piste, make a beeline for the bar and order a pisco sour or a post dinner espresso martini.

rockypopchamonix.com

Fahrenheit Seven, France

If you’re looking for an affordable yet stylish hotel to lounge in post-ski, then Fahrenheit Seven is a good option for anyone looking for a hip ‘home from home’. The brand operates in two locations in France, Courchevel and Val Thorens; the latter has been nominated as the world’s best new ski hotel thanks to its modern design and cosy feel. Inside you’ll find most guests are comfortably accommodated, whether you’re skiing alone, as a couple or as a family of four: try to bag the top-floor suite for the most idyllic views over Val Thorens.

Away from the slopes, take some time out to relax with a hot chocolate by the hotel’s open fire, or visit the Scandinavian-style spa to soothe tired muscles in its saunas and hammam. Spend the evenings, meanwhile, indulging in fondues and listening to jazz. There’s a choice of two restaurants – lively Le Zinc offers local specialties such as tartare de Boeuf and frites, whereas La Rôtisserie serves classic roast meats, fish and a dedicated children’s menu.

fahrenheitseven-valthorens.com

La Tania, France

Tucked between chic Meribel and heaving Courchevel, La Tania is something of a smug secret between skiers on a budget. Stay at the recently renovated Chalet Nid Alpin for a full-board package that foodies would approve of (breakfast, afternoon tea and three-course dinners with French wine). Expect addictive, melt-in-the-mouth peanut butter cookies, giant tartiflette baked with whole reblochon cheese, and ski-pant-busting sticky toffee pudding. There’s even a cheese and port night. Make friends with the ski school, too, and you might be lucky enough to taste homemade génépi liqueur, infused with local artemisia flowers that are plucked from the slopes during the summer months. And when it’s the chalet hosts’ night off, head into La Tania for everything from Michelin-starred plates at Le Farçon to burgers at Le Chrome Bar.

skibeat.co.uk

Apartment Marguerite, France

For ultimate Alpine cosiness, with access to the vast Three Valleys ski area, base yourself in the heart of the charming jumble of old stone buildings that make up the centre of St Martin de Belleville. Apartment Marguerite (within a larger building called Chalet Alice Velut) is a two-bedroom, first-floor apartment that comes decorated with lots of timber and vintage ski posters. It’s perfect for a small family – you can walk to local shops and traiteurs (delicatessens), where you can stock up on Savoyard classics such as tomme and comté cheese. Plus you can dip into St Martin’s dining scene, which runs the gamut of rustic to refined. Splash out with a night at La Bouitte, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in neighbouring St Marcel that takes the traditional cheese trolley and reimagines it as a veritable cheese chariot, laden with 40 varieties all from the Savoie or Haut Savoie region.

selfcatered-saintmartin.com

Le Lion d’Or, France

At Hôtel Le Lion d’Or, in Cauterets in the French Pyrenees, you’re treated to pillow-shaped donuts (made by grand-mère Lasserre) every morning. Known as merveilles or marvels, they’re made to a recipe that has been handed down through the generations – it is the fourth generation of the Lasserre family that currently runs this cosy, welcoming hotel. It’s an especially good option for families, particularly the two-bedroomed, self-catering apartment across the street from the blue-shuttered hotel. You can stroll across to the hotel restaurant for French mountain classics such as tartiflette and myrtille berry cake, as well as a fortifying breakfast buffet to set you up nicely for a day on the slopes.

liondor.eu

Buustamons Fjallgard, Sweden

Åre is one of Sweden’s most well-known ski resorts, and was for a long time the closest town to foodie bucket list destination restaurant, Fäviken Magasinet (which, unfortunately, chef Magnus Nilsson is closing permanently in December 2019). There are, however, plenty of other great places to eat in the area, including Lillåstugan’s Waffle Mill (accessible only by skis) for sauerkraut stew and flower-shaped waffles topped with homemade cream and berries. Buustamons Fjällgård is a small, 12-bedroom inn with two self-catering cabins, set in the middle of the snow-dusted slopes. The kitchen likes to keep things local, using as many raw materials from Jämtland as possible. Finish dinner with a glass of schnapps from the inn’s own on-site distillery.

buustamonsfjallgard.se

Shirouma-so, Japan

Skiers are turning to Japan as a winter destination, hoping to combine its snow-sure slopes with local cuisine and the chance to soothe weary muscles with a post-piste dip in an onsen, Japan’s famous hot springs. Stick with tradition and book a stay at Shirouma-so ryokan, a Japanese inn that skirts the slopes of the Happo-one ski resort at Hakuba in Nagano. Stay in an authentic tatami bedroom and sample the owner’s traditional home-cooking (called okami-san), which draws on Hakuba’s regional specialties. Try traditional purple rice, tempura with wild vegetables and homemade pickles. The on-site hot bath is fed from the Hakuba Happo hot springs.

shiroumaso.com

Hotel Casa Irene, Spain

The Val d’Aran is an impossibly picturesque valley, sliced through the steep peaks of the Spanish Pyrenees in the northernmost reaches of Catalonia. Arties is one of the valley’s medieval villages, tucked close to some of Spain’s best skiing on the slopes of Baqueira-Beret. There are 22 antique-scattered bedrooms and a dining room, Casa Irene, where the menu reflects the bounties of the surrounding valleys and peaks. Try organic Pyrenean lamb from Xisquet and dishes studded with mushrooms and truffles gathered from nearby forests. When you’re not eating at the hotel, you can explore Arties’ cobbled alleyways and eat other rustic, local specialties such as olha Aranese, a local soup made from chicken, beef and rice.

hotelcasairene.com

Lysebu, Norway

At this city hotel, in the Norwegian capital, you can ski by day and dip into Oslo’s burgeoning foodie scene by night, including the likes of three-Michelin-starred Maaemo. The city’s most accessible ski resort, Vinterpark, is just 30 minutes outside the city centre and is accessible by metro – you can even see Oslo and its fjords from the ski lifts. There are 10km of downhill pistes here and even more cross-country skiing trails (the latter is big in Norway).

Lysebu Hotel is in Oslo’s Holmenkollen neighbourhood and is one of Norway’s most historic hotels – it was created from a clutch of traditional buildings designed by Norwegian architect, Magnus Poulsson, in 1916. Now owned by The Foundation for Danish-Norwegian Cooperation, Lysebu and its restaurant garner plenty of praise among regulars. The restaurant’s seasonal, Scandi-inspired menus are one reason for a night in. Try cured Arctic char, or veal and porcini mushrooms in a roasted garlic sauce. And, if you fancy an afternoon away from the slopes, you can head to the hotel’s new cookery school to polish your Scandi-cooking skills.

lysebu.no

Hotel Miramonte, Austria

Hotel Miramonte is a traditional chalet shaken-up for a more contemporary audience. The 1960s building clings to the foot of Graukogel Mountain in the Austrian resort of Bad Gastein, and owner Ike Ikrath has given it a thoroughly modern makeover. It’s a simple yet smart aesthetic, with a dash of glamour, and guests can make the most of daily yoga classes and a thermal spa fed straight from Bad Gastein’s healing waters. Dinner is a four-course affair of adapted mountain classics, including light dishes of smoked trout and horseradish, and goulash and dumplings. Unusually for the meat-heavy mountains, vegetarians and vegans are also well-catered for. A family outfit, Ikrath’s wife owns the equally stylish Haus Hirt hotel down the hill.

i-escape.com/hotel-miramonte

Words | Aoife O’Riordain, Rhiannon Batten, Ellie Edwards and Laura Rowe

Images | YTL Hotels, Design Hotels, Eva Kolenko, Tommy Andresen

Looking for restaurants in Nashville? Want to know where to eat the in the Tennessee city? Local food writer Jennifer Justus shares her insider tips for the best restaurants in Nashville, along with where to find the best fried chicken, seafood and cocktails. 

Best Pennsylvania Dutch cooking in Nashville – Josephine

Josephine on the 12th (the name is a reference to its location) is a small restaurant combining Southern hospitality with Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Perch at the bar and order a Mochi-San cocktail made with Roku Japanese gin, Lillet Blanc, suze, grapefruit, lemon and thyme before tucking into cornbread with cultured butter and sea salt. With chef Andy Little at the kitchen’s helm larger dishes are split into ‘vegetables’ and ‘meat and fish’ (think buffalo cauliflower served with celery and blue cheese, or duck leg confit with corn and kale). Comfort food reigns when it comes to desserts, from warm oatmeal raisin cookies to chocolate peanut butter cake.

Pop by on the weekend for a lazy brunch of cinnamon sugar doughnuts with apple cider caramel or fried bologna with sunny egg and American cheese.

Best fried chicken in Nashville – Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish

Some Nashville hot chicken joints are as famous as the town’s country stars, and deservedly so. But Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish is a more laid-back locals’ favourite. Order a plate of cayenne-spiced fried chicken on white bread or a slab of hot fish scattered with mustard, onion and pickles.

Best burgers in Nashville – Butcher & Bee

As well as superior burgers and sandwiches (fried avo, trout melt, grilled cauli with harissa) and a bounty of locally grown ingredients, Butcher & Bee is also known for its mezze dishes – try the turnip cacio e pepe, or the grilled radish with green tahini and shallot butter.

Best food market in Nashville – Azadi International Food Market

Surprising but true: Nashville is home to the largest Kurdish population in the United States. Drive down Nolesville Pike and you’ll find markets like Azadi International Food Market brimming with dates, lentils and pistachios, and the scent of freshly baked flatbreads wafting from their in-store bakeries. 391 Elysian Fields Ct (00 1 615 315 0940)

Best cocktails in Nashville – Black Rabbit

Velvet, leather and exposed brickwork tip a hat to neighbouring Printers Alley, and its associations with printing presses, gambling and drinking. Straddling the line between bar and restaurant, Black Rabbit serves craft cocktails and small plates including rabbit rolls – buns stuffed with rabbit terrine, mustard and poppy seeds.

Best doughnuts in Nashville – Five Daughters Bakery

Owned and run by Isaac and Stephanie Meek, along with their five daughters, family-run Five Daughters Bakery has seven sites across the South. Best known for its croissant-style, 100-layer doughnuts, the flavours range from chocolate sea salt to maple glaze, with seasonal specials available each month (think huckleberry or pumpkin chocolate cheesecake). If you’re not a pastry lover, tuck into chewy ginger molasses – or classic chocolate chip – cookies.

Best cosy restaurant in Nashville – Treehouse

A former home in East Nashville, Treehouse has a warm, dinner-party vibe, with a fairy-light-strewn bar and rustic seating. Chef Jason Zygmont turns out Insta-worthy dishes: think scallop crudo in a dainty moat of spiced pork broth with jerusalem artichokes and nasturtiums.

Best chocolate shop in Nashville – Goo Goo Cluster

Howell Campbell created the iconic Goo Goo Cluster – a nougat, caramel, peanut and chocolate cluster – in 1912. At the Goo Goo Cluster shop you can buy various varieties, or make your own in one of the store’s chocolate classes.

Best bakery in Nashville – Dozen Bakery

What began life as a pop-up has blossomed into a bricks-and-mortar bakery and café, the Dozen Bakery. Fill up on buttery croissants, madeleines and scones, or grab a baguette and a barley salad, zesty with lime and the crunch of greens and crushed peanuts.

Best seafood in Nashville – Henrietta Red

Peek in the kitchen at hot new dining spot Henrietta Red and you’ll find chef Julia Sullivan and her mostly female team calmly turning out on-point plates of wood-roasted oysters, or trout with white beans, rocket and dill vinaigrette, to a buzzy crowd.

Best distillery in Nashville – Green Brier Distillery

Think Tennessee whiskey and Jack Daniel’s probably comes to mind. But before Prohibition, Green Brier Distillery sold more of the hard stuff than Jack. Brothers Charles and Andy Nelson revived the family business in 2009 and tell their family’s American Dream story over tastings on their distillery tours.

HOW TO GET TO NASHVILLE

British Airways launches direct flights from Heathrow to Nashville in May 2018. Return fares will start from £641 (ba.com).

WHERE TO STAY IN NASHVILLE

Double rooms at the sleek Noelle hotel cost from $232 per night, room only (noelle-nashville.com). More info: visitmusiccity.com

TRUST OLIVE

Nashville-based writer Jennifer Justus is the author of Nashville Eats – a collection of stories and recipes from Music City. She also leads tours for Walk Eat Nashville (jenniferjustuswrites.com).

Photographs by Sam Angel, Christen Clemins, Getty

Looking for the best New York deli? Want to know the best restaurants in Manhattan? New York City local author and recipe writer Alison Roman shares her favourite foodie spots in the city. Listen to our podcast with Alison Roman here about about how she became an internationally acclaimed recipe writer and cookbook author:

Where to eat and drink in Manhattan

Russ & Daughters – for pumpernickel bagels and smoked fish

One of the most iconic spots in town, Russ & Daughters has been a champion of Jewish food in America for more than 100 years. Immigrant Joel Russ kick-started the empire in 1907 by selling herring from a barrel, eventually working his way up to a bricks-and-mortar store. The business is still in the family, and it’s great to sit at the counter for a breakfast of lots of smoked fish – including yellowfin tuna, sturgeon and chubs – and black coffee.

There are also seven types of smoked salmon to try, even more varieties of herring (try rollmops or fillets in curry sauce), pumpernickel bagels baked in-house, and cinnamon babka. Joel’s great-grandchildren, Josh and Niki Russ, opened sibling business, the Russ & Daughters Café, on Orchard Street in 2014 – head there for whitefish croquettes, matzo ball soup, baked kippers and a Lower East Side cocktail (gin, dill, lime and cucumber).

russanddaughters.com

Café Altro Paradiso – for classic New York vibes

If you’re after fun, classic New York restaurant vibes, make your way to Café Altro Paradiso. It’s not very old (it launched on Spring Street in 2016), but it feels like this Italian restaurant has been around for years. It’s open for lunch and dinner, and has the best lighting in town – plus a shiny brass bar and huge windows that offer a view of Hudson Square. The pasta is incredible, including simple classics such as pasta pomodoro, but for lunch try the chicken milanese. They serve it with a little dish of mustard for dipping, plus rocket leaves and pine nuts, and it’s perfect with a glass of wine, picked from a menu that focuses on natural and small Italian producers.

altroparadiso.com

Grand Central Oyster Bar – for shellfish

If you happen to find yourself in Midtown make the most of it by treating yourself to a plate of oysters and clams. Grand Central Oyster Bar, established in 1913 on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal, is about as old-school New York as it gets. With a capacity for more than 400 diners, it’s wonderfully loud and crowded, and elegant marble columns and an illuminated tiled ceiling make it an atmospheric place to spend an evening. The oysters – there are more than 20 American types to choose from, including those from Rhode Island and Maine – are super-fresh, but if you don’t like shellfish try fried coconut jumbo shrimp, smoked Idaho rainbow trout, or barbecued swordfish instead. There’s old-fashioned pumpkin pie and classic New York cheesecake for dessert, too.

oysterbarny.com

Sardi’s – for stiff martinis served by bow-tied waiters

The theatre district is touristy and packed with people but if you’re there to see a Broadway show it’s worth staying on to check out the area’s classic restaurants, and watch waiters in bow ties make very stiff martinis. Sardi’s, on West Street, counts Kevin Bacon, Whoopi Gholdberg and Lucille Ball among its fans, and is the place to go for post-Broadway pigs in blankets, jumbo crab cakes and cannelloni au gratin.

sardis.com

Where to eat and drink in Brooklyn

Sahadi’s – for Middle Eastern grocery shopping

The staff at Sahadi’s Middle Eastern market are the best and it stocks almost every single pantry item you could think of. It’s the place to go for hot pepper paste, cardamom tea, pistachio butter, truffle burrata, natural rose water, guava juice, fresh baba ganoush, baby octopus, dark chocolate pretzel nuggets…the list is endless. The original store is on Atlantic Avenue, but another, more modern, branch has recently opened in Industry City.

sahadis.com

Where to eat and drink in Queens

Szechuan House – for spicy Sichuan hot pot

If you love spicy food, you’ll love Sichuan food, especially spicy Sichuan hot pot. There are great hot pot spots all around NYC, but some of the best are in the Flushing neighbourhood. Try Szechuan House, open since 1985, for everything from sour cabbage fish hot pot to tomato hot pot and lobster hot pot.

szechuanhouseflushing.com

Where to eat and drink in the East Village

Prune – for bistro dining

Open since 1999, this New York restaurant is still going strong to this day. Chef and owner Gabrielle Hamilton introduced locals to the delights of sweet butter and radishes (found on the bar snacks menu) and other bar nibbles, including fried anchovies with aioli, and roast-your-own Turkish ‘disco’ pistachios, which are doused in anise-flavoured brandy and set on fire at the table. Separate lunch and dinner menus typically include gems such as swiss chard and leek gratin, lamb neck stew with green sauce zhug, and, for dessert, fresh fig clafoutis. Check out the dedicated bloody mary menu, too – the Mariner is a blend of homemade lemon vodka, clam juice and olives.

prunerestaurant.com

Where to eat and drink in the West Village

Via Carota – for Italian comfort food

It’s almost impossible to get a table at Via Carota, a walk-in-only Italian restaurant on Grove Street. Every New Yorker and every tourist wants to eat there. A tip for success: arrive as close to 5pm or 5:30pm as possible, and eat at the bar. The service is better, the vibe is perfect and you can people-watch as the dining room fills up. Waiters in cream-coloured jackets deliver negronis, svizzerina (salt-crusted chopped rare steak, served with tender cloves of roast garlic), charred artichokes, and, best of all, incredibly rich and cheesy cacio e pepe.

viacarota.com

Photographs by Alison Roman and Getty Images

Looking for the best Christmas markets? Want to find the best European food markets? Read on for 10 of the best continental Christmas markets…

Bled, Slovenia

A misty Lake Bled and the tiny, church-topped island at its centre form the backdrop to one of Slovenia’s most romantic Christmas markets, the Winter Fairytale. Walk beside the forest-lined lake, following a route marked by flickering fire torches and watch a team of divers ceremonially recover the lake’s sunken bell then hit the market stalls to track down festive gifts, and food and drink typical of Slovenia’s Gorenjska region.

Try a golden fried potato snack called pocrt krompir, or a slice of potica – a swirly cake made from paper-thin sweet dough and creamed nuts, rolled as tight as a pinwheel biscuit – but leave room for Bled cream cake, a neat little square made from layers of butter puff pastry, vanilla cream and whipped cream.

bled.si

Riga, Latvia

The air is sweet with roast almonds, mulled wine and glazed gingerbread at Riga’s Old Town Christmas Market. Way back in 1510, the Latvian capital was one of the first two cities in the world (the other was Tallinn) to display a Christmas tree in the way we do today – the supposed spot, in Cathedral Square, is where the festive market now stands.

Little wooden huts sell everything from hand-knitted mittens to carved wooden spoons and piping-hot “grey peas”. Despite the uninspiring name, the latter is actually a delicious combination of sticky-sweet onions, Latvian peas and crispy bacon, fried together until fragrant. You can also eat sausages with sauerkraut and drink hot cocktails made with Riga Black Balsam (a herbal liqueur made from vodka infused by black pepper and valerian).

latvia.travel

Utrecht, Holland

If you fancy a change from the Christmas market norm head to the Dutch town of Utrecht (check out our foodie guide here) to catch its December beer festival. The Stomend Bierfestival Spoorwegmuseum takes place at the local railway museum and, as well as tasting regional beers from all over The Netherlands, visitors can go ice skating, listen to live jazz and go for a spin on an antique carousel.

The museum itself, steam engines and all, is decorated with Christmas trees and fairy lights, and on top of all the festive cheer each guest gets a beer menu, tasting glass and four starter tokens to spend on the festival’s range of over 60 beers (look out for those from brewer Kees Bubberman – try his subtly sweet Mosaic Hop Explosion IPA, or Spring Blossom Pale Ale for a spicy, amber-coloured pint). Drink and mingle on a heated terrace, or take an organised “beer history” walk through the centre of Utrecht dipping into its hidden cellars and ancient breweries.

facebook.com/streekbierfestival

Black Forest, Germany

Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market takes place, as the name suggests, in a geological chasm beneath a railway viaduct in Germany’s Black Forest. Among its 40 or so snow-capped cabins are those selling everything from cuckoo clocks to cherry-topped Black Forest gâteau, Black Forest-smoked trout and venison, and flammkuchen – a German-style flatbread topped with bacon, onion and cheese.

To drink, it’s all about a theatrical glass of feuerzangenbowle: mulled wine topped with a square of rum-soaked sugarloaf which is set alight as it’s served. While you shop, frosty blue lights bounce off the Höllentalbahn railway line 40 metres above you, and for a special treat you can hike to the Christmas market via the Löffeltal walk, a 3km trail starting from Hinterzarten village (there are shuttle buses back, if you’re knocked out by all that feuerzangenbowle).

upperrhinevalley.com

Trento, Italy

Split across Piazza Fiera and Piazza Cesare Battisti, Trento’s Christmas market is so dedicated to local produce and sustainability (there’s a ban on plastic bags) that the city has earnt itself the reputation of Italy’s Città del Natale. Browse nearly 100 stalls selling regional specialities, including dried orange slices, local sheep’s cheese, grappa and mostarda di rosa canina, a Christmassy condiment made from rosehip berries and winter spices.

Go hungry – there are shallow-fried potato pancakes called tortel di patate to try, as well as polenta wedges, panettone and apple strudel (a nod to the city’s previous life as part of the Austro-Hungarian empire). Sit and eat awhile, enjoying (if you’re lucky) views of the snow-dusted Dolomites beyond the city.

visittrentino.info

Bilbao, Spain

Traditional Basque products hog the limelight at Bilbao’s Santo Tomás Fair, held on December 21 every year (officially the first day of Christmas in this part of Spain). Buy homemade cider, cheese, chorizo, honey and ever-so-slightly-sparkling txakoli wine from local farmers, then hit the street-food stalls for corn flour tortillas, txistorra pork sausages and rosquillas – cake-like ring donuts, often dipped in chocolate and dusted in icing sugar.

There’s always an exhibition of farm animals and plenty of live music to enjoy, including those from bertsolaris (singers of bertso, a Basque form of musical verse) and txalapartaris (they make rhythmic music using wooden sticks and planks).

bilbaoturismo.net

Bologna, Italy

The Fiera di Natale is Bologna’s biggest wintertime celebration, running right through until January 6. On New Year’s Eve, amidst the bustle of Piazza Maggiore’s street market, a statue of an old man (or an old woman on leap years) is burnt to symbolise the ousting of the old and beginning anew. Stalls are set out underneath the gaze of San Pietro Cathedral, selling ornate Christmas decorations, handmade nativity scenes, roast nuts, chocolate-dipped orange peel and torrone (citrus-scented nougat, studded with almonds). Plus you’ll discover Bologna’s version of panettone: a dense fruit cake made with brandy, dried figs and cocoa, then brushed with alchermes or saba liqueur (a sort of syrup made by slow-cooking wine in copper cauldrons).

bolognawelcome.com

Angers, France

An illuminated ferris wheel, vintage merry-go-round, ice-skating rink and colourful light show (projected onto Angers Cathedral) makes this French market ideal for families. Even Santa Claus shows up each year, to receive the keys to the city from the Mayor of Angers.

Stalls are set out on the Place du Ralliement in front of the Grand Theatre selling food and drink typical of the Loire Valley – pommes d’amour (like toffee apples, but coloured red), nougat, vin chaud, gingerbread houses and warm galettes – while the nearby Maison du Vin offers tastings and sales of 70 local Loire Valley wines until 6:30pm most evenings. Better still, at a corner kiosk, you can get any purchased gift-wrapped in pretty paper.

marchedenoelangers.com

Torun, Poland

Head to the Polish city of Torun if you want to get your Christmas market fix away from the crowds. Warm nippy hands around firepits, drink mulled wine spiked with warm honey, watch old movies in the Market Square and snap a photo with a life-size nutcracker. Food-wise you can indulge in everything from dried sausages to oscypek, a smoked sheep’s milk cheese that’s served warm with cranberry sauce.

Whatever you do, don’t miss the peppery gingerbread – Torun has been making it in traditional moulds since the 14th century. Buy beautiful, intricate examples of the craft, or simple heart-shaped gingerbread cookies filled with plum jam. You can even learn how to make your own during the Christmas period, at the Museum of Torun Gingerbread.

poland.travel

Words by Charlotte Morgan

Image credits: Getty Images

Looking to visit the most picturesque places in Europe? Want to discover the most beautiful bedrooms for your next foodie trip? Take a tip from the #olivetravels experts and read on for the most beautiful hotels to post from in Europe.

Rosa et Al Townhouse, Porto, Portugal

This six-room hotel is a lesson in boutique design. Rooms blessed with original wooden floorboards, cornicing and sash windows that lead to balconies are made even more beautiful with clawfoot baths, contemporary furniture and local art. If you’ve already sorted your accommodation, it’s worth soaking up Rosa et Al’s chic and cosy vibe over brunch. 50 jars of tea (some made with herbs from the garden) cover a large serving table; you can choose your own Portuguese tinned cod or sardines; and there’s a dinky walled garden out back where you can sit around tiled tables, eating eggs with spruced-up sides and drinking freshly squeezed orange juice in the sunshine.

Doubles from £119, check availability at expedia.co.uk

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If you're staying in Porto, @rosaetaltownhouse is a foodie's dream. Make sure you head to the secret garden out the back for brunch in the sun – this pretty platter was made up of classic Portuguese tinned cod and sardines with tomatoes that also make great souvenirs ????

A post shared by olivemagazine (@olivemagazine) on Feb 5, 2019 at 4:46am PST

Fireflies and Figs, Abruzzo, Italy

Fern and Jono plot a celebration of Italian produce from dawn until dusk at Fireflies and Figs. Here, you can indulge in fresh and honest food with a hyper-local focus. Try handmade gnudi or sweet cherry ice cream laced with cherries plucked from the surrounding trees. Picturesque yurts overlook rolling fields and olive groves, and breakfast is served in colourful crockery with breathtaking views of the Abruzzi mountains. Be sure to spend your days exploring every direction. You’ll find bustling market stalls, quiet beaches and idyllic forests to photograph.

Doubles from £130, check availability at canopyandstars.co.uk

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Immense breakfast view @firefliesandfigs in Abruzzo's spectacular mountains

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Club Marvy, Aegean Coast, Turkey

This boho chic resort stretches across 16 hectares of hillside and sandy beach on Turkey’s Aegean coast. There are plenty of little alcoves to explore: palm trees rock gently in the breeze beside olive trees, sandy coves are home to private beaches and neat beds of cacti and exotic plants frame wooden decks and a glistening infinity pool. Rooms continue the stylish, boho theme with muted greys and taupe palettes, Turkish throws on the beds and brushed concrete walls. 

Order an Aegean herb-infused cocktail to sip on with a backdrop of blue skies and turquoise sea – Aperol spritz is garnished with a vine leaf and dried orange, while G&Ts are laced with sharp little pomegranate seeds. The adults-only Değirmen restaurant, named after Club Marvy’s farm, offers an intimate atmosphere. Perched on top of a cliff, it enjoys sensational sunset views – tuck into an à la carte menu of artichoke salad, lamb shish kebab, and deconstructed pavlova while the sun paints the sky blood orange as it disappears behind the mountains.

Doubles from £126 all-inclusive, check availability at booking.com

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Serefe! That’s cheers in Turkish from @alexcrossley, rounding off my trip to this coastal resort. Cocktails at @clubmarvy are shaken with Aegean herb-infused spirits – Aperol spritz is garnished with a vine leaf and dried orange, while G&Ts are laced with sharp little pomegranate seeds . . . #marvyvibes #izmir #marvymemories #visitizmir #cocktailhour #aperolspritz???? #ginandtonic

A post shared by olivemagazine (@olivemagazine) on Sep 3, 2019 at 8:54am PDT

Mother Goose, Utrecht, Netherlands

Book a stay at this boutique hotel in the pretty canal-lined town half an hour from Amsterdam. The building revealed itself as a city castle after a fire in 1989, when its original features were uncovered, including a wooden spiral staircase that disappears into corners (pictured below). 23 rooms are spread across four storeys, each with a different colour theme – white, grey, brown and black, all decorated in earthy, muted tones with cosy throws, brushed wooden headboards, oak side tables and monochrome art. 

Sip coffee in bed from one of the bespoke cups illustrated with the iconic Dom Tower while spying the real thing through your window, or potter over the road for breakfast at trendy café and concept store Daen’s. 

Doubles from £99, check availability on booking.com

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Who wants to wake up here?? Take a weekend break to Utrecht, just 30 mins from Amsterdam for indie cafes, cosy wine bars and Indonesian restaurants among the canals. A stay in boutique hotel Mother Goose is a little luxury… #traveltuesday #instatravel #boutiquehotel #luxuryhotel #breakfastinbed #coffeetime #morningcoffee #dailycortado #coffeeinbed #utrecht #visitutrecht

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Les Jardins des Douars, Essaouira, Morocco

There’s a laid-back, mellow feel at this tranquil hideaway in the hills above Essaouira, with an air of French chicness weaving through traditional Moroccan features – secret courtyards hide fountains decorated with classic zellige tiles, palms brush against walls lined with African art, and Berber rugs warm up earthy tiled floors. Behind heavy wooden doors are luxurious rooms that stick to a traditional Moroccan style – squishy beds are covered with colourful throws, French doors with intricate carvings open out onto private patios and antique furniture fills up atmospheric alcoves. 

Mint tea comes free-flowing from intricate tisanes and colourful dishes are served in traditional terracotta tagines. Try citrusy, creamy Beldi chicken tagine; slow-cooked chicken soaked in an intensely zesty and sweet orange reduction, with freshly picked olives and a hint of saffron. At breakfast, tonnes of little bowls filled with dried fruits and nuts, and fresh fruit salads, span two large wooden tables in an instagrammable feast.

Doubles from £110, check availability at booking.com

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Waking up to these doors and feeling like princess Jasmine ???? #ArabianNights

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Ett Hem, Stockholm, Sweden

Snuggle under blankets with a warm glass of glögg (mulled wine) in the lantern-lit courtyard of this stylish townhouse hotel. Or make yourself at home in its farmhouse-style kitchen, then order from a three-course menu to eat in front of the open fire – guinea fowl with chanterelles, perhaps, or steamed cod with roast cauliflower. Hygge vibes in every corner for your Instagram feed…

Doubles from £315, check availability at mrsandmrssmith.com

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Absolute hotel perfection. "Ett Hem" is Swedish for "a home", and that this boutique hideaway is, complete with idyllic secret garden. Smitten!!

A post shared by Alex Crossley (@alexcrossley) on Jul 16, 2017 at 11:57am PDT

Artist Residence, Brighton, UK

Secure a sea-facing room at this converted townhouse and you’ll have one of the best views in town, looking out over the old pier that rises from the sea like a sculpture. Look out for the pink neon sign on Regency Square to find this quirky boutique hotel. There are 23 bedrooms, each individually decorated with bespoke artwork and decked out with Roberts radios, mini Smeg fridges and Tunnock’s caramel bars for nostalgic snacking. Larger rooms have free-standing baths to relax in while you enjoy that view.

Colourful art, sackcloth cushions and a large breakfast bar liven up brunch at onsite restaurant The Set, as do the spicy bloody marys. Watch chefs prepare seasonal dishes in the open kitchen – heritage tomatoes with salty seaweed pesto, super-crisp pork on squidgy potato waffles, and Instagrammable eggs slathered in Marmite hollandaise. Or, enjoy a brew in bed with a view of the West Pier.

Doubles from £90, check availability at booking.com

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Oh we do like to be beside the seaside! Today we’re celebrating the UK by sharing some of its best foodie trips on the coast. First up, if you’re after a morning brew in bed with a sea view, @artistresidence in Brighton is a great base. Then slope downstairs for brunch in the sunny courtyard @theset_restaurant. Check out our Brighton tips in the link in our bio…

A post shared by olivemagazine (@olivemagazine) on May 29, 2018 at 12:03am PDT

Don Totu, Puglia, Italy

In the rural town of San Cassiano large wooden doors along an unassuming backstreet open into a mini palazzo, gracefully decorated in muted tones. Instagrammable nooks include a pergola adorned with white roses, a contemporary pool room complete with Art deco chandeliers and a tiny vaulted plunge pool. The owners make the most of the building’s quirks (vaulted stone ceilings, quiet alcoves, narrow staircases leading to terracotta terraces) and have gathered a collection of furniture from across the region to add contemporary touches (illustrations of spiralling shells, white porcelain lamps in the shape of horses, and pale wooden chests of drawers in quirky shapes).

Enjoy a delightful breakfast spread of fresh fruit and baked goods in an idyllic courtyard among stone arches, olive trees and an ancient stone well – crostata cake with jam, the local delicacy of pasticiotto filled with smooth cream and chipolata bread with zucchini baked in the town’s ancient shared oven. Come evening, relish a traditional Italian aperitivo with a refreshing aperol spritz in colourful glasses along with Puglia’s pretty tarallini (crunchy, savoury biscuits).

Doubles from £159, check availability at booking.com

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Chocolaty Italian coffee in one of @dontotu’s little hidden alcoves

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Central Hotel Og Cafe, Copenhagen, Denmark

If ever proof was needed that good things come in small packages, Hotel Central is it. Ex-set designer Leif Thingtved’s bijou bolthole, in Copenhagen’s lively and eclectic Vesterbro district, is a one-room gem above his pint-sized café. All warm varnished wood and retro wallpaper, it has an old-fashioned feel, with sleek Tromborg toiletries, a carefully curated minibar and gorgeous Geismars bed linen, woven in a local mill. Off-beat touches include a foldaway table and chairs, and there are two bicycles to borrow. You can have breakfast delivered to your room from the café – or opt to wander down the road to Thingtved’s larger café, the appropriately named Granola, and tuck into French toast with orange and berries, or oatmeal with apple, banana, cinnamon sugar, hazelnuts and coconut.

Doubles from £245, check availability at centralhotelogcafe.dk

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Last night we stayed in THE most gorgeous little one-room hotel – a teeny matchbox room above a dinky coffee shop in Vesterbro, Copenhagen, complete with writing desk and aromas of coffee. I feel like thumbelina! ????‍♀️

A post shared by Alex Crossley (@alexcrossley) on Oct 19, 2019 at 1:02am PDT

Only YOU Atocha, Madrid, Spain

Usefully positioned opposite Puerta de Atocha railway station, Only YOU Hotel Atocha impresses with its buzzy industrial-chic lobby (complete with barber, patisserie and restaurant) and complimentary glass of fizz on arrival. Spacious rooms have a sleek mid-century feel, and the hotel’s rooftop Sép7ima bar (with panoramic views of the city) puts on a lavish buffet every morning that includes pastries and churros, charcuterie and cheeses, fresh juice, fruit and cooked breakfasts.

Doubles from £198, check availability at booking.com

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Coveting these chairs at @onlyyou Atocha…#olivetravels #oliveeatsmadrid

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Bastide de Gordes, Provence, France

A revamped five-star hotel built into the ancient ramparts of Gordes, a picturesque town perched on a rocky hill in Provence, in the south of France. Go in the autumn to enjoy panoramic views of vineyards in the valley below it, turning from green to orange as the harvest approaches. Elegant French couples sprawl under white parasols next to the slick, tree-lined pool. Families in their Sunday best clink champagne glasses beneath an awning of pale green leaves on the Orangery’s terrace, and wedding parties take photographs against the backdrop of Gordes’ stone houses.

On Sundays, an epic brunch is served on Orangery’s pretty terrace, dressed for the occasion with white linen tablecloths and fringed by glistening orange trees in huge terracotta pots. The buffet includes gigantic grilled prawns, marinated vegetables and all shapes and sizes of bread. There’s a dedicated dessert area split between three tables – peruse the homemade tarts (lemon meringue, crust-topped apple, perfectly pretty strawberry), stock up on hearty puds, or pick from the silver tiered pastry stand brimming with mini viennoiserie.

Doubles from £210, check availability at booking.com

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Next up on our wine tour of the world is a boozy brunch @bastidedegordes in Provence. This trip was full of pale Provençal rosés, floral viogniers from La Citadelle vineyard and bold chateauneuf-du-pape.

A post shared by olivemagazine (@olivemagazine) on May 15, 2018 at 4:19am PDT

Lådfrabriken, Orust, Sweden

Drive to the very Western peninsula of Orust island and you’ll find this dollshouse-like former fish crate factory. Sunshine bounces around the open space, which owners Johan and Marcel have kitted out with quirky furnishings ­– giant letters in playschool hues strung up on one wall, colourful sofas covered with even brighter throws, and cabinets bursting with knick-knacks and 50’s crockery. Each white-paneled room is unique (a chest of drawers covered in funky blue tuna tin packaging here, a turquoise chair with arms that curl up into a wave there), and given the couple’s trademark idiosyncratic stamp. 

Dishes are served family-style at a communal table covered with a retro tablecloth – tuck in to huge cod fillets on a bed of leeks and mushrooms in a buttery cheese sauce and cut a slice of caramelised rhubarb tarte tatin topped with cream. Breakfast is a similarly homely affair, seeing the table laden with Priest cheese, Swedish emmental, Leksand crackers and an array of homemade preserves – rosehip marmalade, cowberry, lingonberry and more.

During the day, take a kayak out on the crystal-clear water, go wild swimming in the archipelago, kick back with a tea on a deckchair in the rocky garden, or clamber over rocks following blue dots to the picture-postcard Swedish hamlet of Edultshall. Here, among red and white clapboard houses, families gather around barbecues on little jetties outside their boathouses.

Doubles from £147, check availability at booking.com

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It’s fika time!! We’re celebrating the great Swedish outdoors ahead of Midsummer, and what better place for tea and Swedish biscuits than the terrace of @ladfabriken, a quirky B&B on the island of Orust off the coast of West Sweden. A little walkway takes you down to the water’s edge where you can dip into the North Sea, full of mussels, prawns and plenty of fish to eat for dinner ????????????

A post shared by olivemagazine (@olivemagazine) on Jun 19, 2018 at 7:31am PDT

Pilgrm, London, UK

Ingeniously styled to respect both the building’s Victorian roots and the needs of the modern traveller, the warren-like Pilgrm turns conventional hoteliery on its head. Reception desk? Nope. Bathrobes and mini-bars? Neither. Such fripperies are stripped out to leave space for the things that matter: marshmallow-soft beds and utilitarian-chic black-and-white bathrooms; design features including the building’s original mahogany spiral staircase, upcycled radiators and parquet floors; and an art-hung drawing-room-style lounge serving simple mainly vegetarian food. It’s so relaxed and un-corporate, it feels more like a luxurious home than a London hotel, and is priced accordingly.

Meals are enjoyed in the vintage-chic first-floor lounge, dotted with small round marble tables and dainty reclaimed cocktail chairs that the hotel’s design team, 93ft. have re-upholstered in green, pink and grey velvets. The top seller at breakfast is the Insta-famous smashed avocado on toast with crumbled feta, which comes with the unexpected addition of a tomato and olive salsa. Later on, pick from the roster of quirky-shaped glass bottles that hold pre-mixed cocktails from the world’s best bars (The Clumsies in Athens, Bar Trench in Tokyo and London’s own negroni spot Bar Termini).

Doubles from £119, check availability at booking.com

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@katetelly just loungin' around in the new local…

A post shared by Alex Crossley (@alexcrossley) on Nov 5, 2017 at 9:18am PST

Levendis Estate, Stavros, Greece

Run with great care by an Aussie-Greek family, this collection of four cottages plus swimming pool, is set on Spero’s family homestead, overlooking a bay in the north of the island. Cottage kitchens are pre-stocked with delicious Greek wine, olives and pistachios for that first holiday sundowner; plus peach juice, bread, tea, coffee, homemade jams, local thyme honey, freshly laid eggs and own-recipe muesli for the first morning’s breakfast.

In the summer the Levendis kitchen garden ripens with tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes and vlita while in winter lettuces, cauliflowers, cabbages, chard, pumpkins and more are grown. For a picture-perfect picnic, stock up on Levendis’ homegrown olives or local bread and amble down to one of two little coves around 10-20 minutes’ walk away, the routes thrumming with butterflies, and the sound of goat bells, as you wend your way past olive and cypress trees.

Doubles from £320, check availability at i-escape.com

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If you’re after authentic Greek produce with an iconic view, , head to Levendis Estate on the Ionian island of Ithaca, where Spero and Marilyn grow their own fruit and veg in their kitchen garden. More info in the link in our bio!

A post shared by olivemagazine (@olivemagazine) on Sep 25, 2018 at 9:04am PDT

On the island of a hundred thousand welcomes, charming foodie folk are waiting to host you at their working farms, lakeside country houses, hip b&bs and slick city pads. Those seeking unique experiences will find something for everyone, from beekeeping in Northern Ireland to luxe retreats on the wind-swept Aran Islands. Though they range in style, size and location, all offer hearty home-cooked breakfasts, local cuisine and a warm dose of hospitality.

Embrace the elements on a wild island escape

Inis Meáin Restaurant and Suites, Aran Islands

A stay on these wild and wind-swept islands is a true retreat. Inis Meáin restaurant’s limestone walls, minimalist interiors and ‘elemental eating’ menu reflects the rocky landscapes outside. Chef Ruairí de Blacam’s daily-changing dishes depend on what the island, garden and greenhouse yield that day but may include buttery lobster tail with aïoli and garden rocket, mackerel sashimi with XO sauce and lamb chop with salsa verde.

Guests can then choose to stay in one of the ‘remote refuge’ suites. Huge, wraparound windows offer panoramic views of the island, while luxury is catered to with super-king-sized beds on iroko wood frames, cashmere cushions and comfy robes and slippers.

Breakfast is brought to the door in a teak box – enjoy homemade bread, house-smoked fish and boiled eggs from the resident hens, little jars of Glenisk yogurt, fruit and juice.

A stay at Inis Meáin is meant to be a genuine escape, so exploration kits come as part of the package – set off on an adventure with your own ash walking stick, binoculars and baited fishing rod to catch dinner. You’ll even get a flask of comforting veggie soup to keep you warm.

Foodie weekend idea: Catch the ferry to Galway City to eat at cosy Kai café and restaurant, visit the Saturday market or join a whiskey trail with Galway Food Tours. Stay another night at artsy b&b The Stop to be rewarded with owners Russell and Emer’s home-cooked breakfasts packed with Irish produce.

Join A Taste of the Causeway Coast supper club at a seaside b&b

Blackrock House, Portrush, County Antrim

Nicola Neill has converted an Edwardian townhouse in Northern Ireland’s popular coastal town of Portrush into a luxury b&b. Welcome drinks and homemade whiskey cake greet guests when they arrive, and Nicola – who grew up nearby in Bushmills, home to the world’s first licensed whiskey distillery – has created a bountiful whiskey honesty bar. Embark on your own whiskey tasting by the fire or on the balcony with a view over Portrush’s twinkly West Bay.

King-sized beds, compact en-suite bathrooms and Edwardian wardrobes await in four light and bright rooms. It’s the little homely touches that really make a difference here – homemade fudge on bedside tables, warm hot water bottles under the covers in the evenings, and binoculars for peering at nearby Giant’s Causeway.

Breakfast is taken in the front room (there’s a fire for cold winter mornings). Try traditional fry up with Belfast tea, or pan-fried salmon and scrambled eggs with purple dulse seaweed. If you want to get out early doors, take a breakfast bap to the beach. This unique twist on the traditional Ulster fry piles poached eggs, bacon, basil oil-infused slow-roasted tomatoes, caramelised onion relish and fresh basil leaves into a mini Belfast bap. 

Nicola and her team throw occasional supper clubs to showcase produce from local farms and smokehouses. Dishes on the menu might include smokehouse salmon on creamy white crab risotto, a trio of goat from Broughgammon Farm, and handmade Corndale Farm chorizo and gammon hock terrine.

Foodie weekend idea: Head into Portrush to Babushka Kitchen Café for fab Swedish coffee, homemade bakes and all-day brunch dishes (the sausage of the day might be spiked with wild garlic, ginger and chive, with a roasted red pepper sauce). Further along the Causeway Coastal Route, veer inland to Bushmills Distillery for an immersive tour and tasting. Local foodies flock to nearby Harry’s Shack, where you can enjoy fish and chips perched above Portstewart Strand beach before taking a post-lunch stroll along the shore.

Embark on a seafood boat trip and fly-fishing adventure at a lakeside retreat

Delphi Lodge, Connemara, County Galway

Book a stay at this atmospheric country house and take a few days to explore its 1,000-acre estate in the Connemara mountains. Guests can bond at communal dinners replete with local seafood and game, from Killary Bay lobster bisque with seafood quenelles and Cleggan Bay crab with herb mayo, to game consommé with foie gras and truffle ravioli, and pan-fried duck with spiced red cabbage.

Tuck into a hearty full Irish breakfast before departing on one of Delphi Lodge‘s intrepid seafood days in nearby fjord Killary Harbour. A boat picks you up from the end of Delphi’s private pier and whizzes you over to the fjord, visiting mussel and oyster farms along the way. Take a brisk, scenic walk to a traditional farm before climbing back onto the boat for fly fishing, a picnic lunch on a deserted island and a quick check of the lobster pots to hopefully bring some shellfish beauties back for dinner.

Foodie weekend idea: Drive back to Killary Harbour to join the Wild Atlantic Way and head north to Achill Island in County Mayo. Explore the island’s rugged mountain trails, sandy beaches and turquoise waters and enjoy fresh seafood at Bayside Bistro, a five-minute stroll from Keel Beach.

Make friends at a foodie house party and cookery course

Tannery Townhouse, Dungarvan, County Waterford

In-the-know foodies head to Dungarvan, on the coast of Ireland’s Ancient East, for a well-rounded break at this cookery school, boutique hotel and restaurant. In the latter’s airy, high-ceiling space, chef-owner Paul Flynn and his wife Máire serve seven-course tasting menus as well as à la carte dishes. Expect crab crème brûlée with pickled cucumber, local wood pigeon sausage, and grilled catch of the day with citrus, fennel and lobster arancini. 

Book into one of the lively house parties, where Paul and Marie throw communal dinners in the homely front room (the January menu includes warm Gubbeen chorizo, melting ox cheek and bay-poached pear). After dinner, guests can sleep in simple, elegant bedrooms and feast on full Irish breakfasts in the morning, complete with black and white pudding. 

Enjoy a day in the gleaming white cookery school – learn how to make Paul’s signature dishes such as seafood-packed bouillabaisse, cram in tricks that make a restaurant kitchen tick over smoothly, or discover how to use an Aga to create hearty stews and comforting bakes. 

Foodie weekend idea: Drive up the coast to Waterford’s harvest festival when the streets come alive with stalls, restaurants put on produce-led supper clubs, and tents host demos from foodies including the GastroGays. Stop off at Seagull Bakery in nearby Tramore for a taste of Sarah Richard’s sweet treats – sticky vanilla buns, spiced apple Danishes and cinnamon swirls with glossy caramel coating. Work off the pastries on one of The Sea Gardener’s guided coastal walks, foraging for seaweed and learning how to cook with it on beaches.

Explore the island’s orchards and help out on the farm in a rural getaway

Ballyroney Cottage, County Down

Get a taste of rural life at this cosy b&b in Northern Ireland’s north-eastern County Down. Owners Vanessa and Russell are almost completely self-sufficient, and allow guests to take part in various farm activities. Try your hand at beekeeping, jam making, bread making and even goat milking, as well as foraging in the surrounding area. Put your feet up next to the wood burner in the homely retro living room before retiring to one of three rooms named after areas of the garden – Beehive, Peacock and Orchard. Each is brightened up with pastel dressers, vases of fresh flowers and floral bed spreads.

Reap the rewards of the previous day’s activities at breakfast, where gingham tablecloths are piled with jars of honey, fruit compote, eggs from the farm’s free-range hens, scones and soda bread, all grown or made on the small property.

Buy gifts to take away from the small farm shop, including orange, lemon and lime marmalade, damson jam and tomato and apple chutney, all in hand-labelled jars covered with patterned cloth.

This charming rural spot is all about top-class hospitality, and Vanessa and Russ can recommend plenty of local walks and haunts for hearty cooking and a pint (or two).

Foodie weekend idea: Drive inland to rural County Armagh, known for its tart green Bramley apples. Hop between cider houses to see how the drink is made before settling down for a picnic lunch and a pint beneath the apple trees. You can even join a Georgian banquet at Armagh Georgian Festival (27 November-1 December) – expect sharing food, merry music and plenty of cider in the grounds of a palace.

Potter around a foodie seaside town and stay in a family-run b&b

Castlewood House, Dingle, County Kerry

This family-run b&b sits on the shores of Dingle Bay, on the outskirts of the laid-back and friendly coastal town. Upon arrival, bag a sought-after armchair by the window in the snug living room to enjoy a slice of freshly baked cake and a tea from the station in the porch. 

Each morning, owners Brian and Helen cook breakfast treats such as Dingle Bay kippers with scrambled eggs, fluffy pancakes with fruit compote, or ‘Helen’s breakfast treat’ – creamy porridge laced with Irish whiskey. The buffet includes juices, compotes and homemade nutmeg-infused bread and butter pudding.

There’s afternoon tea served in the front room on dainty tea stands and porcelain floral-patterned cups (make sure you try the Baileys chocolate mousse). 

Foodie weekend idea: Pop into the pretty town of Dingle to pick up seaweed-speckled cheese from The Little Cheese Shop, and enjoy a dose of traditional fun, craft beers and live music at O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub. Or embark on an Dingle Original Gin tour here.

Looking for an activity to treat your favourite gin lover? Here our the top gin experiences in the UK, from gin tasting experiences to gin distillery tours and even hotels with a gin theme! 

Check out our top British gins here for more inspiration…

Pick your own botanicals

Kinloch Lodge, a luxurious but homely hotel on the shores of Skye’s Loch na Dal, is run with precision by the Macdonlad family (latterly with the help of chef-director Marcelo Tully). With that shoreline in front and nothing but dense forest behind, the hotel is a forager’s paradise, the ideal base from which to stride out in search of botanicals. With help from the Isle of Skye Distillers, Kinloch Lodge now offers guests the opportunity to turn their treasure into homemade gin. The experience includes three nights at the hotel (bedrooms come with water or mountain views and are decorated in the colours of the local landscapes), a five-course welcome dinner, a foraging session with Kinloch’s ghillie and a three-hour gin-making class, with a bottle of homemade gin to take away. Plus, on the last night you’ll feast on a seven-course tasting menu, prepared by Tully.

kinloch-lodge.co.uk

Sip, sleep, repeat

Stretching across nearly 20,000 acres of prime Wiltshire, Berkshire and Hampshire land, the Ramsbury Estate aspires to have no negative impact on its surroundings. That means making single-estate gin (and vodka) using their own wheat and barley, water from a private, chalk-filtered source, and home-grown quince for a signature flavour. As well as the distillery, there’s an on-site smokehouse (used to cold-smoke wild venison and chalk-stream trout) and a 300-year-old coaching inn, The Bell, where the kitchen serves Ramsbury meat, fish (try the Ramsbury gin-cured salmon), vegetables, fruit and even estate-produced honey. Book one of the nine cossetting bedrooms above the inn and you can take your time over a double Ramsbury gin; a grassy, floral spirit made ever-so-slightly spicy with a touch of cinnamon.

ramsbury.com

Gin Lover’s Retreat

Rugged coastlines, unspoilt beaches and the chance to spot rare corncrakes await as you disembark the ferry at the remote Hebridean island of Colonsay, home to the Wild Thyme Spirits distillery. Book the latter’s Gin Lover’s Retreat and you can settle in for a full-board, weekend stay in one of two comfortable double bedrooms (there’s also a shared lounge complete with wood-burning stove, jigsaws and board games).

Make the most of Wild Thyme’s gin collection (200 bottles and counting, as well as their own Colonsay Gin, produced on the island), enjoy pre-dinner gin cocktails, a gin tasting and the chance to explore the island’s wild interior.

wildthymespirits.com

Want to try the best pink gins?

Click here for the results of our taste test

Flavours include:

• Pinot noir gin
• Pink grapefruit gin
• Rhuabrb gin

Make your own gin

More and more distilleries are setting up their own ‘gin schools’ where visitors can learn how to distil their own bespoke spirit. One such spot is Spirit of Masham, in Yorkshire, which offers the chance to take over one of its copper stills and choose from 100 different botanicals to blend your own take on a London dry gin. Head distiller Jake Wilson is on hand to offer advice on ingredients, and at the end of the three-hour experience you’ll have a 70cl bottle to take home.

You’ll also get a tour of the distillery and three gin-based drinks. In Fife, Darnley’s Gin School at Kingsbarn Distillery offers a similar package, allowing visitors to distil their own bespoke botanical recipe at one of its stills, while down in Devon Salcombe Distilling Co will help you craft a bespoke blend before heading over to the distillery’s waterside bar to taste the final result and play around with different garnishes and tonics.

Distill your own gin in London

The Gin Works, King’s Cross

As well as funky boutiques, restaurants and wine bars, the revitalised King’s Cross area is now home to its own gin distillery.

In 2017, Kentish winery Chapel Down launched its own range of spirits made using left-over grape skins from the wine-making process. This foray into a new category blossomed into the Gin Works, a sleek, expansive London hub for the brand which opened earlier this year. Located next to Regent’s Canal, it comes with two bars, a restaurant and a 150-litre copper still called Helga, which produces seasonal gins for the site.

The Gin Works Experience is a 90-minute session where guests learn about the history and distillation of the spirit before infusing their own batch of gin with a bespoke blend of botanicals in a tiny copper still. Chapel Down’s friendly distillation team are on hand to provide close guidance on which botanicals to choose and how to use the still, as well as providing drinks – from G&Ts to chilled sparkling bacchus wine – throughout. At the end of the session you’ll get to take home a 50cl bottle of your own personal blend.

Don’t leave without a visit to one of the bars to try Chapel Down’s other offerings, from the acclaimed bacchus and pinot noir gins (the latter a winner in our pink gin taste test) to the winery’s Curious range of beers. Our top tip? Take an ice-cold glass of their silky chardonnay vodka (which has subtle cream soda notes) out on to one of the terraces and enjoy the waterside views.

The Distillery, Notting Hill

For an urban gin experience make a beeline for 186 Portobello Road in West London, home to The Distillery (makers of the acclaimed Portobello Road Gin) – and its lodgings, bar and gin school. At the distillery’s ‘Ginstitute’, a ‘ginstructor’ will give you a quick recap on gin’s sordid history before taking you to the distillery’s blending rooms, where you’ll combine gin cocktails with blending your own bespoke batch of the juniper stuff to take home (as well as a bottle of Portobello Road gin).

Make sure you also visit The Resting Room bar, and check out the Distillery’s eclectic range of house spirits, which range from butter gin to asparagus vodka. If you’re feeling too well lubricated to head home, book a stay in one of the distillery’s stylish bedrooms; these come with choice views of Portobello Road, Rough Trade-curated vinyl playlists on the record player and sharing martinis.

the-distillery.london

Gin-soaked hotels

There are several hotels across the UK that offer more than your average lodgings where gin-lovers are concerned, whether it’s their own bespoke brand or extensively stocked gin bars. Tucked between woods and sea on the Isle of Mull, Tiroran House is a country hotel that produces its own Whitetail Gin; made with foraged heather and sea kelp, it’s named after the white-tailed eagles that nest nearby. Buy it in the hotel’s shop-café to take away, or enjoy it as an aperitif before tucking into the likes of Inverlussa mussels and fillet of Highland longhorn beef at the hotel’s restaurant.

Down south, in Oxfordshire, Woodstock’s The Feathers hotel is a charmingly rambling sort of place with colourful interiors and a gin bar stocked with 400 bottles (do explore its roster of gin flights, which take you through different flavour profiles). Even more impressive is the gin bar at Holborn Dining Room, part of the Rosewood London hotel; it’s stocked with 500 gins, 30 tonics and 14,000 possible G&T pairings to choose from.

Finally, if you’re in Carmathenshire head to Ginhaus Deli in postcard-ready Llandeilo; as the name suggests it stocks some 240 gins including Welsh options, plus locally made Coaltown Coffee, cheese and charcuterie.

Visit Bombay Sapphire Distillery in the English countryside

Hidden deep in the rolling Hampshire countryside, among the picture-perfect flint and thatch cottages of Whitchurch, you’ll find Laverstock Mill. With a history dating back to the Domesday book, this was once a working mill making the paper for bank notes, but now, this complex of beautiful red-brick Grade II listed buildings is home to Bombay Sapphire.

Wander across the courtyard from the glass houses, and you can really immerse yourself in the botanical room, where you’re encouraged to touch, smell and taste the carefully-sourced botanicals, before going through to the still room and seeing the process in action.

Click here for more information…

Visit a gin distillery in London

Plenty of London’s gin distilleries have opened their doors for gin fans to visit, so take a tour, try the gins and even make your own to take home with you…

Here are the best gin distilleries to visit in the capital…

Words by Hannah Guinness

Looking for the best Christmas markets in 2019? We have travelled the UK to find the best german Christmas markets, Christmas fairs and festivals. There’ll be mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas gift ideas at the markets.

If you fancy heading further afield, we’re also found the most unique Christmas markets in Europe. Check out the best markets to visit here

St Albans Christmas Market

St Albans has one of the oldest regular markets in the UK, dating back to the 9th century, so it seems only fitting that it also plays host to a traditional Christmas market each festive season. This year there’ll be events throughout the city, from street festivals to winter fairs.

On the 23rd there’ll be a winter fair where you can buy homemade cakes and preserves while sipping on hot chocolate, or pop to the wine fair on the 7th for the chance to meet 16 winemakers. As well as foodie markets, Santa’s Post Office will be popping up, giving children the chance to send their letter straight to Lapland.

Throughout November and December, enjoystalbans.com

Healeys Christmas Market

Unusually among all the bigger urban markets, Healeys Christmas Market is set on a working farm, in this case outside Perranporth in Cornwall. Weekends are dedicated to festive food and drink, expect a range of Cornish produce on offer including jams, juices and chutneys, all made on the farm.

Mince pies are being swapped for a cream tea, while the Spirit Master will be talking all things whisky and brandy in the Farm Shop. Don’t forget to select your own freshly cut Christmas tree, or join in with carol singing.

Select weekends in November and December, healeyscyder.co.uk

Manchester Christmas Market

Spread across this dynamic city, Manchester’s Christmas Market is one of the country’s largest, with more than 300 stallholders set out between eight distinctive locations. Soak up the festive spirit as you wind through the city centre’s brimming streets, buying from a tempting choice of food and drink producers from both the local region and across Europe.

Choose from traditional German bratwursts, great British hog roasts and an array of vegetarian options while fluffy Dutch mini pancakes and French profiteroles are sure to satisfy sweet cravings as you make your way around the wintry wonderland.

8 November – 5 January, visitmanchester.com

Click here to read about the best places to eat and drink in Manchester

York Christmas Festival

The streets of York will be turned into a festive playground for 39 days this winter. Wooden chalets will house food producers selling everything from spiced apple chutney to pecan and amaretto brownies.

If you’re feeling chilly, cosy up by the fire inside Thor’s Tipi with a mulled wine and hot cocoa. Head to the Shambles Market food court for savoury galettes from the Krep Truck and arancini from Pizzaoli’. As well as the food market, be sure to visit the alpine chalets on Parliament Street for Christmas gifts.

14 November – 22 December, visityork.org

Here are our favourite places to eat in York

These are our best homemade food gifts for Christmas including:

 

• Blackberry whisky

• Baileys chocolate tiffin

• Sweet miso caramels

• Aperol and red grapefruit marmalade

• Chocolate-dipped honeycomb 

Bath Christmas Market

Bath boasts one of England’s prettiest Christmas markets, with over 150 chalets lining the streets around its floodlit abbey for 18 days. While there will be homewares and art on offer, this festival is definitely one for the foodies. Start off with a hot toddy made with Somerset cider before trying a beer or two from Bradford-on-Avon microbrewery, Kettlesmith Brewery, and a chunk of Wyfe of Bath from Bath Soft Cheese.

If you’re on the lookout for gifts, Bath Botanical Gin Distillery will be selling their small batch spirits. Over 60% of producers are from Bath and the local area so it’s a great place to track down really unique products and avoid the mass-produced trinkets that so often crop up at Christmas markets.

28 November – 15 December, bathchristmasmarket.co.uk

Here are our favourite independent foodie spots in Bath to visit while you’re in town

Canopy Christmas Market

King’s Cross’ independent food, drink and crafts market is getting into the festive spirit with a series of special events. The market will trade daily and new traders for this year include Bermondsey-based The Butchery offering nose-to-tail butchered meats. Little Bread Pedlar will be serving mince pies and you can stock up on charcuterie from Re Due Sicilie.

29 November – 22 December, canopymarket.co.uk

Padstow Christmas Festival

Make a weekend of your foodie Christmas gift shopping by visiting Padstow Christmas Festival. This year’s event sees local chefs Rick Stein, Michael Caines and Nathan Outlaw headlining the stage, along with José Pizarro and Angela Hartnett. Pick up some tips, then eat, drink and shop your way around the stalls along the town’s pretty harbour (among them Da Bara Bakery for jars of Seville marmalade and Quicke’s for cloth-bound cheddars).

If you get peckish walking around, stop off at Wildbake for wood-fired pizzas, or Wild Food Kitchen for slow-cooked beef brisket.

5 – 8 December, padstowchristmasfestival.co.uk

#EatNorth

Leeds Indie Food, the Yorkshire-based food events company, is running a one-off Christmas special at North Brewing Company in December. Expect a stellar street-food line-up – including roast-in-a-Yorkshire-pudding-wrap specialists, the Yorkshire Burrito Company, and posh toastie outfit, So Toasted – all putting a festive twist on their classic dishes.

There’ll be covered seating and heaters to keep you toasty on the outside and coffee cocktails (curtesy of Rabbit Hole Coffee) to warm you up on the inside, too. If you’re looking for some non-foodie gifts, a selection of local illustrators will be selling prints, and hosts the North Brewing Co. will have brewery tour vouchers available to buy.

7 December, @LeedsIndieFood

The island of Ireland’s lush green pastures and wild, rugged coastline yield some of the best produce in the world – from Connemara Hill lamb reared on fresh herbs and heather to organic Clare Island salmon from the west coast and tart green Armagh Bramley apples.

In recent years the island has undergone a foodie revolution. Ingredients served in farmhouse kitchens for centuries are now combined with global flavours and sophisticated cooking techniques to bring them back to the forefront of the island’s cuisine. 

Whether you’re in a Michelin-starred restaurant, a lively coastal bistro or on a sustainable farm, you’re bound to find food that celebrates locally sourced native produce.

FIELD TO FINE DINING – Loam, County Galway

All ingredients at Enda McEvoy’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Galway come from the county’s wild landscape. Loam means ‘rich, fertile soil’, which Enda contributes to by sourcing all vegetables from a local farm, and returning waste to be turned into compost. His modern, industrial-style restaurant is even decorated with wooden herb boxes so diners can watch ingredients flourishing around them.

Enda’s ethos forces him and his chefs to get creative in the open-plan kitchen – rowan shoots are reduced into an almond-flavoured syrup and nettles are transformed into a grassy purée, while Connemara air-dried lamb and Gubbeen pancetta are as good as any charcuterie you’d find on the continent. The seven- and nine-course tasting menus let ingredients speak for themselves – ‘squid, shiitake and egg’ takes the form of an umami-rich squid noodle soup, while ‘burnt honey, whiskey and raspberry’ is a take on a traditional Scottish cranachan with local honey, whiskey foam and freeze-dried raspberries. Visit the restaurant to taste the purity of Galway’s produce.

BLOSSOM TO BOTTLE – Long Meadow Cider, County Armagh

Rural County Armagh is known as the orchard of the island. Its tart Bramley apples are transformed by local producers into artisan ciders and exceptional apple juice. The pretty town of Armagh makes a great base to explore the surrounding cider houses and learn how these world-renowned fruits get from blossom to bottle. Stroll through Long Meadow Cider’s 30-acre orchard to see first-hand how the apples are grown, harvested and pressed, then tuck into a picnic lunch beneath the apple trees with a pint of soft, mellow Blossom Burst or punchy Oak Aged cider.

TIDE TO TABLE – Wild Atlantic Way, West Coast

This unique seafood trail strings together smokehouses, oyster farms and seaside cafés, making it a must for foodie road trippers. Choose a section of this coastal route to dip into for a short break: tuck into Mulroy Bay’s rope-grown mussels at charming local haunt The Singing Pub on Donegal’s north-west coast after seeing how they are grown in the farms.

Or join a tour at picture-perfect Connemara Smokehouse before tasting its organic beech-smoked salmon. Then take a two-hour scenic drive south to embark on a guided walk along the seashore with Kelly Oysters to oyster beds where you can slurp bivalves fresh from the sea.

Head to The Bulman in Kinsale, County Cork for a well-deserved pint of Guinness and a bowl of Oysterhaven mussels in a creamy broth with smoked bacon, spring cabbage and thyme. This orange-painted pub is as jolly inside as it is out, with live music four nights a week.

FARM TO FORK – Sage, County Cork

This pretty stone building off Midleton’s high street is a hero on the farm-to-fork scene thanks to its ‘12-mile’ ethos. Kevin Aherne has an exceptional relationship with farmers and growers within this short radius, offering diners a truly seasonal taste of east Cork. Check out the website to see who is growing leaves, foraging mushrooms and catching fish for that particular season.

Though the menu changes daily, the 12-mile sharing board is a permanent fixture, offering the likes of sweetbread croquettes and sage black pudding with beech mushrooms. Other seasonal dishes include beetroot and goat’s cheese ravioli, ale-brined chicken supreme, and hake with tagliatelle, seaweed and cultured butter.

GRASS TO GLASS – Dingle Distillery, County Kerry

Distillers on the island make the most of unique botanicals to craft small-batch gins. Locally foraged ingredients are gathered in County Kerry by three gin lovers to create their award-winning Dingle Original Gin. The trio has chosen red fuchsia (that the locals call ‘the tears of God’) and bog myrtle from the shores of Derrynane beach, along with rowan berry from the county’s mountain ash trees and heather found at the feet of the West Kerry hills, to create a bottled tribute to the county.

Dingle Original Gin bagged the prize of World’s Best Gin at the World Gin Awards 2019, making the distillery a must-visit for fans of the spirit. You should also embark on a tour of Dingle itself, sipping on the eponymous gin at Dick Mac’s lively pub and brewery, classic martinis at Chart House restaurant and even Dingle Gin-infused ice cream at Murphy’s bright blue ice-cream shop. Or drive through the county’s forests, moorlands and mountains to soak up the landscape that inspired this fresh, floral gin.

Looking for restaurants in Bilbao? Want to know where to eat in the Basque city? Local travel writer Esme Fox shares her insider trips for the best restaurants in Bilbao, along with where to find the best homemade tarts, Iberian cured ham and mushroom croquetas. Make it a longer trip and head onwards to San Sebastián…

Casa Rufo – for traditional deli produce

This cute little restaurant is squeezed into a traditional 1950s deli, complete with original wooden shelves and floral green and red floor tiles. In the shop at the front they sell everything from cheeses and tinned seafood to bottles of wine; in the back, you can dine on regional delicacies such as anchovies from Cantabria, grilled asparagus from Navarra and peppers from Guernica. For something more substantial, order the succulent sirloin or traditional oven-baked cod.

casarufo.com

Bistró Guggenheim – for modern Basque cuisine

A museum restaurant might not be your first stop in a new city, but the Bistró Guggenheim isn’t your typical gallery café. A favourite with locals and visitors alike, it focuses on Basque cuisine with a modern edge. Contemporary art decorates the walls and you can eat while enjoying soothing river views. Try pork meatballs with cauliflower cream in a Jerez sherry sauce, or creamy rice with mushrooms and duck (many dishes can be made vegetarian on request). Make sure you try the torrija for dessert – it’s the Basque answer to French toast, topped with caramelised sugar and served with a dollop of ice cream.

bistroguggenheimbilbao.com

Café Iruña – for coffee in style

Serving locals since 1903, Café Iruña makes for an elegant coffee stop. Decorated with Moorish-style décor, it’s filled with geometric coloured tiles, intricately carved wooden panels and graceful arched doorways. Pair your coffee with a homemade tart such as the typical Gâteau Basque – an almond pastry case filled with smooth custard and sharp black cherries.

cafeirunabilbao.net

Gure Toki – for contemporary pintxos

In the atmospheric Plaza Nueva, at the heart of the old quarter, Gure Toki offers a contemporary twist on traditional pintxos – think haute cuisine in miniature. Order bowls of marinated cod sprinkled with herbs, spoonfuls of wild mushroom risotto or bread topped with a quail egg and black pudding. Pair with a bottle from the bar’s own wine cellar – try txakoli, a lightly sparkling Basque white wine.

guretoki.com

El Perro Chico – for market-fresh fusion creations

With its prime riverfront position, opposite the city’s La Ribera market, El Perro Chico is a trendy spot in which to enjoy an array of fusion dishes. Seafood rice with baked pear mayonnaise, Korean cutlets with sweet potato hummus, and vegetable, orange and coconut curry are all must-orders. The restaurant was such a hit with architect Frank Gehry while he was working on the Guggenheim that it’s rumoured he painted the Guggenheim museum offices in the same shade of blue as the restaurant’s tiles.

elperrochico.com

La Viña del Ensanche – for cooking your own Basque dishes

Part shop, part restaurant and part cookery school, Viña del Ensanche is a great all-rounder. It’s housed in a 1920s bar, complete with original wooden panelling, where you can graze on Iberian cured ham and sip sherry all day long. In the shiny chrome kitchen workshop, guests can learn how to make typical Basque dishes such as creamy Begihaundi rice with squid and pâté with apple vinaigrette. For dessert, you’ll make hazelnut biscuits with chocolate cream and speculoos ice cream.

lavinadelensanche.com

Basquery – for baked goods and craft beer

Beer and pastries might not be a classic combination, but it works well at this hip Basque café. Beers are brewed on site, and fresh crusty breads and flaky pastries are delivered straight from the oven. Amid industrial brick walls, metal chairs and wooden tables, try one of the homemade focaccias (roast ham is a favourite) with a cold glass of mango-passion IPA – you can learn how to make your own organic bread at one of Basquery’s artisan workshops. Pop in at breakfast for a baked-that-morning almond croissant, or take your time over a lunch of smoked sardines, fried artichokes, and txipirones (squid cooked in white wine) with smoked romesco sauce and lima salt.

basquery.com

La Ribera – for market nibbles

La Ribera dates back to the 14th century and is one of the largest undercover markets in Europe, home to more than 100,000 square metres of food stalls. That means plenty of wild mushrooms, homemade bread, local fruit, fish straight from Bilbao’s ports, organic vegetables and even smoked grasshoppers to stock up on – handy if you’re self-catering. Look out for the stalls selling homemade croquetas (try the prawn and mushroom filling, from Lautxo on the second floor), as well as those serving gildas – a typical Basque snack consisting of a cocktail stick with an olive, an anchovy and a pickled chilli pepper.

mercadodelaribera.biz

Victor Montes – for traditional Basque fare

At Victor Montes you can dine at white-marble tables, with views over the historic Plaza Nueva and a backdrop of whiskies and cognacs from a collection dating back to 1846. One of the oldest restaurants in the city, it’s a great place to try regional dishes such as bacalao pil-pil (fried cod with herbs and garlic) or acorn-fed pork fillet. If you’re staying at Pension Luxury Lo Bilbao (a stylish guesthouse, less than a minute’s walk away), your booking will include a voucher for breakfast at Victor Montes (think fried eggs with Basque chorizo or toast and butter with homemade marmalade).

victormontes.com

Where to stay in Bilbao – Iturrienea Ostatua

This simple yet charming bed and breakfast is located right in the centre of the Old Town, housed in a property built in 1906 for a countess. Originally designed to look like a typical Basque country house, inside the largely modern décor is modest (simple white bedlinen, colourful quilted headboards, practical en-suite shower rooms) but homely. The nine bedrooms nod to the building’s history, with stone floors and wooden-beamed ceilings, and some have small private balconies. Breakfast is served in a country-style kitchen and stretches to local cheeses, charcuterie, sticky pastries and toast.

iturrieneaostatua.com

Words by Esme Fox

Photographs by Getty Images

Looking for restaurants in Tel Aviv? Want to know where to eat in the Israeli? Food travel writer John Gregory-Smith shares his insider tips for the best places to eat in Tel Aviv.

With its glistening coastline, vibrant neighbourhoods and buzzing food market, the Mediterranean Israeli city is a must-visit. The restaurant scene in Tel Aviv is one of the region’s best; whether you’re in search of simple hummus shops, or sophisticated date-night restaurants you’ll find them all. Most have counter seating and plenty of outside tables, where dishes are shared and drinks flow late into balmy nights. No-one eats out before 9pm and often the restaurants are where the party’s at, so expect a boisterous crowd.

HaBasta – for farm-to-fork dining

Located on one side of Carmel Market (where most of HaBasta’s ingredients are sourced), this cracking farm-to-fork restaurant serves seasonal dishes with a modern Israeli spin. The menu changes daily, but you can always expect an array of innovative vegetarian food – roast peppers showered in pistachios, cauliflower drizzled with tahini, and fried aubergines with creamy labneh. The juicy pork shawarma is another must-try.

facebook.com/Habasta

North Abraxass – for whole-roasted cauliflower

Sit at the counter in this tiny restaurant and enjoy a night of sensational food and generous service (the chefs routinely dole out shots and knock them back with you, all to the beat of a pop-tastic soundtrack). It was these guys who put whole-roasted cauliflower on the map, and it’s still on the menu today. Other lip-smacking, colourful dishes include succulent lamb kofta, baked sea bass with tomatoes and tahini, hanger steak and sweet bananas soaked in dulce de leche.

facebook.com/northabraxass/

Shlomo & Doron – for hummus

Hidden down Yishkon Street, near Carmel Market, this heavenly hummus shop (opened by Shlomo in 1937 and today run by his grandson, Doron) is one of the best in the city. Choose from several varieties, all served with warm pitta or shalouf flatbread, including a stellar plain hummus topped with paprika, cumin, parsley and olive oil; shak-hummus (shakshuka served on a slick of hummus); hummus ful, made with fava beans; and a roast eggplant version that comes with a zingy onion salad. Shlomo & Doron opens early and closes at around 3pm. It’s always heaving, but the wait is well worth it.

facebook.com/shlomodoronhumus

Carmel Market – for market shopping

Slap-bang in the centre of town, this vibrant food market has been the place to go for street food and local produce since it opened in 1920. Stock-up on baklava, salty olives, deep-red pomegranates, halva (which even comes in Oreo flavour), dates and doughy bourekas – baked pastries filled with mushrooms, cheese, spinach or potato. Make a day of it with a couple of local IPAs from Beer Bazaar, and look out for the Druze pitta stalls near the bottom of the market; here Druze women cook fresh pita over a tabun (clay oven) and stuff it with labneh, tabbouleh, olive oil, za’atar and spicy sauce. To help you navigate the maze, sign up for a tour with Delicious Israel. The company runs fabulous two-hour excursions that include free tastings and a dip into the backstreets of the historic Yemenite quarter.

deliciousisrael.com

Santa Katarina – for modern Israeli food

This little-but-loud restaurant has an open-plan kitchen and a huge pizza oven, both of which set the tone for a mighty menu of modern Israeli food. Choose a seat at the counter or an outdoor table, then order fabulously tart red tuna ceviche with herby bulgur salad, unctuous pulled lamb gyros with garlicky tzatziki, or a mega plate of shish barak – Middle Eastern dumplings filled with braised oxtail and served with thick beurre blanc and yogurt sauce.

facebook.com/santakatarina2

Port Said – for cool vibes

Rock-star restaurants don’t get better than Port Said. Grab one of the gold-dust tables if you can, and order plenty of drinks as you settle in for a long night with the cool kids. The chefs (including Eyal Shani, of Miznon and Beit Romano) dish-up delicious contemporary Israeli food, including minute steak with chicken liver, lima beans msabbaha (cooked beans with tahini, garlic and lemon), and baked cauliflower head with butter and cream. It’s a really buzzy place that plays brilliant music from an impressive vinyl collection – great fun.

facebook.com/theportsaid

NUNUNU – for late-night food

Tel Aviv loves a party, and it’s very easy to nip out for a quick drink and end up dancing the night away. At the weekend (Friday and Saturday in Israel – Sunday is a working day), plenty of bars stay open until the last person leaves. If that’s you, head to NUNUNU for a late-night dinner. Open until 2am, it’s a junk food diner that serves everything in buttery brioche buns, whether it be mac ’n’ cheese, spicy shrimp, beef brisket or hot dogs. Add fries or onions and a beer, and you’ve got yourself the perfect end to a night out.

nu-nu-nu.com

Mabsuta – for fresh salads

If you can’t get enough of hummus, head to Mabsuta in the gritty neighborhood of Levinsky. This part of town is packed with wicked little restaurants, cool bars and a knockout food market during the day. Choose from several varieties of hummus (including caramelised onion), simple chopped salads and zingy chilli sauces. On Saturdays (only) it also makes a delicious vegan potato and bean slow-cooked stew called chamin. It’s one of the few decent places open on Saturday, when most are shut for Shabbat.

middle-eastern-restaurant-24.business.site

Igra Rama – for local ingredients

This new kid on the block is making a splash with its no-frills farm-to-fork food (for a fraction of the price that places like HaBasta charge). The menu is split into sections – from the land, from the sea, and from the soul – and favourites include a savoury leek knafeh with courgette salad, blue crabs with corn polenta, and shrimp mansaf. At least 80% of the ingredients used in the kitchen come from local, organic farms.

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Abie – for wood-fired dishes

Fish and fire form the basis of this restaurant, which is sandwiched between two office blocks. It’s owned by brothers Yotam and Asaf Doktor (proprietors of Ha’achim and Dok, both in Tel Aviv) and the menu is modern Mediterranean, with every dish cooked over a wood-fired grill. Expect sizzling seafood such as charred trout (fished from local ponds), grilled calamari and silky soft octopus tales. The portions are, shall we say, moderate so order plenty and knock back a glass of Israeli wine while you wait.

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Ha’achim – for kebabs

Another White City banger, also run by the Doktor brothers, this hipster hangout (all stripped brick walls and open ply shelving) does excellent kebabs. A Balearic soundtrack (provided by an in-house DJ) blasts away in the background, and all the food – from merguez sausages and lamb kofta to succulent chicken skewers and chequered avocados – is cooked over a grill. Pair with plenty of creamy dips and pillowy soft challah bread from the home-style spread then enjoy at simple wooden tables, inside or out.

haachim.co.il

How to get to Tel Aviv

Return flights from Heathrow to Tel Aviv start from £298 per person (virginatlantic.com). For more info see visit.tel-aviv.gov.il

The island of Ireland is all about charm, great local produce and unique foodie experiences, making it the perfect break for a food lover. Explore Belfast’s delightful bistros and lively pubs, Galway’s artsy coastal vibes and seafood spots, or the green pastures inland, home to cider orchards, friendly farmers and even buffalo herds.

There’s never been a better time to visit Ireland, with harvest festival celebrations in full-swing, native produce in abundance and fires lit in cosy, charming pubs. Taste the Island, a 12-week–long celebration of Ireland’s food and drink, kicked off in September and runs to the end of November. It celebrates the seemingly limitless skills of the island’s chefs, producers and hosts. 

BREWING PERFECT PINTS

Ireland knows how to make a good brew. As well as its iconic drink, Guinness, the island has seen an influx of independent craft breweries in recent years. Try Rascal’s zingy Fruitopolis Pale Ale or lively Big Hop Red craft beer at its vibrant Dublin taproom, alongside wood-fired pizzas. 

World-famous hospitality means there are plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal with the brewers. Match eight house beers with artisan snacks at Walled City Brewery in Derry/Londonderry; touch and smell barley and hops, tour the brewery and try Ireland’s most popular at Smithwick’s Experience in Kilkenny; or sip on Irish craft beer on the banks of the River Shannon after an interactive tour at Dead Centre Brewing (located, as the name suggests, bang in the middle of the island, in County Westmeath).

MANNING SMALL CITY BISTROS

Working wonders in a small space is Jess Murphy, kiwi chef-owner of Kai café and restaurant in Galway. Despite the limited kitchen space (Jess and French pastry chef, Fabien Dufraisse, take it in turns to use the stove), you can order everything from silvery pickled mackerel on burnt hispi cabbage to Roscommon lamb chops with beetroot picada and green tahini. Desserts include nectarines arranged in a rose-shaped sablée tart, mountainous winter citrus and caramel meringue pie, and Conference pear and burnt butter frangipane.

In Dublin, Bastible serves Sunday roasts (as well as fabulous midweek tasting menus) in an innovative way. Homemade sourdough and soft cultured butter arrives before an array of sharing taster dishes, including tiny venison puff pastry pies, smoked beetroot and pumpkin seed mole, and hot chicken chilli. Roast of the day might be a generous slice of local beef or confit duck with hen–of–the–woods mushrooms and salted gooseberries.

INNOVATING WITH ANCIENT GRAINS

Bread-making is such a treasured art form on the island that there’s a support network, Real Bread Ireland, that encourages artisans to bake with ancient Irish grains. Dublin’s organic bakery, Bread 41, has caught the attention of bakers across the world due to its excellent sourdough, including original Great British Bake Off winner Edd Kimber and New Orleans-based Joy the Baker. Here grains are milled in-house and sourdough loaves are spruced up with local cheeses, new-season Carola potatoes and garlic.

Further down the east coast in Tramore, County Waterford, Sarah Richards’ Seagull Bakery uses Kilkenny stoneground flours, Einkorn, purple wheat and spelt, all grown within a few miles’ radius, to make her heritage loaf of the week. Naturally leavened loaves are laced with Gubbeen chorizo, mature Irish cheddar and caramelised red onion.

Zac’s Bakehouse in Belfast was one of the first sourdough bakeries on the island. Zac uses a stoneground flour starter and stone-floored oven to make his signature Breckenhill loaf in cafés across Northern Ireland, including Established Coffee, Middletown Coffee and General Merchants. His bread also crops up at the Maegden food truck, which dishes out cheese toasties in a field just down the road from Giant’s Causeway.

WORKING WONDERS WITH BOTANICALS

Of course the island of Ireland is home to great whiskey experiences; however, it’s also making waves in the gin world, boasting more than 50 distilleries. Distillers make the most of unique botanicals to craft inimitable gins: Dingle Original Gin is infused with fuchsia and bog myrtle, while Donegal’s Sliabh Liag distillers make Irish Maritime Gin in a handmade copper still using foraged seaweed. On the Wild Atlantic Way, County Cork’s Clonakilty distillery provides tours and tutored tastings of its citrusy rock samphire-infused Minke gin, while Rademon Estate in County Down teaches you how to make the perfect G&T with its vibrant, floral Shortcross Gin.

SERVING TOP STREET FOOD

Turn a trip to the mythical Giant’s Causeway on Northern Ireland’s north coast into a foodie one, with a pit-stop at Maegden food truck. This cute 1950s caravan sells sourdough toasties stuffed with Irish cheese and clever combos of ’nduja, fennel salami, roasted red chilli hot sauce, jalapeño mayo and beer-pickled cucumbers. Warm up with a bonfire hot chocolate (topped with toasted marshmallow), or a brew from Belfast-based Bailies Coffee Roasters. Due to its windswept location, Maegden has seasonal opening hours – so check before you go.

Over on the west coast, Julia Hemingway travels the Wild Atlantic Way with her turquoise lobster truck, serving lobster rolls with hand-cut chips, Flaggy Shore oysters, super-fresh fish and chips, and hot steaming mussels in coconut and coriander broth. Catch her on Saturday nights outside Daly’s Bar in Bellharbour, County Clare, or on Thursday evenings outside Tully’s Bar in Kinvarra, County Galway. In Cork, Japanese takeaway Miyazaki specialises in bento boxes, sushi wraps and noodle soups. The latter is run by the chef-owner of Michelin-starred Ichigo Ichie, so expect concoctions such as lemon ramen with slow-cooked beef ribs and tempura prawns in dashi broth.

CREATING UNIQUE CHEESES

It’s no secret that the island of Ireland is good at dairy – and farmers here are doing innovative things with the stuff. Toby and Jenny work wonders with buffalo milk at Toons Bridge Dairy in County Cork, creating their own mozzarella and burrata. It crops up at restaurants across the island, as well as on Toons Bridge Dairy’s pizzas at the farm’s weekend pizza nights. County Galway’s floral, gouda-style Killeen farmhouse cheese is made using milk from Dutch-born Marion Roeleveld’s goats, while a short boat ride away on the Aran Islands, Gabriel Faherty creates silky goat’s cheese infused with seaweed.

Try these unique, artisan cheeses at the island’s celebrated cheesemongers, including Mike’s Fancy Cheese in Belfast, Dingle’s The Little Cheese Shop (where seaweed cheese is a speciality), Indie Füde in Comber, County Down, or at one of Sheridan’s four branches.

WINNING MICHELIN STAR ACCOLADES

The island of Ireland has an impressive 21 Michelin-starred restaurants. Pint-sized Galway city restaurant Aniar ferments and pickles produce solely from County Galway, including seaweed and vinegars (order the Atlantic cod topped with pepper dulse and pickled pine needles). And a few streets away at sustainably-focused Loam, Enda McEvoy grows his own herbs for the menu.

In Dublin, Chapter One combines good old-fashioned Irish hospitality with contemporary surroundings and plates rich in Ireland’s produce. The Greenhouse offers a great-value set lunch of, say, wild sea trout tartare followed by suckling pig with truffle, broad beans and cauliflower, and vacherin of blackcurrant, parsley and lemon.

When in Belfast, visit EIPIC and OX. The latter serves dishes such as hay-baked celeriac with black garlic and chanterelles, or scallop bisque and monkfish with lardo and burnt lemon, all with a view of the River Lagan. Pop in for lunch for the great-value lunch menu.

THRIVING FOOD MARKETS

Cork’s English Market is a warren of stalls, offering everything from olives and oysters to chocolate mousse. Don’t miss the lively Farmgate Café, where you can enjoy a traditional fry-up with a view of the bustling activity below.

If you’re in Belfast on a Saturday, pop into St George’s Market for a Belfast Brew from Suki Tea, Barnhill apple juice from Armagh, and Young Buck cheese from Tom & Ollie’s. Also on Saturdays, foodie folk flock to Galway’s quaint street market for The Bean Tree’s madras curries, Greenfeast’s Irish vegetable-packed Vietnamese banh mi, and BoyChik’s freshly made donuts.

CELEBRATING UNIQUE FOOD FESTIVALS

Join the island of Ireland in celebrating its passion for produce and varied cuisine with one of its many food festivals. Try a niche, product-specific celebration, such as the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival in the coastal village of Howth, or Galway’s Oyster Festival. 

Many take place in autumn to make the most of the harvest season. Savour Kilkenny celebrates the region’s famous cheese (try Knockdrinna farmhouse) as well as local businesses. Traditions are upheld at the Fire of Samhain Festival and the Púca Food Festivalin Ireland’s Ancient East, where you can enjoy foodie trails and a magical atmosphere.

This year, the island of Ireland has gone one step further to put on the ultimate island-wide celebration, Taste the Island. The first of its kind, this 12-week celebration showcases the island of Ireland’s culinary scene with guided trails, distillery tours, chef demonstrations and unique foodie experiences (including foraging for seaweed, oyster shucking and intimate supper clubs). Join Taste the Island at the Twilight Market at St George’s Market in Belfast, where more than 100 artisans offer everything from cheese to charcuterie and gin, plus a helping of live music and a friendly Irish atmosphere. 

You can even join a Georgian banquet at Armagh Georgian Festival, which takes place in a palace nestled in the cider-making region of the island. Taste the area’s refreshing cider with local food and merry music.

Looking for restaurants in the Lake District? Want to know where to eat in Kendal? Photographer and travel journalist Suzy Bennett takes us on a foodie road trip through the Lake District, stopping off at artisan bakeries, family-run bistros and cheese producers.

Every day at 3.45pm, diners at Low Sizergh’s farmshop café break off from their conversations to watch a television on the wall. From the flurry of interest, you’d think that some breaking news had just come on. But the scene is far more pastoral: it’s milking time in Low Sizergh’s parlour, and it’s being aired live on the farm’s own television channel.

Outside, in what must be one of the UK’s most interactive farm experiences, the raw milk is available to buy, fresh from a coin-operated vending machine, while those who want to get up close with the cows can stroke them as they’re being milked. In the old shippon, rustic farmhouse tables, shelves and fridges are piled high with farmshop produce: creamy wedges of farmhouse cheese, velvety ice creams, craggy meringues marbled with raspberry and chocolate sauce, rich-bodied syrupy damson preserves and vibrantly coloured organic vegetables.

If you want to try Lake District produce, there have traditionally been two approaches – either filling your basket at farmshops such as Low Sizergh Barn and gourmet stores such as Booths, or splashing out at special-occasion restaurants, among them The Samling by Lake Windermere, newly opened Henrock and a Michelin-starred galaxy of Rogan & Co, Hrishi at The Gilpin, L’Enclume, The Forest Side, The Old Stamphouse, The Cottage in the Wood and Askham Hall (read on). Now, food-loving fell walkers can add polished casual dining to that mix with the recent openings of The Yan and The Queen’s Head.

Opened in July this year, The Yan – Cumbrian for ‘The One’ – is a seven-room family-run bistro with beds on a working sheep farm called Broadrayne just outside Ambleside. A flock of soft-grey Herdwicks, managed by the owners’ neighbours, stare at you inquisitively as you unload the car. Converted from a hostel, The Yan is sparklingly clean and modern, with exposed steel girders, wood-effect walls and huge picture windows framing cinematic views of Helm Crag, one of the Lake District’s most spectacular walks.

It’s a fitting setting for chef Will Manley’s gutsy dishes, which are perfectly tuned for hungry hikers and families in search of rustic, honest food at a reasonable price. My shepherd’s pie, made with Broadrayne’s slow-cooked Herdwick lamb and loaded with chunky vegetables, is deliciously oozy and comes entombed by perfect peaks of cheesy steamed mash topped with crispy parma ham. An enormous, curled-up Cumberland sausage sharing plate arrives impaled with a steak knife and fork; there’s a thyme and garlic smoked beef brisket; baked potatoes stuffed with garlic cheese; grilled corn on the cob; piles of roasted sticky onions and an enormous ploughman’s. Even the humble scotch egg gets a makeover, arriving encased in black pudding and accompanied with homemade mustard and bacon mayonnaise. For dessert, a Lake District invention: sticky toffee pudding, the acid test of any local restaurant. Will’s passes with flying colours – it’s light, fluffy, dimpled with dates and slathered in dark puddles of rich toffee sauce.

Breakfast is a similarly fortifying affair: thick-cut buttered sourdough toast, deep-orange scrambled eggs from the farm’s free-range chickens, creamy porridge with berries, nuts and honey, and a full English served with homemade baked beans and Will’s own smoky tomato sauce.

Over the fells in Askham village, at the base of mighty Lowther Castle, The Queen’s Head is part of a trio of hospitality businesses run by Lowther-owned Askham Hall. The Hall is geared to higher-end dining and the nearby George and Dragon pub to a discerning dining pub crowd, while The Queen’s Head, which opened in April, focusses on pub classics. Produce for all three is sourced from Askham’s estate and kitchen garden, which I sign up for a tour of with head gardener Colin Myers. We amble through the “nuttery”, where red squirrels nibble on fallen walnuts, dodge branches laden with plump pears in the orchard and peer in at a fruit cage heaving with blueberries. We study the beginnings of a truffle orchard, pass snoozing Saddleback pigs and enter the walled vegetable garden, where we proceed to sniff, stroke and sample edible flowers, Asian salad leaves and tender baby vegetables. Back at the Queen’s Head, I dine on a burger made with flavoursome Lowther shorthorn beef and served with chunky chips and just-picked salad from Askham’s kitchen garden.

In Kendal, I meet Lovingly Artisan baker Aidan Monks, who is busy kneading a new batch of gluey dough for delivery to his customers, who include The Samling and The Yan. His naturally leavened sourdough, which he makes using organic heritage grains, has won him basketfuls of gongs, most recently Baker of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards and olive Chef Awards’ best baker. Aidan tells me how older grains have been shown to contain 60% more vitamins and minerals than modern wheat varieties, that sourdough contains a bevy of gut-friendly probiotics, and that it can be digested by some people who can’t stomach modern-grain breads. “Sourdough has staggering health benefits,” he tells me, “and has more depth of character than non-heritage grains.” His recipes include cheese and chilli, walnut, Kalamata olive, wholemeal and fruit bread.

Further south, at St James Cheese near Cartmel, I meet another man whose produce is turning heads in the nutrition world. Martin Gott is the only UK producer of washed-rind ewe’s milk cheese, which he makes from his own sheep and with his own starter culture – a rarity in Britain’s commercial cheese-making circles. On the menu at L’Enclume and Forest Side, and in the farmshop at Low Sizergh Barn, the cheese is so packed with goodness that researchers at University College London are studying its potential for delivering probiotics to immune-suppressed children. “The milk comes straight out of the parlour and into the vat so it’s never stored, which means the vitamins and minerals stay intact,” Martin tells me. He explains how the cheese’s taste alters according to the weather and season, turning from fresh and yogurty in spring, to herby in summer, to “muttony and bacon fatty” in autumn. He slices off a piece to prove this is a good thing. It certainly is.

The most scenic spot to try Red Bank Coffee is sitting by the river at Ambleside’s Rattle Ghyll Café, or at The Yan, Forest Side or the Drunken Duck Inn, but I meet owner, Tom Prestwich, at the heart of operations, an industrial unit on the banks of Coniston Water. A roaster with a conscience, Tom explains that traceability is crucial to the company ethos, so he often travels to Central America to visit the farms himself. “I want to pinpoint exactly where the coffee comes from. Not just the region but the actual farm.” Some of Red Bank’s beans come from an all-female cooperative in Guatemala, and he donates £1 from every kilo sold of his Mountain Rescue coffee to the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association. His coffee isn’t just Fairtrade, it’s eco-friendly too, made in a fuel-efficient roaster that recycles heat and uses renewable energy. Coffee bags are collected from customers and reused.

Boosted by virtuousness as well as caffeine, I head on to Growing Well, an organic farm that helps people who are suffering from mental health problems. Referred by their GPs, people work alongside occupational therapists and gardeners to produce fruit and vegetable boxes that are delivered to the local community, and sold commercially at neighbouring Low Sizergh Barn and Tebay Services. Manager Mary Houston tells me that the improvements she sees in patients are dramatic. “It gives people a shared purpose, a social life, new qualifications and is a gentle introduction back into work. Being here stops people being reliant on antidepressants or being sectioned in hospital.”

There’s one more stop to make – and a 20-minute queue to get in, despite a heavy downpour. “It’s like this every day,” says Yasmine Hunter as she leads me through the crowd at Grasmere Gingerbread’s tiny shop and into the back office. The gingerbread recipe is a long-kept secret: staff sign a confidentially agreement and the kitchen door is padlocked shut. The recipe, she says, is much as it was in 1854 when it was invented by Victorian cook Sarah Nelson. Behind the counter, staff dressed in Victorian costumes wrap up little slabs of gingerbread in pretty blue paper. Yasmine hands me a pack. It’s chewy, sweet, with fiery spices and every mouthful leaves a dusting of brown sugar on my lip. Never mind those Lake District fells: a few mouthfuls of this biscuity rocket fuel and I reckon I could scramble my way up Everest.

Words and photographs by Suzy Bennett

More info: golakes.co.uk