Valencia, the birthplace of traditional paella, is no stranger to culinary fame. Spain’s third largest city is a magnet for foodies and in recent years has established itself as a city of culinary innovation and renowned chefs. We couldn’t wait to get stuck into some typical Valencian food when we visited last year.
Valencian Food
Ios, in the Cyclades, is the perfect Greek island for all kinds of traveller. It’s great for couples, for party people and for those wanting to kick back and relax in the sunshine. Whatever kind of traveller you are you’ll be wanting to indulge in some wonderful Greek cuisine during your trip. With that in mind I wanted to share some of my favourite restaurants in Ios.
Alta Badia in Italy presents skiers with a delicious dilemma. Each season the culinary festival ‘A Taste for Skiing’ dishes up 130 km of beautifully groomed pistes paired with first class chefs, gourmet food and excellent Tyrolean wines. With ten mountain huts taking part and activities like ‘Breakfast with Powder Snow’ and ‘Sommeliers on the Slopes’, snow-goers are spoilt for choice. After a few days of eat, ski, repeat bigger ski pants may be required.
Alta Badia Org | Photo: Freddy Planinschek
The rendezvous point for our Secret Paris Food Tour is next to the Temple Metro station. I’m a few minutes early and am happy to soak up the Paris sunshine until our man, carrying an orange umbrella, appears. Our guide’s name, appropriately, is Christophe Boulanger and he comes armed with a bag of Parisian pastries. We nibble on the Chouquettes, sweet, bite-sized choux pastries, while the group assembles before heading off on a mouth-watering Le Marais Secret Food Tour.
Gelato in Italy, Pad Thai in Thailand, a bowl of Biryani and a side of samosas in India. Travel and food go hand in hand so it made perfect sense that Travelsphere sponsored the Big Kitchen at this summer’s BBC Good Food Show. I went along for a day of culinary adventure and left the show dreaming of the flavours of Italy. Imagine langoustines straight from the Mediterranean Sea cooked in a creamy risotto followed by a tart made with lemons plucked from fragrant Amalfi lemon groves. Travelsphere believe that feasting on local specialities is an incredible way to explore a destination. I couldn’t agree more.
Penny Smith and the Hairy Bikers
All the food in New Orleans. Me oh my oh! New Orleans is a mecca for culinary encounters with a unique food scene covering its Cajun, Creole, Caribbean, African and European heritage. When you’re not soaking up the street sounds, exploring the city sights (see my guide for 3 days in New Orleans) or moseying down the Mississippi you’ll want to tease your taste buds with all the food and drink that New Orleans has to offer. And there’s a lot. Be prepared to come out of there a few pounds heavier than when you went in. Here’s what the Big Easy brings to the table.