When to go

Imagine this; being serenaded by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s understudy: Faiz Ali Faiz, an hour later dancing to Aurelio’s impressive guitar work backed by traditional Garifuna hand drums, a delicious wood fire oven pizza later being mesmerized by Rodrigo y Gabriela and then to finish it off listening to the outstanding Senegalese artist Baaba Maal underneath the stars. For the 29th year running the Cotswold is home to WOMAD, an eclectic combination of established and upcoming world artists from Pakistan to Cuba. For 3 days at the end of July, every year thousands gather at Charlton Park and move from one breath-taking concert to another. The great thing about WOMAD is the atmosphere. From children to pensioners, hippies to working professionals, people lying on the grass listening to the music or swinging their hips like a pendulum out of control. It is a place for all. Fascinating music and hours of dancing requires good food. Being a vegetarian I could not praise WOMAD enough. Every vegetarian option the world has to offer was at WOMAD, often made from organic ingredients.

Where to stay

If camping at Charlton Park amongst thousands of festivalgoers is not your thing, then the neighbouring towns of Malmesbury and Tetbury have some lovely cottages and bed and breakfasts.

(Photo courtesy of Unique Home Stays)

We decided not to go for the full festival experience and took to the comfort of Barbara and Jonathon’s 19th century home, Manor Gardens, in Malmesbury. The collection of art, statues and wall hangings in the manor is a reflection of the couple’s strong background in Kenya. Whilst the manor itself was stunning, what made it an absolute pleasure to stay here was the hospitality of our host Barbara.

(Photos courtesy of Unique Home Stays)

In the cute breakfast room we were served fresh fruits, fresh apple juice from the garden, homemade plum compote, muesli a la Barbara and scrambled eggs on toast.

For £50 a night for the Chapel room, with access to the moat, beautiful gardens and swimming pool, Manor Gardens is a great place to stay.

Unique Home Stays, +441637 882012

Where to eat

In the nearby towns of Malmesbury and Tetbury you are spoilt for choice when it comes to gastro pubs. Most menus are dominated by meat and fish. After a bit of searching we went to The Potting Shed.

(Photo courtesy of The Potting Shed)

Whilst the fresh food establishment features only three vegetarian options we were keen to try The Potting Shed as owners Jonathon Barry and Julian Muggridge are supporters of the Slow Food Movement. With their own vegetable patch, we are talking about a “plot to plate” distance of 30 metres. A place that has converted some of the spare land into community vegetable patches for local residents is unique and contrary to all pub clichés.

(Photo Courtesy of The Potting Shed)

Family get togethers replacing loud lads watching football, pastel colour walls and wooden floors replacing dark walls and cigarette stained carpets, retro flowerpots and fine art photography replacing posters of the local football team. I had a chilled gazpacho with watermelon and a twice-baked goats cheese soufflé on a pine nut, apple, sage and pea shoot salad. The food was fresh and appetizing; though for me to go back again I would need a few more vegetarian options.

The Potting Shed Pub, The Street, Crudwell, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9EW, +441666 577 833

London is simply wonderful right now. Spring has finally come, the sun is out and people are actually quite friendly! Looking across my window from work, onto the London eye and the Jubilee gardens I am reminded why I am back in London!

Southbank was buzzing yesterday, full of people tasting the delights on offer at the Southbank chocolate festival. OK, so it was not quite like the Turin chocolate festival. But to my surprise London too has some great artisans. Take Damian Allsop, who has reinvented the art of chocolate making.  As the Brits start stripping down to skimpy clothes and waiting to get into their bikinis, the guilt factor of consuming  sugar, butter and cream in one mouth full starts to kick in.

Not with Damian Allsop’s great handmade chocolates! Damian has removed the butter and cream often used in chocolates, and has used water to unlock the true flavour of chocolate. The result: a very light, pure and refreshing taste with hints of basil, thyme, mint, early grey, jasmine tea or pear aniseed. £13 for a box of 12 chocolates that is normally served at Michelin star restaurants is totally worth it. Can’t make it to Sout bank this weekend? Don’t worry you can find these gems at Fortnum and Mason, Libertys or Selfridges.

Tucked away between the usual suspects of bakers, Easter egg overloads, hot chocolate stands and enormous cookies, I found “Artisan du Chocolat.” There cannot be anything more satisfying than finishing work and then cracking a truffle of chocolate that oozes out a sensational puree of passion fruit. After “testing” about 5 truffles of the No 14 limited edition sea salted caramels I was prepared to splash out on these luxury truffles packed in a beautiful box.

I felt like I was buying Chanel, choosing from their collection of No 1 and No 14! These delights were created for Gordon Ramsay’s Claridges. If you’re not planning a trip their soon, check out their online shop or one of their stores in London.

The chocolate food festival is on until this Sunday (10^th April), with a number of chocolate theatre workshops. Not sure I would recommend a special trip here. However if you are in the area and are a chocolate lover – then it is a must!

I was recently told that I normally only write about the places I love. So, here is a place I do not recommend spending 100 Euros on: Joia, a Michelin star vegetarian restaurant in Milan. Pietro Leemann, the chef of this quite famous restaurant has come up with a very creative and unique menu. It is really difficult to choose from a menu when you have no restrictions, as everything is vegetarian! I chose to go with the Zenith menu, a 14 course menu at 100 euros per head. (The 8 course menu was at 80 euros.)

To wet our appetite we were given quite literally a small boiled carrot in a yogurt sauce. My sister was not impressed! (Background: before my sister’s visit I received texts such as: ”can we go to Napoli to eat pizza?” A boiled carrot was not quite what “Eat, pray, love” had portrayed to her!) Each course did get better, the flavours got more intense, and the colours more dramatic. There was clearly a careful logic in the flow of the menu. However, we would go from one course thinking it was a creative explosion of flavours in our mouth to simply disliking a particular dish.

Out of 14 dishes, I absolutely loved about 5, 4 were good, and I disliked 5. On average that does not merit 100 euros a head. We also felt that some concepts like frothed parmesan or ginger, or raspberry sauce were repeated far too often, for what was supposed to be a highly creative menu.

What is interesting about the menu is that each dish is given a very distinct name, from “An apparent egg” to “Simone was thinking of me”, which is then reflected in the ingredients and the type of presentation. I have to say I almost burst out laughing when we had the “Gong” desert. The waiter brought a gong for me to hit before I bit into what was actually a delicious desert. We did not appreciate being served on a plastic tweety plate for the “I remember” desert, in a Michelin star restaurant.

If you are being taken to Joia, I think it is an interesting experience and would suggest being open minded. Perhaps go for the 8 course menu. On the other hand, if you are forking out 100 Euros yourself there are better restaurants in Milan where you can get more value for your money.

Joia, Via P Castaldi 18, 0039229522124, Milano

I had been planning a trip to Cinque Terre for almost a year now. The much talked about Cinque Terre, one of Italy’s gems is a must. Imagine this: Trekking through 5 towns on the Italian Riviera that are carved into the steep vineyard coastline over looking the Mediterranean sea. Now most treks I do are a hard slog with only water and energy bars to get you through. The Cinque Terre trek from Monterosso to Riomaggiore is a food lover’s haven.

Just when you think you are going to pass out from the heat and the steep inclines, before you know it you are welcomed by one of the five charming towns where you can dig into a hearty pasta, sip wine and wipe off the sweat! Serious trekkers may not approve of stopping every so often to savour some tiramisu or try some Limoncello. But thats the beauty of this trek – work some sweat, treat yourself to a gelato and work your way to the next town.

When to go and for how long: May or September – 2 days

The best time to go is in May or September. If you want to avoid that bunch of American tourists who you will inevitably bump into in every town, in every cafe and every non touristy restaurant, avoid June to August! The ideal time to spend in Cinque Terre is 2 days. Enough to do a 5 hour trek, re visit the towns you simply fell in love with, and perhaps even squeeze in some time on the beach. 1 day is too rushed and if you are with your brother then 3 days may be a bit too much!

Where to stay: Pietra di Mare – Monterosso

Monterosso was my favourite town; quaint andcharming, with a lovely vibe. We stayed in a cute B&B in the heart of the town called Pietra di Mare (Via San Martino, 2, 00393461097338), for 110 euros a night. When we arrived there was a sign outside the B&B saying we should go to the owner’s cousin’s B&B to get the keys to our room. She was not there and the nearby shop told us she was in a bar. Trolley bag in hand I went from bar to bar trying to figure out who was Sabrina’s cousin. So don’t freak out if you can’t find the owner or her cousin! Sabrina (the owner), gives you a breakfast token to the bar opposite her apartment.

Skip the free breakfast, and instead walk down a few metres to Pasticceria Lauraon Pussu du Pudesia, 55. If you have a sweet tooth, plan a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour here. Every 10 minutes fresh, beautifully crafted pastries come from Laura’s kitchen across the street. If you are like me, you simply want to try it all!

What to do:

1) Work your muscles and see the best of  Cinque Terre

Starting from Monterosso and following the trail till Riomaggiore is the single best way to see Cinque Terre.  Wake up early, get an 8 euro ticket from the tourist point for a pass into the national park that allows you also to use the train running through the 5 towns.Everyone talks very fondly of the Lover’s walk from Manorola to Riomaggiore.   I have to admit after all the hype and the previous towns, I was expecting a little more. Perhaps it had to with the fact that I was with my brother and we were surrounded by couples making out and locking padlocks to everything they saw!

The most breath taking views are when you approach a town. There you are, standing amongst steep vineyards, and in the distance is a colourful town almost hanging off a cliff. Make sure you take time to break the trek and wander the streets of the towns you pass through.

If walking 9km is too much for you, there is a train service that runs through the towns, so you can easily hop on or off whilst exploring the towns.

2) Dip biscotti in Sciacchetra

Sciacchetra is a sweet white wine of the Cinque Terre region, produced from the best white grapes being left to dry in the sun. Unique in colour, taste and fragrance. The aroma of apricots and acacia honey, the colour of antique gold and the perfect sweetness to end a meal. Try Sciacchetra at Enoteca da Eliseo (Piazza Matteotti, 3, 0039187817308) in Monterosso. A very cute wine bar that serves an endless list of wines, Limoncello and Sciacchetra.

3) Find a rock and relax

Soak in the sun and find a rock hanging over the cliffs between or at one of the towns. If you want  a sandy beach – Monterosso is your best bet.

4) Trade service for an amazing view or a great pizza

Perhaps the world’s worst service at Trattoria Billy (Via Rollandi, 122, 0039187920628) in Manorala accompanied with one of the best views I have experienced whilst eating a Genovese pasta. If you can hack the service then sitting on a little terrace that is literally hanging off the cliff and gazing into the vineyards against the back drop of the Mediterranean sea, is worth it! If you are looking for a big, crispy, mouth watering pizza then head to Pizzeria La Smorfia in Monterosso(Via Vittorio Emanuele, 73, 0039187818395)

Cinque Terre is a true Italian gem. Great food, stunning views, beautiful sea, and quaint colourful towns. What more could you ask for?

Just a week after Puglia I escaped to Ronchi a small seaside town in Tuscany. Having being spoilt by the Pugliese, anything North of Rome seemed hard to live up to the Puglia experience. However, as always Italy never stops surprising me.

Where to stay: Villa Fiorisella, Via G. Verdi, 37 – Poveromo – Massa, 0039585240337
We found a lovely villa in Poveromo, surrounded by endless greenery. From a distance we could see the Apuan Alps which dominate the coastline. The villa was rustic yet modern and merged into the line of beautiful family villas dotted around the countryside. Staying at Villa Fiorisella, was a very homely experience. The breakfast though served on the veranda, was quite limited in choice. You can’t have everything!

Where to strut your body: Bemi Beach
It is not often you get to dip in the sea and have nothing but mountains and greenery surrounding you. The beauty of the beach by Ronchi is that the coastline has not been killed with big hotels and villas. Instead, when you bring your head out of the water you are taken back by the grandness of the Apuan Alps.

Where to eat in style: Alex, Via Versilia 157, Pietrasanta, 0039584746070
There are few restaurants that make it into my top 5. Ferrarra in Rome is one. Alex in Marina di Pietrasanta is another. In a building dating back to 1900s, Alessandro Tognetti has created a very elegant and intimate restaurant which is framed by a lovely terrace with exotic flowers. Soft lights, jazz music and ethnic furniture combined with the sound of the sea in the distance makes this a 5 star dining experience. Being a vegetarian in Italy has never been a problem. But when one of the chef’s in the kitchen is vegetarian you know you have come to the right place. I had a soft carefully crafted carrot cake in a cheese fondue. This was followed by a tagliatelle with shredded vegetables in the cream of fresh olives. With the different courses a waitress would bring a different olive oil to dress it and accompanied it with an elaborate explanation of the olives. And yes the tourist in me bought Alessandro’s very own olive oil. Really I had not tasted anything quite like it. For desert we indulged into a light pear and chocolate pastry, layered with cream and cocoa.

Where to find the Milanese: Forte di Marmi
During August, it seems like the Milanese club moves themselves to Forte di Marmi, and take with them the likes of Gucci and Prada and place them on the cute streets of Forte di Marmi. Walking through the town, in my flip flops and cotton dress, I felt quite out of place. It is like going to a Milanese supermarket in a hoodie. You just don’t do it! Forte di Marmi reminded me of a movie set in Universal Studies. A little bubble where the Milanese feel at home.

Where to loose yourself: Pietrasanta
A lovely surprise after the glamour of Forte di Marmi. San Pietro’s streets are full of local restaurants and bars, with restaurant tables taking up the whole width of the street, leaving little room for pedestrians. Art galleries and studios scatter the streets and show piece their work practically everywhere, in the middle of a piazza or in a small bar.

Just 3 hours away from Milan by train, Ronchi is a great weekend break. I would go back just to eat at Alex!

There are a few things I want to do before leaving Italy. One of them is to understand who actually supports a leader like Berlusconi? Today Berlusconi held a rally just down my road in the Castello Sforzesco.

This was the first time I felt very uncomfortable in Italy. I was surrounded by over 50′s cheering and praising Berlusconi. Flags waving high, hands clapping, and faces looking up and high into their leader’s eye. I felt sick. What is wrong with these people? How can they possibly believe what he is saying? Combatting organised crime…seriously!

Take a look at the people, the demographics and things become a little clearer.

Yes the average age of the supporters at this rally was 55. The women…I am sure they would make their way back stage at some point.

There was not a sign of one person under 30. I really did search, moved across through the crowds, but no sign of some educated youth to challenge this awful propaganda. (I later found out that the frustrated youth of Italy were protesting the streets of Italy for “No Berlusconi Day”)

20 minutes into the rally, I had to leave. Even though I had a Sicilian Cannolli to sweeten my judgment I was furious and at the same time saddened that the future of this beautiful country was in the hands of a play boy and there is a large part of the population that looks up to him. There was only one way to end this experience…a glass of Barola at Cantine Isola.

It all started a few weeks ago: a very long southern Italian lunch in Milan. My friends parents were visiting from Puglia, and invited me for a delicious lunch, which started at 14.00 and finished…well I left early from the table at 18.30! A lunch full of fresh tasty food and theatrical explanations of numerous stories. One of these stories was about a British lady who moved to Brindisi in Puglia, and had a series of disasters. The whole village was involved in her unfortunate experiences. I had the pleasure to meet the actors in this drama story in a recent trip to Brindisi in Salento.

The Sanasi family welcomed me with open arms into their beautiful villa on the sea, at Campo del mare (comune of San Pietro). The people of this village are worlds apart from the Milanese, with respect to food, culture and time management.

My typical day staying with the Sanasi’s:

I would be woken up by the smell of strong coffee and not just by the Sanasi family, but friends who were passing by for an early morning bicycle ride, and more often that not a family friend who had brought fresh vegetables and fruit picked from his garden.

Breakfast consisted of different Pugliese biscuits accompanied by a selection of home made marmalades made by mama Sanasi.

5 steps away from the villa is the beautiful beach of Campo del Mare. Most of the days would be spent walking along the coastline, dipping in and out of the sea, and basically talking to my friend’s fellow villagers!

An Indian girl in this small village is a quite a rare thing. My friend decided to tell everyone I was an Indian princess, and everyone somehow believed this! I had women coming up to me saying “oh what a honor to be in your presence.” I decided to try an Indian hair removal technique “threading” on my friend. Word got into the village that you could remove hair with a piece of thread. Each day someone from the village would pop by to the villa to figure out what this magical thread was all about!

Lunch was always back at the villa. How is that simple roasted peppers, variety of green beans, and a selection of tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil from their local producer and oregano from their garden just tasted amazing? I had brought some grapes from Milan, which I had during my journey. I was very embarrassed when they were arranged on the same plate as the grapes from the Sanasi’s garden. My grapes looked like green seeds, and their grapes looked like plums!

Someone on the table tried my grapes, and the response was; “Mama, where did you buy these plastic grapes…they are horrible”. There is no way you can compare food freshly grown from a Pugliese garden to northern Italy’s supermarkets. The lunch menu everyday was different, delicious and heavenly. Being a vegetarian I really had no problems at all. Well that is a lie. Everyday my friend’s dad would go fishing and bring back the catch of the day. Mama Sanasi would then cook this up and beautifully present her masterpiece. For the first time in my life I thought, am I missing out?

After a heavy lunch a siesta was an absolute must, followed by a coffee at either the villa, or one of the cousin’s houses. Stories would be told, gossip would be shared, and the evening menu would be planned. I would often help my friend’s mum with the evening dinner. I learnt how to make foccacia and pizza. Delicious!

One of my favorite Pugliese dishes: Friseli. Very hard bread cooked twice. Dip it into cold water for a few seconds and dress it like a bruschetta. Whilst having dinner we would hear the procession of the Madonna. So everyone would leave the table and run outside to welcome the statue. Friseli in one hand I would run too!

Top 2 highlights from my Puglia experience:

1) Park at Torre Guace, pay 1 euro and squeeze as many people as you can in a shuttle bus which then transports you to a peaceful and beautiful paradise. The nature reserve of Torre Guace takes crystal clear turquoise water to another dimension.

2) An evening stroll through Lecce. They say Lecce is Salento’s Florence.

Wondering through Lecce’s baroque style buildings, churches and squares was wonderful. Unlike Florence and Rome, which are inundated with tourists, Lecce still maintains its local charm. The town is very much alive, with people just strolling along with a gelato in hand and taking in the town’s beauty.

I am already planning my next trip to Puglia to discover the region’s gems. Puglia is a like a country of its own, on its own clock, with food incomparable to the rest of Italy (bar Tuscany) and made up of people who are so open, friendly and loving.

Whilst I am Milan bound during the week, any chance I get to escape the heat and the mosquitoes in Milan I take it. I have been to Val D’Aosta five times now, yet each time I have had a completely different experience. From skiing, to relaxing at Terme di Pre Sant Didier, to reading books in a beautiful lodge over looking the Alps. This time I decided to work my muscles and go on a weekend hiking trip in the national park: Gran Paradiso.

Just two hours away from Milan you can find unspoilt nature within the valleys that make up the Gran Paradiso. Quite simply paradise. It is very rare that I can forget absolutely everything and just focus on the present moment. Gran Paradiso is one of those places were you are taken back by the beauty and the tranquility, such that you forget absolutely everything.

We started our trek in Cogne, a former iron ore mining village and worked our way up through the valleys to Lauson situated at 2588m. There waiting for us was our mountain hut: Vittorio Sella Hut. After a warm hearty meal and a decent night sleep we  worked our way back down the valleys to finish with a lunch along a stream running through Valnontey.

The trek up to Lauson should typically take 3 hours. We took about 5 hours as we stopped for quite a filling Italian style picnic and a nap  along a stream! The trek up is quite difficult, but it is totally worth it. Being surrounded by endless greenery, in the aroma of wild herbs and flowers, spotting exotic butterflies and then every now and again dipping your feet in streams that run through the valleys.

I can not think of a better way to spend a weekend and all at such an economical price. For 60 euros you can stay a night stay at Vittorio Sella, which includes a hearty dinner, drinks, breakfast and a panini to take away. You can buy bed sheets for 3 euros, a 5 minute hot shower costs 5 euros and a disposable “towel” costs 2 euros. By no means luxury accommodation, but as a hiker spending minimal time in the hut, Vittorio Sella has everything you need.

Vittorio Sella, Gran Paradiso National Park, Lauson’s Valley, 003916574310, Cogne – Italy

Don’t you just love it when you stumble upon something that you almost never expected? In our search for an Indian restaurant in Durban, one wrong turn here, another wrong turn there, we came across something that looked some what like a cafe. Had it not been for the food photographer, carefully arranging and rearranging food creations to get the picture perfect photo, we probably would have walked straight pass this little gem.

Neil Roake, author of the cook book “Shiny Happy People”, has created an inspiring and uplifting cafe: Freedom.

It is one of those places that draws you in slowly. First we were intrigued by the food photographer and the wonderful display of cakes on the planks of wood outside the cafe. A few steps later we discovered a converted freight container which was jazzed up and carefully created into a modern cafe.

This then lead us on to the small yet very cute garden, at the end of which was the open kitchen where we could see Neil himself cooking up some delicious dishes.

As much as we wanted Indian food, Freedom has a character that one can not escape. Once you enter the garden you almost feel part of the set up, as if  you had personally been invited to Neil’s kitchen. The atmosphere is fresh and informal. This newly opened cafe gives you a sense of a start up, and if like me you love food then Freedom gives you so much inspiration to start up your own kitchen!

If you have time on your hands Freedom is a perfect place to sit back, sip a cup of tea and just watch Neil’s assistants creatively work their way around the kitchen. And you will have to sit back for quite a while; in the true slow food culture way. It is totally worth the wait. Fresh ingredients prepared with passion and displayed creatively. I had a red pepper and paprika soup. Simple, but by far the best red pepper and paprika soup I have ever had. The menu is contemporary – perfect for a light yet filling lunch.

If you are looking for a place to stay near Florida Road I highly recommend The Concierge which is in front of Freedom. The hotel carries on the boutique feel of the cafe.

You feel secluded and in a special place, yet only a few roads away from Florida Road. Both Freedom and The Concierge are slightly above average Durban prices; but that is the price you pay for an intimate setting with careful attention to design.

Freedom Cafe, 36 Campbell Avenue, Greyville, 0027313094453, Durban – South Africa

I had been talking about this trip for almost a year and before I knew it I was on the plane to one of the most exciting World Cups I think I will ever experience.  This time it’s for Africa. The spot light was on Ghana and everyone was hoping, praying, dreaming that this time an African team would make it at least to the semi finals. 

July 2nd 2010, Ghana vs. Uruguay. I am not exactly a football expert nor even an amateur, but this has to be one of the best atmosphere’s I have ever experienced in a stadium. Practically everyone I knew asked me to get them a vuvuzela. I really had no idea what all the fuss was all about. From the second I caught sight of Soccer City in Joburg all I could see, hear and feel were vuvuzelas. A loud constant horn coming from these plastic instruments in all sizes and colours decorated with every single African flag. I felt like I had a vuvuzela in my stomach and my whole body was pounding with this horn sound!

This was not a game just about Ghana vs. Uruguay. This was a game representing every single African nation. A scan across the stadium and every flag, every face painted, every vuvuzela was an African one. Ok there were about 50 Uruguayans..but clearly the minority amongst 90,000 fans! This was the first time I ever felt that a continent was so united, through every pass, through every miss and through ever chance. This was Africa’s chance.

Just before half time Ghana scored. After numerous tries they did it! And that was the most amazing feeling. The happiness across everyone’s face was incredible. I had horns blowing in all directions and within seconds there were African dancers dancing to Waka Waka.  Ghana left the first half in a very positive light, a sense of relief and strong optimism before the second half.

When Uruguay scored after half time, the stadium came to a holt. A horrible shock and sudden silence filled the stadium. It was a vuvuzela stopper. After 30 minutes of extra time, Africa’s football destiny was in the hands of nerve wracking penalties. I was so scared I could barely watch the strikers. The supporters stood united; it felt like the whole stadium was holding hands in a round circle, hoping and praying for every Ghanaian striker. And when Ghana’s last striker missed it felt like the circle broke and the hearts, dreams and hopes of every African nation was shattered.

Leaving the stadium was so depressing. The vuvuzela horn was almost no where to be heard. However those few great spirited supporters still blew their horn to salute Ghana for their great effort and perseverance.