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We love Abbott Lodge Jersey Ice Cream, just off the A6 between Shap and Penrith. The ice cream selection is wonderful and you can even see some of the cows and their calves who make the raw material!
www.abbottlodgejerseyicecream.co.uk/
Abbott Lodge, Clifton, Nr Penrith Cumbria CA10 2HD
Tel: 01931 712 720
On holiday in Dumfries and Galloway we always try to go to Cream o' Galloway. The ice cream (try the crannoch - raspberry, whiskey and oatmeal) is fantastic and the 3D maze is good for working it off in time for another one!
www.creamogalloway.co.uk/
Rainton, Gatehouse of Fleet,
Tel: 01557 814040
Thai food is very unlikely to give you food poisoning but can contain more chillies than you ever thought possible. Street food is usually safe (and delicious!), check for numbers of customers and general looks of the stall. Western (“farang”) food is much more likely to give you food poisoning – fridges are not part of Thai cooking lore yet…beware of western fast food outlets and hotel buffets - food that has been out for over an hour or so. Drink bottled water - not tap water. Even consider not brushing your teeth with tap water. Ice is usually safe in drinks and for anything else.
At the other end of the price range there are the small Thai restaurants and street stalls dotted all over town, many won’t have a menu in English so just walk in, sit down and look hungry - let them bring you something and try and guess what it is you’re eating for (a lot) less than $5 for 2 (you can’t go wrong!). A bowl of street noodles can be as little as 15 baht.
Just one phrase you might find useful...."Mai Pet" (one for the Geordies!) - this means “not hot”...it won’t mean no chillies but it might bring it down to a level where you can just about eat it! - “Mai Prik” is NO chillies at all.
And for the mindless, bootless and unhorsed, the culturally stagnant and the grossly obese, there is the usual plethora of fast food outlets - McD’s, KFC, and Burger King....how can people eat that stuff!?!?!? And WHY when you are in a land of gastronomic delights, would you? (My comfort food of choice is a big plate of liver and onions - mmmmmmm!)
Eating out in Pattaya & Jomtien is a treat. There’s everything form every country and it’s all cheap! Even the upmarket stuff is half what you’d pay in Europe. You can eat US, French, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Full English Breakfast, Italian, Belgian, Dutch, German - what am I doing? The list is endless.
BUT
There’s one I’ve missed out....THAI food! Thai food is wonderful - everything from mild Chinese based noodles to hot and spicy Issan food, seafood, barbeque, Tom Yam soups - try it, you’ll love it.
If you want to spend a bit of money try Ruen Thai on 2nd road or Sugar Hut on Thap Phraya Rd, the hill between Jomtien and Pattaya.
Ruen Thai has great food from all the regions in Thailand and puts on an ethnic floor show of music, dance and even Thai boxing demonstrations!
Sugar Hut is in fact a very beautiful resort, the restaurant is in a traditional Thai style wooden house. The atmosphere is amazing - you remove your shoes on entering the dining area and the seating is either traditional low or for those of us who are less flexible there are “normal” height chairs and tables. Everything is teak and silk....just a pity the menu is so badly written and the food is a little on the bland side, but for a one off evening out it’s a must.
Why lamprey? Lamprey is a delicious fish that lives in the southern rivers of the Pontevedra province. It is a tasty fish cooked with its own black sauce. It is cooked in diferent ways but the most delicious is the recipe that came from France.
Romans settled in Pontevedra, fell in love with the fish and tried to take it to Italy.
During the last weekend of April, in Arbo (Pontevedra, Galicia), there is is a fiesta in honour of the fish. People can taste different recipes made from lamprey with a traditional wine of this area.
Apart from the fiesta, tourists can taste this dish in many restaurants of the region, one of them is A Rula in Arbo.
Do not miss LAMPREY.
I love it.
The farm shop which is joined on to the garden center at Houghton hall is fantastic. A great range of local produce, amazing lemon curd, jams, cheese. Possibly the best beef i have ever tasted - nicely matured not like the usual supermarket dross. Friendly staff who seemed to know not only about the products they were selling but also the producers. Well worth a quick 2 minute detour off the motorway. Also a very nice coffee shop.
Houghton Hall Farm shop
just off junction 44 of M6.
north Carlisle near to Kingstown.
The Alde Zaharra is the oldest part of town by the harbour, where there's almost as many tabernak as there are people! In them you can savour all sorts of PINTXOs (pronounced PEEN-CHAW), think of dimsum and replace Chinese food with the amazing Basque gastronomy. You can also visit old churches, the nice Constitution Square and little shops. Most of the tabernak or bars are open till late into the morning, so don't get there too early or you'll be alone.
Check the following url for more on pintxos:
eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pintxo
The phrase "Ambition is critical" greets visitors leaving Swansea railway station. The city has a reputation as a graveyard of ambition, a distinction which owes as much to Joe's Ice Cream as to its scenery and beaches. One taste and you'll never eat ice cream anywhere else.
Anyone who's ever lived in Swansea can tell you that Joe's was established in 1922: it says so on the side of their cartons. Since then, millions of litres of the stuff have been sold to locals and visitors alike.
Make your choice from the extensive range of specials, or just have a cone or carton of pure vanilla ice cream as it comes, rolled in chocolate strands or chopped nuts as you wish.
In addition to the original premises on St Helen's Road (near the cricket ground, Guildhall and university), there are two newer branches at Mumbles and Parc Tawe.
85 St Helen's Road - 01792 653880
524 Mumbles Road, Mumbles - 01792 368212
The Piazza, Parc Tawe - 01792 460370
joes.webmediaworks.co.uk
During a brief island hoping tour around the Scottish Isles I discovered this lovely little farm house B&B on Islay, which served the best breakfast i've ever had. Freshly laid free range eggs, homemade haggis, award winning sausage and bacon that was probably carved off a pig that morning! I was only disappointed not to have stayed long enough to sample Rachel's dinners. Islay itself is a lovely destination and home to a total of nine whisky distilleries, well worth a tipple!
I asked in the local TIC, i'm sure they'll point you in the direction of Rachel Whytes (I think that is how it's spelt).
The Rías Baixas are located in the southwest of Galicia (Spain). They are surounded by the sea, and they have rías (inlets) that provide to this area the finest seafood in the world. Its gastronomy is based on good quality seafood (clams, mussels, cockles, oysters, crabs, spider crabs, barnacles, lobster and cephalopod molluscs), on traditional recipes such as filloas (similar to omelettes), fish, several kinds of cheeses (tetilla, requesón...), a tasteful white wine (albariño) and so on.
The rías are full of mussel platforms that visitors can see travelling along the rías. In this area the fishing industry is so high that the Vigo's port is the second biggest port in the world.
The Rías Baixas gastronomy is so important that during the year the different municipalities celebrate events in honour to seafood or other traditional products.
You can find futher information in the website www.riasbaixas.com
The south of the Dominican Republic is a far cry from the tourist plagued northern and eastern shores and the money of the big hotel chains. The road from Barahona down the coast runs parallel to the beach uninterrupted for more than 200km arching up and down the lush dramatic landscape that crests the sky blue Caribbean ocean. Small villages of colourful houses that spread the various valleys lead to empty beaches frequented only by fishermen and which on weekends come alive with Dominicans of all ages dancing to the hip swaying sounds of merrengue and cooking fresh fish on open fires. The most popular of these being the stunning San Rafael with its fresh water natural swimming pools. It is these soul wrenchingly picturesque shores with their small coconut bark thatch huts that make this part of the island the most attractive.
The European flagship of the Four Seasons chain. Recently renovated to its glorious, Art Nouveau best.
Stunning all the way I'm sure, but I've only been in for tea, as I'm a poor student and not a millionaire, like you. I ate in the bar area, which is beautiful, and the food was good and the service impeccable.
Wish I could afford to stay there. Donations on a post card to...
Roosevelt Tér 5-6. 1051
Budapest
Hungary
Tel: 36 (1) 268-6000
Fax: 36 (1) 268-5000
I know, I know, it's a bit hypocritical after telling you to avoid the place in a previous tip, but I actually quite enjoy it there.
It's like going out in a market town in England on a Friday; raucous; loud; packed with fools and too much drink. But it also has some of Dublin's best pubs, live music, galleries and restaurants.
It's rare that the sense of violence, which always seems a wrong look away in London, is felt here.
I wouldn't recommend Temple Bar at night for someone in search of a quiet drink, or a civilized time. The puddles of vomit and p!ss ensure that, but it is great fun if you're in town for a laugh with a group of friends.
the centre of town
This is Valencia's main food market and it's a fabulous place to spend the morning wandering around.
It's a colourful and vibrant market with all kinds of wonderful fresh foods on display. Like many places, seeing this market in operation gives a special insight into the ordinary lives of the people of Valencia.
It's a fine building too and the ceiling is very ornate.
I dined at a restaurant called Casamia in Westbury-on-Trym. I found it through the Michelin guide as it must be a new entry this year, i got some more info off the internet and found a 5 out of 5 review from Metro newspaper and they have tipped it to what could maybe be Bristol's first Michelin star since the closure of Harvey's restaurant. With this in mind I decided to have an evening dinner there - what an amazing meal! I was totally blown away by the three courses that I ordered, especially dessert 'Deconstruted' tiramisu, genius! I was also told that the chefs are brothers and they are only 21 and 23 years old, so I thought I'd better tip
you off about this restaurant, which I also now believe will put Bristol on the cullinary map once again!
38 High St, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 3DZ.
Tel: 0117 959 2884
www.casamiarestaurant.co.uk
A small island in the far north west of Scotland owned by the Scottish Wildlife Trust reached by boat from the tiny harbour of Tarbet near Scourie in Sutherland. In spring/summer see thousands of nesting seabirds including puffins, great skuas and razorbills whilst enjoying a walk through the island with magnificent views all round.
When you return back to Tarbet, enjoy the most fresh and delicious seafood at the tiny Seafood Cafe. A gem of a place.
This cooking school offers half-day, full day and week-long cooking courses. They were absolutley great, combining practical cooking demos with theory - and you get to eat what you have cooked afterwards with your fellow students.
They will pick you up from your hotel and take you back again afterwards.
Great hamburger restaurant on corner of Newton and Turner square
I wanted real Danish food and boy, did I get it! This is a cozy, family/worker restaurant with giant portions (easily enough for 2 to share) and resonably priced. I ordered frikerdeller (Danish meatballs) and was so full I could hardly move. Good value and great food.
Enghavevej 4, off the Vesterbrogade, about 15 minute walk from the train station.
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