This article is published in partnership with Tourism Nova Scotia, who sponsored this post. Tourism Nova Scotia are inviting us to dream now and travel later.

In 19 years in London, nearly 20, this will be the first year that I won’t have once left its boundaries. I have barely left my neighbourhood. Instead, my life was distilled to essentials and became very simple. That is a luxury I know. My work was affected but I didn’t lose my job. I don’t have kids to homeschool. I accept the changes, I understand the need to be still for a while and I am embracing it, as much as I can.

Short days and long dark nights give ample time to dream

Summer was easier, it was even lovely. Now it is winter. The days close early and my time outdoors is brief, if at all. As the days close further I withdraw and I start to daydream, as I love to do when I can steal a chance. I even dare to make plans. Loose plans, no dates. Expectations carefully managed. Plotting places I want to return to, people I want to see. Friends and family to reunite with.

It is a small tight list, built on top of my list of my lifetime, however long that will be. In there is a plan to visit Nova Scotia with friends. The idea of Nova Scotia was planted in my head many years ago by my father. Friends of his had relocated there, it sounded like a fascinating place. Then I made friends with Nova Scotians in London, and then more. They moved home and now I go to visit and explore, to soak up the culture, the terrific food and wine.

There is an easy familiarity between Irish people like myself and Nova Scotians. The same sense of fun, an easy-going attitude to life. The same love of story and song. Continue reading

With thanks to Destination Canada who sponsored this post.

Lobster lovers need to make their way immediately to Nova Scotia’s South Shore. Better again, plan to go for the South Shore Lobster Crawl in Winter every year during lobster season when things get serious. Barrington is known as the lobster capital as locals will proudly tell you. There is even a Nova Scotia Lobster Day on the last Friday of every February.

The South Shore Lobster Crawl is an annual celebration which fizzes along the shoreline and celebrates the lobster fishing season. It is a big part of the local culture which isn’t a surprise when you understand that the season in this part of Nova Scotia runs from November to May and the lobster haul from Nova Scotia in general accounts for 40% of the Canadian catch. 

You will quickly discover that the good folks of Nova Scotia are always very serious about lobster. On the South Shore creamed lobster is the dish of choice for Christmas, and locals are obsessed with it, but more on that in a bit!
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I returned to Ottawa this year to visit the Sparks Street PoutineFest. It was a joy of a trip (and you can read more about it here and here). As always, a little conversation goes a long way, and I am delighted to share this edited snippet from the episode of Fingers in Pies that I recorded there.

I was speaking to Hung Ha about their poutine and the festival when he mentioned that his family had been Vietnamese refugees with a dream of a new life and their own pho restaurant. I spoke to both Hung Ha at their food truck and his father Ha Van Trung at their Pho restaurant.

Fingers in Pies will be back weekly in the New Year and I have some exciting guests and plans. So watch this space, and for now, have a listen!

Fingers in Pies Podcast on Ottawa, Poutine and Pho – An Edited Excerpt

So, my parents are part of the Vietnamese boat people where they escaped the Vietnam War in 1982. The boat they were in landed in Hong Kong. They were there in a refugee camp there. We were very fortunate that Canada had a sponsorship program, and sponsored my parents over. They had a place to stay. Continue reading

Ottawa is the kind of city that I love to visit. With so much going on every day, it bustles and there is lots to do. Ottawa embraces the extreme seasons, with festivals and events all year round. I knew that it was Canada’s capital city and the seat of the Canadian government. What I didn’t know is just how fun and friendly it is, and how diverse the population is.

Ottawa is a perfect size for a short visit. Big enough to have lots going on and small enough to make it easy to hop from place to place. The diverse population means there are many interesting restaurants. I had one of the best bowls of Vietnamese pho that I have ever had (and I have had many!), wonderful Middle Eastern food, vibrant modern Canadian, afternoon tea in a beautiful ornate historic hotel, dinner at a famous Ottawa cookery school and restaurant and of course, I went back to their central food market downtown.

Dinner at Jackson (in the Ottawa Art Gallery)

My first bite in Ottawa on this trip was in Jackson. A gorgeous bright room fitting of its location with glorious high ceilings and enormous hanging ceiling lamps. It is named for the gallery’s extensive collection of works by Canadian Group of Seven member A.Y. Jackson (which you can view for free and which I did after my meal – you must!). Continue reading

All aboard for the Sparks Street PoutineFest in Ottawa! An annual event celebrating the unofficial and super popular national Canadian dish, poutine. Not just a celebration of that most wonderful trifecta of fries, gravy and squeaky cheese curds, Sparks Street PoutineFest reaches beyond the plate. It is a superb reflection of Ottawa’s rich immigrant history and diverse food culture and all things Ottawa and Canada in terms of craft drinks and music. 

Let me count the ways I love poutine

Originally from Quebec, poutine has been embraced coast to coast. We can even get it here in London! Indeed, I have served my Irish take on it here. I have had lobster poutine on the east coast, complete with a gorgeous lobster gravy and poutine with slow-cooked ox cheek ragu in place of gravy on the west coast. I have been to Quebec and Montreal and had many poutines there, including, of course, the original. Sparks Street PoutineFest was about to blow my mind. 

Show me the curds

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Part 2 following on from A New Brunswick Culinary Road Trip: Starting at Saint John [Part 1]

That brisk sea breeze off the Bay of Fundy is enough to clear all cobwebs and signs of jet lag. I was up early the next day and on my way. Headed to Saint Andrews by the Sea with a pit stop by the beach, and for some fried clams. It can be hard to get me out of my bed in the morning especially with jet lag, but not when there is an early lunch of fried clams on the immediate horizon.

Saint John to New River Beach 

About a half hour drive out of Saint John lies New River Beach. A gorgeous stretch of coastline, all sandy beach and bright blue ocean and sky. A paddle in the ocean before a feed of fried clams (and other gorgeous fried things) is a joyful thing. The clams were at Ossie’s Lunch. A small diner at the side of the road with lots of picnic tables where you can tuck in outside.

Fried Clams at Ossie’s Lunch

Entering its 61st season, Ossie’s Lunch was opened in 1957 by Osborne and Roseanna Waite and is still going strong under new owner Shawn Saulnier. Roseanna still works there on occasion, as does her daughter Angela. You probably don’t know – I didn’t – that New Brunswickers LOVE fried clams and places like Ossie’s Lunch are packed on public holidays and in season. 

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This is the second post in a two-part piece about my travels to Vorarlberg in Austria. Read the first part: Mountain Hiking, Herbal Walks and Local Food in Lech, Austria

For the second part of my Vorarlberg stay, we moved to Bregenzerwald. The drive to Bregenzerwald from Lech is a magical weave through valleys and mountains. Sweeping winding roads, and lots of promise. So stunning we had to stop to take some photos and stop and pause to take it all in. 

We were on our way to Löwen mountain distillery with lunch first there in the Gasthaus Löwen’s Inn & Café. A beautiful restaurant in an old house with one of those beautiful large tiled heaters (a Kachelofen). Windows draped by small curtains looked at the mountains outside. We took a table in the corner and perused the traditional menu. I love the menus in places like this. Plump käsespätzle (handmade noodle shreds in a voluptuous and generous cheese sauce) and schnitzel were what drew most of us in. The cool mountain air creates an enthusiastic appetite and with a distillery trip straight after, there is a need for it.  Continue reading

I am fond of winter but I love to see it go. By the time it leaves it has become an unwelcome guest. It is a relief to see the buds open at Springtime and the trees begin to flourish, as they are this week. Walks home from the supermarket are peppered with mini assaults of blossom fragrance. The footpaths are dusted with their petals. The days are longer, the sky brighter, there is the promise of summer to come. Food becomes more interesting as we are almost out of the Hungry Gap (that period when little grows). 

Mountains come into their own in Spring and Summer. No more so than those favoured for their winter culture like the Alps. Last summer I visited Vorarlberg in the Austrian Alps. Our drive from Zürich ascended in the dark, in the morning I was greeted with crisp air, the sights of lush meadows and tall peaks, and bubbling brooks. 

The town of Lech is a pretty one. Famed for royal visitors (Princess Diana would ski here), it is also one of the worlds premier ski destinations. But Lech is also a joy in summer. The crowds are gone, and in the place of the snow all is lush. The days are hot and long, but there is crisp clear air accompanying.  Continue reading

I am a regular visitor to Canada. I love the vast expanse of it. The people, the calm, the lakes and forests, the cities with the quickly expanding and inspiring culinary scene. Excellent cocktails, terrific Canadian wines, a booming craft booze scene and lovely restaurants and bars to sample them. Canada is an excellent place for a road trip, especially a culinary one.

A Culinary Road Trip of New Brunswick Starting in Saint John

New Brunswick was the scene of my most recent Culinary Road Trip, packed with snow crab and lobster, lush produce from the farmlands and foraged seaweeds and sea greens from the seashore. It is one of four of Canada’s Atlantic provinces on the east coast. 83% of New Brunswick is under forest, and the cities are small by international standards. It is a perfect relaxed spot for a break and to unwind. I flew into Saint John via Halifax, Nova Scotia. A short flight in a small plane with excellent views of the landscape below brought me to Canada’s oldest incorporated city. I started my culinary road trip here. 

New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada with English and French being commonly spoken. The indigenous population has been established there since 7000BC (at the time of European contact these included the Mi’kmaq, the Maliseet, and the Passamaquoddy). Populations arrived from Europe from the 1600s included French, British and Irish. The city of Miramichi claims to be the Irish capital of Canada and was one of the points of arrival for many of Ireland’s coffin ships during the famine. It is home to a large Irish Festival now every year. New Brunswick was almost called New Ireland at one point until it was vetoed by King George III. Which, of course it was. 

Where to Eat and Drink in Saint John and What to Do

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I love a second city. I live in one of the worlds great capitals, yes. And I love London. But for a weekend break I love to go to a second city. Second cities are vibrant, fun, people choose to live there for the more relaxed lifestyles but they still want city life. As a result there is often vibrant food and drink culture, and lots you can do for a weekend break. 

To Graz then in Austria. I had heard much about it but had never been. Graz is a beautiful well preserved city in the east of Austria. Beautiful architecture, entirely walkable, lots of lovely cafes and bars. Overlooking the city is the Schlossberg, a hill in the centre of Graz that is accessible by lift or funicular. There are steps too if you feel energetic! A public park and bars and restaurants overlook the city below. Many were picnicking in the park the weekend that I visited. There are lots of museums and it is a beautiful city to just walk around.

Surrounded by wine regions and ell placed for a weekend break, there is plenty to keep the food and wine obsessive busy. I I focussed on the food and drink of course! Here is my list. 

Eating and Drinking in Graz

Aiola Upstairs

Come here for the views over the city (book a table outside at the edge) and to sample contemporary Austrian cuisine with a twist and excellent local wines. 

upstairs.aiola.at/en/

Lendplatz Farmer’s Market (Bauernmarkt am Lendplatz)

This thriving local market was packed with vendors selling local produce from cut flowers to local meats and cheeses. There are many cafes and bars where you can have coffee and brunch also.  Continue reading

When I say Austria, I bet you don’t think wine. You think mountains, snow, cheese, and cows with ring-a-ding-DING cow bells. Winding paths in meadows, the Sound of Music maybe, lots schnitzel and dumplings, gorgeous soups. Austrians are always surprised to hear that we don’t think of wine when we think of them. In 2017 the Austrian wine industry produced a record 2.6 million hectolitres in multiple wine regions spread throughout the country. Vienna itself is one of the few cities in the world with a thriving wine industry within the city limits.  

You may already know this and know of Grüner Veltliner, one of the most popular wine exports from Austria. A dry white wine made from the grape of the same name grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, it is a favourite of mine. Did you know that there is a wine region in Eastern Austria that specialises in Sauvignon Blanc? Not just Sauvignon Blanc, of course, there are many varietals but this is what they are best known for. They are also known for their excellent fried chicken. Fried as wiener schnitzel in a dense crisp crumb. It is a delight. Small plump farm chickens, coated with crumb and fried until juicy and crisp. I was as surprised as I was delighted. What a treat! 

Styria – a half hour drive from Graz and home to three wine regions and excellent wine

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Jump to What to Eat and Drink in Zillertal

But you have surely been everywhere by now? Say so many people about my travels. Far from it, I explain, and I still have such enthusiasm to move and explore. Some countries I have been to several times (Italy, Spain, France, Australia, Canada and Borneo are my most visited), and there are many that I have yet to set foot in at all. Many in Europe, many everywhere. Until last week, Austria was one.

Friends love it. For skiing, for wine (and I already know that I love their wine). I love winter, I love to pop into winter for a while, deep sharp blinding white winter, and to bounce back out again. But I am not much of a winter sports person, I am more about walking around and kicking in the snow, enjoying the winter food and hanging out. I love the cold air and how fresh I feel in it. With the cold you can wear the right clothes, if it is too hot all you can do is suffer (especially if you are pale – transparent like me!). A book on a snowy terrace as opposed to whooshing down a piste in boots too tight whilst attached to skis. I love to wander and find out of the way restaurants on top of mountains and hang out for a while. Continue reading

This post is published in partnership with Destination Canada

It is a year since I visited Canada to explore Quebec City and nearby. It wasn’t my first time, I have been to Quebec City before, and Montreal (also in Quebec) quite a few times. What draws me there is the people, place and food and drink culture. There are so many lovely places to explore and there is always a conversation to be had with a local. It is always fun and often unexpected. Quebec is nothing if not quirky and individual and that is why I love it.

The architecture is beautiful, a walk around Quebec City feels part fairytale, especially as you ascend the ancient funicular to the old town below. Steep pitched zinc roofs top chateau like houses, painted red, blue or proud in silver, sometimes copper turned green with age and the rain. It is just the right size, big enough to have lots of options and small enough to walk around. Quebec City has music, art and a vibrant Bohemian culture.

This passion and individuality is reflected in their food and drink culture. There are few chains and so much variety. A thriving new contemporary food culture sits comfortably alongside the long established francophone one. There is indigenous food too at Wendake which is an essential stop on your visit. Continue reading

This article is written in partnership with Travelbag who I travelled to Australia with, from the bottom (Kangaroo Island) to the top (Darwin) by plane, train and automobile. This view of Australia is very much through my lens, supported by the Travelbag range of tours and products. First post in this series: Travelling Australia from South to North: Adelaide Dispatches

Kangaroo Island has a magical quality to it, even just the name. It sounds straight out of a story book, like somewhere you would want to go without hearing anything further, and maybe immediately. It took several years to get there but I finally did. And it is gorgeous. 

Kangaroo Island feels very remote but it is very close to the mainland, just a few hours from Adelaide, including a short ferry ride (or even shorter plane journey). On landing at the small airport I was greeted by my pre booked transfer driver, and found myself joining the end of a wildlife tour as they made their way back to my hotel. This is how it works there. The population is small and there is no taxi service. And what a fun start to my few days there. They shared lots of tips and stories and I bounced off the bus eager to begin. 

Kangaroo Island has always been all about the wildlife, and it still is, but recently also about the wine, the gin and restaurants. It is remote in character, the population is only 4,500 people (and there are only 4 police), making it perfect for long road trips on expansive roads lined with tall trees. There are eight national parks and many beaches bustling with pelicans and native sea lions.  Continue reading

I love travel. You know that. There are some places that have got under my skin and that I love to return to. Places that inspire because of the place, the people, the light and often if not always, the food. There is a long list of places that I want to go to.

Sydney is one of my favourite cities to visit. I returned in November, my first visit in (their) Spring. I had few plans, not even where I would stay. I was coming out of an intense period of travel for work – which I love – but I knew that a schedule was the last thing that I would need.

Sydney is Sweetest in Spring

It was a gorgeous time to be there. The streets lined with bright purple jacaranda trees, heaving with blossom and intensely fragrant. There was so much jasmine lining the streets and bright pink rhododendron clinging to the ornate metal balconies on the front of Sydney houses. The sky was bright and the temperature was my ideal, between 20 and 24 deg C. I walked every day, soaking it all in.  I love getting out by the water, and sipping coffee or wine by the beaches. Most of all I love the food. Sydney has some terrific cafés and restaurants.  Continue reading

This article is written in partnership with Travelbag who I travelled to Australia with, from the bottom (Kangaroo Island) to the top (Darwin) by plane, train and automobile. This view of Australia is very much through my lens, supported by the Travelbag range of tours and products.

My first trip to Australia was 11 years ago on holiday with friends. Predictably, to Sydney, and I loved every minute. I was curious but as a professional contrarian I had avoided the year in Australia which most Irish people tend to do at some point. I never even planned to go to Australia, it seemed too close to home even though it is so far away. A friend moved there and another friend was keen to go so I decided I would try it. Australia proved to be surprising and exciting, and I have now been back 4 times. Each time I have experienced something completely different. 

Australia is a place that I have developed a deep affection for. The lifestyle is gorgeous, people are very friendly, and there is a very laid back air there and a general joie de vivre. It is a fun place to visit. The food and drink scene is vibrant, Australians know and love their food and have high expectations of every eatery who usually deliver. 

Australia is enormous and there is so much to explore, on this trip I went to two new areas as I travelled from the southern tip to the north: South Australia and the Northern Territory stopping in the red centre on the way from Kangaroo Island to Darwin via Adelaide. It was an excellent trip and I am excited to share my stories and experiences from there.  

Adelaide – Capital of South Australia

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This is the third post in a series of dispatches from my recent trip to Quebec City and surrounds. The first was my two day trip to Charlevoix, specifically Baie St Paul, the second Quebec Dispatches: Where to Eat & Drink in Quebec City, and today, I am focussing on my trip to First Nations reserve Wendake. Enjoy! 

There are indigenous cultures the world over. People who have always been there through the generations, closely connected to the land and the seasons. As with most new world countries, Canada is home to a much older people, many nations, who still live there today. The First Nations are the descendants of the original Canadian people who lived there for thousands of years before European explorers arrived and settled.

The First Nations of Canada

Photo taken at the Tsawenhohi House in Wendake

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So much has happened since we last spoke. I have been to Canada and not just that, I was in sub arctic Canada walking with polar bears. Before I left, I managed to acquire a black eye in a stumble (I am very clumsy, always have been, it takes a toll). The first I have had since I was about 6 years old and walloped my eye against the corner of a chair. Attempts at cover up rendered me looking more like Beetlejuice on a bad day. It makes life interesting. Everyone can see it but no one wants to ask. Silver lining? It is a conversation starter and a terrific excuse to wear your favourite sunglasses on a dark day. 

On this trip I went to a province that was new to me, Manitoba, for a bucket list trip. I was not seeking out a particular dish, cook or ingredient, this time I was going to see polar bears on a spectacular stretch of Hudson Bay in northern Canada. I am a little wildlife obsessed being a biologist originally (majoring in physiology but I studied zoology too). I have been to Borneo to see orangutans and proboscis monkeys, and more of my bucket list trips involve seeing grizzly bears, spirit bears, pandas, awesome Japanese monkeys, gorillas, bonobos, chimps, and where ever possible, in the wild.  Continue reading

This is the second post in a series of dispatches from my recent trip to Quebec City and surrounds. The first was my two day trip to Charlevoix, specifically Baie St Paul. Today, I am focussing on my best eats and drinks in Quebec City itself. Enjoy! 

Quebec is a city that is dear to my heart, there is something a little magical about it. The architecture is beautiful, a walk around Quebec City feels part fairytale, especially as you ascend the ancient funicular to the old town below. Steep pitched zinc roofs top chateau like houses, painted red, blue or proud in silver, sometimes copper turned green with age and the rain. It is just the right size, big enough to have lots of options and small enough to walk around. Quebec City has music, art and a vibrant Bohemian culture. There is also an excellent food and wine culture here.

Quebec City has a proud francophone heritage, and the food is certainly influenced by this but not defined solely by it. Quebec is the largest producer of maple syrup in the world, and even though summers are short and it can get very cold, there is a new culture of wine making there with respected winemakers setting up. I have heard excellent things about natural wine maker Pinard et Filles which I suggest you seek out (and let me know how it is!). Continue reading

My visit to Parma and the Festival of Parma Ham was sponsored by the Parma Ham Consortium. This is the first of two posts on Parma ham. Check out the second post, which is my recipe for fantastic fried bread dumplings, gnocco fritto. (You do NEED to make them and they are easy too). One of my favourite things and a perfect snack. 

Emilia Romagna is a much visited part of Italy for me. Known as the belly of Italy, you can see the attraction. Home to some of the most recognised Italian food products: parma ham, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar of Modena. Mortadella is originally from Bologna too, and that most recognised of British dishes spaghetti Bolognese is inspired by the original Tagliatelle with Ragu from Emilia Romagna, and it takes its name from Bologna. Although best not to mention spaghetti bolognese to anyone there, it tends to enrage them (and when you have the pasta there, you can see why).

Emilia Romagna is a joy to travel around. Small cities with their own proud specialities are easily accessible by train (or by car if you prefer). There are common threads in each city. You will always see tagliatelle with ragu, stuffed pastas like tortelloni, passatelli (beautiful parmesan noodles) and cappelletti in brodo, a gorgeous small stuffed pasta in rich broth. Added to all of this, each city will have its own specialities. In Parma, those are specifically Parma ham and parmigiano reggiano (aka parmesan cheese). 

Festival del Prosciutto / The Festival of Parma Ham 

Each September, the people of Parma celebrate their ham with gusto at the Festival del Prosciutto. In its 20th year this year, the Festival of Parma Ham is a celebration of all things prosciutto di parma with a pop up bistro downtown serving freshly sliced ham and excellent ham sandwiches packed with it. There are also Finestre Aperte, or Open Doors, where Parma ham producers open their facilities to the public for tours and tastings. 

What makes Parma ham special?  

The production of Parma ham is highly regulated and controlled via regular inspection. It has a designated PDO (since 1986), a Protected Designated of Origin. A PDO is only awarded when there is a group of producers who can prove that their product can only be made in their geographic area and in a particular traditional way. Champagne has it, parmesan has it, and Parma ham has it too. You can recognise Parma ham by a crown stamp on the skin of the leg. In Europe only this ham can be sold as Parma ham and it is very tightly regulated.

Parma ham is simply Italian pork leg cured with pure sea salt and time. The pork is from Large White, Landrace and Duroc pigs fed on maize, barley and whey from the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Each leg is approximately 8-10kg weight. Traditionally the process would start when the weather changed with the advent of winter, now with refrigeration it is possible to make it year round. 

Finestre Aperte / Open Doors at G. Tanaro in Langhirano 

Langhirano, Parma

I visited G. Tanaro in Langhirano during the Parma ham festival as part of the Finestre Aperte, and was brought on an excellent tour of the facility by owner Paolo Tanara. His father Giancarlo started the facility, and they still make the ham as his father did. Paolo detailed the procedure and brought us through the ageing rooms.  The smell is sublime as it ages, every food lover should stand in a Parma ham ageing cellar at one point in their lives. Divine. The tour finishes with a tasting of their wonderful ham. These tours are also available to the public at the time of the Festival of Parma Ham. 

How is Parma Ham made?

The legs are salted on arrival by the maestro salatore (a highly trained salt master) and hung in temperature and humidity controlled conditions. A second coating of salt is applied a week later, and the legs are left to hang for up to 18 days. The hams then hang for between 60 and 90 days in refrigerated and humidity controlled rooms. The hams are then washed and dried to remove excess salt and impurities before being dried on frames in long rooms lined with windows which are opened when the temperature and humidity are favourable. This is key to the flavour of the ham. After about 3 months the exposed parts of the ham are greased with pork lard and salt to protect them, and then the hams are dried further in ham cellars, rooms with less air and light. All Parma ham is cured for a minimum of 1 year (from the first day of salting), up to 3 years.  

The hams and facility are inspected many times over the process, both internally and by consortium inspectors. Any hams that do not pass muster are discarded. The quality of the ham is tested using a needle made from a horse bone. It sounds medieval, but the horse bone communicates the smell of the ham as it ages purely and directly to the trained nose of the ham makers. 

And now you know why it tastes so good, right? Parma ham and your many makers, I salute you. 

For more information on the Festival of Parma Ham please see: http://www.festivaldelprosciuttodiparma.com/en/