Home and away, we love to travel. Read about our trips in the UK and overseas including hotel and restaurant reviews and visits to specialist producers.

A Taste For… Parma Ham

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Parma ham legs hanging to age

The inspector from the Istituto Parma Qualità moves quickly amongst a selection of legs of ham. He pierces each ham in at least five spots using a special horse bone needle and sniffs the needle after each puncture. The needle is quite specialist; horse bone is porous to just the right degree that it takes in ... Read more »

Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Au Quat’Saisons

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Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons

There is little I can add to what’s already been written about Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Au Quat’Saisons and yet I feel compelled to share our experiences nonetheless. Having dreamed of visiting the two Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel for over two decades, our stay was every bit as wonderful as we hoped–it did not disappoint! ... Read more »

Village-Style Lamb & Other Stories | A Visit to Clay’s Hyderabadi

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Claypot being opened

After enjoying food from Clay’s Hyderabadi Kitchen’s via mail order on many occasions over the last several months, we excitedly made a pilgrimage to visit the newly reopened restaurant in person with fellow fans. Located in Reading city centre, it’s a small and unassuming space. Inside, magic happens. One of my favourite dishes (of a ... Read more »

Abergavenny | Four Delicious Delis

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Inside Madame Fromage Abergavenny

When it comes to delicatessens in Abergavenny, it’s all change in the last year or so with closures and new openings transforming the town’s deli options. The good news is we have a superb range of delis selling all sorts of delicious food and drink. Check out our three town centre recommendations plus an entry ... Read more »

How to Design The Perfect Travel Itinerary

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Hand writing onto a note pad the text "how to design the perfect travel itinerary"

For over 25 years, I’ve been planning and booking independent trips, creating the perfect travel itinerary to suit our personal interests, available time and budget. For me, this process is an absolute joy, and something that really adds to the enjoyment of a trip — the more I research and pull together the itinerary, the ... Read more »

The Best Traditional Food from the UK

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Full English cooked breakfast

The different regions and countries that make up the United Kingdom all have their own specialities, but some foods are eaten across the UK. There may be slight differences in the recipes depending on exactly where you eat them, but these dishes are popular throughout the country. I hope you enjoy these suggestions for the ... Read more »

The Best Traditional Food from Northern Ireland

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Colcannon

You can be sure of a warm welcome when you visit Northern Ireland, and a big part of that comes from the wonderful food. The cuisine of Northern Ireland is full of hearty dishes and delicious comfort foods. Many of the dishes are ones that you’ll find throughout both Eire and Northern Ireland, but there ... Read more »

The Best Traditional Food from Wales

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Welsh Rarebit

Wales is a country of dramatic coastlines, towering mountains and historic castles. Oh, and dragons too, of course! It’s also known for the quality of its produce, and there are plenty of traditional Welsh foods to try during your visit to Wales. In this post I’ve picked out just a few of my favourite traditional ... Read more »

The Best Traditional Food from Scotland

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Abroath Smokies

When you travel around the four countries that make up the United Kingdom, you’ll find that there’s a distinct variation between the traditional foods of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Scotland has a wealth of excellent local produce and traditional Scottish foods for you to sample during your visit. This post gives you just ... Read more »