Foodie Mini-Break Guide: Jersey

My boyfriend grew up in Jersey and I've been lucky enough to spend a lot of time there over the past few years. The island is small - just 5 by 9 miles - and achingly pretty.

The coastline is stunning - with wide stretches of sandy beach in the South, East and West and a craggy landscape of cliffs, rockpools and caves in the North - and the interior isn't bad either: lush woodland and grassy meadows (complete with doe-eyed Jersey cows), dotted with pretty villages and handsome granite farmhouses. All in all, it's pretty idyllic...

Gorey Castle

Admittedly, there's not much to do when it rains, but when the sun comes out, there's sailing and surfing, cute harbour-side cafes, rock pools, cliff top walks, castles and a lovely zoo. And then, rain or shine, there's the food - the best, freshest fish & chips (which taste even better if you eat them on the beach) from Entwhistles in Gorey, lobster thermidor at the Oyster Box (overlooking St Brelade bay), delectable seafood at Green Island on the South-East coast and Corbiere Phare in the West for breath-taking sunset views of Corbiere lighthouse and delicious espetadas (hot metal skewers threaded with juicy chunks of beef and succulent king prawns, dripping with garlic butter).

Then there's the Hungry Man in Rozel, serving up ridiculous burgers (the Double-Decker Health-Wrecker - double burger, double cheese, double bacon) and the most over-the-top hot chocolates I have ever seen (topped with a mountain of whipped cream and a sprinkling of Maltesers), or, if pizza is more your thing, what must be the most fortuitously situated Pizza Express in the British Isles; french windows opening onto St Brelade's Bay and a glass roof which rolls back to let in the sun.

Greedy seagull at The Hungry Man

For families, the Boathouse/Treehouse/Farmhouse/Spicehouse - all part of the Boathouse Group - are also well worth a visit. My favourite is The Boathouse, which boasts beautiful views over the St Aubin harbour.

My final foodie recommendation is the ice-cream from Jersey Potteries - if you can spot one of their vans, the soft-serve is out of this world (a few summers feasting on creamy, golden-hued 99 flakes has set me up for a lifetime of disappointment with the artificially white foam churned out by the Mr Whippee vans in London).

Make sure you try the potatoes!

In conclusion, it's definitely worth a visit. Jersey is just a thirty minute flight from Gatwick, and perfect for a long weekend away, filled with beaches, walks and food (and hopefully, some sunshine!).

NYC - Shake Shack, BBQ, and an epic brunch at Le Barricou, Brooklyn

The reservoir in Central Park

It hadn't been long since my last visit to the States, road-tripping down the coast of California, but a couple of weeks ago I was back again, this time in NYC. I was there on a business trip, but managed to squeeze in some socialising, sight-seeing and eating too, and had a great time!

 Sunrise view from my office window (jet lag + calls with the UK = early start!)

One of the most memorable meals of my trip was lunch at Shake Shack, New York's answer to In N' Out. The question of which chain makes the better burger is hotly debated in the US, but having now had the privilege of sampling both, I have to present Shake Shack with first place.

Crinkle cut fries - add cheese sauce for the ultimate tastiness

With its squishy brioche bun, juicy burger, crispy bacon, and a squirt of tasty shack sauce, my Shack Burger (plus bacon) was absolutely exquisite. The chips - fat, golden and crinkle-cut, with a side of squeezy American cheese for dipping - were also excellent (far better than In N' Out's dried out skinny fries) and (predictably) the shakes weren't bad either!

Early May is an incredible time to visit NY - the cherry blossoms were in full bloom all through Central Park, something I took advantage of with a couple of stunning runs (and a less energetic afternoon spent lazing on the grass with friends).

On my last day I nipped over to Brooklyn to meet a friend for brunch in Williamsburg, at a lovely French restaurant called Le Barricou. After pondering the fantastic selection of omelettes (the apple, bacon and gruyere frittata really caught my eye!) and other great brunch dishes (eggs Benedict, croque madame, goats cheese and spinach croissant) we decided to share a spinach and mushroom omelette, followed by some truly epic pancakes.

B'Burg :)

Tasty spinach, mushroom, and gruyere cheese omelette

The pancakes required a 25 minute wait, so we started with the savoury course. Our omelette was excellent - slighty runny (as a good omelette should be), and crammed with spinach, gruyere, and an assortment of mushrooms. The pancakes were even more impressive: two huge fluffy delights, served with berries, maple syrup and a delicious strawberry-butter concoction. While they bore almost no resemblance to the slender crepes one would traditionally expect in a French restaurant - being closer in fact in texture and size to a small victoria sponge cake! - they were delicious, and definitely one of the more memorable brunch dishes I've had.

It was a real struggle to finish, even after splitting the lighter omelette option (I seriously don't know how anyone could ever hope to finish a plate on their own!), but an hour later, satisfied and sticky with maple syrup we did succeed in polishing off the final bites (although I couldn't eat for the rest of the day!)

I'll be going back to NY fairly regularly with work, and with the amazing bars (The Lambs Club near Times Square, Hotel Chantelle in Lower East Side), restaurants (Blue Smoke BBQ, Le Barricou, and of course Shake Shack!) and general fun-times which made my visit so special this time round, I can't wait to get to know the city a little better.

California - San Francisco to Laguna (via In-N-Out Burger!)

Over Easter my boyfriend and I spent 10 days in California, driving down the coast from San Francisco all the way to Laguna beach. It was a great trip (stunning beaches, beautiful views, breath-taking coastal roads...) and - in addition to that amazing breakfast - we had a good few notable culinary experiences along the way.

We started our journey in San Francisco, which has to be one of the hilliest cities I've ever been too. Despite the inclines, it was pretty pleasant to walk around, with plenty of pretty tree-lined streets, and beautiful stretches of waterfront. And while the hills may have made things a bit more challenging, the views from the top were definitely worth the climb.

After a long day of walking (and suffering from some serious jet lag to boot) we decided to treat ourselves to an In-N-Out burger. I'd heard a lot about these burgers, which are something of a West Coast specialty, and  was pretty impressed.

My boyfriend and I both ordered a double burger. These were simply enormous, with two juicy beef patties, a couple of half-melted slices of oozy American cheese, and plenty of crisp salad, all sandwiched in a soft brioche bun and served with a side helping of delicious thousand island sauce.

The chips were a bit disappointing (somewhat dry and nothing special) but the burger itself was great, and we treated ourselves again towards the end of our trip. A top tip from those in the know is to order your burger and fries "animal style" - an off-menu code-word which results in your food being generously smothered in a healthy (ha!) mixture of thousand island sauce, fried onions, and cheese. Heaven...

From San Francisco we hired a convertible and headed down the coast. Monterey was our first stop, and from there we set off on the epic journey down Big Sur and along the famous 17-mile Drive - a narrow winding road with beautiful coastal views.

Our next stop was Santa Barabara, which was pretty, but not very pedestrian friendly (with the exception of San Francisco, Californian cities don't really seem that suited for a good old-fashioned English-style stroll!). And despite greatly enjoying the enormous Tex-Mex meal I had here (steak, chicken and king prawns served on a sizzling hot plate with onions and peppers and an obscene amount of melted cheese) the swiftly ensuing bout of food poisoning put a bit of a dampener on things!

Journeying on, we arrived in Los Angeles, where we foolishly ditched the car at our hotel and once again attempted to walk around. Two and a half hours of fast-paced walking didn't get us very far - although we did make it to Rodeo Drive, and had a nice wander through Beverley Hills. I found it hilarious how every house was designed to be completely unique from the ones next to it - Roman-style villas rubbing shoulders with Tudor manor-houses, Alpine chalets, and sweet country cottages...

The next morning we drove out to Santa Monica, which was lovely (boasting a great farmer's market and a beautiful stretch of beach) before hitting the road again and making our way South to Laguna.

Dana Point, near Laguna

There we met with friends and spent a few days relaxing; whale watching, shooting pool, and playing some very competitive volleyball. One of my favourite meals of the holiday was a surprisingly tasty quesadilla -  made with traffic cone orange American cheese - from the very basic ship's kitchen on our whale-watching trip.

This was an incredible trip - one I've wanted to do for years - and while I was sad we didn't have time to visit San Diego or Las Vegas, hopefully we'll make it back there some day!

 

Best breakfast ever in Monterey, California

I recently spent 10 days in California, driving down the coast (in a convertible nonetheless!) from San Francisco to Laguna. We stopped in lots of places along the way, but one of my favourites was Monterey. Situated on a beautiful stretch of coastline just North of Big Sur and the famous 17-Mile Drive, this picturesque town boasts a charming street of converted canneries (the "Cannery Row" of John Steinbeck fame), some lovely coastal walks, a large population of local sea lions, and a famous aquarium (which we didn't get around to visiting...).

 

 

It was also the location of one of the best meals of my trip: our breakfast at First Awakenings featured the lightest, fluffiest pancake I have ever eaten in my life, setting me up for a lifetime of disappointment back in the UK!

 

Free refills of coffee...yes please! (cue caffeine shakes)

 

It took me a while to choose from the selection of pancakes on offer (raspberry-coconut-granola was particularly tempting), but I ended up shunning the more traditional options (blueberry, or - dare I say it - plain) for the very breakfasty-sounding "Fresh Apple Cinnamon and Oatmeal" pancake. I was slightly worried that the oats would make this too heavy, but they were sprinkled on top (rather than incorporated into the batter), and - lightly toasted - brought a lovely nutty flavour to the dish.

 

 

The incredibly airy pancake was packed with little cubes of sweet apple (perfectly cooked, neither too hard nor too soggy), and the dish was completed with a sprinkling of oat flakes, a dusting of powdered sugar, and the traditional American pancake accompaniment - a scoop of whipped butter. I had a tentative taste, in the hope that it may have been ice-cream, but was sadly disappointed. Still, I maintain - this was the best pancake I've ever had, and if you ever pass through Monterey, you have to go here!

 

 

The savoury options were pretty impressive too: my boyfriend went for the "Caps, Etc" - a dish of sautéed mushroom caps tops with a bubbling layer of melted cheese, served alongside fried eggs, toasted English muffin, and a very generous portion of home-made hash-browns. Delicious.

 

 

After our breakfast we went for a stroll along the bay, and said hello to some of the local sea lions, who were lounging on the protected beach below the coastal path. And then, sadly, it was time to go - heading off down the 101 to Santa Barbara.

 

 

 

 

A weekend in Edinburgh

Since leaving university, my friends and I have kept up a tradition of twice-yearly trips to stay with my old housemate up in Edinburgh. It's always an amazing weekend, with plenty of drinking, dancing, eating, and general revelry, and February's visit was no exception.

View from Arthur's Seat

We kicked off the festivities with a big girly dinner at Indigo Yard on the Friday night. The last time I ate there was for a friend's 21st birthday four(?!) years ago, when a big group of us from Durham all headed up to his home town for a big meal, followed by drinks and dancing at a nearby hotel. This visit was a bit more low-key, but just as tasty, and after close to 3 years of London prices I was seriously impressed by how cheap it was, with a set menu offering two courses for just £10!

I began with the charred jerk chicken skewers with coriander and yoghurt dip, which was delicious; the spicy chicken complemented perfectly by the cool, herby yoghurt. Meanwhile my friends sampled the goats cheese crostini with red onion marmalade (I had a bite of this - it was really good!), smoked haddock fish cakes, and chicken Caesar salad.

For the main course, I unadventurously opted for the beef burger and fries (which I enjoyed immensely), while my companions tucked into a variety of dishes including slow roasted pork belly with bubble and squeak, pork and leek sausages with mash and onion gravy, and pan seared salmon.

And for pudding four of us split two desserts - something chocolatey (I'm sorry to say I can't remember what it was!) and a Bramley apple Eve's pudding with rich vanilla custard.

It was a lovely meal - complemented with plenty of red wine and fruity martinis - and we finished off the night with a good few hours of dancing at the lively Opal lounge.

The next day - after a long lie-in and a lovely studenty lunch with one of my cousins and her housemates - my friends and I went for tea at theTower Restaurant. Located above the National Museum of Scotland, this stylish eatery boasts breath-taking views from the open-air terrace (although we stayed nice and cosy inside the main restaurant area). While we only stopped for tea and coffee this time, the dinner menu looks fantastic - I might have to check it out on my next trip!

In the evening, I met with my aunt and uncle and a handful of cousins for dinner at Sweet Melindas, a fantastic seafood restaurant in Marchmont. The mussels - served with Black Forest ham, shallots, garlic and Fino sherry - were some of the best I've tried, and my main course of bream with ginger, lemongrass, sweet chilli and creme fraiche was exceptionally good. Even looking back at the menu is making my mouth water! Afterwards I headed out with my friends for more cocktails and dancing over on George Street.

The next morning - after a hang-over banishing fried breakfast at Snax Cafe (eggs, chips, beans, bacon and sausages) - we went for a wholesome hike to the top of Arthur's Seat. This impressive natural landmark looms over Edinburgh; a craggy and dramatic backdrop to the Georgian elegance of the city. While it may seem distant, it is in fact less than 20 minutes walk from the centre of town to the foot of the peak and only another 20 minutes or so (fairly steep!) climb to the top.

It was a beautiful day, one of the first properly sunny days of the year, and we had a lovely time hiking to the top in the sunshine (clearly identifiable as Londoners by our inappropriate walking attire of heeled boots and oversized handbags).

Before leaving for London we stocked up on tablet (an incredibly sweet fudge-like concoction) and specialty shortbread (stem ginger is a new favourite) at one of the tourist shops on the Royal Mile, and stopped for coffee and cake at the lovely Peter's Yard, a Scandi-style bakery-cum-cafe just off the meadows - a great spot for open-faced sandwiches and cardamon buns.

All in all, a lovely weekend - I'm already looking forward to my next visit!

Sunny Spanish memories to fight off the chill (an ode to Andalusia)

It's been absolutely freezing this week (hello snow!), so I've torturing myself by looking through holiday snaps from my trip to Andalusia last July. Gorgeous cities, great food, and temperatures in the high 30s. Bliss!

 How much would I give to be here right now?

We skipped the coast, and decided instead to spend a couple of days each in Seville, Granada, and Cordoba. These beautiful, richly cultured cities had plenty to explore and - unlike the Costa del Sol - there was hardly a lobster-red Brit in sight (except for us, of course!)

Seville cathedral

We got up early each day to walk around in the cool of the morning, pausing to breakfast on pastries and freshly squeezed juice outside one of the square-side cafes. The temperatures didn't begin to peak until around 2 or 3 in the afternoon (and stayed excruciatingly hot until 6 or so), so we'd have a long, late lunch, then snooze in our hotel room for a couple of hours until it started to cool down.

A key-hole view into the grounds of Seville cathedral

Post siesta, it was time for more exploring, followed by tapas and chilled wine at one of the innumerable tapas bars, before finally sitting down to dinner at around 10pm (which, by Spanish standards, was tragically early - we were eating with the youngest children, while most locals wouldn't venture out for dinner until 11 or even later!)

View from the palace of Alhambra in Granada

The locals were incredibly friendly (not to mention ridiculously attractive: the sunny squares were full of lithe, tanned beauties in teeny-tiny shorts and stunning young Spaniards with toned biceps and  sexy stubble). The relaxed, carefree way of life was so different from the "time-is-money" attitude of the City back in London, and we quickly unwound.

The beautiful gardens of Alhambra

Aside from the strenuous activities of 'wandering around' and 'lying beside a rooftop pool' we also did lots of eating. It was too hot for anything heavy - instead we snacked on tapas, light seafood dishes, and plenty of delicious helados (that's ice-cream, to you and me!).

While I failed in my search for a 'perfect' paella,  this fantastic seafood, rice and tomato stew more than made up for it, and (despite not being especially photogenic) was my favourite dish of the trip. I've been trying - unsuccessfully - to recreate it ever since.

Salmajero

Another tasty local dish was salmojero. Similar to gazpacho, this chilled soup is thickened with the addition of dried bread, and topped with chopped eggs, cubes of air-dryed bacon and a generous drizzling of olive oil - a refreshing (if somewhat rich) lunchtime snack.

 Why don't we make hot chocolate like that here?

And no trip to Spain would be complete without a cup or two of decadently thick Spanish hot chocolate. If you're feeling particularly gluttonous you can order some churros too: these long, thin donuts (which are delicious, if undeniably unhealthy) are dipped in chocolate as part of a traditional Spanish breakfast!

Happy - and warm! - in Cordoba

I'm heading outside now, preparing to face the blizzard in the name of getting some groceries. If anyone fancies escaping the snowstorm, the temperature over in Seville is currently in the mid- to high-teens...sickening.