Living Locally

 Month 6 - Bite 23

Now my favourite part (well mostly) of any holiday is the food! One of the best bits of advice I wass ever given was to check where and what the locals eat. Whether that's a local cafe or hostaria or .. well you get the idea.

On our recent trip my niece's husband took us into the hills to his father's favourite eating place. The food was plentiful and cooked within sight of our table. It tasted wonderful and the place was full of lunchtime diners looking very satisfied. 

Not only was the meal great, but the prices were too. The children weren't charged for and the whole lot (including wine) came in at 20 Euros a head - oh and that included an extra course that we we're told about, saw delivered to someone else and then, when we'd drooled over it, was presented to us at no extra charge....

Month 6 - Bite 24

Eating and drinking like a local may mean stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new tastes and flavours, but you'll rarely regret it. I know we joke about the times that gravy browning and certain types of chocolate or spread have had to make it in our luggage, but generally sticking to food that is produced, cooked and served close to where you are staying makes sense.

Picking out an option from some too-bright photographic menus of variations on the Great British Breakfast have never been our way - although if that's what you crave.... Once you've been introduced to the favoured dishes in your country of choice you'll soon build up a list of recommendations to pass on to others.

By checking out some of these when we've returned from holidays has meant that our repertoire of home cooked food has grown and quite often it makes good financial sense. Cacio e pepe makes it on our menus virtually every week and it costs so much less than many other things, especially when I knuckle down and make the pasta. My niece's husband is always raving about how cheap 'proper' pasta is - and he's right... Give it a go!

Month 6 - Bite 25

Visit a supermarket... Not just the flashy delis - although they have plenty to offer. The supermarket opposite where we stay has a great range of quick and easy snacks - including freshly made pizzas, lasagnes and so on.

Quite often (and this is where renting an apartment scores over an hotel room) we get back too tired to eat out or pop back at lunchtime so eat in. It does mean either of us is tied to the kitchen as the supermarket supplies the food freshly cooked or we can put some super local meats together with fresh salad ingredients for quick, cheap and easy eating.