Now as a precursor to everything I am going to write below, I would like to admit two negative aspects to Sweden – firstly it is incredibly expensive and secondly their winter (although stunning with snow) is simply too long, with too few sunlight hours. The reason to...
Posted 21 May 2013
My dear Father joined us at the end of our time in Barcelona and after a short trip to Valencia, we headed to London. In each of these cities he has kindly reminded me that as I have now finished my degrees I must start thinking 'career'. This of course spiked in...
Posted 13 May 2013
Phil arrived to end my lone funding of Helen and her fabulous tastes (a bundle of Mac makeup, nails, gym, hair and a very necessary-for-winter-and-it's-half-price-and-I've-passed-my-exams reversible luxurious coat later) and so we ended our Barcelona mother/daughter and...
Posted 7 May 2013
So many good restaurants and so little time! That is the problem, even with three weeks in Barcelona - and that does not include all the fabulous other attractions. We still haven't got anywhere near going to Figueres to the Dali museum and many other things which were on...
Posted 26 Apr 2013
Well, as I begin what one of my young professional friends described as my "new nomadic life" I take my law degree and business degree in hand and ... go to Barcelona to study Spanish of course! As my mother alluded to in her earlier blog, having now spent...
Posted 15 Apr 2013 | 1 Comment
I don't know if any of you find actually getting away the most stressful part of the trip, but I do! Life has been almost too busy with births, deaths, and also farewells to some staff moving overseas and then welcoming new people, plus house purchasing. Our lovely...
Posted 9 Apr 2013
One thing I have noticed upon my return to New Zealand (having been in Europe for the past six months) is that this really is the most beautiful country in the world. I am constantly taking photos of things that for the past 24 years I had happily walked past and not...
Posted 26 Mar 2013
Nothing like a full on day of fabulous flavours combined with a bit of fun. I had a great time judging the Cuisine Artisan Awards late last year and would like to congratulate not only the final ten winners and the Supreme Winner - the distinctively different and delicious...
Posted 8 Mar 2013
Following many rave reviews we scooted on down to the much talked about Hamptons on Shortland St, to secure ourselves one of their BBQ tables- a playful summer pop up by one of our sophisticated favs Clooney. Teemingly busy, and filled with advertising, accounting and...
Posted 28 Feb 2013
Well following 6 months attempting to complete my law degree at the University of Ghent in Belgium I thought it was about time to do a wee update. You may note that for a few months the Sabato blogs have been rather quiet (using the whip and chain on my parents was a challenge...
Posted 25 Feb 2013
They say the way to the heart is through the stomach – so celebrate the most romantic day of the year with a delicious declaration of love. Breakfast in bed Butter up your better half with breakfast in bed – our frozen croissants, pastries and preserves...
Posted 12 Feb 2013
With Christmas just around the corner, it's time to stock up on those festive essentials. Minerve organic French chestnutsOrganically-produced, cooked and peeled whole chestnuts, ready-to-use straight out of the jar. Perfect for stuffings and classic European desserts -...
Posted 18 Dec 2012
New York. It's a big city! Armed with a few recommendations and using Open Table to book our choices, off we went...they have Michelin stars there, so it's always interesting to see if we agree. The Breslin We started at the Breslin at the very trendy Ace Hotel -...
Posted 28 Aug 2012
From the Kiwi provincial delights of dining at the both very good Hopgoods (extremely generous portions) and Boathouse (delicious whitebait) in Nelson, interspersed by the big breakfasts at Fords and the comfortable, character-filled Monaco Hotel, along with an extremely...
Posted 17 Aug 2012
We trekked down a long, unsealed road, wondering if we were on the right track, in the middle of a beautiful part of Tuscany, to Podere Finerri, recommended by and known to Ray McVinnie, to make the acquaintance of some great people. These were to be a gorgeous, relaxed...
Posted 20 Jun 2012
A family firm, headed by Nicola Levoni, an engaging, enthusiastic man in his early forties, last year celebrated 100 years of experience and success. Levoni are well known and respected in the area of prosciutto and salami. They are unique for a company of their size...
Posted 21 May 2012
Masoni Pietro... Aside from Easter and Christmas, when their employees swell to 30, for most of the year Masoni Pietro operate on a staff of four. The day we called into Colle Val d'Elsa, just outside Sienna, Massimiliano who runs Masoni Pietro with his mother Giovanna...
Posted 14 May 2012
On the advice of Johnnie, the seasoned, frequent traveller who you will find in our showroom dispensing both cooking and travelling tips when he's in the country, we caught the Underground from the airport to South Kensington. This was both quick and cheap at £5 per head...
Posted 8 May 2012
At this point we will just unload a few salient points about airports and airlines thus far during this trip... Airports Rome If you are going out of Rome, then allow at least an hour for security as the two occasions we passed through, we waited in a long, long...
Posted 3 May 2012
Alicos is our producer of the tasty Salsa pronta di Pomodoro (bottled in the cute stubby bottle with an eye-catching red and white label), artichokes in extra virgin olive oil, chilli paste with a punch and moreish tuna and onion paste. It is a small artisanal operation run...
Posted 27 Apr 2012
Eleven generations of Pierluigi Crescimano's family have grown olives and grapes on a site in Castelvetrano, near the ancient temples of Selinunte, where we source the elegant Sicilian extra virgin olive oil Tenuta Rocchetta. Trained as an agricultural economist, it is only...
Posted 26 Apr 2012
We mainly ate at bistros on the French part of our trip - our favourite being a classic we came across last time in the delightful seventh arrondissement, where you are surrounded by an artwalk of antique shops and interesting art galleries, making window browsing an education...
Posted 17 Apr 2012 | 4 Comments
Barcelona remains a very cool place to dine. From the humble tapas bar with a small selection of cured meats and padron peppers to the more avant garde Michelin-starred restaurants, the spectrum of Spanish food is well covered. Don't expect the tapas bars or the small local...
Posted 16 Apr 2012
Thursday in Barcelona and the last day of Alimentaria. However with a general strike throughout Spain planned and definitely no Metro or trains operating, getting there and back would be more than problematic, so we don't even try. We are awakened by the sound of...
Posted 3 Apr 2012
We arrived at 8am on a crisp Sunday morning. No queues, taxis galore and virtually no traffic made us think the trip to the hotel would be extra simple, as we did not know about the marathon. 'The roads are closed around your hotel, so I will drop you nearby and give you...
Posted 30 Mar 2012
Too suddenly, it seems, the time to leave for Europe has arrived. The breathless pace of the year so far (is it really almost Easter already!?!) has barely allowed pause for thought, but ready or not - it's time to pack those suitcases, jump on the plane and disappear for nigh...
Posted 26 Mar 2012
What's wrong with a lifestyle in which it is not only a pleasure, but a duty, to eat some of the world's best ingredients? The pressure was on last week with three days of exemplary chocolate, which does tend to happen when you have someone from Valrhona in town. They...
Posted 21 Mar 2012
As Rhythm and Vines is the place to be at New Year, so it seems Wellington is the magnet for 19 year old males during the year to ‘study’. Bags packed, faces set south, off we headed to install Thomas into his abode for his new seat of learning. Oh good –...
Posted 9 Mar 2012
I very rarely get to see my friend Millie, so when she mentioned she’d ditched the baggage of her former boyfriend and was heading to New York I decided that I would tag along for her whirlwind trip. A girls week in New York – the Frank Sinatra song begun playing...
Posted 27 Feb 2012
Thirty-one steps from tree to packet - some of them secret...that's what we found when we slipped into Blenheim to visit our 'Mr Pine Nut', Lee Paterson.It's literally a straight 30 minute drive from Renwick, though if you were going on a Sunday, should the urge take you, you...
Posted 13 Feb 2012
With truffles, people can go either way. More than a flavor, it can excite a base reaction. To some they taste like dirt - and they don't want them around, a reaction I first encountered with one of our busiest clients, who told me not to take them anywhere near the...
Posted 8 Feb 2012
Breakfast - one of the most important meals of the day... So it was recommended to me, amongst other things, a couple of years ago, to go non-dairy for a while. Lessen the load on my liver, aim for about 4 alcohol free nights a week, up the veggies, maybe add vege juice,...
Posted 8 Feb 2012
Small indulgences can provide you with a lot of pleasure really. My daughter's very specific instructions (and if you know Helen you will know exactly what I mean - she's a Virgo - so made able to issue direction with ease!) were: "THIS YEAR YOU MUST WRITE A...
Posted 8 Feb 2012
We hope those of you back at the coalface managed to grab at least a few rays of summer sun between the deluges. We escaped to Russell for what turned out to be four extremely gorgeous days just after New Year. Realistic enough to know our seaward limitations, but keen to...
Posted 18 Jan 2012
Home to Fieschi, our mustard fruit maker, and also to the violin. In this beautiful medieval historic city reside what sound like the entire world population of violin makers. One hundred and eighty of them apparently, many of them visible through the doorways and windows of...
Posted 15 May 2011
This trip we figured that seven weeks of changing hotels every second night might be just a little too arduous for the entire time, so decided to return to Verona for Easter. Home to Salvagno and close to Ferron who we were also going to see. Verona... Our...
Posted 12 May 2011
Why does Rustichella rock? We recently enjoyed a lightening visit from Gianluigi, the third generation owner of the family company Rustichella pasta, and decided to pass by Pianella in Abruzzo on the way north. We have visited Rustichella before and the setting for the...
Posted 7 May 2011
Our last experience of driving around the towns near Bari in Puglia involved hotels which weren't open till later in May, closed restaurants and local youth playing chicken on their skateboards in front of the French registered car we were driving. I was so glad we did not hit...
Posted 3 May 2011
It had been a while between visits to our friends at Augustus in El Vendrell, Penedes - home of the very special Forum vinegar. Many of you will know and enjoy their delicious Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon vinegars as they have been staples of our range for many years now...
Posted 28 Apr 2011
Apparently it's not uncommon practice for the taxi drivers to add a few extra blocks to your trip in Madrid according to a friend of ours from further north. He's Spanish and was indignant we'd paid far less for a trip than he had. We were quite amused the practice...
Posted 21 Apr 2011
