Earlier this Spring I spent a few days in Puglia (Apulia), southern Italy among other things learning about the wonderful cuisine of the area. As Leonardo Di Bari, head chef at the Borgobianco Resort and Spa where I was staying explained, essentially Puglian cuisine can be defined as both “poor” and “rich” in that the principle ingredients simply came from the earth and the Puglian people added value to those ingredients and so the food became “rich”.

Focaccia bread and caciovallo cheese – seriously moreish!

Preparing sea-urchins fresh from the sea

Both pasta and bread are important in this unpretentious diet and one of my favourite traditional dishes served at the hotel was simply focaccia bread with cherry tomatoes and the lightly spiced Puglian cheese caciovallo. Another great accompaniment to focaccia bread, I’m told, are the sea urchins which you can see being collected at the village of San Vito, a few miles away. The café Giselda overlooking the little fishing harbour here is the perfect place to try this local dish, fresh from the sea and served raw with focaccia! I’ve tried sea-urchins before in Senegal and took a serious dislike to them, however, I was assured, that those caught here are delicious, so much so that I was actually disappointed when we were told we were too early and I didn’t get to try them myself (so the jury is still out on this for me!)

We couldn’t hang around as we were off to Polignano for lunch at the delightful restaurant, Infermento, where chef Marcello had prepared a hearty six course lunch for us – potato omelette, cheeses, various breads, pasta, and we hadn’t even got to the main course! And each course was washed down with a specially selected artisan beer to compliment the dish being served as chosen by our host, Giuseppe.

Burnt wheat bread and hand-rolled cavatelli pasta at Infermento in Polignano a Mare

An unusual traditional Northern Puglian ingredient in some bread that I came across during this visit is burnt wheat flour. The tradition arose when, after the farmers had burnt their fields, peasants collected wheat from the burnt stubbs and mixed it with white flour to make it go further. Today the wheat is toasted, rather than burnt, to produce a black flour with a distinct almost nutty flavour.

As well as delicious breads the region prides itself on its hand-made pasta, such as orecchiette (little ear-shaped shells) or cavatelli (small rolled-up shells) made with durum wheat – each piece is rolled by hand unlike many of the pastas typical of other areas which are made by machines. surprisingly eggs, which were once considered a luxury, are not used in traditional pasta of this region.

Later that day back at the Borgobianco hotel another six course evening meal was being prepared for us. The hotel serves a mixture of traditional Puglian and international cuisine all beautifully presented, using ingredients from a variety of small local producers who provide wonderfully fresh vegetables, fish, meat and cheese as well as olive oil and flour (white and burnt wheat flour). Indeed Puglia is very much an agricultural area producing much of Italy’s finest olive oil and wines.

Red mullet fillets with white pepper, rosemary and wild chicory – lovely to look at as well as to eat

The rocky interior is good sheep-farming country and lamb is commonly featured on menus and traditionally served at festivals. This also means that many of the regions cheeses are made from sheep’s milk. Puglia’s long coastline and strong fishing tradition provides an abundance of fresh seafood including red mullet, anchovies and mussels. The region also produces vast quantities of almonds which are used abundantly in desserts.

An extremely tasty mixed grill of Puglian meats with rocket salad

The superb array of quality fresh local produce mixed with a home-cooking tradition gives Puglian food its simple country character that is so full of goodness and natural flavour. Admittedly I only have to look at food and I put on weight but never-the-less I am ashamed to admit I put on 5 pounds in weight during my few days in Puglia – not because the food was particularly fattening, it’s just that I was offered so much of it and it was so very delicious that it was hard to say no! And of course I wanted to try everything that this wonderful region of Italy had to offer, including the home-made ice-creams, fine wines and great locally produced beers. Puglian cuisine does not yet get the international recognition it deserves and, although I did lose the weight I had gained (eventually) once I was home again, it is just as well I was only there a few days!

A huge thank you to chefs Leo and Marcello for delighting my taste buds (and expanding my waistline).

Last weekend I had a really wonderful night out at SEN NIN - Japanese Teppanyaki & Sushi Restaurant in Camden, London.

For someone who loves Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian, West African… in fact every type of food imaginable and who writes about cuisines from around the world it really is surprising that I have never tried Japanese food before. When I saw an offer on Living Social for a meal at a Teppanyaki Japanese restaurant I thought it was too good an opportunity to miss and now that I have tried it, I want MORE!

The concept of teppanyaki was created by Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki (a former wrestler) in New York in 1964 when he came up with the wonderful idea for making meals a theatrically experience with a knife-spinning, joke-telling chef at a teppanyaki table – a steel grill surrounded on three sides by a wooden table for the guests. At first his restaurant, Benihana of Tokyo, struggled but following a rave review by Clementine Paddleford of the New York Herald Tribune the restaurant took off and soon it was enjoying the patronage of celebrities such as The Beatles and Muhammad Ali.

The first Sen Nin restaurant brought their brand of the teppenyaki experience to London about 5 years ago and there are now three Sen Nin restaurants in London in Islington, Ealing and Camden. Ferdie was our chef at the Camden branch last weekend and I had the chance for a quick chat before our meal.

Ferdie studied cookery in his homeland in the Philippines and had since gained 9 years experience of working in Japanese restaurants in Malaysia, Bahrain, Liverpool and London. Sen Nin menu is very much based on authentic traditional cooking with the occasional modern twist. Ferdie described Japanese food as a simple cuisine using “very fresh ingredients, that is the Japanese way.” Although teppenyaki is not found in Japan, in fact it would be considered disrespectful, Ferdie really enjoys the performance and “making people happy”.

We started with a Japanese cocktail, mine being a rather sour but refreshing Lychee Mojito while Neill enjoyed the sweeter but equally delicious Plum Mango Margarita.

Our meal began with miso soup (watercress, spring onion, seaweed, tofu and fish stock) followed by a tasty platter of sushi, spring rolls and dumplings, wasabi and some seriously delicious pickled ginger. Be warned be cautious of the wasabi, a Japanese root vegetable, related to horseradish that packs a serious punch! There were also a selection of sauces including soy sauce which our host suggested we add a little wasabi to, to liven it up.

I think it’s going to miss!

Then in came Ferdie. After a wonderful display of knife twirling, juggling and cheeky banter he skillfully prepared the Hibachi Japanese rice (otherwise known as ‘funky rice’ made with baby oil and coca cola, apparently, or do you think someone might have pulling my leg!). After numerous tricks performed by Ferdie we found out it was now our turn as we each tried to catch some cooked egg in our mouths. Predictably this didn’t go very well but we had fun trying!

For their main course each couple had the choice of three out of six dishes and we selected steak, chicken and the catch of the day, coley. Served with funky rice, stir fried vegetables and flavoured with teriyaki sauce it really was a treat. The meat was tender and moist; the steak in particular, which we had rare, was superb and although by now I was seriously full it was hard to stop eating such a delicious meal washed down with a refreshing Japanese beer.

The only disappoint of the whole evening was that our set meal did not include a Japanese dessert. Other than that it really was a perfect meal out.

As we finished our New York cheese cake we were offered a complimentary green tea which, despite the fact that I have never liked tea in any shape or form or from any country where I have tried it before, this really hit the spot in a most refreshing way. We left Sen Nin feeling very full and very happy thanks to Ferdie and all the staff.

Full details of the menu can be found on the restaurant’s website starting from just £6.50 for a lunchtime main course or £6.95pp for a Bento Box (available from 12 noon to 5pm) to £52 per person for the Wagyu Beef Meal. We had the Imperial Teppanyaki Meal normally costing £48.95 per person. You might want to keep in mind that we both found this set meal impossible to finish and there are a number of much more reasonably priced options with less courses!

I’m looking forward to visiting again sometime and it definitely won’t be long before I try some more Japanese food whether here, in another restaurant or perhaps I should try cooking some at home. I really did love it!

Sen Nin – Camden
35 Pratt Street, Camden NW1 0BG (map above)
020 7096 1276

Sen Nin – Islington
206 Upper Street, Islington N1 1RQ
020 7704 1890

Sen Nin – Ealing
18-19 The Mall, Ealing Broadway W5 2PJ
020 8840 2041

This week’s travel snap takes us back to the island of beauty, Corsica and the lovely village of Agajola. I’ve visited several times and stayed there for a few days while on assignment for Corsican Places photographing the area. It certainly was a great base from which to explore la Balagne. This shot is my favourite from a series I took at different times of the day from just outside my hotel, looking back at the village and the sweeping bay of sand, known as Aregno Plage.

Photography Tip – Nightscapes

Usually, but of course there are always exceptions to the rule, the best time to take a photograph of a view by night is about half an hour after sunset when there is still some light in the sky but it is dark enough for an effective night shot. Find the spot from where you want to take your photograph, set up your camera on a tripod and wait. You will need a very long exposure so to avoid camera shake when you press the shutter, so use a shutter release or set the camera on timer. There is usually about a ten minute window when the light is just right. If you are looking east that window will be a little earlier then if you are looking west as there will be more light in the sky where the sun has set.

Travel Photo Roulette

This photograph is also my entry for Round 42 of Travel Photo Roulette: theme ‘evening’. Entries must be in by 11.59pm Monday May 14th. Do check it out; there are some really amazing photos entered so far. Glad I don’t have to pick the winner!

More about Algajola

You can read more about the area in my post Algajola and exploring La Balagne (written originally for The Corsica Blog.)

This week’s travel snap is a shot I took while visiting Arundel’s Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre in West Sussex, England. There are many beautiful birds there to photograph but one of my favourite images from the day was of this mallard, a very common duck in England. I love how this shot has captured the movement of the water as it passes over the wings with a shower of water droplets hanging in mid-air.

Photography Tip – Get Low

As well as needing a very fast shutter speed to freeze the movement, rather than looking down on the duck you’ll get a better shot if you get to their eye level, right down, lying on the ground with you camera balanced on a bean bag. This shot was taken with a 200mm fixed lens and 1/1600 shutter speed.

As regular readers of my blog will know the beautiful Mediterranean island of Corsica is one of my favourite places and the laid back, pretty, seaside town of L’Ile Rousse is one of my favourite towns.

This week’s travel snap is of a charming backstreet just a couple of minutes’ walk from the beach; the perfect place to find a great restaurant, souvenir or ice cream after a hard day’s sunbathing!

As with last week’s snap this is an HDR image but this time I’ve chosen to go for a less subtle but what I hope is a more artistic approach. Again I’d really value your feedback – good or bad, as I know HDR photography is not everyone’s cup of tea! See the unaltered and uncropped original on Flickr.

If anyone would like to find out more about HDR photography why not join me and the twitter friends I’ve made at ‘togchat’. Held every Wednesday at 8am and 8pm BST simply check out the tweets using #togchat. If you want to join the chat simply add #togchat to your tweets. There’s a different photographic theme each week and next week, Wednesday 2nd May, is HDR photography. You can also find the group on Flickr and submit photos for critique and questions about HDR photography there too.

Last summer I discovered the Weed and Wild Flower Festival in a little village in the Sussex countryside. A wonderful fantasy woodland had been recreated inside Bignor’s ancient church. I can’t imagine how long it took to build (or clear up!) but the effect was stunning.

When I first got there the church was packed but later in the day I went back and managed to get a few photos with it fairly clear. There was plenty going on outside the church all weekend including craft and local produce stalls, guided walks, a medieval village and a woodmen’s display area demonstrating traditional crafts. Typically English cream teas (a cup of tea plus a scone with cream and strawberry jam),  lamb roast and Ballards beer could all be enjoyed sitting on the lawn of the vicarage next door while listening to classical and folk music groups. The vicar even did some poetry reading. The highlight of the weekend on Saturday evening saw jugglers, fire-dancers and a host of other entertainers brighten up the churchyard.

This week’s travel snap… a lovely English village fete with a twist!

While staying at the Borgobianco Resort and Spa in Puglia last month, Laure, from the hotel, was kind enough to show me around the nearby town of Polignano a Mare – first stop – the workshop of Peppino Campanella.

On Via Conversano, perched on the cliff tops overlooking the Adriatic on Italy’s west coast, is the home and workshop of one of the town’s many famous sons.

As I walked out of the dazzling sunlight into the shaded interior, one by one a host of sparkling lights greeted me as each was brought to life with a flick of a switch. These exquisite works of art adorned the walls and hung down from the ceilings all around me as Peppino, sat in the corner, quietly polishing a piece of glass.

Peppino trained and worked as an architect but having made a friend a stunning light as a gift, requests from friends and relatives for more hand-crafted lights came flooding in and slowly the one took over from the other until he made his living entirely from producing these dramatic lighted glass sculptures. Peppino sees glass as “solid water” and admires its ability to transmit light. His aim is to create atmosphere, evoking elements of nature rather than to illuminate a room.

The birth-place of many renowned artists and musicians, including the singer Domenico Modugno, Polignano is to this day also renowned for producing some of Italy’s finest ice-cream for which the name Campanella is also associated thanks to Peppino’s grandfather who was renowned for making the very best. He passed on his knowledge to other members of the community who keep the tradition alive today and every Sunday residents of the nearby city of Bari still flock to Poliganano for an ice-cream at Mario Campanella “Il Super Mago del Gelo” opposite the gateway in to the old town or Bar Turismo, Traversa Pompeo Sarnelli, 7, which is now reputed to have the best.

15 years ago, Peppino, transformed his grandfather’s ice-cream parlour into his studio where I now admired the most stunning collection of lights I have ever seen. In high demand from exclusive hotels and the finest shopping emporiums, as well as private homes, the name Campanella is now equally famous for these works of art as for the art of making ice-cream.

In the studio fascinating sculptures by Simone Bellotti from Bologne can also be viewed including a stunning dragon standing sentinel on the cliff top terrace looking over Polignano’s bay possibly on the lookout for the infamous pirates that used to raid these shores.

I must admit I am quite envious of Peppino. Not only is he able to make a living from doing something he really loves but he is able to work in the most stunning setting. From the studio large double doors open on to the terrace overlooking the bay of Polignano as the dragon will attest to – a truly stunning location. Peppino is currently transforming the rooms above his studio into a home and with the same stunning views as the terrace I can only imagine it will be a delight to live there whether enjoying the Italian summer sunshine (while enjoying a scoop or two of home-made ice-cream) or watching the waves crash against the cliffs below during a winter storm.

In the New Forest in Hampshire, southern England, it’s the norm to find ponies, cows and many a grookle with camera in hand, wandering across the roads and along village streets. In fact free roaming ponies, donkeys and cows are everywhere and are a real delight to see.

So when this grookle (the term used by locals for tourists) visited the New Forest last weekend I wasn’t surprised by the numerous animals I had to drive around or by the goose that was causing havoc with the traffic. We tried (but failed) to herd her out of the road back into a garden but she was having none of it and insisted on following my Dad wherever he went for the next hour or so! I was surprised, however, when walking through the very pretty village of Beaulieu to see a herd of cows and sheep in a shop window. Not real ones of course. These were made of chocolate!

I had stumbled upon a delightful little chocolate shop filled from floor to ceiling with every size, shape and flavour of home-made chocolates known to woman (or man) kind. Beaulieu Chocolate Studio has been making contemporary hand-crafted chocolates, as well as local specialities, since 2006 carrying on the tradition of hand-made chocolates established in the village in the eighties. Chocolates for every occasion festooned every nook and cranny and with Easter just a week away delightfully decorated white, milk and dark chocolate eggs filled many of the shelves.

There were New Forest Heather Honey Truffles, made with fresh double cream ganache, sweetened with local New Forest honey and covered in milk chocolate or maybe you’d prefer the finest quality Australian Stem Ginger encased in 70% bitter Dark chocolate shell or the Epernay Champagne Truffles made with Marc de champagne and fresh double cream, moulded in white chocolate or perhaps the studio’s speciality, New Forest Bark, a sweet dark chocolate with toasted almonds. Heaven!

To one side of the shop front there is a large picture window through which you can watch the chocolates being made. I was lucky enough to be allowed into the workshop itself to meet chocolatiere, Trevor and when I stepped inside the most delicious smell of the darkest chocolate enveloped me! Of course this is their busiest time of the year and Trevor had been rushing around making the chocolate eggs that so many of us enjoy each Easter. He showed me how this was done by filling a mould with melted chocolate, tapping out the excess and tipping out the chocolate eggs, which are then allowed to cool.

I wish I could post a sample to each and everyone of you so that you too could taste just how delicious these chocolates are but alas, I can’t. So I will simply wish you all a very ‘Happy Easter‘ and if, like me, you live in a country that takes a few days off work to celebrate, enjoy your Easter break (and your chocolate be it egg shaped, rabbit shaped or indeed cow or even sheep shaped.)

This weekend my Jewish friends will also be celebrating ‘Passover‘ and I believe Hindus will be observing ‘Hanuman Jayanti‘ and Japanese Buddhists the flower festival of ‘Hana Matsuri‘. I wish you all a very happy weekend.

I’d love to hear how you celebrate Easter (or indeed any of these festivals) in your country. Here’s a link to an Austrian Easter.

Having taken a break from my weekly travel snaps to host Travel Photo Roulette (which I really enjoyed by the way)  I’ll now return to my weekly posts featuring one of my photographs from my travels.

This week… Ostriconi beach, in the north-west of Corsica. The view looking down over the beach is simply stunning.

At the view-point from where I took this photograph last June, if you turn a little to your right you will see a river gently winding through green pastures with a backdrop of mountains (and of course that wonderful blue sky) until the river reaches the sweeping bay that is Ostriconi beach. It was so lovely I couldn’t stop taking pictures in both directions!

The only way to reach the beach is to hire a car (or bicycle), find the small turning off the N1197 to the beach, then find a parking space which is not easy at the height of summer, climb down the hillside, ford the river, walk across the sands and voilà, you’re there!

View Larger Map

See more pictures of Corsica, including the view from here inland on Flickr

Read about my travels in Corsica and other Corsican ‘Travel Snaps’ here

Holidays in Corsica from Corsican Places

When I was invited to come on a press visit by Borgobianco Resort & Spa, a luxurious hotel in Puglia, I couldn’t believe my luck! While I’d been on numerous photographic assignments this would be my first freelance trip. What a treat!

And so when the day came I packed my camera kit, pen and note-book and flew off to Bari airport via Milan feeling excited and, ssh… don’t tell anyone, just a little nervous.

At Bari I met up with Sage Russell from Food Pilgrimage and we were greeted by the driver from the hotel. Soon we were on our way and once outside Bari’s conurbation we were passing fields of ancient, twisted and gnarled olive trees, interspersed with blossoming almond trees rising from a carpet of vivid orange and yellow wild flowers. Every now and again, partly hidden by the trees, we’d spot a tumbled-down trulli, the traditional cone-shaped buildings unique to Puglia; a  beautiful part of Italy, yet to be discovered by mass tourism.

Pretty country lanes lead to the hotel which is a few miles inland from the lovely seaside town of Polignano a Mare. The fields of wild flowers and olive groves make an enchanting setting for the grand, white-stone hotel that nestles comfortably within its surroundings. You would never guess that it was built just 4 years ago as it was designed with the local architectural traditions and building materials in mind, in the style of the local masseria, the rather grand farm houses of the area.

On arrival we receive a warm greeting from Laure who arranged the press trip. Originally from France, she came to Polignano for a two week holiday. She felt so at home here she decided to stay!

Passing a spacious courtyard with a shaded seating area and a tinkling fountain, I am shown to my delightful room with doors leading out to my own terrace overlooking the gardens. It is decorated all in white, as is the entire hotel, creating a cool and relaxing atmosphere throughout. With indoor and outdoor swimming pools (with heated hydro massage pool), spa with sauna, steam room and gym, 48 rooms and suites, 2 meeting rooms and free Wi-Fi this beautiful hotel really has a lot to offer.

After un-packing I have a couple of hours to relax. My room is perfect with a spacious wardrobe, desk, comfy chair, flat screened TV and mini-bar. In the en-suite bathroom, everything I could possibly need is provided including a pretty matching set of body wash, moisturiser, shampoo and conditioner. The heated towel rail keeps the fluffy white towels and robe continually warm and dry. There is even a pair of slippers in the wardrobe.

We are offered an aperitif before dinner. Cosimo, our bartender and an expert at creating the most delicious cocktails with a unique flair and charm, readily suggests one of his favourites for me to try. My Aperol sour really hits the spot.

Upstairs in the restaurant the hotel’s head chef, Leonardo, has selected a special 6 course dinner to show off the best of all that the hotel and the region has to offer. Red mullet, scampi risotto and ‘slowly cooked’ shi drum (a fish, previously unknown to me) are on the menu, followed by two desserts! Cosimo, who is our waiter for the evening, recommends a  Tormaresca Chardonnay, to compliment our meal. I can see that the next few days are going to be a serious set back for my diet. Never mind. Needs must!

My stay at Borgobianco is just for a few days but I have a massage in the hotel’s spa booked and a tour of Polignano to look forward to. Plus we’ll be visiting the beautiful Alberobello, with its famous trulli lined streets, the little harbour at San Vito, the medieval town of Ostuni (known as The White City), and the stunning cave system at Castellana Grote.

And the weather, although a little chilly in the evenings, is a sunny 20 degrees plus during the day – perfect for exploring Puglia. What more could I ask for?