| Dear friends
I’m writing to you from the bus taking our group of food lovers through Portugal into Spain. This is my third safari back to back – starting with Greek Islands in September and two Portugal and Spain trips. As you can see I’ve got the little guide seat at the front of the bus…not the most comfortable but the breathtaking views as we travel through the Douro Valley with its terraced vines along the steep slopes…are seriously pinch me moments.
Our accommodation at one of the top wine estates is absolutely five star…from the chef Lionel Martins who creates some beautiful meals to the infinity pool where you can laze and watch the boats pass on the river below. We had a great night last night after collecting vegetables and herbs from the estate’s garden and cooking them in the wood fired oven, served with a 12 hour braised goat…inventive and delicious. One guest said the meal was the best she had ever eaten.
Our guide Fatima has opened doors in her beloved homeland we would never have found without her. We also had a brilliant day in her family estate in a small village where we baked bread studded with chourizo in a wood fired oven, learned the secrets of her cousin Jorge’s lamb marinade, picked kale from the neighbour’s garden to have Fatima demonstrate a delicious dish of finely chopped kale, black eyed beans and crumbled cornbread toasted in garlic and olive oil – a deeply satisfying vegetarian dish I’ll be recreating back home.
Tomorrow we drive into Spain and meet chef Frank Camorra for a week of unique food experiences starting with tasting the finest jamon Iberico sliced in front of us by a cortador (that’s a profession I’d never heard of before visiting Spain). On this safari we enjoy both rustic and high end meals plus the buzz of visiting tapas bars and a flamenco tavern. And of course loads more. Staying in palaces and sleek modern hotels. This is another truly great safari!
Our first Portugal and Spain group were asked to sum up the trip with a single word – this is what they said – unrivalled, phenomenal, illuminating, tasty, fascinating, marvellous, eye-opening, wonder-filled, comprehensive. Love all those words.
And our second group had some great words to describe our Portugal Spain Safari: “I expected amazing but this was next level”! Plus they thought the trip was “illuminating, exhilarating, fantastic adventure, tremendous, enriching, inspiring, scrumptious, unforgettable memories, enlightening, intoxicating, sublime, immersive, joyful, dizzying (we hope in a good way!) eclectic, paradise gastronomico.” |
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NZ Gourmet Safari 2025 |
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| NZ Gourmet Safari 28 February – 6 March 2025
We have just two places left on our NZ Gourmet Safari for 28 February – 6 March 2025. Join us a week in Queenstown exploring wineries, great restaurants, stunning scenery, art galleries and much more. Click here for more information or to make a booking.
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February – July 2025 |
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| We are looking forward to a year full of culinary adventures in Australia and around the world.
Our program for February – July is now on our site. Click HERE to access the Sydney Safaris page on our site. We also have a few places available on the following tours for this year: Lebanese Breakfast Safari – Saturday 26 October Spice Trails Safari – Saturday 26 October and 30 November Afghan Safari – Saturday 9 November Lunch at 20 Chapel St – Sunday 10 November – two places now available Turkish Walking Safari – Saturday 16 November Best of the Mediterranean – Saturday 16 November Middle East Safari – Saturday 23 November
It’s such a privilege to be welcomed into homes and to share food that’s often being grown and produced within a tiny area, made to regional recipes passed down the generations. To walk into produce markets and be recognised: “the Australians are back”; to return to treasured producers of cheese and wine, olive oil and bread; these are golden experiences. The “combination trips” are such a clever way of experiencing cultures and the difference between the Sardinia and Corsica Safari continues next year. Our Greek Island Safari returns in September featuring 4 very different Greek Islands and a range of hosts. And Portugal and Spain Safari is on again September – October And we will wrap the year with our Tasmanian Safari in November.
We’ll have more information on the above tours and more local tour dates in our next newsletter.
Look forward to seeing you on a safari soon, All the best Maeve and Suzy |
