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Have you ever dreamt of falling into step with locals and being lulled into a sense of peace by the ding-dong of church bells that are rung daily for Matins, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None and Vespers? Or have you longed to find yourself whole once again under the warm Mediterranean sun, all the while being surrounded by the magnificence of Arab artisanship, Norman austerity and the extravagance of the Spanish and Italian baroque?

Have you ever wanted to wander the souks markets, to walk along the medieval bastions of Valletta, or to feast on authentic, seasonal produce the likes of which locals have done for centuries? Or visit valleys swathed in grapevines and take in the scent of the famous lemons of Capri, or calmly sip on an espresso in a charming piazza and people watch for a while?

Have you ever imagined walking amongst the elegant sun bleached baroque structures of the market towns of Ragusa and Modica that resonate still with song and beauty, where the patina of history still lingers in the colour and texture of the grand Pallazzi and Duomi scattered across this majestic region?

Well, I have often dreamt about these and from the inception of Gourmet Worrier the adage has been to - live eat dream. The intention has always been to share my home away from home with my readers. Yet, I have also secretly hoped of one day being able to take you along with me, so that you could experience the wonderful food, art, history and culture of that region first hand.

The last couple of years I have made several trips back to Malta, Gozo, Italy, Spain and France, all the while connecting with local food producers and artisans, wineries, bakeries, chefs, restaurants and hoteliers. And so, I am delighted to announce that we have put together the first of many boutique culinary tours for the discerning traveller.
 
Photos - George Saguna (2010).


Our tailor made, gastronomic packages include twilight wine tasting events, hands on pasta and pastry workshops, market tours and excursions to visit artisan food producers, local tastings as well as personalised cultural tours with an emphasis on local knowledge, luxury and style.

So if you want to break from reality for a while and care to wander off the mainstream tourist track and live, eat, dream, then Gourmet Travellers may be the answer you've been looking for.

Our groups are small and intimate, typically 15-20 people and we are currently taking bookings. Please contact us to check availability and/or to be put on a waiting list for future tours.

Alternatively, if you'd like to receive notification of future tours and events by email then subscribe to our newsletter and you'll be advised when tours are scheduled to take place.

Last year while I was in Barcelona I not only went a little overboard with the camera, but I also managed to go a little crazy with my flip too. Consequently I have hours of video that I seem to have forgotten to share with you!

Hence, the video below was filmed whilst I was stuffing my face on a bocadillo at the Mercat de la Boqueria. Please note that this amazingly talented crêpe artisan was filmed in high definition, so please be patient with her while the video loads as it'll be well worth your while.




A Mediterranean Feast of the
Mythic Islands of Malta & Sicily

June 7th-17th, 2011
Ten day fully escorted gastronomic tour

 
Download 'A Mediterranean Feast' 2011 Tour Brochure ( 111kb pdf)

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Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the lack of food around here. It's not like I've stopped cooking or eating, but rather I just haven't had the time or the inclination to collect my thoughts and pen down a recipe.

And secondly I just wanted to thank you all for being so terribly patient with me. I am still around and we're all OK (thanks for noticing and for asking), it's just that I've got a fair bit on the go at the moment, all good and all very, very exciting.

So, as things continue to fall into place and I begin to find my groove again I promise to pick up both camera and pen a little more frequently and share with you some of the things that I have been making in my kitchen.

I'll leave you with this perfect nutmeg and maple cream tart. Hence, I stress the word 'perfect' because this tart is just right as is. Don't be tempted to tweak or tinker with this one. Just show some restraint and follow the recipe to the letter and do add the nutmeg and the tiny touch of sea salt.

Trust me on this one and you won't be disappointed!

We were only in Nice for a couple of nights, yet there were two very important things that I wanted to accomplish in that short space of time. Firstly, I wanted to visit the Cours Saleya Market in the heart of Old Town and secondly, I desperately wanted to fall into a heavenly big bowl of Moules frites.

That morning while we were at the Cours Saleya Market we just so happened to walk past a very, chic looking bistro called Le Pilou. Yet it was not the brightly painted interior or smart looking waiters that prompted me to make a dinner reservation right there and then. What sealed the deal for me was the humongous bowls of Moules frites that were being rapidly consumed by the satisfied and content looking patrons.

So later that evening just before dusk Gillian, Brendan, Stephen and myself walked along the Promenade des Anglais and headed towards Le Pilou au Cours Saleya. The reality is, you could have blindfolded me and I would have still found my way to Le Pilou as I could smell the intoxicating aroma of the Moules à la Marinière a mile off!

The Pinotxo bar is probably one of the best tapas bars in Barcelona. It's located to the right of the main entrance of the Mercat de la Boqueria. The ever-jovial Juanito runs the front of house, so to speak while his nephew Albert cooks up a storm in the narrow kitchen behind the bar.



If you get there early enough and are fortunate  to nab yourself a prized stool order a cortado and a xuxo de crema and spare a thought for me - sigh!

Walking into Gesther restaurant in Xaghra is like walking into your favourite aunt's kitchen - it's familiar, welcoming and honest. Hence, if you're looking for an authentic local meal in Gozo then Gesther is the place to go. The two sisters who serve traditional Gozitan dishes such as bragioli, aljotta and fenek run this tiny, retro kitchenette.

I first experienced Gesther in the late 70's as a seven-year-old girl and I'm proud to say that nothing has changed. The food, atmosphere and service are just as I remembered, both warm and inviting. The décor is quite basic in a retro kind of way, but don't let that put you off as you will be missing out on some of the most authentic, home styled cooking the island of Gozo has to offer.

La Llavor dels Origens offers four gastronomic spaces in the heart of Barcelona and their aim is to take their patrons on a 'culinary and cultural journey through the different parts of Catalonia, without leaving the city'. Hence, their concept is simple - to provide a 'restaurant-bar, take-away food, shop and bakery where one can find authentic products used in Catalonia cooking'.

The restaurant spaces offer a dining area where you can taste traditional dishes from all over Catalonia and learn about the history of their origins through an extensive menu-magazine with descriptions and pictures of all their dishes, wines and desserts. The menu-magazine is printed in Castilian, Catalan, French and English and the staff at Origens are more than happy to give you a copy to take home to read at your leisure.

As well as the restaurant, Origens also provide their patrons with a speciality food store where you can readily buy all the products on offer in their restaurants and other wonderful artisan products from Catalonia. In doing so, Origens aspire to evoke the 'tradition of the old cellars, so alive historically in villages and neighbourhoods in our towns, where at affordable prices, and at ease you can buy, eat and get to know our tradition'.

Well one tradition I was determined to experience was Crema Catalana. And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record - this particular Crema Catalana has got to be the best one I have ever had! You're absolutely free to disagree with me on this one, and as a result we will probably have to part our different ways, but I'm standing my ground here - this Crema Catalana was exceptional!

We were only in Nice for a couple of nights yet I had several things on my 'to- do-eat' list. High on the list was the Cours Saleya Market in the heart of Old Town. Hence, this popular meeting place and open-air market sells fresh flowers, outstanding produce, artisan products and live poultry sourced directly from neighboring farms.

I'm sure there were lots of lovely fresh flowers at this world famous market, but I was there for different reasons. I was on a mission for the perfect croissant to go with my café au lait. You'll be pleased to know that not only did I find the perfect croissant, but I also managed to find an abundance of cheese, freshly baked bread, locally cured olives, forest mushrooms, fruit confits and marzipan and a whole host of other utterly divine edible treats.

One of the first places I dragged Gillian to was Ta'Rikardu in Victoria, which is famous for serving delicious local Gozitan bread and fresh ġbejna. Ta'Rikardu is a rustic little place situated inside the old Cittadella, next to St Mary's Cathedral. They do a fabulous platter for two of sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, onions, fresh tomatoes and ġbejniet that you then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. The peasant platter is served with a basket of crusty ħobża Maltija - Maltese bread. If you decide to have the platter, then do have a glass (or two) of some of the 'sturdy' local wine.