I've been lucky enough to experience some amazing food on my travels, yet Barcelona still stands out as the best. Visiting with my best friend, who is also a massive foodie, both of us were on a mission to find the best food hotspots. From mouth-wateringly indulgent ice creams discovered on our first day, to totally plant-based 'seafood' paella, very convincing veggie hot dogs, and never-before-tried seitan pizza in the square, Barcelona had it all. With so much memorable food it's hard to know where to start!
Many picnics were had on this trip, which led to some of the best memories. Having walked what felt like miles from Park Güell towards the town centre on a quest for food, we realised that of all the days we could have chosen to eat out, National Catalonia Day meant all the restaurants were closed. We were both sooo hungry and eventually decided on a picnic tea consisting of fresh bread, dips and supermarket strawberries.
Looking for a place to tuck in, we were in utter disbelief when we turned the corner to see the incredible Sagrada Familia towering above us. In a perfect twist of luck, we found the ideal bench to enjoy out picnic overlooking the water, just as the golden hour sunshine set behind the impressive cathedral.
A personal food highlight of the trip has got to be the hidden gem that was the all you can eat refill pitta place located in a secret side street just a stone's throw from the sangria and street dancing of the main square. We ate in amazement at the incredible flavours of babba ghanoush and delicious fillings that we could go back and refill time and time again...for free. With the place ear-marked as our secret food find, needless to say we returned more than once.
With delicious tastes of everything the city had to offer, the story of this trip was written by the food and I would love to go back to experience it all again.
Lily Holbrook
Ever since I was a child, pasta has been my favourite food: I have never been able to live without it. There was one stage when I was four years old and all I would eat was Heinz macaroni cheese (yes it was out of a tin, yes, I still love it). As the pasta capital of the world, Italy is therefore my favourite place to grab a delicious bowl of goodness.
Pasta is so simple yet so diverse, adopting 350 different shapes and blending aromatically with hundreds of different sauces. You really can’t go wrong with this dish! Whether you’re making a special anniversary meal for your other half, or only have dried pasta and a jar of pesto left in your cupboard, pasta does the trick.
Madeleine Raine