Lucky enough to visit Portugal for half term and gaining the true taste of the Algarve with some great food and wine.
For me its all about the seafood, I had gorgeous octopus salads, huge prawns and tuna. One of the highlights was golden bream cooked the traditional way with olive oil and sliced potatoes baked in the oven. If there is one dish synonymous with the Algarve’s rich ocean harvest, its Ameijoas na Cataplana. Fresh cockles are sealed in a cataplana, a rounded copper cooking vessel resembling a wok. Allowed to cook in their own steam with a combination of cured ham ‘presunto’ sausage ‘chourico’, tomato, lemon, olive oil and garnished with coriander and garlic, the result is a succulent seafood stew, enjoyed with a glass or two of chilled white or rose wine.
Back home and the regime starts, sign of a good holiday!