The things that were eaten in Spain

This blog started as a food photography/review blog in my earlyish twenties with a bad camera and annoying commentary. These days nature/travel photography is more my thing but I still love photographing the delicious things I eat like everyone else on Earth. 🙂

Food in Spain is amazing in general but Barcelona was pretty next level…

The best burger I’ve had in my entire life happened here (seriously, I wouldn’t lie to you) at Granja Petitbo 

Root Vegetable crisps + honey & sesame seeds at Negro Carbon

Tempura fried veggies, craft beer and some rare and wonderful bavette at Bier cab.

Dreamy pina coladas and guacamole at El Pachuco

Followed by mojitos…

daiquiris…

Then an exquisite dinner of tapas at Betlem.

Steak tartare

Octopus, artichoke & pea

Crab ravioli

Roasted Octopus

Apparently when on holiday, all I eat is Octopus so I decided to order a whole one roasted in paprika in Figueres.
It was the best thing I ate on the whole trip (next to that legendary burger because it was EPIC)!!

It’s a shame I don’t have anything for scale. Let’s say bigger than a rabbit smaller than a cat. I ate the whole thing. Obvs.

My pants no longer fit. No probs. x

Lisbon

LISSSSBBBONNNN! 

A Cevicheria is a MUST.

BBQ octopus with pork rind

Salmon & tiger milk ceviche with edamame and peanut

Tuna ceviche with tapioca and tomato

Whitefish ceviche with potato lime and seaweed

Halibut with quinoa, mussel, prawn, seaweed, cockle, oyster foam & kombu

Banana & peanut butter cake

Lisbon Timeout Market had an unbelievable selection of eats to choose from…and I am proud to say that I spent a good portion of the day here eating everything in sight.

Cold Octopus salad

Roasted octopus stew with potato crisps…

Salad with goats cheese & honey ice cream

Chocolate bomb

Portuguese custard tart

Seafood hotpot

Send stretchy pants plz. x

Piel Island

Not far from the coast of Barrow-In-Furness lies a curious little island with an rich and interesting history. Earliest records stretch back to the 12th century when King Stephen placed the island under the care of Savignac Monks and the Cistercian order. It was here that for centuries grain, wool, wine and other precious commodities were stored (and smuggled).

What remains of the castle and it’s surrounding fortifications today is mostly a mass of crumbling stone and a pub called ‘The Ship Inn’. This pub has taken care of those that pass through with lunch and a pint of local ale for centuries. Traditionally whomever runs the pub is crowned ‘King of Piel Island’ and the tradition continues to this day. Apparently there is a ceremony that involves you sitting in a 300 year old wooden throne and having beer poured all over you.

My idea of heaven.

Last July when we visited Cumbria we took a tiny little boat across waters peppered with jellies to explore Piel island and a few pints.

We made a friend on the ferry over. 😉

And even more friends once we got there!

I love a good sheepie cuddle. ❤

Our tour guide Mr. Chicken was ace.

A few little jellies…

That’s it! Piel Island done! x

Belgium! Discovering Ghent, Bruges and Brussels…Part Five.

On our last day in Belgium, we wandered around Brussels a bit aimlessly. A happy and relaxed last-day-on-holiday sort of aimlessness. Eyeing the shop windows for choccy, stopping in for moule frites, exploring some back streets and churches. Blissful wandering.

Camera in hand as always. 

So many treats…

Byeeeee. x

Belgium! Discovering Ghent, Bruges and Brussels…Part Four.

Ghent was indeed quite beautiful, but Bruges really stole my heart and I didn’t want to leave. ❤

Bruges is where I really let my chocoholic flag fly proudly.

Who doesn’t need a big pair of chocolate boobs?

No shortage of beer!

And beer flag of course.

Mmmmmmmmm KWAK!

Beer bible! The only bible for me!!

Satan makes delicious beer. No surprises there.

Birthday Food was wonderful as well!

Fondue…

Vol-au-vent au poulet

And Bruges, itself…simply stunning.

Basilica of the Holy Blood

DALI Museum

Probably should have split this up into more posts! Oh well. x

Belgium! Discovering Ghent, Bruges and Brussels…Part two. WAFFLES.

Who’s in the mood for some motherflippin waffles?!

The answer is: ALL Y’ALL.

I did some investigative “wafflesearch” (as you do). So there’s this place called MAX in Ghent.
It’s this super cute but 100% touristy little art nouveau cafe that says they invented the waffle.

Isn’t it a beautiful building?

Of course, I ordered a waffle.

A big, fluffy, light-as-air, splendid and amazing waffle. Crispy. Slightly Sweet. Yum.

And a really dumb fancy coffee.

And then I ordered an apple fritter because I’m insane.

Next up – LIGHTOPIA!!!!

Belgium! Discovering Ghent, Bruges and Brussels…Part one.

Ahhhhhh Belgium! So many reasons to visit this beautiful country.

Picturesque cottages. Quirky Cobblestone streets. Beer. (REALLY AMAZING BEER) Art. Chocolate. (REALLY AMAZING CHOCOLATE) Swans. Misty canals. Moules Frites. Medieval churches. Waterzooi. More beer. More beer. More beer.

I chose Belgium for OPERATION: DECOMPRESS VIA ALL OF THE BEER.

The old Monastery conversion we stayed at in Ghent was absolutely stunning!

And the historic town centre itself is incredible.

Sint-Michielskerk glowing at night…

Graffiti tunnel…

Had a beautiful dinner at De Graslei where I ordered the very traditional Flanders dish “Waterzooi”

It was SO YUMMY.

All the walking around in the freezing rain made us VERY thirsty. So we spent a lovely evening sampling (pouring beers directly into our faces) a few of the 250 beers on offer at Pub ‘de Dulle Griet’

If you want to drink the gigantic “Max” beer, you must hand over one of your shoes. It goes in the basket, the bell is rung, your shoe is lifted high to the ceiling and here comes your beer!

And then you drink the rest of the beers…

ALL THE BEER! Up next…The Design Museum Exhibit Lightopia and WAFFLES!

Paris, FINALLY! Part Two. AND Three.

Annnnd we’re back! I decided to cram the rest of the photos into one last post so this is your warning that it’s a LONG one!

So picking up from where we left off with part one of our Paris trip, after a sweet little breakfast at Maison Lacombe we made our way toward Notre Dame and the Centre Georges Pompidou.

Centre Georges Pompidou!!! Amazing!!!

The walk to Notre Dame…

My beautiful parents!!!

Cutest lunch at Aux Arts Etc Cafe’ Galerie

The owner was soooooo lovely!

Off to the Pantheon…

Eiffel Tower!

Collectively sharing our feelings about selfie sticks…

The sweetest older lady and dog duo there ever was…

We were completely destroyed from all the walking and had a simple charcuterie and cheese feast for dinner…

Yum.

The next morning we took a boat cruise on the Seine from The Eiffel Tower…

Then a quick little pit stop in Bistro De Montemartre…

My beautiful mother who never seems to age!! ❤

Followed by a walk through the beautiful and sombre Montmartre Cemetery…

Our journey to Sacré-Coeur began with more walking around Montmartre…

SACRE-COEUR!!!

Loviest of birds… ❤

Our last dinner was at a tiny neighbourhood restaurant in Ternes called Le Petit Acacia.

We were incredibly lucky to yet again, have a stellar meal.

The parents look pretty darn happy and relaxed! 😉

The FOOD!

Roasted Bone Marrow

Suckling Pig

Confit Duck

Creme Brulee

On our last day in Paris, we toured the Musee D’Orsay then dined at another fantastic restaurant Le Recrutement Cafe for one final Parisian feast.

They still look happy after all of the endless walking! Success!

Lovingly threatening my darling with my Escargot tongs…

Which was short-lived because then there was escargot! YUM.

Beef stew

Salad with duck gizzards and foie gras

Cheesecake (my mother says this was the best she’s had)

Cheeky Cheese Plate

Apple Tart with salted butter ice cream

And creme brulee #2 for moi.

One final look before heading to Gare Du Norde…

So that’s it. Sadly!

Thank you for taking the time to scroll through all the photographs!

Goodbye, beautiful Paris. See you again soon! x

Paris, FINALLY! Part One

My folks flew over for 10 days (they are still here actually!) and we took the Eurostar over for a little Parisian city break!

We rented a beautiful flat in Ternes for 3 nights and had the dreamiest time exploring Paris!

Our lovely apartment…

A beautiful first meal near the flat at L’ANNEX.

I enjoyed a few well-deserved glasses of crisp grassy Sancerre…

Followed by the most gorgeous Escargot…

Rare Rib of beef…

And SWEETS!

Apple Tart…

Panna Cotta with Raspberry…

Then a night walk to the Arc du Triomphe for some magical night photography fun.

Love them!!

…and many many stairs to the top!

We awoke the next day to gorgeous electric blue skies and had a beautiful little breakfast at Maison Lacombe.

I had read that people travel all over for their croissants and I completely understand why as I was unable to get a photograph after shovelling the croissant into my face in record speed.

I shall leave you with these and pick up at Notre Dame and all the rest tomorrow! x

My Brother Arrives!

Hooray for visitors! My big brother recently flew from Nashville to London to visit me (first time travelling outside of the US mind you). This consisted of us basically dragging him around to anything and everything historically notable we could cram into his short stay! We made sure to keep him calm in the face of public transport by plying him with lots of craft beer! Please forgive the combination of bad iphone photos and proper photographs! 😉

Climbing at Trafalgar Square…

Imperial War Museum!

British Museum!

Boat taxi home on the Thames…

The obligatory phone booth shot!

The Emirates Air Line!

Deep thoughts on the Thames with Dan…

Off to the Tower of London!

A little afternoon stroll…

I already miss ya bro! Come back soon! xx

Another Glorious Green Park Pug Meet + Being A Tourist…

Prepare yourself for a big dose of HAPPY.

Because PUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGSSSSSS!!!!

NOODLES is convinced that he is their leader…

I even brought some friends this time to share in my crazy.

Who’s pug is this? DOESN’T MATTER – I just had to HUG him.

Pepper is such a little tart…

Then off to Tower Bridge for a stroll along the Thames.

ACK!!! Tourists!

My dog has been more places than you.

If you live in London you should check out the poppy installation currently at the Tower.

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww1-centenary/poppies-in-the-moat

We ended with pints and grub at Southwark Tavern…

Fish and Chips!! Yummmmmm.

It was a brilliant pug & London event-filled day! And then it was bedtime for all! Cheers! x

Four Countries In Four Days – Part Three.

I completely forgot to mention the epic meat feast Uros treated us to in Ljubljana at CAD This was the day we walked around in the rain and watched the Rugby in the pub!

This was my first experience with Serbian/Bosnian cuisine and it reminded me of Thanksgiving because the food was so delicious and plentiful but my stomach started waving the white flag of defeat shortly after we started!

So let’s wrap up this colossally amazing trip with more photos of things we saw, ate and drank! 

The last full day/night in Ljubljana we met up with Uros and Jani and drove to Lake Bled. 

The castle!

The church in the middle of Lake Bled!

Uros!

Me trying to express how hungry I was with very lady-like hand gestures…

They took the hint and we went immediately for Slovenian Pizza and beer!

Which, was UNBELIEVABLE.

Afterwards, we took a stroll down to the bottom of the hill to get a good view of the castle…

Then we piled into the car for a scenic drive…

And did some frolicking in the snow…

 

Which kicked off an obligatory snowball fight!

Then we drove into Austria! Because why not?

We got there just in time for a sunset stroll in Klagenfurt…

We stopped for a coffee and ice cream and cake! MMMMMmmmmmm.

More dragons!

SCHMUCK JEWELLERS. AMAZING. At least they are upfront about it right??

Thank you Jani for the beautiful tiny dusk tour of Klagenfurt! xx

The next morning Uros took us out for a scrumptious breakfast in a gorgeous little French cafe in Ljubljana.

Then we packed our bags and headed to Italy for one last stroll around the coast in Trieste.

And that’s it! Four countries! Four days! All of the fun times!

Thank you to Uros and Jani for being such incredible hosts. x

Four Countries in Four Days – Part Two.

Where did we leave off? Breakfast in England. Quick afternoon flight to Italy. Seaside dinner in Piran. Cheeky drinks in Croatia. This clearly is a great way to start a holiday.
As our eventful first night was nearing a close, I suppose we were well within our rights to pass out when we got to Uros’ flat in Ljubljana, but noooooo. HOLIDAY!!

We freshened up and high-tailed it to Zlata Ladjica – The Golden Ship, to drink more beers and meet more friends.

This is where I fell in love with Bevog Tak:

One of the most beautiful beers I’ve ever had. And the artwork is amazing as well.

I’m not sure how easy is is to get your hands on Bevog, but if you see it in your local specialty beer shop, snatch it up. It’s excellent.

http://www.bevog.at/#beers

Here is a very blurry and VERY MERRY snap of us after a few drinks:

On the way home I noticed a little vigil in support of Ukraine…heavy times…

On that note, we grabbed some street food and made our way back the flat for a well-deserved sleep.

I was lucky enough to wake up to beautiful Slovenian donuts filled with peach jam and super thick dark coffee.

Yum. Thank you to Uros’ brother Niko!!!

We ventured out in the rain to roam around the city…

Dragons!

Translation: Tits

The sculptures around Ljubljana are like something out of a Tool video. Which obviously makes me love it all the more.

Nightmarish pope related Church doors!

Yes, that is a turd sculpture. Bronze turds with faces. Spectacular.

We met up with Ajda and her wee little pup Laika (like the dog the Soviets sent to space!)

We stopped at an adorable coffee shop for a spell…

The sun came out eventually…

Dragon in the sun!!!

We spent the rest of the day in an Irish pub watching Six Nations and took an early night to prepare for the next day’s events.

x

Four Countries in Four Days – Part One.

It was officially time for a holiday. To the land of beer and dragons! SLOVENIA!

Our good friend Uros, drove an hour from Ljubljana and picked us up from the airport in Trieste, Italy because he is awesome and generous. We then drove into Piran for a little evening stroll through the tiny medieval town followed by one of the most delicious meals. SQUID. INK.

Dinner was unbelievable.

Aside from the beautiful bearded men…

We dined by the sea…

Cuttlefish salad…

AS PROMISED. So inky. ❤

Spaghetti with Clams…

Jesus Christ. So delicious. It’s painful to look at these photos now.

Prosciutto & Cheese Stuffed Squid.

After a few Slovenian beers and finishing the delicious seafood feast, we decided to drive into Croatia to up the country count. We stopped at a very out of the way pub full of local fisherman in Umag and had a cheeky beer. We were sat outside despite the wintry evening temperatures and every 5 minutes the electricity went out and all you could see was a vast black sky full of stars. BEST.

This is the only proof of me being in Croatia!

First day, so far sooooooooooo good! More from this trip to come soon! x

Going Home…

It’s been a year! First stop – CLEVELAND. Seeing my beautiful Aunts. x

I even got to spend some quality time with the family pets!

And no trip to CLE is complete without stopping by Cedar Point.

We rodes some epic and terrifying coasters…

Ate some massive BBQ turkey legs…

Then we passed out from jet lag exhaustion!

Followed by a quick flight to Nashville!!

I immediately had a bar party and invited everyone to come out and give me a year’s worth of hugs.

They complied!

Toasts were made…

I was so excited to spend time with some of my besties…

And baby!

OOooohhh baby!

There were lots of babies being made whilst I was away…

Big fat squooshy pretty babies!!!

Aunt Jamie ❤

And some of the babies I knew a year ago weren’t babies anymore, but little tiny people…

Lunch with my LaLa. ❤

My mom was just as pretty as I remember her being…

My brother was still a massive fantasy football dweeb…

Becca and her fantastic fiance Josh took us out to Dinner at Silo 

Elevated Southern cuisine welcoming me home proved to be JUST what I needed…

Especially deviled eggs three ways…

Deep fried greenbeans…

And pork belly…

We even visited my beloved Bombay Palace

They were all super excited to see me too! HA!

Actually, we did a lot of eating.

And of course, we had to work some of it off…

No better place than Edwin Warner Park…

See ya soon Nashville xx

Food in Spain.

I just wanted to share some of the food I DEVOURED in Spain

A simple lunch…

Followed by a decadent dinner…

Tomato and goat cheese salad

Beef carpaccio with sheep’s-milk cheese

Tuna carpaccio with pink peppercorn and dill

Filet mignon with foie

Vanilla bean panna cotta with black currants…

Me in action!

Grilled calamari for another yummy lunch…

A little scampi party…

Tasty tapas…

x

Becca’s Visit!

When I found out my friend Becca was going to come from Nashville to visit me I literally jumped up and down in my bedroom screaming “BECCA’S GONNA COME SEEEEEE MEEEEEEE!!!!!” at the top of my lungs while my dog looked at me with distinct disapproval of my volume level.
Most of the photos are of Becca because she’s just really super pretty.

A day exploring Greenwich…

The Prime Meridian Line-where time begins!

Becca is also a MAJOR Harry Potter fan.

She was a little excited.

Simply adorable.

Here we are slurping down a few beautiful craft cocktails at Bar Social…

And then snarfing down some gorgeously sinful pizza in Shoreditch…

And beer…

And the prettiest little butter lettuce & avocado salad…

Did I mention that Sir Noodles fell in love with Becca during her stay?

(she’s totally channelling some ultra-hot Uma Thurman in this shot)

Exploring Salisbury + Salisbury Cathedral.

Sunday Roast…

Let’s all just take a moment of silence for how breathtaking my friend is.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t stay forever and had to go home. SAD FACE.

Til next time!

xxoo

EDINBURGH IN 24 HOURS…

This was a fast one! Camera…go!

Sidenote for above photo: Okay, I’m being totally honest here. I’ve had a dream with this in it since I was a kid. This exact photograph. Serious as a heart attack. I’d never seen it before I took this photo. Except in my repeat dream. No idea what that means, but there it is.
Freaked me out pretty good.

I think most of the things in the castle were on loan from London museums. Which, is sort of messed up.

Hey London, Give Scotland back it’s stuff.

THIS IS THE EDINBURGH SCHOOL OF UNICORNS

FANCY PANTS TEA TIME FOR ME!!

The day winds down…

One more Unicorn for the road…

x

Scotland O Scotland

I have always wanted to go to Scotland. I’m not exactly sure why.
I probably watched too much Braveheart growing up.

Oh wait, maybe it’s the accent. I LOVE that accent.

Or the sheep.

Or these MASSIVELY ADORABLE HIGHLAND COWS.

First Stop, St. Andrews!

Lunch was at Mitchell’s Deli…http://www.mitchellsdeli.co.uk/#

And the food was AMAZING.

NEXT UP, EDINBURGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hampton Court

A few weeks ago, I got to visit Hampton Court.

My eyes were operating on overdrive and my tiny little heart just fluttered away inside my chest as we strolled around the Palace.

Hampton Court is infinitely beautiful.

It is difficult to comprehend fully that Catherine of Aragon looked out of these very same windows.

Unaware of the turmoil she faced…

The sheer scale of Hampton Court…

The soaring ceilings…

The exquisite frescos, super-saturated with color…

Ghosts that have left their mark…

Crystal chandeliers and marble staircases…

Massive kitchens…

How can we process all of this beauty?

Bask in the majesty…

The tiny details…

I really should be sauntering around in a mammoth gown right now…dripping in gems…

Surrounded by so much magic…

There is this immense feeling that you are being watched…

And I’ve never been happier…

Hereford Cathedral

I have seen more cathedrals in the last 6 months than I have in my entire life.

I was grateful to be accompanied by the best tour guide ever, the Hereford Cathedral cat.

Despite my lack of religious belief, I always light a candle for my Grandfathers who have passed.

An hour inside the cathedral and the weather has already gone cloudy!

Goodbye Hereford! xx

Exploring Chicago Part I

Shame on me. Always disappearing from this here blog world without even a warning or a friendly goodbye.
On top of that, I never even got around to posting all the Chicago food/art photographs that I promised I would! And now it’s January!
Seriously, shame shame shame!

Well, the only way to make up for it is by making up for it!

Chicago is just windy and busy enough to have provided me with the perfect training wheels for my big move to London.

It was REALLY high up and I was getting a little dizzy/clammy/panic-stricken…

I’m talking about REALLY HIGH.
When you go to the bathroom at the bar on the top floor the wall is simply a giant window so you step out of the stall feeling like you are about to topple over and directly out of it.
Which makes you feel queasy and generally uncertain about your safety.

So then we got some cocktails and everything seemed okay again…

Mandarin and Strawberry you-aren’t-going-to-die Martini

Long Island death-is-not-imminent Iced Tea

We happened upon this little vegan gem a couple of blocks from our hotel in Boystown and gave it a whirl.

Native. Chicago. Do it!

The Rockin-Moroccan Veggie Bowl with fried tofu tower of freedom…okay I added that last bit…

UN-chicken sandwich

Wickedly decadent peanut butter parfait

And the guiltiest pleasure of all, the exquisite French Lavender steeped Lemonade

(Be careful with this lemonade as it is danger-zone level sweet and will give you a sugar crash like you have never before experienced)

http://nativefoods.com/menu/

Time for some art!

My friend Nikki was nice enough to get us a couple of free passes to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Sometimes I love Modern Art…

This was my favourite piece hands down! By Nick Cave.

Sometimes I find it irritating…

I apparently like my art filled with porcelain woodland creatures.

I also had the pleasure of visiting The Chicago Art Institute while I was stuck on my own the next week. It was jaw-dropping.

And I took a healthy amount of photos so get comfortable!

WASN’T THAT THE COOLEST? Le Sigh. I ❤ Art.

Also, I was impressed with how well my camera did in all of the different parts of the museum, some rooms very very blue and bright, some were very dim and red…everything came out ok! Still learning!

Adventures with Duck

My spectacular trip to London this Summer involved my first ever Peking Duck experience, which I shall never forget, no matter how many more brain injuries I sustain in my life.We did a little sight-seeing…

Before you know it we were on a tipsy mission, wandering the streets of London in search of a duck feast.

Soon enough we were seated in a fabulously elegant Chinese restaurant ordering a duck and a half, and even more wine…

Patiently awaiting the duck feast!

Snacks!

THE DUCK!!!

MMMMmmmmmmm…

Duck Skin…

The spread…

So here is what you do to make your taste buds have the biggest most fantastical explosive party in your mouth ever…

You take a pancake, you spread some plum sauce on it, you add cucumber and spring onions…

You grab a nice tender chunk of duck meat and top it with a crispy crunchy lacquered duck skin crackling and you roll it up as quickly as possible – inhaling it is preferable.

Oh! And they clean the rest of the duck and stir fry it with bean sprouts!

There is no shame! Only joy!

xx