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Charlotte Pike

Award-winning cookery writer, teacher and chef

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Foodie Guides

A Foodie Guide to the Mourne Mountains

9 May 2019 By Charlotte Pike Leave a Comment

Slieve Donard

The Mourne mountains are Northern Ireland’s highest mountains, situated in County Down in the south eastern corner of Northern Ireland, not far from the Irish border. Known for its dramatic scenery, this is a truly beautiful corner of the county that is really worth exploring.

Northern Ireland is fast gaining increased recognition for its outstanding food and drink, and its vibrant network of enormously talented chefs and producers who are harvesting, producing and cooking some truly exciting and innovative food.

Slieve Donard Hotel

Where to stay

My base for this trip was the small seaside town of Newcastle in County Down, around an hour’s drive south from Belfast.

I stayed at the leading luxury hotel in the area, Slieve Donard in Newcastle, a large luxury hotel on the seafront with a well-regarded spa and swimming pool. Slieve Donard is named after the nearby mountain, Northern Ireland’s highest. Originally built at the end of the 19thCentury, Slieve Donard has been extensively modernised by current owners, the Hastings Hotel Group.

Slieve Donard Hotel

Slieve Donard is a big, busy hotel, with room situated over three floors, and guests staying from all over the world, on holiday, business and plenty to play golf at the adjacent Royal County Down Golf Club.

Dining rooms, lounges and bars are all on the ground floor, mostly looking out to see and across to Slieve Donard, which at 850m high, it creates an imposing backdrop. Rooms are generously proportioned and very comfortable, with large bathrooms and plenty of space to work and relax. The swimming pool and spa area are very pleasant, and I managed to pack three swims into a two-night stay. Hitting the pool first thing was a lovely experience, watching the sun rise across the sea and mountains as I clocked up my lengths was a very special start to the day.

During my stay, I only spent one evening in at the hotel and, anticipating the feasting to come, opted for a seafood chowder and glass of red wine for dinner in the bar, rather than a full dinner.

Breakfast is taken in the dining room and is a lovely, leisurely experience, if you have time to linger and enjoy the good views from window tables. There is a very strong focus on local ingredients on the menu, including local bacon, sausages, eggs, oats, bread, yoghurt, honey and even Bushmills whiskey to top a bowl of porridge.

Newcastle

What to do

Newcastle is a great base for exploring the area. It is a small, popular town with a wide range of places to eat and things to do. There are plenty of coastal walks along the seafront and up into the mountains starting from Newcastle, and for those feeling less active, there are plenty of small independent places to eat and drink, and hardly any chains at all. There’s a good deli and local butcher, The Cookie Jar bakery that has won Great Taste Awards for its wheaten bread and Morelli’s ice cream, which is also very well regarded.

The weather was unseasonably cold when I arrived, and so I headed to the Soak seaweed baths in Newcastle to try something new. These are the only seaweed baths on the east coast of Ireland and I managed to get a walk-in appointment. For those new to seaweed baths, it’s said to help detoxify the body and can help ease aches and pains. Aside from the health claims, I hoped for a relaxing hour ahead. The seaweed bath sessions are an hour long and one, quite literally, bathes with seaweed, albeit in a private room with a soundtrack of your choice in the background. The process involves a good steam, followed by a soak in a cool bath, filled with freshly harvested bladder wrack, then a shower to finish. A wonderfully unique and refreshing experience.

For those really wanting to get under the skin of the Northern Ireland food scene, then I really recommend booking Tracey Jeffrey of NI Food Tours. Tracey runs bespoke tours across the region and is such a lovely, knowledgeable lady, she will show you all the best spots to visit on a trip.

Whitewater Brewing Co.

Real ale lovers can taste and even make their own craft beers at the amazing Whitewater Brewing Co. site at Castlewellan. Owners Kerry and Bernard Sloan have been brewing craft beers locally since 1996, but have recently opened a new brewery and tap house, which offers charming, personal and relaxed tours and tastings with a really intimate sense of family and heritage, and they buy valium in spain even have their own micro brewing room, in which you can craft your own beer. Do book in advance, and look out for Whitewater beers in local hotels and restaurants.

Shortcross G&T

Gin lovers can tour and taste at the amazing Shortcross Gin distillery on the Rademon Estate. David and Fiona Boyd- Armstrong run this slick operation, distilling delicious gin using botanicals foraged and fruit picked from their busy family estate at Downpatrick. They too have recently built a magnificent new extension to their distillery, and offer hugely engaging tours and tasting, including the opportunity to mix and pour the perfect Shortcross G&T.

Lunch at Montalto

And finally, we visited Montalto Estate for lunch and a tour. Montalto is a recently opened, privately owned estate just outside Ballynahinch. The estate was purchased by the Wilson family in 1994 and extensively renovated. It has been extensively renovated and is open to the public with a stunningly good café, beautiful shop, gardens and event venue, which is very busy hosting stylish weddings. Lunch at Montalto was absolutely stunning – such beautiful food made with great integrity and attention to the provenance of ingredients used. A visit here is an absolute must – it is such a beautiful spot to explore and enjoy some delicious food and stylish shopping.

Mill Bay Oysters

What to eat

This beautiful corner or Northern Ireland is rich in sensational produce. Seaweed, shellfish and dairy are all superb in this part of the world, and there is a whole host of innovation amongst small independent producers in Northern Ireland.

Some highlights from this trip include sensational Mill Bay Oysters – huge Carlingford Lough oysters with an amazingly fresh, clean flavour were very special indeed. Mill Bay Oysters are part of Rooney Fish based in Kilkeel, who harvest and export top-grade seafood and shellfish all over the world. I just hope more restaurants can serve it locally, so it can be enjoyed more in situ.

Simply Scampi

We also tried some fabulous scampi from Simply Scampi (@simplyscampi), based in Portavogie. Ryan and Ben take the sweetest, freshest langoustines fresh from the harbour and fry them in the lightest, crispiest batter. They are utterly scrumptious – do look out for them popping up at events all over Northern Ireland – they are unmissable.

The butter in this part of the world is sublime, and I urge you to track down (it’s not difficult) Abernethy butters. They are based in Dromara and hand churn and roll fresh cream to make these beautiful fresh, clean butters. They are sold widely in delis and independent shops across Northern Ireland. I always stock up on a stash to take home.

Sizzling Dexter beef from Castle Screen Farm

Castle Screen Farm at Downpatrick produces some seriously delicious Dexter beef, which is sold from the farmhouse and local farmers markets including Hillsborough, Downpatrick and Newcastle markets. This is a lovely farm, run by Damien and Jackie, and they produce some really great meat from well cared for cattle. Watch out for their farm shop, opening on the farm soon.

There are some delicious apple-based products in this part of the world, and some fantastic Armagh apple juices and ciders. We tried the delicious Kilmegan ciders made by Andrew Boyd, who has a really lovely crisp style of production, which is made using native apple varieties, sourced from counties Down, Armagh and Tipperary, and make using a traditional rack and cloth press in Dundrum. Andrew has won a whole host of awards for his delicious ciders.

Lunch at the Harbour Inn

We had a delicious lunch at the Harbour Inn in Annalong – a sweet little fishing village. This water-front inn was utterly charming – with the warmest of welcomes and delicious local seafood on the menu. This was followed by a very nice dinner at Brunel’s in Newcastle. This is a wonderfully atmospheric restaurant – a really lovely destination for a special dinner – cooking local produce with imagination and ambition.

Dinner at Brunel’s

I can’t recommend a trip to the Mourne Mountains enough. It is such a mesmerizingly beautiful, charming and spirited corner of Northern Ireland. We left enchanted. I do hope to get back to this most special place very soon.

Thank you so much for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Food NI for inviting me on this trip. Some of the experiences were covered by them, and some were paid for my me personally.

Filed Under: Foodie Guides Tagged With: Best food County Down, Country Down, Foodie Guide Northern Ireland, Mourne Mountains, Newcastle, Newry Mourne & Down, Slieve Donard, Where to eat Northern Ireland

A Foodie Guide to Belfast

14 April 2019 By Charlotte Pike Leave a Comment

Belfast City and docks

I have recently returned from another delicious trip to Belfast. It’s been nearly two years since I last visited, and this time, I spent a weekend in the city on my own to relax and enjoy some seriously good food and drink. This is a city experiencing a boom in tourist numbers and enjoying some redevelopment that goes with it. Every time I visit, I find there is a wealth of new shops, cafes and restaurants to visit. But what I love so much about this vibrant city is the energy and creativity. There are so many interesting developments on the food scene, it is so worth a visit, if you haven’t been already, and if you’ve left it a while, you’ll find so much to see and do here that may have opened since last time.

St George’s Market

What to do 

Ask anyone what a foodie should do in Belfast and I’ll bet St. George’s Market will be the first suggestion. This market runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week, selling fresh produce, including fish, Broughgammon goat, cheeses, breads, seaweed, fruit and vegetables and hot food stalls, selling breakfast rolls, sweet treats, burgers and curries. This is not exclusively a food market though. You’ll find all sorts of other things for sale here alongside food, from pictures to clothing to crafts. This is a great spot to visit for a wander to acquaint yourself with some lovely local food producers, stock up some shopping and some food on the go.

St George’s Market

Belfast city centre is pretty compact, and easy to walk around. Take a look at City Hall, head over to Victoria Square for some shopping, or even walk out along the river to the new Titanic Quarter to see the superb Titanic Belfast museum and Game of Thrones Exhibition at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, which runs until 1stSeptember.

Evening entertainment options are plentiful. Try the Crown Bar for a drink in this very special pub, or visit the Opera House, as I did, as the National Theatre were in town on tour. 

Belfast city centre, as seen from Grand Central

Where to stay

Belfast city centre has seen a significant increase in the provision of luxury hotel accommodation in recent years, so this time, I decided to visit Grand Central, which had not opened on my last visit two years ago. Grand Central opened in 2018 on Bedford Street, following extensive renovation of the site and the construction of a 23-story tower hotel.

Owned by the Hastings Hotel Group, this is the newest hotel in their portfolio of hotels in Northern Ireland. It is certainly impressive – the slick, modern and opulent ground floor reception sets the tone nicely. I was welcomed very warmly by the charming door and reception staff and whizzed up in the lift to my suite on the 22ndfloor – the highest floor on which bedrooms are situated.

The birds eye view of the city, docks and surrounding hills was really special and must be one of the most commanding viewpoints in all of the city. In fact, I pulled up an armchair and sat down to take it all in with a cup of tea – it is that good!

Suite at Grand Central

My suite at Grand Central was wonderfully comfortable, with, frankly, more room than I could ever need on my own — a huge, comfortable bed, desk, sofas, kitchen area and more. The bathroom was small, but very smart with a good shower, bath and lovely ESPA toiletries to enjoy.

I had a free day ahead of me in Belfast to enjoy, and I was able to check in early and drop my luggage, and, being located so centrally, I could pop back throughout the day to drop shopping off very easily. I had a great day walking around the city, and popped back for a relaxing soak before heading up to floor 23 to the Observatory for a cocktail to start the evening.

Observatory

Set on the top floor of the building, tables need to be reserved in advance. My reservation was quite early (6:30pm), and there were some guests lingering after enjoying afternoon tea when I arrived for a cocktail. The views are really wonderful, and this is a very elegant, atmospheric space that is made for celebrating a special occasion, or just a treat. I sat in the window, looking at the lights across the city and sipping my delicious tequila cocktail. Staff were extremely friendly, helpful and well-acquainted with the menu. Cocktails are well made and attractively presented.

Dinner and breakfast were taken in the Seahorse restaurant on the first floor. I ate on my own, sitting by the window, watching the bustle in Belfast city on a Saturday night. Whilst I enjoy eating alone on the rare occasions I do so, my only disappointment here was that I had no-one to share with – it was genuinely difficult deciding what to eat from a very enticing menu.

The Seahorse

In the end, I chose a steak, because the steaks on the menu here are from Peter Hannan, of Hannan Meats in Moira, who I and many others, consider to be one of the finest meat purveyors in the UK. But, before that, I chose the roasted local scallops with a Jerusalem artichoke velouté and black olive oil for a starter. The scallops were served halved, and perfectly cooked, wonderfully sweet and juicy, and served with a savoury, richly flavoured velouté. A lovely combination of ingredients and a wonderfully light, umami-rich starter.

So, back to the beef for my main course. Hannan’s beef is Glenarm shorthorn beef, which is aged in his Himalayan salt chamber, which I visited on my last trip. This sirloin steak at the Seahorse was cooked perfectly, and served with an excellent green peppercorn sauce, lovely crisp chips and a superb watercress salad with fine slivers of red onion and a wonderful slightly sweet punchy dressing.

Hannan’s Sirloin steak at The Seahorse

When a classic dish is so well executed with such fine ingredients, it is far from a safe choice. I’m afraid I couldn’t manage a pudding. This was a fantastic spot for a great meal, and really manages to balance feeling special, yet informal. Service was friendly, professional and charming.

Sunday morning breakfast at Grand Central

Breakfast the next morning was also in the Seahorse. Again, staff were wonderfully friendly and chatty, welcoming me and settling me in with coffee and weekend newspapers. The breakfast is self-service, with hot food prepared in the kitchen and served from the pass. After an initial scan of what was available, I was amazed by how much local produce was on offer. Sausages, bacon, bread, yoghurt, apple juice, honey, oats and more are all from small independent producers in Northern Ireland. I was also really impressed with the quality of everything I ate – the fruit was delicious, at the right stage of ripeness and carefully cut into generous chunks. The Clandeboye yoghurt I had with the fruit was wonderfully rich and creamy. And the local eggs, sausages and bacon were really high quality and skilfully cooked. Juices were very high quality, including freshly squeezed orange and Armagh apple juices. Genuinely, it was a really excellent hotel breakfast and very memorable.

Honestly, I wouldn’t hesitate to return to Grand Central on my next trip – it made for a highly comfortable and relaxing stay, with some great local food and drink.

Where else to eat

There is plenty of choice in the city centre. My first stop for a cup of coffee is in the excellent Bullitt hotel café. Their coffee is first rate and it’s a very pleasant place to sit and have a break.

Coffee at the Bullitt

For lunch (or indeed dinner), I like Yugo for its delicious Asian flavours, from pho to dumplings. Coppi comes very highly recommended for its Italian chichetti, pizetta, pasta and risotto. The Muddlers Club is a great spot for dinner, with some seriously creative and sublimely delicious dishes on its ever-changing menu.

I have also really enjoyed visits to EIPIC, OX, Mourne Seafood, Deanes Meat Locker, Noble in Hollywood, Deanes at Queens, and SHU on previous occasions, and would happily visit any one of them again.

Co Couture hot chocolate

Where to shop for food

I am not known for my sweet tooth, but Co Couture is a must on every trip to Belfast. This amazing independent chocolate shop has won many awards, and makes an exquisite hot chocolate. Deirdre also sells some lovely fresh bread, pastries and chocolatey treats from this charming little shop.

Mike’s Fancy Cheese shop is a lovely new cheese shop on Little Donegall Street, selling his own cheese, Young Buck, and a range of excellent Irish cheeses and accompaniments.

Sawers

Sawers is a very well-established deli in Belfast city centre. I am not sure I have visited a deli with more stock than this one – it has quite an astonishing amount of choice, but it is a great place to visit to stock up on lovely local produce, including Abernethy butter, Suki Tea, Broighter Gold rapeseed oil, local charcuterie, local seaweed and much, much more.

Getting there

There are two airports in Belfast, and UK regional flights use both airports, depending on the airline. City airport is very close to the city centre, but International is around half an hour away. Taxis are usually easy to come by, and there is also a very good public bus into the city, which costs £2.50 a way from City airport and takes around 15 minutes.

My stay at Grand Central was generously provided as their guest, but I paid for everything else myself in full.

Filed Under: Foodie Guides, Uncategorized Tagged With: Belfast, Belfast Hotels, Belfast restaurants, Best coffee Belfast, Grand Central Belfast, Where to eat Belfast, Where to stay Belfast

A Foodie Guide to the Caribbean

17 January 2018 By Charlotte Pike Leave a Comment

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Carlyle Bay, Barbados

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have a last minute opportunity to visit the Caribbean with P&O Cruises on a 14-night cruise.

I’ve always dreamed of visiting, having admired photos of sun-drenched beaches, windswept palm trees, white sand and crystal clear turquoise sea for years. I’ve longed to try the huge array of fresh fruit and spices, freshly picked from the trees, and to sample the many different kinds of rum.

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With just a couple of weeks to get organised and head off on a whistle-stop tour of ten Caribbean islands, I spent as much time as I could reading up to make the most of the time on each island. A Caribbean cruise can be whatever you want it to be – if sunbathing on deck is your thing, then you will be able to enjoy hours of relaxation in the sun. We wanted to try and see as much of each island as we could, which was a pretty exhausting experience, but we felt, really worth it.

So, here is my Foodie Guide to the Caribbean. As there is a lot to cover, I’ll start with the Cruise with P&O, then a guide to each island, and finally some travel tips that I wish I’d known in advance. I hope you enjoy… I loved it so much; I’m already planning a return visit.

Azura

Azura

The Caribbean Cruise

Our cruise was a fly cruise in and out of Barbados, where we joined our ship, Azura for a round trip. There is a choice of UK airport departures to Barbados, and we flew from Birmingham on a TUI chartered flight. The service is easy – one simply needs to print luggage tags, and when suitcases are deposited at the airport, they are taken directly to the ship cabin on arrival. We had to wait several hours for our case to arrive, but it was nice to simply walk off the plane with hand luggage and head off to the ship after a long flight.

We flew in to Barbados, and were taken off on small minibuses to join the ship, which was docked in Bridgetown; around 45 minutes drive away from the airport. We boarded the ship as soon as we arrived and were docked in Barbados for around 48 hours before setting sail.

Over the course of the cruise, we visited nine islands, with a private trip to Mustique taking us up to ten islands. We had three days at sea and returned to Barbados for a final half day before flying home.

Our accommodation on the ship was a Double room with a balcony on A deck. It was cosy and comfortable – although the smallest cabin we have ever stayed in – so we have been used to more space on other trips on D deck. We had a table and chair and armchair instead of a sitting area in a larger cabin, and a smaller balcony with two chairs and a small table. Our bathroom had one shower cubicle instead of a bath with shower over it. It was small, but perfectly adequate and comfortable. One of the great luxuries of a cruise is only having to unpack the suitcases once during the trip, and having a private base from which one does not have to move during the holiday.

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Azura is one of the largest ships in the P&O fleet. It is a family friendly ship, although there were very few children on our cruise. We were definitely amongst the youngest guests on board. On board, there is a good choice of facilities and experiences, which is particularly important if one wants things to do on sea days, aside from sunbathing. We particularly enjoyed visiting the gym, the swimming pools, had a go at a couple of dance classes and enjoyed seeing some of the live music and the Headliners Theatre company. Some classes and talks are available at an additional cost or are associated with product sales.

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Food is an important element of all P&O Cruises and we were generally very impressed with the food on board. The choice on board is very good, and we found the food was abundant, tasty, fresh and served with a smile. Breakfast is taken in different locations depending on the package. The entry level is the buffet restaurant, which is open throughout the day and evening, offering a wide choice from a self-service buffet. Guests booked into an evening restaurant will be able to enjoy breakfast there, which is a more formal affair with table service for a leisurely breakfast. Suite passengers are able to enjoy breakfast at a fine dining restaurant, which is really lovely. We tried all the breakfast options, and possibly unsurprisingly, the fine dining restaurant was our favourite with delicious freshly made smoothies, smoked salmon bagels our top picks.

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We only ate lunch on sea days, but when we did, we really enjoyed visiting the buffet, as there was such a choice, we liked picking what we fancied from cooked dishes, salads, charcuterie, seafood, cheeses and fruit. There is also a grab and go option on deck, with pizzas and fried food, such as burgers, chips and goujons on offer every day in unlimited quantities. There is also a sit down option in the main restaurants for a more leisurely lunch with waiter service.

Dinner is an opportunity to dress up every night, and we had four formal nights throughout our cruise with a black tie dress code and special gala dinner menu. There are two fine dining restaurants on board – Epicurian, which serves a three course Modern British menu, featuring some quality British produce in a very smart, formal setting. There is also Sindhu, an Indian fine dining restaurant, whose menu is designed by Michelin starred chef, Atul Kochhar. Both restaurants offer a very nice experience, with a more special setting and more creative food than elsewhere on board. There is an additional cover charge for dining here, in the region of £25-30 per head, excluding drinks.

When booking, there is the choice to either pre-book your dinner for the same time every night – either the early or late sitting, for the same table in the same restaurant every night, or to select what is called Freedom Dining, which allows you to visit your dedicated restaurant at a time of your choosing every night. We opted for the latter, which gave us the opportunity to be more flexible with regards to time. This option worked really well for us. Our designated restaurant offered a five course menu each night, with plenty of choice for more traditional and adventurous tastes. We generally really enjoyed the food and especially enjoyed the service, which was really wonderful and enhanced our experience no end.

The service in general on board Azura was excellent – cabin stewards, restaurant staff, housekeeping staff – they really did go out of their way to be friendly, courteous and helpful. 

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Barbados

Barbados is a wonderfully colourful island. It’s so green and the first thing that catches your eye when arriving is the vibrant colours of the amazing palm trees and bright pink and purple bougainvillea, oleander and hibiscus flowers.

Bridgetown

Bridgetown

The capital, Bridgetown, is comparatively large, and is a busy town with lots of shops and markets. The town is based around a sea inlet, called the Careenage, which runs into the heart of the town, which has a board walk running along part of it, which is lovely to walk along.

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You’ll find a good number of food stalls selling Bajan food by the roadside, which might include pies made from sweet potato, pudding and souse, cou-cou, a cornmeal purée, and seafood, including crab and lobster. The local beer is Banks beer, which is sold on stalls in the street, too. You may even hear the horn of a man on a bicycle coming around selling snow cones. Bajan rum is very good and distilled on the island. Mount Gay is my favourite, but you will also find Doorly’s and Cockspur widely available.

Nearby Carlyle Bay (see photo at the top) is a popular spot for snorkeling. We had to head quite far out to see the turtles – we booked on a turtle snorkel trip (costing £90) and didn’t see any, then went out further ourselves and saw a huge number. The beach at Carlyle Bay is very good, too. We preferred to head away from the crowds to the less populated end, but if you don’t want to walk far, there are lots of places to stop with shaded sun loungers, cold drinks and music. Expect to pay around 10USD for a lounger and 5USD for drinks.

Antigua

Antigua is a beautiful green island with gorgeous rocky bays and sandy beaches. The water is pale turquoise and it’s very hot and slightly humid. The capital, St. John’s is ramshackle and colourful with very friendly people.

St. John's, Antigua

St. John’s, Antigua

There are a couple of notable buildings to see in the town and the newly restored cathedral is worth a look. There is a large food market at the east of the town, which is packed full of stalls selling sweet potato, pumpkin, spring onions, fresh herbs, chillies, bananas, mangoes and pineapple. Look out for black pineapples, which are grown on Antigua.

The beaches are really special, and there are lots of interesting things to see in the sea, too, so do try the snorkeling if you’re that way inclined.

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St. Kitts

St Kitts and its sister island Nevis are lush green islands with dramatic volcanic peaks, colourful buildings and fields of sugar cane.

Basseterre is the largest town on the island, and where the airport and ports are located. It’s a really small town and is easily walkable.

Shops dock at Port Zante, which is in Basseterre. It’s a touristy port area with plenty of shops and a few bars, and I’d recommend passing through quickly and heading to the town for a look around. There are some lovely colourful buildings in town, and there are some particularly interesting examples on Princes Street. Independence Square and the Immaculate Conception Church are worth exploring.

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You’ll find plenty of street stalls selling freshly cut coconuts and fresh produce including spring onions, squash, thyme and sweet potatoes.

Highlights on the island are the St Kitt’s Railway, although it is hard to book tickets, Brimstone Hill Fortress, the Wingfield Estate and Caribelle Batik, which are all within easy reach by car from Basseterre.

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Dominican Republic

Our port of call here was Amber Cove, a new and purpose built facility around 20 minutes drive from Puerto Plata on the north coast. It is very smart and modern with good facilities. There is a nice beach nearby, which is best for a walk, rather than to sunbathe, and we took a ride along on horses, which was fun. We also walked down to Maimón, a nearby village which is famous for its fish restaurants. The roads, however, leaving Amber Cove are not set up for pedestrians, and a walk may not be suitable for all.

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We did, however, head into Puerto Plata and on an off-road driving adventure in the rainforest, which was great fun. We drove through huge puddles deep into the rainforest, where we stopped for a drink from fresh coconuts (cigars, optional!) and a dip in the ferociously wavy sea, before heading back for rum, DFC (Dominican Fried Chicken – so good) and fried plantain, washed down with pineapple wine and Chey Chey, an amazingly potent brew made from rum infused with whole spices.

I just loved the fusion of Latino and Caribbean culture on this island, having spent time living in Spain and travelling in Latin America. The beautiful Caribbean island is Spanish speaking and has embraced the thumping beats of Latino music in almost every bar, shop, café, and car. I just loved it.

There is so much more to do across the island, and indeed Puerto Plata. I recommend the cable car to Loma Isabel de Torres, San Felipe Fortress and Ocean World.

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Guadeloupe

This was the first French Overseas Territory we visited (known in France as DOM/TOM). It’s formed of two islands, separated by the Rivière Salée and joined by a road crossing. It is heavily populated in its capital, Pointe-à-Pitre, which is where we docked, and those familiar with France will notice that the road signs, cars, shops, banks, and many services are identical to those in mainland France.

Our excursion for the morning was to visit Parc des Mamelles, a zoo in the rainforest. We headed out into the rainforest on Basse Terre, stopping to admire bananas, pineapples and guava growing. The scenery is lush and verdant, and the beaches, sublime.

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Crayfish river in the rainforest on Basse Terre

Downtown Pointe-à-Pitre is worth a walk for its colourful buildings and nice cafés, and the main square positively buzzing with music and market stalls. Whilst one can find a good espresso and French wine (although it is comparatively pricy) in a café, try the Ti Punch, which is a wonderful local rum punch, made from rum, sugarcane syrup and a dash of lime juice. The local food is more creole than French, and look out for lots of fish, including red snapper with passion fruit sauce, stewed conch, boudin creole sausage, accra and codfish croquettes.

The nearest beach to the port is around 10 minutes drive away. We spent the afternoon in the newly opened Memorial ACTe Museum, which was awarded European Museum of the Year in 2017. It was absolutely spectacular and hugely informing and moving. The museum tells the story of slavery in the Caribbean and uses the lessons of history to inspire the future and it is just brilliant. The presentation is thought provoking, mesmerizing and engrossing. Go, if you can.

Pitons, St. Lucia

Pitons, St. Lucia

St Lucia

St Lucia is the second largest of the four Windward Islands, with dramatic mountain peaks, dense forest and extraordinarily beautiful green landscapes. Our port in St Lucia was Castries, the island’s capital. Here, there are buzzing markets, both indoor and outdoor, and a beach a short walk from the port.

Sapphire Falls

Sapphire Falls

We headed out to the Pitons, the iconic volcanic spines, which rise out of the sea on the west side of the island. It’s a long and winding drive to get there, but the views are brilliant. From there, we trekked up to the rainforest to Sapphire Falls, an incredible waterfall and natural mud baths at the summit. It was quite the experience to cover ourselves with natural mud and relax in the hot spring water to soak it off.

Mourne Coubaril Estate

Mourne Coubaril Estate

We also visited a chocolate plantation nearby at Mourne Coubaril Estate, where we saw a rich array of produce growing on trees, including cocoa pods, arabica coffee beans, bananas, lemongrass and were given a coconut cutting demonstration, where we tasted the sweetest coconuts I’ve ever come across.

Anse Mitan, Martinique

Anse Mitan, Martinique

Martinique

Martinique was the second French Dom/Tom island on our itinerary. We arrived in Fort-de-France early in the morning, and headed out by road to the Carbet mountains for a walk in the rainforest, which was extraordinary. The vegetation is dense and lush, and being so high up, there were regular, heavy downpours, including a real deluge whilst we were in the rainforest. The flora is just wonderful on Martinique, and we took a drive around the island’s north side, past Mont Pelée, the active volcano that devastated the island when it erupted in 1902, killing 30,000 in just three minutes.

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Heading into the rainforest in the Carbet Mountains

We returned back to Fort-de-France for the afternoon. This is a really built up city, with a large population and all the services one would expect in a large French town, with shopping centres, cinemas and even a Galeries Lafayette.

We took the boat from the main quay across to Pointe du Bout and visited Anse Mitan, which is a really beautiful beach across the harbour from Fort-de-France. We used the Vedettes Tropicales service, which was very reliable, and tickets cost around 7 Euros each for a return. There were three services an hour when we visited, and the boats did run on time. There are other beaches really worth visiting on their routes, but we chose Anse Mitan as it was the quickest to get to, and it was glorious. We sunbathed in the shade of palm trees, snorkeled with amazing fish and even found a shipwreck to explore. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Martinique is quite special amongst the Caribbean islands because it is so natural and unspoilt. Pesticides are not permitted, so everything is very natural and wild in a very beautiful way. It is also much tidier than other islands, where litter is a real problem, especially in the Dominican Republic, where rubbish is discarded anywhere and everywhere.

Grenada

Grenada

Grenada

Our next stop was Grenada, which is known as the Spice Isle, due to the abundance of fresh spices growing across the island. Their scent hangs heavily in the air.

We docked in St. George’s and again took a drive up into the mountains to the Grand Etang National Park, where we trekked to a waterfall for a swim and warmed up with some seriously strong rum punches afterwards.

Waterfall swimming

Waterfall swimming

The trees were laden with cocoa pods and spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, bay leaves and cloves. The nutmeg, for example, were huge, dark and rich in scented oils. Quite different to the ones we find in the supermarket back home. Naturally, I stocked up from local stallholders.

Nutmeg growing on Grenada

Nutmeg growing on Grenada

Heading back to St. George’s, we had a look around the town, which is really interesting, and then took a taxi down to Grand Anse beach. This beach was just picture perfect and we had a truly magical few hours swimming and relaxing. Grand Anse is regarded as one of the finest beaches on the island and is around 15 minutes drive from St. George’s.

St. Vincent 

We arrived in to Kingstown very early in the morning. This was the only place we really experienced rain, and so the view was obscured when we first arrived. Fortunately, the clouds cleared and the steep hills and colourful buildings in Kingstown were revealed. It is a most enchanting town.

Mustique

Mustique

We didn’t stay for long though, as we headed off on a private tour of Mustique. Mustique is a tiny island in the Grendadines, famous four its privacy and A-list inhabitants. It took around 90 minutes by boat to get to Mustique, sailing south past Bequia, and enjoying a couple of rum punches on the journey.

Some of the more visible houses on Mustique

Some of the more visible houses on Mustique

We docked in Britannia Bay and took a private tour if the island by car. It is just the most magical island. Home to some of the most famous and wealthy individuals in the world, including Mich Jagger, Bryan Adams and Tommy Hilfiger, for example. Britannia Bay is home to Basil’s Bar, the famous beach side bar, which is currently closed and being rebuilt, operating as a tiny pop up until Spring 2018.

Downtown Mustique - the island's shops

Downtown Mustique – the island’s shops

Perched above the Bay is The View, which is a good place to have lunch. The other option is the Cotton House Hotel inland. Wherever you go, do be sure to book ahead, as they only prepare enough food for pre-booked guests.

The island is very small, private and quiet, and of course, kept in immaculate condition. There is hardly any traffic, just three taxis on the island, and most people whizz around on Clubman buggies. It’s so quite, there are dozens of tortoises quietly plodding around, and you’ll see them all over the island.

Macaroni Beach

Macaroni Beach

There are some lovely beaches on the island, and we visited Macaroni Beach and Les Jolies Eaux, both of which were fantastic. The sea is so unspoilt and richly populated with turtles, fish and reefs, which made for wonderful snorkeling.

There is a high level of security on the island, and it’s so quiet and private, you need not worry about leaving your bag on the beach and going for a swim. Everything about Mustique is pure bliss. If you get the chance to go, then grab the opportunity with both hands. You will see just why this is such a favourite island.

Travel tips

We mostly took tours organised by P&O Cruises, which we booked on board. There is a really wide range of excursions available, depending on your interests and level of fitness. They were generally priced around £50 for a half day, up to over £100 for a full day, per person.

Whilst not cheap, we generally enjoyed the tours, and found they offered us an easy way to see some of the island. There are always taxis waiting at the ports to collect tourists, but they are also expensive, and we did get ripped off in St. Kitts, which was frustrating.

When touring several islands, it’s generally the easiest option to take US Dollars with you. The Caribbean islands take different currencies from island to island, but everywhere accepts USD. As Guadeloupe and Martinique are French overseas territories, the Euro is their legal tender. I have heard people use pre-paid currency cards, which work well. As we were staying on ship, most of our purchases were smaller and lower in value, so small denomination notes were most useful for tips, refreshments and small purchases from markets, where USD are accepted, but change cannot be given. Supermarkets and larger shops do keep USD change.

Watch out for poisonous plants, such as manchineel, which is found near the coastline on many islands. It is really poisonous and one should be careful to avoid it. Do not touch it, eat or pick the fruit, or stand underneath it in the rain, as the sap is poisonous. Do search for a photo to help identify it. We nearly sat under them a few times on the beach when searching for shade. Sometimes, the trunks are painted with a red stripe as a warning.

December is really the best time to visit the Caribbean weather-wise. We visited at the end of November, which was still warm – around 30 degrees every day. We did encounter some rain, but much less than can be experienced at this time of year.

We travelled to the Caribbean as guests of P&O Cruises. We paid for all our excursions and almost all onboard spending ourselves.

Filed Under: Foodie Guides, Uncategorized Tagged With: Antigua, Barbados, Caribbean, Caribbean Cruise, Caribbean Cruise P&O, Caribbean what to eat, Dominican Republic, Fly Cruise, Foodie guide to the Caribbean, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mustique, Nevis, P&O Cruise review, P&O Cruises, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent

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About Charlotte

Charlotte Pike, award-winning cookbook author, cookery teacher and chef.

Author of five bestselling cookery books, leading independent cookery teacher and private chef, running Charlotte's Kitchen catering company. Charlotte is also the current Chair of the Guild of Food Writers.

Charlotte is known for her recipes that really work, and as a professionally trained chef who writes about food.

Charlotte lives in the English countryside and is passionate about great home cooking using the best seasonal ingredients.

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