How often do you get the chance to live in Venice? I find myself with six weeks in this sublime city where I am looking after some apartments for the Contessa Enrica Rocca and her dog Soya. The Contessa also runs her own cookery schools in Venice, London and South Africa and has invited me along on a few of her markets tours and cookery evenings. She has written a beautiful book too which is full of her collection of plates and serving bowls full of her gorgeous food.
Firstly we spent the morning in the Fish Market underneath the Rialto Bridge. I’ve always loved this market but in the past it felt somewhat intimidating. Yes it’s all glassy eyed and fresh but that’s to an non Venetian. So much of the seafood that I see I don’t have the slightest idea what to do with it or importantly whether I am getting Venetian prices or Tourist prices. Enrica haggles and barters in a way that I hadn’t seen since I lived in Jordan. What I love about buying food like this is the poking and prodding, the smelling. In the UK we seem to have such a “Keep off the grass” mentality that we don’t mind our food being incarcerated in packaging. Europeans have to taste before they buy, have to smell, bring it up to the nose, feel it sensually otherwise how will they know what they are getting?. We buy our provisions and head down a sunless alley and into what looks like a shipping container where I am told are the best fruit and vegetables in the city. We poke, prod and taste more before deciding on the menu for the day. That is true skill of cooking to be able to look at one is on offer that day and bring together a recipe. More shopping, less cooking. Buy the best produce at the best price and your work is done.
Mols and Soya
On the way back to the Contessa’s palazzo we stop off for prosecco and cicchetti. Now that’s what I call shopping! www.enricarocca.com
For the next six weeks I shall be working aboard Gaasten with old friend and skipper Tim. We are sailing from Alesund on one week trips around the Norwegian Fjords. I’m looking forward to cooking with new ingredients.
Navigation from saebo
Handy tips so far are don’t give skiers chocolate bars head up in to the Mountains with. They get too cold to bite in to. One of our seasoned cross country ski guests shared her recipes for flapjack with me. It was like no flapjack that I had ever had in the UK which i find is often bland or sickly sweet. This was a cornucopia of the tastiest seeds, nuts and dried fruit. I have been rejigging the recipe all week and have made four different varieties each, I think, better than the last. Where I have really excelled myself though has been in the discovery of THE best ever sauce for Deer. I began with all the usual suspects; onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary and a bay leaf but then went off piste with the addition of almost a handful of juniper. I added star anise and orange later and the classically Scandinavian finish of cream rather than butter.
Heading out of the Fjord
It was intense, dark and almost smokey. If you closed your eyes you could taste a Norwegian woodland. I think I may have added a cube of 70% Choc at the end to create that silky feel.
Sometimes I think you really have to be in a country to cook it’s food. You have to smell it, see it and touch it before you can begin to understand how it needs to taste. The Norwegians loved it and we ended the cruise with a heady mixture of Aquavit and Whiskey.
Trolls of Gaasten
Tim, Tash and I spent the last day climbing the hill near Alesund, where I finally saw my White Tailed Sea Eagle, before heading to town to buy jumpers and pose with Trolls. I think we are beginning to look more like Trolls each day.
Saturday 19th We left Oban and headed for Loch na droma Buidhe on Mull. It was a beautifully calm evening, low lying clouds festooned the trees along  the shoreline. Dinner aboard
Sunday 20th After breakfast we left the Loch and headed to Canna arriving shortly after lunch where guests went ashore for afternoon strolls in the July sunshine. Dinner aboard although Canna now boasts a restaurant and rather good community shop.
Monday 21st Lulu was up early to pull up the anchor and leave before breakfast heading straight out past Heisker rocks and on to Mingulay spotting common dolphins on the way. My first run ashore on Mingulay and the island is so much more lovely than it even looks from a distance. It is alive with history and wild flowers from the top of the cliffs at Blulacraig I sat in the sunshine reading my book occasionally passengers and crew would wander  stopping to say hello surprised to find each other again. Back onboard at 17.00 and off to Vatersay bay for the evening
Tuesday 22nd Guests ashore for the morning and just before 2pm we lifted the anchor and had a short trip to Castelbay on Barra, once a prosperous herring port boasting over 400 boats. Myself and Lu tied up alongside the pier, watched with interest and amusement by a group of elderly male inhabitants who then praised us for our tying up abilities! Ashore. It seemed that nearly everyone headed for the fudge and toffee tearooms where a great deal of icecream and tablet was partaken. As if I don’t feed them enough! Anchored in the bay for the evening
Wednesday 23rd The sun was shining and the sky a vibrant blue when we upped anchor and turned Northwards along the eastern side of the Outer Hebrides being accompanied at first by a small solitary common dolphin. Many more dolphins enroute. It’s not often that we  spend a full day at sea but the consensus from passengers and crew was that it was too lovely to do anything other than bimble along sunning ourselves on deck. Diaries were written, tea and biscuits consumed and wildlife watched so that by the time we arrived in Borve Bay we were wonderfully relaxed and ready for dinner from me and tunes from Lulu. The weather is gloriously hot and we are all a rosier version of our former selves.
Thursday 24th Early start as we headed north again to the Monachs. One of our passengers has a particular interest in the Islands as her Grandmother was lady who locked the lighthouse door on Shillay when the light was turned off in the last 30’s
Saturday 26th After breakfast we all went ashore to sample the delights of this pretty village. Oddly it’s sometimes difficult to spot passengers ashore as we all take on a ‘land’ persona but the ones that Lu and I managed to spot where in tearooms with rather nice looking cookies Back aboard for 11’s and chocolate and the Crew all witnessed a White Tail Sea Eagle fly right overhead. I’ve heard them called flying barndoors and I now understand why.
We left Tob (as the locals call it) after lunch and rounded the north of Mull to run past Calgary Bay and down to Ulva and Gometra where we all spotted Goldies and Whities. A lovely anchorage with Staffa just visible through the gap.
Hjalmar and Skerryvore Lighthouse
Sunday 27th Headed out around Staffa and on to Bac Mor or the Dutchman’s cap as it is known, it looks to me more like a submarine or a whale, on to the Trishnish Isles and back past Calgary. Lu told me that this beautiful beach was the departure point for many Islanders during the land clearances in the 1700’s  In to the sound of Mull which was a more comfortable route than going south and around the Ross of Mull. Lunch on the hoof and dinner aboard in Loch Spelvie. Complete with a Birthday Cake and music from Lu.
A fabulous trip with such a lot of variety. Many Thanks to all the passengers who were so wonderfully helpful and who myself and Lu couldn’t keep out of the galley. It was a great pleasure to sail with you all and you are welcome back anytime! Thank you
I’m over the moon to be cooking for the Northern Light Cruising Company this year. I shall spend the Summer bimbling about the Outer Hebrides and hopefully get to StKilda, which has been a dream of mine since I read Island at the Edge of the World as a teenager. I am working aboard an old Norwegian Rescue Boat called Hjalmar Bjorge.
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