• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Midnight plane to Georgia: Part One

March 30, 2012 1 Comment Filed Under: Uncategorized

At Gatwick I squinted at the Aerosvit sign. It was a cheapo airline, an offshoot of International Ukrainian Airways. Groan. My cankles can’t handle it, I live in fear of DVT. Channelling my dad (in his day a very cheeky reporter who I’m sure the Leveson enquiry would disapprove of) I shouldered my way to the front of our bloggers troupe.
Clearing my throat, I announced to the Black-haired Slavic cheek-boned check-in hostess “We are the British delegation of press and wine experts come to your country to report on the wine trade. This has been arranged by the agricultural minister who we will be meeting tomorrow morning.” A beat. “Can we have an upgrade?”
The woman looked at me very seriously.“I vill ask. Please vait.” She disappears into a back room.
Fuck me, I thought, it’s worked! I wink at the others. She returns.“I am sorry but business class is full. But I can give you free pens and note pads with logo.”

Leg room. 

The flight was terrible: it should be outlawed to have less than a certain amount of leg room. The air conditioning wasn’t working and they had no vegetarian meal for me. I also think they were tight with the oxygen, I could barely breathe. (They cut back on it in Economy as it uses up fuel). They brought around drinks.
“Vot vould you like?” asked the impassive male steward.
“Got anything Ukrainian?” I rally chirpily.
“We have vine.”
“Is it Ukrainian?”
“No.”
“We have beer.”
“Is it Ukrainian?”
“No”
I spy a carton of apple juice with Cyrillic writing.
“I’ll have apple juice.”He serves me.
“Delicious!”I announce “Is it Ukrainian?”
He stares at me, not knowing what to think. Eventually he cracks an almost imperceptible smile. “No. It is international. Apple juice like everyvere”. And moves on.
Well I had to find something to entertain myself during four hours of plane hell. I suppose I could have tried doodling in the Aerosvit pad with the Aerosvit pen, but my breath was too short.

My food:some kind of fish, carrots, slice of mushroom, broccoli. Carrot/walnut salad with two sticks of celery. Two buns. 1 tube of jam. I triangle of processed cheese. I made a walnut/carrot/processed cheese sandwich. Very nice. Which I seasoned with salt and pepper. Flights diminish your taste buds; you need to flavour food more strongly.

The hostess comes with a cobbled together non-meaty tray.
“No dessert” she states “the dessert is….”she hesitates, looking for a polite way to say inedible…“not food” she shrugs.
We have a three hour stopover in Kiev, Ukraine. Does Chicken Kiev come from Kiev? I ponder for the first time. Possibly.
The flight to Tbilisi is more pleasant, I’m sat in the front row. Again no food, they only have a ham sandwich.
At Tbilisi airport, waiting for my rackety pink suitcase, I sneeze. A man behind me thumps me on the back several times. I look at him.
“In Georgia it is traditional when someone…I don’t know what is called”he mimes sneezing.
“Sneezes?”
“This.”He nods.“We bang on the back three times”
“Thank you”.
We drive through the city. There is extraordinary modern architecture: a train station like an armadillo, a strange sparkling bridge. And traditional: churches, mosques, elegant large houses with intricate balconies lit up in different colours. Our hotel, the Radisson, is ultra modern and luxurious.

 You can buy tickets to the Raw Wine Fair in May here: http://www.rawfair.com/buy-tickets

You can buy tickets for my Georgian meal (aided and abetted by fellow food blogger @foodstories) at the Large Glass Gallery with Natural Wine selected by Isabelle Legeron here: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/161520

More on my Georgia trip:
Part One: Midnight plane to Georgia
Part Two: We are all Georgian
Part Three: Sulphur and Grape

Recent posts

Midsummer Supper Club 21st June 2025

June 1, 2025

Soup recipes for a broken arm

February 26, 2025

The future of farming

January 20, 2025

Previous Post: « Travel and food: Jersey Royals
Next Post: We are all Georgian: Day 2 »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sally - My Custard Pie

    March 31, 2012 at 3:52 am

    Will be following the rest of your trip with interest. I've heard about these Georgian natural wines – but never tasted.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

msmarmitelover

Can’t wait to delve into this by one of my favou Can’t wait to delve into this by one of my favourite food writers @kitchenbee it’s got everything: kitchenalia, divorce and food. Did you know that what we call heartache is actually stomach ache? It’s now recognised that rejection actually causes physical as well as psychological pain. A study shows that pain relief medications such as paracetamol can alleviate heartache. Some of our emotional pain is autonomic: it’s referred to as polyvagal theory. #heartbreak #foodwriting #lovehurts #takotsubo #dopaminewithdrawal
Midsummer supper club 21st June. The theme is frag Midsummer supper club 21st June. The theme is fragrance and scent. Tickets are £45  and you can bring your own drink. Starts 7.30pm and the nearest tube is Kilburn on the jubilee. Parking is free outside. Exact address given on booking. https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-2025-scent-and-fragrance #london #supperclub
Oil portraits of me painted at Burning Van festiva Oil portraits of me painted at Burning Van festival by artists @cristina_vercesi (left) and YouTube sensation and Royal Portrait gallery exhibiter @alex_tzavaras. It was an utter privilege to sit for these wonderful artists- a real highlight. I’m taking them home and framing them. It was easy to sit still for 90 minutes with the amazing DJ set @leonidas_lovetoparty More deets later. #portraiture #festivals #oilpainting
Went with influencers to @standrewslakes in Kent w Went with influencers to @standrewslakes in Kent with @ourfinland @lakelandfinland @pcagency to experience Finnish food such as Karelian pies with egg butter, cinnamon buns, blueberry pies, and pea soup which they have with mustard and sour cream. We did zip lining, kayaking, saunas, whipped ourselves with birch sticks, ate in a gorgeous wooden bbq shed @arctic_cabins at the end of all this activity we were all tired but happy. @miramakeup @holidaywiththeheathers @amie_jane__ @onehungryasian @iamtimchung @travellingtuesdays @helimendetravels @charlotteemilyprice #presstrip
@camille.osullivan @camilleosullivanpics and @grah @camille.osullivan @camilleosullivanpics and @grahnort @wiltonsmusichall god this woman is talented. She did a solo show of The Rape of Lucrece. Her voice! #theatre #shakespeare #london
My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique m My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique meeting of east and west, for @ckbk It's a blend of Ottoman, Eastern and middle European, Austro-Hungarian empire and cowboy food. #food&travel #foodanthropology #hungary
Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvad Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvadasz book The Pickle Jar. At @katzsdeli in New York they sell half sours and full sours. I reckon these are 3/4 sour. The white mould is fine btw. These are delicious #pickleperson #fermentation #guthealthy
London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, plum blossom, 🌸 you don’t need to go to Japan for the Sakura season- it’s all here- london at its most beautiful. #london
Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incr Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incredible: similar to lily of the valley. These are actual English bluebells - a deeper colour & more delicate than Spanish bluebells which are rather invasive. #london #walks #april #bluebells
Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese fo Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese folar de pascua bread from Lisboa patisserie,  a gorgeous mosaic table from Fez, my favourite antique shop @muirshindurkin, Alice’s shop, an Easter hat, the best wisteria I wrote a substack on portobello road: https://open.substack.com/pub/kerstinrodgers/p/where-to-go-in-portobello-road-the?r=3873k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true #london
I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter yesterday to try one of their viral wobbly bunnies. We also tried the multi layer Oreo pancake cakes, the onigiri shaped croissant. My sister had the black sesame latte and I had yuzu tea. I spent £35 in a short space of time as each dessert was £5 but it was a fun experience. Ophelia said ‘lovely flowers’ which shows a degree of sophistication for a 2 year old. I preferred the strawberry to the coconut flavour . #londondaysout #grandmacore #easter
A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smo A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smoked tofu.  @pomoragoodfood olive oil then an aubergine cut into thick slices then quartered. Fry till translucent then add the chunks of red pepper. 2 fat garlic cloves sliced thinly, a block of smoked tofu in chunks, 2 bay leaves, a small handful of maldon salt. A courgette cut into thick half lengthways- then sliced into half moons. I might chuck in a handful of pantelleria capers in vinegar to give some acidity. Serve hot or cold. #sololunch #protein #vegetables
Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used his dill pickles to make one of my favourite recipes for lunch - a potato, sour cream & pickle soup. Recipe on the blog. #soup #pickles
One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook wh One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook whole button mushrooms in olive oil, lemon juice, a little white wine vinegar, salt, bay leaves, whole coriander seeds, thyme, and white wine if you have it to hand. I used @pomoragoodfood olive oil. You can eat it straight away or leave it to marinate longer and eat the next day. #vegetarian #vegan #mushroomrecipe
Table side Caesar salad @maisonfrancois for @sienn Table side Caesar salad @maisonfrancois for @siennamarla birthday 🎂 #london #restaurants #caesarsalad
I went to sheffield to visit the @reclaimedbrickco I went to sheffield to visit the @reclaimedbrickcompany to look at their hand cut, wire cut and tumbled bricks for a herringbone patio. I love the historical aspect of bricks, the different quarries from different parts of the country. #patio #englishhistory story
Made brussel sprouts with pistachio pesto. The pis Made brussel sprouts with pistachio pesto. The pistachios came from Brontë in Sicily- they are the best pistachios in the world. You can make pesto with any nut: it’s usually with pine nuts but I’ve used hazelnuts, almonds (trapani), walnuts. #vegetarian #pesto #bronte
Bathroom palette: @firedearthuk scallop tiles @top Bathroom palette: @firedearthuk scallop tiles @toppstiles honed white marble skirting and dado @paintandpaperlibrary paint @sanderson1860 wallpaper this is my first rodeo when it comes to bathroom design. Follow my progress
Yesterday I cooked ( needed help with heavy pans a Yesterday I cooked ( needed help with heavy pans and pouring) pesto alle genovese. Made pesto in the vitamix: fresh basil leaves, 4 cloves garlic, 100g pecorino, 100g pine nuts, 150ml olive oil, salt, and juice of half a lemon. Whizz up.  Then cook the pasta - traditional shape is trofie but I only had fusilli. Top with small boiled potatoes and steamed green beans. Douse again with olive oil and more pine nuts. I served this with green salad with cucumber, avocado, pumpkin seeds and a mustard lemon olive oil dressing. #familylunch #sundaylunch #pestopasta #pestgenovese
Unstyled food photos no.4: butternut squash soup. Unstyled food photos no.4: butternut squash soup. Peel and cut up the butternut squash. Discard the seeds. Roast with olive oil, salt, smoked paprika in the oven for 30 minutes. Soften 2 brown onions in a deep pan with olive oil, add 3 cloves garlic minced, 3 bay leaves. Then add the veg stock powder and 1.5 litres hot water to the pan. Stir. Pour in the roast butternut squash. Cook for 10 minutes. Then remove the bay leaves and blend. Add 3 large scoops of natural yoghurt or skyr. Season to taste. Transfer back to the deep pan and serve with grated cheese, pumpkin seeds, chilli. 🌶️ #vitamix #soup #winterfood #agacooking
Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2025 msmarmitelover