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Spain

The greedy pilgrim’s path: walking 120 kilometres to Santiago.

The persimon farm, Valencia

Spanish Persimon Halloween supper club in pictures and recipes

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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.

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msmarmitelover

These are Mela Annurca apples, ‘mel’anurca’

These are Mela Annurca apples, ‘mel’anurca’ in Neapolitan dialect. They are a Christmas apple, in season now. I bought this little model basket of apples in San Gregorio di Armenia street in Naples where every year neopolitans buy something to add to their ‘presepe’ or nativity scene. Often scenes from markets to add to the expensive, anything from 500 euros to 5000 euros nativity crèches. Around Christmas this street is packed (watch out for pickpockets) with locals and tourist picking out their addition to the scene. Melanurca apples are picked in September then laid on the ground to ripen, turning them every day by hand, to ensure all sides transform from a yellow green into a Wicked Witch red. They are very healthy, particularly for your hair, according to scientists at the university of Naples. #naples #neopolitanchristmas #melanurca #food #travel #sangregorioarmeno #presepenapoletano #nativityscenes

The Christmas tomato 🍅 or piennolo di vesuvio,

The Christmas tomato 🍅 or piennolo di vesuvio, a local tomato that is sold around Christmas in Naples. It is grown with very little irrigation and lasts fresh up to a year. Hence it is used for tomato based Christmas dishes. This tomato has a thick skin and is really intense in flavour. It hangs outside grocers, on balconies, in kitchens, having been braided by ladies into bunches of 1.5 kilos. Each costs 15 euros. I went to visit the farmers and the ladies skilfully tying the tomatoes into clusters, using the vines to fasten them, like cherries. Boxed, these are given as gifts. Reel on the way! #naples #christmas #tomatoes #travel #food

Travel: how I pack. I choose one colour as well as

Travel: how I pack. I choose one colour as well as black and white and stick to that palette. For Sicily & Naples I’m doing red, white & black. I’ve bought @coti_vision red glasses chain, a red beret & a black one, a pair of red @snagtights & a black pair, a red hair clasp, a red & white pair of shoes (25 euros, leather from Naples), a red & white dress, a black & white striped dress, and so on. Do you roll? Do you flatten & spread? Do you fold? How do you pack? A few days before I leave I leave my suitcase open in my bedroom and every time I think of something I need to take I sling it in there. ( like adaptors) Last thing is wash bag ( I have a hanging one which is useful) and coat (red for this trip). Basically I colour code my life. When I did the Camino everything was blue & yellow, the colours of the Camino. When I went to Ireland I took all my green clothes ( I don’t have many). If I go on a boat trip I pack blue and white. #packing #colourcoding #travel #mysuitcase

Ruota di pesce spada. A glorious oven baked Sicili

Ruota di pesce spada. A glorious oven baked Sicilian fish dish, baked on onions, studded with garlic cloves wrapped in mint leaves, then more onions, capers, olives, oregano & rosemary. Use a thick central slice of swordfish (where can I get that in london?). I’m tasting grillo & Nero d’avola wines @tenutorapitala about an hour inland from Palermo. The owner is the last count Bernard de La gatinais. He has 3 daughters. He’s French (Brittany) and Sicilian. He spoke about how difficult it has been for wine growers since lockdown- so many restaurants closed. Now they are grappling with high energy & fuel costs. ##winesofsicilia #siciliaDOC #wine #travel #sicily

I love Venice. I love Maneskin. I love Italy. I lo

I love Venice. I love Maneskin. I love Italy. I love boats and water. #biennalearte2022

London cure smoked salmon from @formanandfield wit

London cure smoked salmon from @formanandfield with mikawa citrus (cross between mandarin & pomelo) and home pickled green peppercorns on a plate I bought in minori Italy. #londonfood #citrus #sundaylunch

Found squirrel poo in shed. Then realised it was r

Found squirrel poo in shed. Then realised it was rats as found a dead rat. Spent morning cleaning it out then drove to Cardiff for bbc food and farming awards. Anyway todays harvest from my garden: chillies, tomatillos, Jerusalem artichokes. The chillies are really hot this year after the Mexican temperatures we had this summer.

Quince membrillo jelly/fruit cheese. These are for

Quince membrillo jelly/fruit cheese. These are for sale on my Instagram shop.

It’s been a difficult week with my daughter & ne

It’s been a difficult week with my daughter & newborn in hospital. NHS maternity isn’t fit for purpose. I’m taking her food everyday. Here are home-made linzer cookies with quince jam that I made. I don’t know why they tell mums they can have a birth plan when in reality they completely ignore it. Why not be real and say ‘yeah you can plan your dreams but when push comes to shove we won’t do any of it and we’ll threaten and undermine you and say the words ‘still birth’ a million times to frighten you into doing what we want’. At least then you’ll be prepared.

I’m crowd-funding for my new book Cooking with T

I’m crowd-funding for my new book Cooking with Trees, from Bark to Bite, with @unbounders If you love trees and food, this is a set of recipes using trees as an ingredient, from roots, bark, timber, sap or leaves. Here is the link to pledge: https://tinyurl.com/5t35ahb8 #books #trees #cooking #unbounders #crowdfunding

Bug bean salad, an Austrian speciality. The beans

Bug bean salad, an Austrian speciality. The beans taste like chestnuts, fudgy & sweet. They are sold cooked in Austrian markets. This salad is combined with onion (or horseradish), pumpkin seed oil & apple cider vinegar, all Austrian staple ingredients. It’s called Käferbohnensalat in Austrian German. #feelaustria #beans #bugbeans #austrianfood #pulses #salad #vegetarian #vegan #guthealth

Tomatillos from my garden ready for my Mexican hal

Tomatillos from my garden ready for my Mexican halloween supper club on 29th October. BYO. Tickets £50. Do book now: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/day-of-the-dead-halloween-supper-club

I’ve come to the @sacheralpinresort in Seefeld i

I’ve come to the @sacheralpinresort in Seefeld in Tirol, Austria. It’s gorgeous! My own private sauna, and balcony, with a view of the mountains #feelaustria #presstrip #luxury #alpine #spa

A double staircase 1499 in graz, Austria 🇦🇹

A double staircase 1499 in graz, Austria 🇦🇹 #feelaustria

The most divine Queen of Puddings made by @bro0907

The most divine Queen of Puddings made by @bro0907 (my sister in law) who is a superb cook and baker. She’s working with @homychef_uk and today being filmed by @artefr for a segment on @arte_invitation

In Switzerland for #veggieday tasting Raclette ove

In Switzerland for #veggieday tasting Raclette over a bonfire, visiting monasteries, a pumpkin farm.

Making stratto (strattu in dialect) in Sicily at @

Making stratto (strattu in dialect) in Sicily at @tenutacammarana the most intense umami tomato paste you can imagine. It takes 3 days to reduce in the Sicilian sun from 3 ‘fuanguotto’ ceramic dishes to a small ball. Do visit, it’s a foodies paradise. My blog post: https://msmarmitelover.com/2022/09/making-tomato-concentrate-in-sicily.html #sicily #italianfood #tomatopuree🍅 #tenutacammaranaexperience

The queue. I started at 5pm and finished at 1.30am

The queue. I started at 5pm and finished at 1.30am. I bowed to the queen lying in state. My earliest memory is Winston Churchill’s state funeral. I was mesmerised and this is how I learnt the shocking news that we all die. The hardest part of the queue was getting home- and I live in london. And having to chuck away my MAC lipstick at security. The best part was the camaraderie, the generosity & community feeling of my queue mates. We are a decent people in the UK. I truly believe that. All races, nationalities, ages, genders, religions, sexes, income brackets & class were there. We all got on. I loved the bagpipes, the drums, the naval ratings pulling the gun carriage. Rest in peace Queen Elizabeth.

I’m in Venice for the biennale. It’s almost ch

I’m in Venice for the biennale. It’s almost chocolate box beautiful - all apricot, vanilla & chartreuse. The smell of seawater, the swooping bridges, the variety of boats. Even the door knockers are beautiful as are the pink glass streetlights, the ironwork, the Arabian windows. #travel #venice #italy

Queen Elizabeth II. Rest in peace.

Queen Elizabeth II. Rest in peace.

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