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During the long months of planning before our move to Portugal, one of the things we imagined most often was a simple barbecue of chicken or fish sizzling away on our balcony while we enjoyed a glass of wine in…
I love my kitchen gadgets, and it’s something of a running joke with various family members that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find things I don’t have already. At Christmas, my mother hit the jackpot, with a new gadget that’s…
Traditionally in our household, we follow the extravagance of the Christmas and New Year period with ‘frugal January.’ This is our annual tradition of living on a tight budget throughout the month of January in order to recover from both…
This year will be our fifth Christmas since moving to Portugal. One of the things we worried about before we moved here was that Christmas would not seem like Christmas without traditional English treats like mince pies and gingerbread men….
There’s no question that food is an important part of life here in the Algarve. Before tourism, the region was largely devoted to fishing and agriculture, with figs, almonds and oranges all grown in abundance. The trees still dominate the…
V is for Vaca Vaca is Portuguese for ‘cow,’ which comes in all manner of cuts from the butcher’s counter. One of the most popular ways to serve beef in restaurants is as a fat steak presented with a fried…
The happy news that we are expecting our first child has meant some significant changes to our eating (and drinking) habits. I knew that alcohol would be off-limits once I was pregnant and that other foods should be avoided, but…
Friends who have done their homework are always keen to try a pastel de nata (a kind of flaky pastry/egg custard delight) when they first visit us in Portugal. This celebrated national treat has managed to cross international boundaries and…
S is for Salsichas Salsichas (sausages) form an important part of the Portuguese diet. Varieties abound, from smoked sausages such as chouriço, which can be eaten sliced on their own or used to add flavour to any number of stews…
P is for porco Pork (porco) is everywhere in Portuguese food and, this being a country where very little is wasted, pretty much every part of the pig can be found in one dish or another. Cheap and full of…
