Barcelona smells like salt. Perhaps it is due to the city’s close proximity to the ocean, but I believe it has more to do with the legs of meat, which decorate every street stall and market window. La Boqueria is no exception; in fact, La Boqueria may be the rule as far as marketplaces are concerned. In one of Europe’s oldest public marketplaces, food marries art at one of Barcelona’s foremost tourist attractions. Cleverly separated into departments, one still requires more than the requisite eyes and ears to digest this heady scene. I was first met by the fresh produce that winks and radiates and all but bats its eyelashes in Barcelona’s golden evening light. Shapely avocados packed like lightbulbs orbited sweet, syrupy melons the size of small planets while nearby a neon-pink fruit leaked its insides into a pan for collection. My musings on how to successfully smuggle fresh fruit onto an international flight were interrupted by my nose as I confronted the nuts and spices. Suddenly I was in the midst of a rich landscape of perfect pyramids of cinnamon and cardamom, tarragon and cayenne, which remained undisturbed despite La Boqueria's constant ...

There are hundreds of museums and thousands of restaurants in London. But to get a true taste of London, go to

It’s a good thing that the first stalls of the market are full of crockery and Provencal fabrics – it’s easier to hold onto your money knowing that if you buy the blood-red earthenware dish now, you will have to carry its weight for the next hour or so. By the time you pass the hat stall and the street corner flooded with woven baskets of every hue, you will be ready for some refreshment. Take cover from the heat of the sun under the yellow canopy of the bar, and line your stomach with an espresso and a pain-au-chocolat from the patisserie across the street – the one hidden behind the stall of paintings displayed on wooden easels. It’s best not to go further on an empty stomach, for as your nose will have betrayed to you by now, a feast of local delights awaits. It would be wise to go immediately to the rotisserie trailer, where you must put your name to a poulet blanche for dinner. It will be ready for you on your return journey. The bread stall next, where the most rustic pain is arranged alongside the most delicate ...

Although you won’t often see it on many restaurant menus in Venice, Risi e Bisi (literally rice and peas) is one of the city’s classic dishes, often cooked at home and traditionally eaten on feast days. You don’t need to be celebrating to try this incredibly easy, deliciously simple version of risotto, just a supply of fresh, spring peas in their pod. (Pick them up in season as Venice’s Rialto market). If you can't find fresh peas, this recipe works equally as well with asparagus tips or courgettes and good quality, pre-made stock (the kind you buy in tetrabricks) is fine. All you want to know about

Seafood lovers are spoilt for choice in San Francisco, and the city’s ubiquitous salad is Crab Louis Salad, a dish that is documented in a 1910 cookbook written by the head chef of San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel. Traditionally, the giant, West Coast Dungeress Crab should be used, though really any fresh crabmeat will do (just please don’t succumb to crab sticks!). You can buy them pre-cooked and shelled at the city’s Ferry Building Market, and even cheat a little bit more by buying a good quality, thousand island dressing rather than making your own. All you want to know about

There’s little doubt that the United Kingdom now one of the richest, most diverse dining scenes in the world, with Indian, Spanish, Japanese and Italian dishes now more as common place than fish n’ chips. But that’s not to say that classic British creations have been tossed out with the dishwater. In fact restaurants like St. John in Spitalfields have played a major part in reviving them. (

One of the most universal - yet misconstrued - pasta dishes is Spaghetti alla carbonara. It appears on restaurant menus from Melbourne to Montreal, yet very few make it in the classic Roman way. The origins of the dish also vary, though one of the most common theories is that it was developed in Rome after WW2 as allied troops supplied the local population two American staples: eggs and bacon. The recipe was first published in Elizabeth David’s 1954 classic ‘Italian Food’ and became rapidly popular for its simplicity and versatility (the dish is suitable for brunch, lunch and dinner). But like Chinese whispers, the original message became confused and it grew common for cream, parsley and even cheddar cheese to be added. For an authentic Roman Spaghetti alla carbonara, try this recipe (Serves two): Buy (in Campo di Fiori market for example): 225 grams of pancetta, bacon or guanciale (pig’s cheek) 450 grams dried spaghetti 4 eggs 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Then: Cook spaghetti until it’s al dente (keep the water). Lightly fry the meat until fat is dispersed over the fan and it’s turning crispy. Add the pasta to the pan and toss around, adding a little pasta water as ...

You’ll see it everywhere in Barcelona, from workers munching on brick-sized bocatas (sandwiches) in the street to the baskets of stuff placed in front of you almost as soon as you sit down at a restaurant table. Pa amb tomàquet is the national dish in Catalunya - the meat to their potatoes if you like - and no other dish brings a tear to a Catalan’s eye quite like a humble piece of bread smeared in tomato pulp and then drizzled with olive oil. Pa amb tomàquet is generally topped with cheese or charcuterie (at this point it is re-named a torrada). Do try something local, such as botifarra blanca, a tripe and port sausage, fuet, a think whip of sweet salami-type sausage or the wonderful or Iberian ham. As for cheese, dryer, firmer varieties seem to work best (they soak up the olive oil) such as an aged manchego. Even salted anchovies (the best ones come from L’Escala on the Costa Brava) are delicious. Whatever you choose, pa amb tomàquet should really be made with the best local ingredients; take a slice of rustic-style bread and toast it. Whilst still warm, rub a peeled clove of on one side. ...

What’s happened to fish and chips? They come wrapped in tempura batter with coriander and tomato coulis on the side, that’s what. The sparky, cockney-accented celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has laid to rest the notion that British food is pure stodge. Sure, you’ll still find sausages and mash in the country pubs, but London’s dining scene is hotter than a tamale. London’s multicultural mix has bestowed a cornucopia of flavours. Indians and Pakistanis have brought fragrant and spicy curries, Australians and New Zealanders Asian-tinged dishes from the Pacific Rim and every High Street has at least one sushi bar. That’s not to say British cuisine, in the strictest, pre-war sense of the term, is without its followers. Here are just a few of London’s most talked-about restaurants you’ll need to book ahead for. St. John (www.stjohnrestaurant.com) has revived the tradition of offal-based dishes and classic British dishes. Vegetarians beware, you will probably leave hungry from a restaurant whose menu includes Crispy Pig’s Cheek with Dandelion and Pheasant and Trotter Pie. To be fair, St.Johns Wine Bar in Spitalfields is heavier in the veg dishes -– and lighter on the wallet too. Gordon Ramsay (www.gordonramsay.com), that’s he of the ...

Like most major Italian tourist destinations, dining in Florence can range from the sublime to the dispiriting, so it pays to do a little research before you arrive. The Tuscans love their bread, and reuse it in simple-yet-delicious dishes such as panzanella (bread salad with tomatoes and basil) and pappa al pomodoro (a bread and tomato soup). They are also big on meat, from wild boar sausages to and the famous bistecca alla fiorentina; a slab of beef faultlessly grilled over hot coals (one serving is often enough for two). Other chalkboard classics to consider include pici, a light, flour and water pasta (it leaves room for the main event, you see) and ribollita, a hearty bean soup. Trattoria Del Fagioli Corso Tintori, 47r, Tel. + 39 055 244 285 “You won’t find international cooking here, because we have no interest in making it,” Antonio of Del Fagioli has stated. “This is Florentine cooking.” The family-run Trattoria Del Fagioli is one of Florence’s oldest and most well loved restaurants, the type where the clientele spans the full run of society, from celebrities and businessmen to clued-up tourists and local office workers. The cram into Del Fagioli’s simple, wood-paneled rooms ...