Has anyone noticed that I haven't been around for a while!

Huge apologies but now I am almost retired from the nutrition game, I have been spending a great deal of my time on the Algarve in Portugal - well, somebody has to do it and sunnier climes are quite the best (lucky me)!

Not that long ago, Portugal was regarded as being a country that wasn’t right up there on the culinary stage (lots of fish, lots of soups and stews, lots of pork dishes) but hold on … YES, the Portuguese seriously cling on to their fabulous peasant dishes and so they should but there are a whole host of innovative chefs that use those peasant dishes to elevate the wonderful local produce into something very special and seriously tasty!

PLUS, there are so many people who have made Portugal their home over the last 20 or 30 years from all over the world and use the very same local produce to create stunning fare - Indian, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Goan, German and many more). The predominant thing is that so very many of them depend on produce from their local area and don’t cling onto the idea that produce has to travel by air, road or sea to keep us all fed and happy!

I might add, that I rarely have a disappointing meal here in Portugal - the Portuguese rarely eat to live, they live to eat and come the weekend, you will find huge tables where families come together and spend the afternoon or the evening enjoying their time with each other, eating, drinking and having a very relaxing time. AND… if you happen to be around over a weekend - make sure to book or you may be disappointed.