Wanderlust and Words

Fishguard is a pretty little town, just a short bus ride from where I’m staying in Newport, Pembrokeshire. It’s built on a steep hill and the descent into Lower Town and then up into the main square includes some interesting corners that can only be negotiated by single-lane traffic. I don’t envy the bus drivers. I particularly enjoy the brightly-painted old buildings around the main square. Harbour  Fishguard is a quiet town nowadays, but in the late 18th century it was an important trading port with over 50 small vessels carrying coal, lime, slate, and herrings. It was also a centre of shipbuilding. Nowadays, Goodwick, just around the point from Fishguard, is a port for ferries travelling to and from Rosslare, Ireland. Old Fort  In 1779, an American privateer fired on Fishguard from his ship. This prompted the construction of the Old Fort with an array of 8 9-pounder guns. The Last Invasion  In 1797, a squadron of 4 French ships drew up and ...

Downtown Victoria, British Columbia, can get really crowded, especially when there are three or four cruise ships in town. So why go downtown? I found everything I wanted in my own neighbourhood of Oak Bay, in particular the area around Oak Bay and Estevan Villages. Shopping for Food Pure Vanilla Bakery & Café on Cadboro Bay Road is amazing and everything I sampled was delicious. There are front and back patios so you have a choice of sun or shade no matter what the time of day. Across the street from Pure Vanilla is BC Wineguys Victoria selling VQA wines, a sushi restaurant, and a small grocery store with an excellent selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. On Foul Bay Road, Charelli’s Cheese Shop and Delicatessen has a huge assortment of cheeses and imported goods. You’ll leave with more cheese than you intended because they are so generous with their samples – and once you’ve tasted it, you’ll want to buy it. Almost next door to Charelli’s is Tomley’s ...

Pizza is one of my very favorite foods and, when it’s being prepared by the folks who run Riversdale Deli, I know it’s going to be good. Capanna Pizzeria is located around the corner from Riversdale Deli . Big windows facing east mean that the restaurant is full of sunshine, a welcome sight on one of our cold, wintery days. Passing by on the street, you can watch the chefs rolling out the pizza dough. Step through the door, and you’ll feel right at home. This isn’t a big, intimidating restaurant. There’s bench seating under the window and a scattering of wooden tables and chairs. Behind the marble-topped bar is a brick wall lined with bottles of wine and there’s a mural of Italy on the wall in the kitchen area. The kitchen is open so you can chat with Chef Darby Kells and have a look at the pizza oven. The pizza oven is hi-tech fancy. It has three different heating sources, all of which can be individually controlled. The rotating stone disc heats the pizza crust from b...

At the foot of a steep hill, the village of Broadway used to be a major stopping place for coaches travelling between Worcester and London. Later, it attracted writers, musicians and artists and played an important role in the development of the Arts and Crafts movement. Nowadays, the high street is lined with art galleries, antique stores and other independent shops and is very popular with tourists visiting the Cotswolds. And it was just a short bus journey from where I was staying in Winchcombe. A 17th century coaching inn houses an outpost of the Ashmolean Museum . I would have liked to visit the Gordon Russell Design Museum , but it’s closed in January. There is a wonderful deli , a wine store, and various other specialty food stores. Be sure to try English wine and cider and the Cotswold Handmade Meringues are really, really good. I had morning tea with a toasted tea cake at the Broadway Hotel , a pub lunch at the Swan Inn overlooking the village green, ...

Paddock Wood is 10 Years Old!  Congratulations to Steve Cavan and Paddock Wood Brewing on their 10th anniversary. They’re offering Growler Specials from Dec. 8-12. Read my profile for a look at the company’s evolution . Boxcar Café  The Boxcar Café at Station 20 West is re-launching January 5 with Chef Jenni (@newgroundcafe) as Executive Chef. I wish them every success. The Night Oven Bakery  It’s that wonderful time of year when the bakeries are full of seasonal goodies. The Night Oven Bakery is offering panettone and stollen made from organic flour, citrus, sugar and nuts with natural yeast. Pre-order and pre-pay to pick up on Saturdays, Dec. 13, 20 and 24. Riversdale Deli  The new vegetarian sandwich at Riversdale Deli sounds intriguing – sweet ‘n spicy melon puree, sherry vinegar roasted carrots, and toasted fennel polenta. If you sample it, please report back as I’m very curious. Cappana Pizzeria is now on  Facebook and Twitter (@yxep...

If you love good food and quality ingredients, I hope you’ve already discovered the Riversdale Delicatessen . And if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. Quality  On one side of the large, light-filled space are the dried goods. Don’t miss the Rozendal vinegar from South Africa, the olive oils from Portugal and the San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. The delicatessen’s goal is to provide the best quality ingredients possible – wherever they come from. So alongside the imported goods are carrots and beets from Wally’s Urban Market , fresh greens and tomatoes from Floating Gardens , and garlic from Meadowlark Farm . Three Farmers camelina oil is alongside the European olive oils. The Happy Days goat milk yogurt and cheese are from British Columbia. The fair trade Galerie au Chocolat products are from Montreal. Organic air-dried PastaJesce sits alongside the largest line-up of gluten-free pasta in Saskatoon, including a buckwheat pasta for people who also have corn al...

Coming later this week - two stories from Calgary Tastings, Saskatoon Co-op Wine, Spirits, Beer Here are two of the upcoming tastings at Saskatoon Co-op Wine, Spirits, Beer . Nov. 13, 7 pm – Port wine tasting Nov. 21, 7 pm – Orofino wine tasting with winemaker John Weber Wine & Cheese Tasting, Nov. 15  Riversdale Delicatessen is hosting a wine & cheese tasting with Doug Reichel, Fine Wines Sask , on November 15. Contact them quickly if you’re interested as tickets are selling fast. Black Market Market, Nov. 30  I just read about the Black Market Market on Nov. 30, and it sounds like fun. They describe it as “Berlin flea market meets Christmas market” and there will be treats from The Night Oven Bakery. Did you catch my story about the 8 Street China Supermarket? Choo-It Coffee Choo-It is planning to roast coffee and make cold-brewed coffee . With cereal and coffee in their repertoire, it’s almost a complete breakfast. Bialys Comes to Saskat...

New at the Farmers’ Market  Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens is selling chickpea microgreens . They are so cute – little feathery leaves – and full of flavour and texture. A great salad addition.  I’m looking forward to trying the Lemon and Hemp Hearts chocolate – this month’s special from Those Girls at the Market . New Products at Dad’s   I spotted a couple of new products at Dad’s Organic Market this week. There was a raw, vegan, organic CheeSauce from Rawfoodz as well as naturally fermented kraut and ginger carrots from Firefly Kitchens . Earth Bound Bakery  How could anyone resist the croissants at Earth Bound Bakery ! The options change frequently, but this week I enjoyed a savoury croissant with squash, sage and cheese and a mango-raspberry-blueberry cheesecake croissant. Delicious. Riversdale Deli Tastings  I watched Chef Darby make wild mushroom risotto at Riversdale Deli this past Saturday. It was very tasty! He pla...