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  • Kent, and then suddenly Spain

    On Friday we decided to re-enact our historic walk (last year) in the Kent countryside, and so we did. We walked to Luddesdown

    whose church was closed again. Nearby we saw again this old (? grain mill?) but last year it was autumn then and there were no such flowers in it.

    And there was more brassica. A small purple forest of it.

    And then on Saturday I hopped a plane to Spain to escape the rain. Lula has been vigilant, catching wild plastic pigs that might be threatening us (why else would they be flying away from us at regular intervals, she reasoned) and giving them a good shake to subdue them before presenting us with the corpse.

    All is warm and peaceful at Almassera Vella. Marisa and Christopher would like you please to come on down!

    Lots of lemons.

    And it is orange season. We are being willingly drowned in fresh orange juice.

    Marisa’s lentil soup was just what we needed after our travels.

    And lunch yesterday was a beautiful sight; so many lovely cheeses! And an elegant Russian Salad with tuna.

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  • Parma farewell

    A last walk round Parma on Wednesday, before I left.

    Local artists have left their mark on the pots and pans since they first appeared in November.

    Snowing in Borgo della Pace?

    Market day as busy as ever.

    Enoteca Fontana still makes the very best roast-beef panino con rucola in the whole world. I just had to check.

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  • Return to Mosaiko

    I was worried when the website for Ristorante Mosaiko dropped off the virtual map, but the place itself is still three dimensional, and chef Davide di Dio assured me that the website was only being redesigned, and would return one day under a new url. But not yet. There was some lovely raku on the walls and the Oltretorrente locals trickled in steadily until the place was humming a happy Parma air.

    From my corner table I was reassured by another terrific meal that chef Davide has not worked himself into the ground, nor lost his imagination. The amuse-bouche – a tiny meat pie on a beetroot and balsamico base – was exquisite.

    The Insalata d’astice, asparagi e arancia siciliana (lobster, asparagus and Sicilian blood oranges) was out of this world; if I’m not mistaken there were flecks of home-pickled ginger which made a gorgeous sensory contrast to the rest. And it was simply beautiful to look at.

    How could I resist the Ravioli al baccala’ mantecato (salt cod ravioli), with shrimp, rucola and black olives? They were quite rich but I’d come to eat and eat I did. I also liked the bowl; at Mosaiko every dish has had its housing carefully planned.

    And then Branzino in crosta di pane (sea bass) with zucchini – which was absolutely delicious – and black olive and pesto.

    After my past experiments trying to make bonet myself, I thought I’d better try the real thing, which is reliably excellent here. And so it was again.

    And this one’s for Howard (these guys live in a cabinet at Croce di Malta)

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Book cover of Rhona McAdam's book Larder with still life painting of lemons and lemon branches with blossoms in a ceramic bowl. One of the lemons has a beed on it.

“…A beautiful, filling collection, Larder is a set of poems to read at the change of the seasons, to appreciate alongside a good meal, and to remind yourself of the beauty in everything, even the things you may not appreciate before opening McAdam’s collection….”

Alison Manley

Rhona McAdam is a writer, poet, editor, and Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a Master’s in Food Culture from Italy and a deep-rooted passion for ecology and urban agriculture. Her work spans corporate and technical writing to poetry and creative nonfiction, often exploring the vital links between what we eat and how we live. Based in Victoria, BC, and available via Zoom, Rhona is always open to new writing commissions, readings, or workshops on nutrition and the culinary arts.