Well – what a difference 6 weeks makes! I hope you're all safe and well and enjoying life in your bubbles. While this is not what we had planned for 2020, it just goes to show you never know what's around the corner and a positive attitude and resilience always come in handy. With that in mind, this newsletter is remarkable in that there is a complete absence of references to pestilence, lockdown or pecuniary ruin. The language is chosen for its escapist, uplifting and joyful qualities. Read on!

I love everything about Christmas. I love the parties, the food, the traffic jams, the presents, the crackers and reaffirming family and friend love. I love cooking something outrageous – so here's my suggestion for this year ... forget the big bird and go for tiny birds. This is my recipe for rose roasted quails – allow one per person. Throw rose petals all over the table. As it happens the recipe's in my latest book 'Eat Your Heart Out'.

PORTUGAL!!! There – I've said it. I am adding a new tour to my offerings in Europe for September 2020. I first visited Portugal in 2001 when I was writing about food and fado (fado is the achingly beautiful singing that is principally performed in Lisbon), both of which are utterly langourous and delicious. I discovered, to my surprise that Portuguese food was the best kept secret in Europe and that the Portuguese people are sweet, serious and kind.

Another fabulous North India culinary tour is over and Diggi and I are weeping into our chapatis because we won't be singing silly songs, walking down to the river and enjoying cooking lessons with our gastronomads. What a perfect group – they just bonded from day one and that was that – 10 days of happiness, dressing up in saris and turbans and 10 days of celebrating my birthday with 10 birthday cakes.

So the Puglia tour. It was a very emotional and enduring experience that only Puglians and their ancient history can give you. It's such an old culture and such a simple one and the people are relaxed, warm (some might even say hot-blooded where the men are concerned) and proud. They don't feel they have to impress anyone, they know their seafood is beyond fresh, their pasta is made right in front of your eyes with fresh wheat and their traditional wild music makes the heart jump.

The gorgeous Basque Country, (half in Spain and half in France) is a perfect ten – as a culinary destination, it just doesn't seem to be able to do anything wrong. In fact, it's like the whole of Europe encapsulated in one little territory with the best of everything – villages, mountains, sea, forests, sparkling cities, pretty fishing ports, the most starred restaurants in the world and music.

Breaking news regarding my Rajasthan tour at the end of October. I have always wanted to glamp and Indians do this better than anyone. The idea of regular camping fills me with horror – but throw in cream linen luxury tents, giant beds, lovely bathrooms and you have my attention. Add marigold hand-blocked curtains, teak furniture, royal blue dressing gowns, romantic lanterns and I'm completely sold. To this end, I'm delighted to announce I have included two nights at the dreamy Rohet Wilderness Camp in the giant Thar Desert where we will ride horses, learn about traditional food and navel gaze in the totally quiet moonlight.

We had a great tour with a lovely group in Vietnam and even though Vietnam is changing fast, it IS still what it was in lots of ways. The pho beef noodle soup bursting with fresh herbs and sprouts is still eaten everywhere in Hanoi – in the street, at home, in restaurants and it is still one of the best dishes in the world... heaven in a spoon, culture in a sip. We LOVED the wild night time honda street food tour in Hué – holding on for dear life as we raced from munching on the famous ‘banh khoai’ happy crepes to tasting the sweetest pork in Vietnam.

The Tamil Nadu tour in South India in January was fabulous and full of the usual India contrasts – lots of sunshine, amazing 3rd century temples and spicy unique food. Most guests on the tour were returnees and our two newbies were so adorable, it seemed like we had known them forever.

The new Rajasthan tour in November was truly, deeply, madly breath-taking thanks to my fabulous manager Diggi, regular guests who have joined me on previous tours and new ones ready to open their hearts and minds to ten riotous days in my life. We enjoyed wonderful cooking classes full of stunning dishes like spicy peanut chat; okra stuffed with garlic and deep fried sweet rice infused with saffron, rosewater, raisins, pistachios and almonds. All washed down with (drinkable) Indian wine.

I've just completed two slightly fabulous tours in North India ... twenty-two lovely guests, one perfect manager otherwise known as Darling Diggi and three thousand smiles, head shakes, joined hands and namastes from the Indian people. We drove and flew from block printed fabrics and farm visits in Jaipur to beach parties and cooking classes in Goa to mustard fish curry and floating along the Hooghly river in Kolkata to tea leaf pakoras, dancing and fireworks in Darjeeling.  

The Puglia tour was nothing short of stupendous – we sang, we danced, we ate, we drank lots of Susumaniello, we sailed, we swam and we cooked wonderful food. My big discovery on this trip was the mountain sausage from Matera called Pezzente. It is a sausage made from pork, fat, wild fennel, sweet Senese peppers and garlic and is part of the Slow Food Presidium.

The Basque Country seems to have exploded. When I first added this destination to my offerings, no-one had heard of this remarkable land, half in northern Spain, half in south-western France. Now people the world over are flocking there, mostly for the best food in Europe but also for the beauty of the mountains and the sea, the surfing and the unique Basque culture. This year I hosted two Basque Country tours and it seems this destination just makes everyone happy.

The May Marrakech culinary adventure felt extra special for me as it marked 10 years of my Marrakech tour. A decade ago I would never have dreamed my tour company would become what it is today. It started off as a bit of fun and a way to share my love and knowledge of food and travel with others. It was never meant to be a real business, or a proper job... and I feel very fortunate that it almost never feels like one.  

I know it's boring to always be banging on about how sterling my gastronomads are but once again, on my Vietnam tour, they were sterling to a person. Obedience levels were very high, interest in selflessly tasting their way through Hanoi, Hué, Hoi An and Saigon was exemplary and everyone was at one with the universe regarding the heat. They just carried on regardless. We ate fresh spring rolls, happy crepes (banh xeo), bun cha (grilled pork & noodles), pho (beef noodle soup) and lots of nuoc cham (fish sauce dip).

For those of you who follow my Facebook page you'll know this Summer I've been going through my garden shed, trying to thin it out, make it look like less stuff, asking myself if I didn’t remember what was in it, did I really need it? The answer is yes! I did throw some things out but the deeper I delved into the shed, dragging out sealed plastic boxes and looking through them, the more I realised I had a shed full of valuable beautiful clothes, long forgotten.... and too lovely not to share.

Back home in Auckland again and full of the joys of temples in trees, children on knees, flowers with bees and lunch on leaves. It's been hotter here than it was in South India! This year we had no acts of God in the guise of storms, strikes, deaths (not a guest I should add) and bans, mainly because I spent a lot more time praying in the temples. The gastronomads totally got what Tamil Nadu is about and were paragons of time keeping and openness to new experiences.

I've recently returned to New Zealand from India where 14 lovely gastronomads helped me access my inner spice goddess on my tour of Jaipur, Goa, Kolkata and Darjeeling. We block printed our own scarves, received blessings in temples, bejewelled ourselves and gathered vegetables on a farm before learning how to combine them with pomegranates, pistachios and coconut into fabulous Rajasthani batis (deepfried unleaven bread balls). 

Kiwis – this is the time to get on a plane and go down to a river on the Westcoast, make friends with someone up north who has a launch and reacquaint yourself with your Maori cuzzies. Westcoast rivers like the Waiau, in late September when the water is warm and the moon is full, mean whitebait. These heavenly mini-fish spend part of their life cycle in fresh water and part in the sea. Tiny fish hatch in late autumn and are carried along rivers out to sea where they live and grow over the winter. In the late winter and early spring whitebait migrate back up rivers and streams, finally settling and growing in bush covered streams and swamps.