Bordeaux is one of the biggest wine regions in France and if you like red wine it’s a great place for visiting vineyards and doing some wine tasting. I’ve been to that part of France many times but on a recent trip we headed further south to Toulouse where we did some wine tasting in one of the local bars.

We tried some nice French reds from the region and from Bordeaux but as I prefer white wine I focused more on the food at the wine bar. Chicken, salad and a dried fruit jelly type thing was probably not the best choice considering the wine we were drinking but I liked it anyway.

Later in the trip we stopped by Le Paradis Goumand which has a huge selection of biscuits, chocolate, marshmallow and all kinds of other sweet things.

I picked up a few things to make as a gift basket for my friend’s birthday and of course we got a few things for ourselves too. I’d recommend the raspberry chocolate if you get a chance to stop by.

Toulouse is quite well known for their Salon du The where people typically meet up for tea or coffee and cake in the afternoon. Tarts seem to be the specialty of the city and we tried a couple of places just off the Place du Capitole. The white chocolate cake and lemon meringue pie at Flowers Cafe was delicious.

Another popular place for snacks and dessert is the Italian style gelateria on Place du Capitole. We stopped for hot chocolate and waffles with cream and didn’t really need to eat for the rest of the day. Waffles aren’t exactly a specialty of the region but they are definitely welcome on a cold winter’s day.

Toulouse isn’t one of the more popular tourist destinations in France but it is a nice place to stop for a couple of days or even to base yourself to do some days trips. You can visit medieval Carcassonne to the south or visit the nearby town of Albi for its cathedral or to visit the Toulouse Lautrec museum.

It’s amazing how much London has changed since I lived there 10 years ago. Back then I found the food boring and expensive. There were some good restaurants around of course but they never seemed to be in my budget. Indian food was probably the main exception and that was my main go to takeaway food. Nowadays I only visit London every now and then and as far as I can tell the quality of food has significantly improved and prices have either dropped or stayed the same. I still love Indian food when I visit and have had some great meals of late.

Another foodie thing I now love about London are the bakeries. There are so many brilliant cupcake shops and other dessert places which didn’t exist 10 years ago. I’m surprised at how that has changed so quickly and it’s not a bad thing! The Hummingbird Bakery is one of the most popular and their specialty is the red velvet cake which is outstanding.

You can even get decent churros nowadays which is quite surprising. I had these tasty ones in Bayswater.

One of my favourite foodie places in all of London is the Borough Market. I’ve been a few times and always discover some great delicious food. There are the permanent stores which sell great local and international produce as well as the market stalls which change from time to time.

The beer shop at the Borough Market is the perfect shop for beer lovers where you can choose beer from around the world.

I love a good olive and there are plenty to choose from here. I’d recommend the chilli stuffed olives but only if you can handle a lot of heat.

Being an Aussie, the Lamingtons were my favourite find at the markets. Don’t believe anyone who tells you the Kiwi’s invented the Lamington. They are wrong.

Just outside of the Borough Market is a great Spanish tapas bar. I’d definitely recommend going there for their thick hot chocolate as well as some tapas.

When at home in Paris I usually just jump on the train to go to London, otherwise you can find flights to London with JetAbroad.com. London is so cheap now, at least compared to Paris, that I can afford to go much more often and I’m enjoying it much more than when I lived there. It’s not a city I’d ever want to live in again but I do love my short getaways now.

Two reasons people head to Italy are for the food and Sunshine and why not? What’s not to love about eating pasta or pizza al fresco followed up with some delicious hand-made gelato.

I’ve spent a good amount of my travelling life in Italy and as much as I love learning about Roman history or famous artists like Michelangelo, the highlight of my visits is always the food. On my recent trip to Rome we sampled what’s known as cucina povera. Cucina povera is a bit like the slow food movement, taking locally grown in-season ingredients, ingredients which are typical of the region, and producing simple yet tasty dishes to provide cheap meals anyone can afford. This is how people cooked in the past and this style of cooking is making a comeback.

A typical Roman cucina povera dish is pasta made with pepper and pecorino cheese. It’s so simple but it’s one of the most delicious pasta dishes you’ll ever try.

Even something as simple as toasted bread with olive oil and mozzarella is so flavourful but cheap and easy to make. It’s a staple of cucina povera.

On the other end of the scale, Rome also has some top class restaurants producing less traditional but equally delicious food including seafood tartare and carpaccio with fruit.

The region of Umbria is definitely into the slow food movement and truffles usually appear on most local menus whether dining in the sun or inside on cold, wintry days. A typical vegetarian dish is fried cheese with truffle grated on top.

One of the sunniest and most popular travel destinations in Italy is Florence and it’s a personal favourite of mine. The food is some of the best in the country, even if you get stuck in a tourist restaurant! I particularly loved this eggplant parmigiana which is another great vegetarian dish regularly seen on Italian menus.

Italian dessert is always difficult to resist and most people settle for a gelato after their meal. I’m all for that but it’s often tough to pass up a good tiramisu. This local berry tiramisu is the best I’ve ever had.

I’ll never tire of Italian food but it was so nice being able to try some different food on my last trip to Italy instead of the typical pizza and pasta you see on many tourist menus around the country.

The summer months see non-stop cruises up and down the Croatian coastline. From the massive cruise ships sailing through the Mediterranean to little boats taking tourists around Croatia’s most popular islands. It’s a busy time but also the best time weatherwise and the perfect time for enjoying the local Croatian cuisine.

It’s sometimes difficult to find what we might call traditional Croatian cuisine. You generally need to get far away from the tourist trail to find anything you don’t see on your typical tourist menu. Most food you see around comprises of grilled fish and meat, salads, vegetables, pasta and pizza. That’s not a bad offering but it can become a little monotonous after spending a while in the country. I do like those simple dishes though and have had my fair share of grilled fish or chicken while travelling around Croatia.

If you are travelling by car or taking a cruise down the coast, here are some of the typical and not so typical foods you might find along the way.

Hvar is one of the most popular islands for upmarket travellers and international celebrities. A typical dish on Hvar is gregada which is a type of mixed fish stew.

Another of the most popular islands is Brac, made famous by it’s unusual spit with perfect crystal clear water. You can eat modern Croatian food at Vagabundo near the port or go for the standard grilled chicken and salad at one of the restaurants near Zlatni Rat in Bol.

Speaking of salad, you can’t go wrong with a simple tomato salad with locally grown in-season tomatoes. I’ll always order a tomato salad when I see it on the menu as Croatia has some of the best tasting tomatoes in the world.

A true Croatian specialty is oysters which are farmed near Ston and Mali Ston on the coast. Croatian oysters are smaller than those you might find elsewhere but are considered to be one of the best tasting oysters in the world. Knowing that they are grown in pristine waters is a real bonus.

Another popular spot for cruise ships and sun worshippers is Makarska. Makarska has many restaurants on the waterfront but if you head a little inland you can find quieter places like Rome restaurant where you can once again find great grilled fish and vegetables.

Of course the number one cruise ship destination of them all is Dubrovnik. Packed with tourists and tourist menus it’s not the best place to get original Croatian cuisine. But if you head slightly to the south at Cavtat you can find a few different options like those at Leut Restaurant on the harbour.

Those are some of my favourite foods from my trips along the Croatian coast but hopefully I’ll have more add when I get to Croatia later this summer. What is your favourite Croatian food?