Debbie’s Blog

I have listened to you ! ,  seemingly its special interests you all like, to be doing something whilst your on holiday ! , so what a better a tour than a …..cook and tour ! .  I have been working on a wonderful cook and tour programme for Vietnam , one of the most charming, enchanting countries I work in , as yet its not too spoiled , tourism is still in its early stages .  I think this is a wonderful tour, taking in Ho Chi Minh city ( Saigon , sounds better and has a more romantic feel to it )  Spending four nights at the four star plus Caravelle Hotel (right next to the opera house, yes…the opera house ! ) with ALL Tours and ALL meals inclusive , we will tour up to the Mekong Delta, we will go and visit the cu chi tunnels , the war remnants museum , all the highlights of a city tour, some shopping ladies at the local central market…..bargains ! bargains ! .  To keep the “cooking ” theme, we will sample the delights of Vietnamese dishes in the restaurants I have chosen .  We then fly to the unique trading town of Hoi an , we will stay in a beach resort sandwiched between the river and the beach .  Hoi an is one of the most charming, and enchanting places I have ever visited, very old and beautifully preserved , and it is here that we find the cooking school of Ms Vy , housed in an elegant old building, within the “old quarter” , Ms Vy is a third generation chef in her family. she runs three restaurants in the town, and over the years begun to share the secrets and tips from her kitchen , which has led to the creation of her gormet kitchen classes .  She has been featured in many guide books over the years as well as in the New York TImes, Travel and Leisure, World Food vietnam .

But the proof is in the tasting ! and I adore her restaurant the Morning Glory , the food is wonderful ….trust me ! .  We will be spending the day with Ms Vy , from getting up early ladies to go to the local market to buy our produce , we will learn about vietnamese food , history and philosophy , nutrition and food medicines…and then you will have a choice of ten vietnamese dishes to choose from !

Shrimp and pork spring rolls, Grilled Chicken and Lime leaf, Crispy Pancake (to die for ladies , make sure this is one of your choices… Banana Flower Salad, Stuffed Mushroom and shrimp mousse,  Stewed fish in a claypot , I cannot name them ALL on here ….Her aim is to keep Vietnamese Street Food alive, and her recipes have been handed down from her grandparents…

We will also be doing a bicycle ride through the most amazing countryside, as well as doing a walking tour of wonderful hoi an , and you will have time to relax and enjoy the beach !!

It will be up on the website within a week or two , check it out ladies…its a very competitive price, and I will be able to help you organise your flight with my agent ….Oh its not till next march and I will be keeping the numbers to 9 a tour,  so it will be small and personable , and I am thrown in for nothing .

…I have been missing for a while, just busy and I didnt find my home town too exciting to talk about to be honest.  I was in the Rockies and that was something to talk about , had I have had a signal on my laptop ….and when I did ,  something was always happening .  For instance all the electric was knocked out in our hotel because someone had crashed through the electricity pole , didnt help that it was raining in torrents outside, no restaurants could cook because , hey , no electric…..so all my clients went to bed cold, hungry and with no electric , great holiday eh ? , but you know it all adds to the adventure of the whole trip , was a different story in the morning.  The Rockies are without a doubt , wonderful ,  a picture postcard on every corner , we ended up in Vancouver, a city I have visited many times , I used to work for Princess cruises and we used to sail in and out of Canada Place all the time .  The dalai lamai says its the most balanced city in the world ,  feng shui at its best, oh oh I hope I got that right and didnt name a shushi dish !

Check out Granville Island , its wonderful, with its market, little water taxi to get there .  Go down to Hornby Street and get to the little pier for the water taxi , which will take you across for a dollar or two , wonderful stuff,  the little taxi , weaves in and out of the boats and arrives about 2 mins later , take in the atmosphere, street entertainers , grab some fish and sit outside, or better still do what I did and eat at the Sandbar, amazing seafood ,  I had fresh tuna with salad , and had a seat outside,  with a glass of wonderful wine, just went down a treat .  I even chatted with a couple from Hong Kong , who shared their ribs with me ….well you know their dish of ribs.  …A glad to be alive day, you know the ones we have here in dear old blighty when the sun doth shine….