It's nice to be home...

10:00am Friday 11th August 2006

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Well it's nice to be home after my recent visit to Fuerteventura.

"Yeah right. "

Get a taste of what it's like to be a chef...

Have you got travel - food stories...post them below.

I could have easily spent another week in the sun with all the fantastic food and drink on offer to us there.

As a chef I travel not only with my passport but with a healthy appetite.

Last week I ate my way around the Canary Islands.

We had Fresh landed lobsters cooked on a barbecue with garlic and wild rosemary; King prawns that where nearly 8" long, cooked in olive oil and saffron; I had paella that was to die for, with wild sea bass, Red snapper, Mussels and the sweetest clams I've ever eaten.

The highlight of the week was when my brother in law Tom got up at 6am to meet the outgoing fishing boats.

He'd booked with one of them for a days fishing out in the open sea between Grand Canaria and Tenerife.

We met them as they landed back onshore at around 3pm along with some of the local restaurant and bar owners. He had caught a Tuna that was over 3ft long; it was quite funny to see him dragging it along the quay slung over his shoulder.

After much deliberation as what to do with it - 'We couldn't take it back to our apartment' - as it must have weighed 40lb and probably would have yielded 50 portions...

After a few cold beers in Juan's seafood restaurant it was decided.

I came back from the bar with another round to find Tom had sold it to Juan the caf owner along with a bag of various sea bass and Spanish mackerel.

They had it cooking in the restaurant 3 hours later and we felt proud as the owner was telling all the customers who had caught it.

Now I'm home and ready for the next couple of weeks.

On Sunday 13th August, I'm doing live cooking demonstrations at the Food Lover's Festival at Stonyhurst College not far from Preston.

I will be sampling and cooking with all the great ingredients from all the North West food producers there.

Along with James martin from "Ready Steady Cook "

and Mary Berry.

Watch for all the progress and photos on my website www.nickofthyme.co.uk...link below.