Girl About: Galavanting gourmet tips

TIPS FOR galavanting gourmets

Girl About’s bloggers from all around the UK have been busy compiling new itineraries based on what their readers particular interests are. You can hit the Girl About website to do a quiz and see if you’re an outdoor adventurer, a galavanting gourmet, a culture vulture or a girly weekender. This issue we’re giving you a sneak preview of some tasty little tips from galavanting gourmets, Lyndsey, Natacha and Sarah.

LYNDSEY THOMAS Yorkshire Dales

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There are a plethora of places to wine and dine in the Dales, from historic pubs dishing up proper locally-produced Yorkshire grub, to intimate dining rooms with award-winning chefs creating farm-to-fork fare. And there is quite simply nowhere more breathtakingly beautiful to walk off all those sumptuous sins.

The ultimate pub grub

Check into the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey (fondly known as ‘The Dev’) on the southernmost edge of the Yorkshire Dales and book dinner at The Burlington, its renowned finedining restaurant. The tasting menu is devised by award-winning chef Paul Leonard and much of the produce is from the hotel’s kitchen garden or reared on the Bolton Abbey Estate. Expect exquisite, fresh and seasonal plates of quintessentially Yorkshire fare, like trout from the river, game from across the estate and Yorkshire lamb.

Say cheese

Wallace and Gromit would never forgive you if you didn’t pop into Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes. The team will take you through the cheesemaking process step-bystep and at the end you can purchase a ring or two of this world-famous creamy cheese. My favourite is the Wensleydale with ginger.

BLACK SHEEP BREWERY

Say cheers to beer

The Blacksheep Brewery in Masham offers great tours costing just £12 (book in advance to avoid disappointment) and taking around an hour. You’ll have the chance to see behind the scenes at a proper working brewery and end with that allimportant local ale tasting. There’s also an amazing restaurant on-site serving delicious comfort food.

NATACHA CHAUDHARY Surrey

Guildford is Surrey’s largest town and a melting pot of people and foodie spots thanks to its multi-cultural university. As an alumni of Surrey University myself, Guildford and the surrounding area is close to my heart. I recommend you have a car at hand so you can reach the beautiful countryside to access more foodie attractions and find the amazing walks too. It’s all Greek

Free to join, this all-female members’ club and travel concierge service empowers women to dream, plan and book amazing holidays that can’t be googled. Run by travel experts, Girl About is a network of women sharing unbiased advice, travel guides, offers and discounts. Charitable Travel is the official partner of Girl About, meaning members can book holidays via the club and give money to their favourite charity. charitable.travel/girlabout

Theion restaurant serves traditional Greek cuisine with a beautifully-decorated backdrop of interesting art and hundreds of feathers hanging from the ceiling. The menu highlights fresh Mediterranean ingredients and I recommend sharing a few starters with some Tzatziki and pita bread, plus the meatballs giaourtlou, filo-wrapped feta and roasted octopus. The restaurant also has an impressive cocktail bar.

Fusion flavours

IVY ASIA

Ivy Asia has arrived in Guilford and is exciting diners with its diverse menu and a glamorous and eclectic setting – there’s a geometric light-up floor, sumptuous Asian silk furnishings and a golden ceiling blooming with cherry blossom. The food takes inspiration from around Asia but the sushi is definitely the one to look out for. Food presentation is exquisite and cocktails are theatrical.

Sunday lunch

The March Hare pub has recently had a glow-up, both menu and interiorwise, and offers a hearty roast in the centre of Guildford. You can opt for an à la carte meal rather than a roast if you wish, and cuisine leans towards French, with dishes like duck confit and fish in a bouillabaisse sauce.

SARAH FROST Hampshire

In the quintessentially English New Forest you’ll find heathland dotted with yellow gorse bushes and free-roaming ponies, ancient woodland, eerie with deep greenery, and a coastline with views of the Isle of Wight. If you know your venison from your velouté, or you love to spot a celebrity chef, then you’ve come to the right place. From fine dining to farm shops, the New Forest is a firm favourite with foodies.

GIN MAKING AT WYRD SPIRITS

Masterful menus

Angela Hartnett OBE, is one of Gordon Ramsay’s protégées who was a judge on Best Home Cook. Along with Luke Holder, she creates seasonal Italian-inspired menus for Hartnett, Holder & Co. Restaurant at the luxurious

Lime Wood Hotel. They have their own smokehouse which produces delicate salmon, pancetta and bresaola, to name a few, and your meal will be paired with an award-winning wine list.

To read the full 48-hour itineraries covering the Yorkshire Dales, Surrey and Hampshire, head to the Girl About website.

Get in the spirit

The pretty market town of Ringwood is home to Wyrd Spirits, a relatively new distillery which uses New Forest spring water as a base for its small batch gin. I can confirm that it creates a delicious juniper-infused spirit and recommend the 90-minute tour (costing £20) which includes a gin and tonic, plenty of samples and a branded glass.

Time for tea

Book the classic afternoon tea at charming Rosie Lea, an award-winning tea room, bakery and restaurant in Brockenhurst. My favourite pick is the savoury cheese scone with Winchester cheese and bacon marmite jam. Brockenhurst is a great starting point for a cycle so you can burn off the calories after, or join the seven-mile foodie trail!

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