Hello from Goa! I arrived at quarter to five in the morning, having been awake since 4am the day before, and then had to wait six hours for my room. Was I tired? Yes. Was I running on pure excitement? Absolutely. I’d treated myself to five days in a lovely beach cottage before moving into my little shed, and honestly, the whole place is heaven.
Every evening, everyone wanders down to the beach to watch the sun set – it always reminds me of the angels on the beach in City of Angels, and I never, ever tire of it. The one thing I can’t share with you is the smell: a heady mix of incense and cow dung (the cows wander the streets here). After 18 years on a farm, I secretly quite like it.
Then, of course, disaster struck. My phone locked me out, then my iPad did too, and I spent the most troublesome seven days of my life trying to get back in – from a beach hut in India, with no computer in sight. I lost a load of recipes I’d recorded, but I’m back, my daughter India has arrived, and all is well with the world.
In this film you’ll also find:
- My favourite fish restaurant – I’ve been going for years. I always touch the skin (it shouldn’t be slimy) and check the eyes before I order.
- Peanut masala with a vodka and tonic by the sea – spicy, moreish and perfect with drinks.
- A gorgeous thali – lots of little dishes, chutneys, raita, rice and naan – which I’ll be recreating at home.
- Two travel tips: when you land, get to immigration as fast as you can, because the queues can take hours. And at the cash point, you can only take out 10,000 rupees at a time (about £50) – always choose rupees, never the pound conversion.
Plus a bit of retail therapy with India – necklaces, rings and a new dress. Spanking the bank card, as they say!