But you should. Jack Dancy is one of Trufflepig’s founders and the man knows France like no one’s business. Conde Nast Traveler recently named him as one of their Top Travel Specialists and they’ve only picked 133 worldwide, so it’s pretty cool that he’s been cited as the Gallic go to. While it’s true you […]
Somerset House is a capricious space within London. It changes its flavour as the seasons change, sheds its layers like a snake to reveal something equally enveloping in each incarnation. It being winter in our northern hemisphere, Somerset House has turned itself into a skating rink, as is its wont in these chilly months. What could be […]
Classic cars are usually owned by passionate collectors whose unrequited love (and large bank balances) make them immune to the expense of endless trips to the garage. By mere mortals, they are simply admired from afar. Not any more. The Classic Car Club has opened the world of vintage vehicles to the average punter. Membership gives […]
Some argue that of all the towns dotting the swanky French Riviera, Nice is the least… French Riviera-y. True if you’re into hobnobbing and celeb-spotting, but for anyone into photography and flowers (and tiny candies shaped like fruit), Nice is a perfect stop. As luck would have it I am, in fact, into photography, flowers, […]
Bedtime stories are not just for children. In fact, if 40 Winks’ tales are anything to go by, it could be argued that they get better with age. Pyjamas are still compulsory, but hot milk is replaced with a fruity Hendrick’s cocktail, and the stories are naughtier, darker and funnier. Tucked away in the increasingly […]
Gone are the days when the best of English cuisine was pie and mash or a pickled onion. With the likes of Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, the bar in the kitchen has been well and truly raised. Cooking fever has taken London by storm; my favourite is baking your own bread. In search of […]
It’s official: I’m a Sicilian junkie. The Aeolian Islands have cast their seductive spell on me. I am now suffering from acute Summer Withdrawal Syndome, and have been salivating over Salina ever since the day I left. I keep going back to the bewitching Aeolians. The stark volcanic landscape is stunning, the sea sparkling, the […]
In a world filled with economic meltdowns, terrorist extremists, and natural disasters, how does one rationalize a World Championship Wife Carrying Contest? Oddly, it somehow seems perfectly rational in Finland. To be clear, this is not your grandpa’s piggy back ride; it’s a race around a 250 meter track with your missus on your back, in […]
The French have a knack for signs. Funny, confusing, iconic or just plain odd, there’s a character to their signage that gives quite a lot away. Here’s a collection of photos to take you on a trip around France. Following the signs. Some of them show advertising of one form or another—and most of those […]
London can sometimes feel overwhelmingly urban and grey, especially towards the east where the City and its skyscrapers dominate. It is a rather pleasing antidote to wander Columbia Road Flower Market on a Sunday morning and take in the vibrant hues and heady scents. Columbia Road becomes a hive of activity and good-natured bustle as […]
No matter how nice, polite, and evolved we think we are, it’s in our nature to want the best experiences for ourselves. When we get them, sometimes we even stoop to our baser instincts and brag. Today, we have some fine bragging rights to offer you. At Trufflepig we are the kings and queens of […]
The humble culinary underclass of the café lunch and the jug of wine is what makes the true francophile’s heart beat the fastest. Say non to the Michelin star and the TV chef, and oui to the institution of the menu à onze. The menu à onze is just that: an €11 lunch. Last I checked, eleven […]
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we dine: Slow Travel is alive and kicking in Piemonte. Not everyone knows that the Slow Food movement was born in the small Piemontese town of Bra, back in 1986. It was founded by Italian food journalist Carlo Petrini in protest against the opening of the first McDonald’s in Italy […]
I have cycled through the “City of London” many a time. The “City” refers to the financial centre hugging the north bank of the Thames between Tower Hill and Fleet Street. It is a weird region, teeming self-importantly during the week and eerily still at the weekend. During my time traversing its thoroughfares and alleys […]
Together with Kate Hill of the Kitchen at Camont in France’s Gascony region, Trufflepig is offering the grand prize for the craziest food phenomenon ever to hit the web: the aptly-named Charcutepalooza. Read on for details of how to win a food trip that’s really worth its salt. It hardly needs pointing out that at […]
Remember summer? It’s fun at the time, but I enjoy it even more in the winter, scrolling through photos of bright blue and bright green with the odd glass of pastis gleaming in the foreground. Uh oh. My body is in January in the office; my mind’s in July in Provence. And not in just […]