Spring and Summer every other day

Now as much as I love my Brownies and Guides, I haven't had a holiday without them in two years. Until last week. Mark and I went to lovely Lanzarote for a week of Spring and Summer weather, good food, wine, and a lot of rest (that was mainly on my part though owing to the legacy on my health of 5 months of sinusitis and a wrecked ankle).

Lanzarote is one of the Canary Islands and contrary to it's reputation as Lanzagrotty, if you make the effort to go that little bit off the beaten track, you will find amazingly fresh tapas, seafood and the ubiquitous patatas arrugadas. New potatoes cooked in salt water until the water boils away and their skins wrinkle. These are served with a sprinkling of local sea salt, and mojo, which comes in a few varieties but most commonly rojo and verde. Red and Green. Red is a piquant, chilli based sauce, a little like a very fine salsa, and the green is a parsley or coriander based salsa verde. What marks these out from the common salsas is the consistency. Smooth, and so flavourful they are an amazing addition to fresh fish or as I say the new potatoes.

Once this year's new potatoes come in, I'm going to have a go at both mojos, having purloined a recipe for them as I think they'll be a lovely accompaniment to BBQs and the fresh fish, and chicken that I tend to go for in the warmer months. Expect an update soon.

Like the other Canary Islands Lanzarote is volcanic and Islario de Hilota whilst dormant still produces heat to warm even the chilliest of feet (those would be mine) and also, impressively to cook your lunch. Much like barbecuing the restaurant uses the natural heat from the volcano to cook your steak, fish or chicken perfectly. Unlike barbecuing you don't get the smoky flavour, but an identifiable something in the way your food tastes. For me, part of the excitement was in watching my fish be cooked, and then scooting into the restaurant to order it.

As is always the case for this blogger, I didn't take pictures of our meals, in the same way as I don't watch tv whilst I eat I just think it's rude to Mark, and in some way dismissive of our time together. However, for your viewing pleasure - a picture of this blogger flathunting in a volcanic landscape!

Photo Credits: Mark Reader