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48 .............................. Saturday, May 23, 2015 1SM

IT’S 31°C INMEXICO —two weeks’ all-inclusive at the4H Thomson

Scene Style El Tukan inPlaya del Carmen is from£1,456pp with ThomsonHolidays. Flight leavesfrom Glasgow on May26. See thomson.co.ukor call 0871 230 2555.

HOTSPOT

TRAVEL

IT’S 23°C INGRAN CANA-RIA — sevennights at the4H The Koala

Garden Suites in Mas-palomas is from £287 ona self-catering basis.Flights fromGlasgow onJune 4. See lowcostholi-days.com or call 08001116271.

IF, like me, you lovefood, cooking, wineand anything Italian,then you should bebooking up for nextyear’s Fish and Chefevent.

The annual homage tofood around Lake Garda isorganised by Michelin starchef Leandro Lupo andElvira Trimeloni from theMalcesine Tourist Boardwhich takes in the area.

It celebrates the traditionalculinary products of LakeGarda with the help of some ofItaly’s most famous chefs andthis year the invitation wasextended to star chefs from therest of Europe.

This festival showcases thevery best the region has tooffer, such as the lake fish (inGarda there are over 40 variet-ies), the extra virgin olive oilproduced in the area, meatsand wines of Custoza andmany other delicious delicacies.

I was lucky enough to beinvited to take part and I flewto Verona with BA (via Lon-don) and pitched up at theAqualux Hotel and Spa, amodern gem set in the beauti-ful landscapes of Garda, just a

25-minute car ride from theairport. My elegant but comfyroom overlooked the fab-ulous courtyard, waterpark and relaxing gar-dens. And, just forgood measure, there’s alife-sized, horse-shaped lamp in themain reception togreet you.

It is also home tothree restaurants, allwith outdoor terraces,and a cigar bar. I doenjoy dining out anddon’t mind the oddMichelin starmeal, but I alwaysfeel as much asthey tantalise thetaste buds andlook fantastic, I’m

left hungry. Thankfully, though,this was not the case on this

tour.My first stop was

dinner at La Casadegli Spiriti in Coster-mano, with a beautifulview overlooking thewater and the town ofGiulietta.

Chef Paulo Cappuc-cio served up a seven-course meal of sheer

artistry — dishes thattasted as stunning as

they looked.Highlights included

tempura roastedsquid, Amberjackfish, spaghetti with

sea urchin and awinter broccoli

emulsion. The

pasta was a bit too al dentefor me — but who am I to tella Michelin star chef how tocook his pasta, especially ifyou’d seen the size of him!

His desserts, though, were atriumph with a vodka straw-berry medley pre-dessert and amain serving of exotic mangowith coconut passion fruit andpineapple.

The next day I headed forlunch in Il Re Della Busa, anelegant restaurant at the LidoPalace Hotel in Riva del Gardawith more breath-taking viewsof the lake.

It was a miracle Icould move

This time it was the turn ofexecutive chef Giuseppe Sestitoto show off his skills.

He began by serving up amelt-in-the-mouth white aspar-agus zambana pie with fondueof casolt of sole, poached quaileggs and crispy bacon — andthat was just for starters!

This was followed by Crockerfillet, broad beans and gnocchi.

Just when I thought itcouldn’t get any better,Giuseppe produced a chocolatecake dessert which when yousliced open, warm real rasp-berry sauce came oozing out —absolute heaven! That evening

Fish andChef takes place in April each year. Dinner costs £42.50 perperson. See fishandchef.itSuperior double rooms at theReginaAdelaideHotel start from £85(minimum three-night stay). See regina-adelaide.itA three-night weekend stay (Thurs-Sun) at the GrandHotel Fasonais from £205pp including breakfast. See ghf.it.Double rooms at the Aqualux Hotel start from £124 per room pernight, including breakfast. See aqualuxhotel.com.

.............................. Saturday, May 23, 2015..............................

Sthe aturdayTHERE’SSOMETHINGFISHYGOINGON..TRYCHEFS’

GO:LAKEGARDA

HOTSPOT

THERE’SSOMETHINGFISHYGOINGON..TRYCHEFS’

Relax&letyour

HORSE PLAY. . . hotel lamp emulsion. The

berry sauce came oozing out —absolute heaven! That eveningful landscapes of Garda, just a

look fantastic, I’m

FOOD FOR THOUGHT. . . amazing cuisine ofraviloi, left, sushi and

lamb, right

THE ANGEL INN,HETTON, NORTH YORKSWHAT’S IT LIKE? Located in splendidisolation in the tiny farming village ofHetton, the Angel is nestled among

rolling fells five miles from the bustlingmarket town of Skipton. It has its origins in

the 15th century but today is renowned for its excellentfood, awarded three AA Rosettes. The inn has realcharacter, with mounted shotguns on the walls,gnarled, ancient beams and an 18th-century bar.ROOMS ANY GOOD? Adjacent to the pub isSycamore Bank, a modern development of fourcontemporary rooms, individually designed andcombining the charm of a Dales barn with the comfortand facilities of a luxury hotel. Also opposite is a barnconversion with a choice of five unique bedrooms.EAT HERE ORGRAB A PIZZA? Definitely eat here. Thepub has maintained a reputation for great cuisine sincethe Eighties and offers delicious, freshly prepared localDales-bred lamb, beef and seasonal game.WHAT ELSE? Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon stoppedoff here for BBC’s gastronomic series The Trip. So youcan enjoy breakfast outside in the very seats the twocomics used and compete for the best Michael Caineimpression while scoffing your full English.SO YOU’D GO BACK? Absolutely – it’s the perfectplace to stay for a peaceful country break.WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Doubles start from £150, withbreakfast. Angelhetton.co.uk or call 01756 730263.

MICHAEL BARRETT

ALLHAILTHISOTHERANGELOFTHENORTHcheck incheckout

SunSNAPS!

WIN£150

WHEN in Essex there’s pressure to glam up – andRosie here wasn’t caught out chasing her tail.

She was putting on a brave face – and dinky dogcoat – in St Osyth, near Clacton, on what looks like apretty bleak day. But she won her owner Nick a £150hotels.com voucher so we hope he buys her adoggy treat to say thanks.

You can be in the running for a voucher of yourown and don’t even have to rope in any animals. Justsend your favourite holiday snap, from home orabroad, and we will pick the one that makes us smilemost. Send hi-res shots to sunsnaps@thesun.co.uk.Don’t forget to tell uswhere you were!

1SM Saturday, May 23, 2015 .............................. 49

CRUISE to the cities of the Baltic, includingCopenhagen, Oslo, Aarhus, Tallinn, St Peters-burg and Stockholm for 11 nights on boardthe Regal Princess from £699pp includingflights from Glasgow on June 13 ( book byMonday). See cruisenation.com or call 0800408 0758.

lTAKE a trip on board the MSC Armoniawhich has undergone a £40million

refurb and lengthening and now features anofficial Lego kids’ club.

Cruise the Med from Spezia, Italy fromJune 27, taking in Marseille, France,Palma, Majorca and Ibiza before head-ing to Olbia, Sardinia and Salerno onthe Amalfi Coast from £549pp includ-ing flights (from London). Seemsccruises.co.uk or call 020 34263010.

lP&O Cruises children’s club, TheReef, is available day and night and is

free of charge. Britannia’s Cookery Club alsooffers free cookery classes as part of thekids’ club where children can learn cake dec-orating, pasta or bread-making and optionalshore excursions feature everything fromtrips to waterparks and beaches, dolphin orwhale-watching, to snorkel adventures andfun Segway city tours for older kids.

lA SEVEN-night Mediterranean fly-cruiseon Oceana departing July 22 (E516A)

starts from £1,149 per adult and £919 per childfor a Select Price, including return flights,resort transfers, an outside cabin based onfour sharing and £350 onboard spendingmoney per cabin.

See pocruises.com or call 0843 373 0111.

lTEN nights on Carnival Vista is from£699pp (including flights) sailing from

Barcelona on August 24 to Messina, Naples,Civitavecchia with a day trip to Rome andLivorno with a trip to Pisa, Marseilles andPalma de Mallorca.

See cruise1st.co.uk or call 0800 9534963.

lCUSTOMERS booking selectedCelebrity Cruises sailings this

year will receive a free drinks pack-age, $400 on-board spend and a bot-

tle of fizz to celebrate their 25thanniversary.

Celebrity Eclipse has a 14-night Scandi-navia and Russia cruise from £1,898ppincluding flights from Glasgow leaving July 11(based on two people sharing a balconystateroom). See celebritycruises.co.uk or call0845 456 0523)

lSAIL from Edinburgh with Titan’s newFred Olsen Norwegian Fjords cruise

from £1,049pp on Boudicca to the NorwegianFjords on July 19. See titantravel.co.uk or call0800 988 5873.

FEELBALTICONAREGALCRUISE

cruisenews

Edited by LISAMINOT&HEATHER LOWRIE lthescottishsun.co.uk

AMAZINGDISHESAT ITALIANFESTIVALAMAZINGDISHESAT ITALIANFESTIVAL

Gardadown

chef Marco Sacco took over thekitchens at the Regina AdelaideHotel. He created exceptionaldishes of lake fish sushi, troutand heifer garronese.

His showpiece of char ‘lost inthe woods’ more than lived up toits name - there was a piece ofbark on my plate!

On my last night it was timefor top German chef DirkHoberg (the first non-Italian chefto take part in Fish and Chef) totake over the Italian Taste res-taurant in my hotel.

This guy has two Michelinstars and that really showed onthe plate. A fitting tribute to thelake fish char and trout in hisfirst two courses — even servingup deep-fried pasta with one,and finished off with a beautifultender piece of local beef.

It was a miracle I could moveafter days of feasting, but itwould have been a crimenot to explore this stunninglandscape a bit further.

I highly recommend aboat trip around LakeGarda, which takes in for-mer royal residences andalso a small yellow housewhich was once home toMussolini’s mistress.

We docked at the magnifi-cent Grand Hotel Fasano onthe west side of the lake,greeted with champagne and

delicate hors d’oeuvres, includingdelicious scallops — I have to sayI had more than one!

This hotel combines the ele-gance of historic architecturewith the latest in comfort andluxury, what a place. Of all thedining experiences I’d enjoyed,this was my favourite.

Served up by chef MatteoFelter in their Il Fagio restaurant,the fact that he is without aMichelin star amazes me, but I’mconfident it won’t be long beforehe has one, maybe even two.

The saffron risotto with codcarpaccio, brasato ravioli andlamb three ways were equallyout of this world.

Then to finish off I had thetempting variation of Valrhonachocolate which just left mewishing I could eat here every

day. When I wasn’t eating (thosewho know me know this is ararity!), I managed to find thetime to explore the wonderfulsights that Garda and surround-ing area has on offer.

Malcecine is a small town onthe east side and is great basefor sightseeing.

I took the cable-car to theheights of Monte Baldo, where awarm welcome awaits at the topin the Baita dei Forti restaurantspecialising in home-madebreads, cakes and cheeses makesthis a must visit.

Malcesine is a picturesquetourist resort with cobbledstreets, shops and perhaps itsstriking feature is its historiccastle.

I visited the Paulo Bonomelliboutique olive farm located inTorri del Benaco, to sample one

of the event’s sponsors award-winning extra virgin olive oilCa’ Rainene which was a firstfor me - olive oil tasting. It’s avery similar to wine tasting -except there’s no bucket!

Fish and Chef was an amaz-ing experience, to taste anddiscover the specialities ofLake Garda cooked by mostprestigious of chefs in themost exclusive of locations.

I just hope to get an inviteback next year! Bellissimo.

BRIAN MURRAYDon’tDo

Take cable car when it’s

cloudy— you’ll see nothing!

Take a boat trip aroundLake

Garda

A bottle of beer — 5 euros

Entrance to castle — 6

euros

What costs what?

greeted with champagne and BRIAN MURRAY

FINE WINE-ING. . . Brian enjoyssampling some

top qualityvino, right, andstayed in the

Aqualux Hotel,above

DISH OF THE DAY . . . scallops were simplyoutstanding and chocolate dessert, right, wasabsolutely delicious as well