For the first time in a long time, we’re travelling throughout December. And in an even longer time, we’re in the northern hemisphere for Christmas!
Well, in truth, I will be in the UK for Christmas while Christina is heading home just before to be with her family. It’s going to be strange not spending the festive period together. The last time we did that was way back in 2015/6, so this will be an interesting experiment.
But while we’re away, we’ll be in beautiful Italy – specifically Parma, Milan and on the shores of Lake Como. We’ll also be exploring new parts of Suffolk on England’s far eastern side and maybe a couple of trips elsewhere too.
We hope you enjoy this Taste of the Month!
Cheers – Jim and Christina xx
Our flight to Heathrow via Taipei was quite long – the last segment was about 16 hours – so this one from Stansted to Bergamo just north of Milan will be a breeze. Especially with incredible views of the Alps keeping us occupied.
We’re travelling with our wonderful friends Clare and Dave, who we’ve known for 20-odd years now. We’ve travelled together before so we not only know how everyone likes to travel, but also that we all have a main focus: food and drink!
Heading to Parma is the obvious choice then. It’s famous for being one of the great food capitals of the world.
After a somewhat irritating start to our journey (I didn’t think I’d need an international driver’s licence to pick up the rental car at the airport), we settle into our new surroundings of the fascinating town of Parma.
First stop – and in fact the nearest stop – is a little streetside bar called Enoteca Tabarro. It’s a busy spot especially as it’s just the start of passeggiata (an unofficial evening event where everyone in the town goes for a stroll), but the owner still has time to come out and serve us. And lecture us on the nuances of all the natural wines he sells and to tell us that we know nothing about wine. It’s a lot of fun.
This is a great people-watching spot though, so we grin through the man-splain and take in the culture of the evening.
After a few drinks around town, we realise it’s dinner time and try to get a table at what we think is a little restaurant down a side street.
It turns out we’ve come across the Trattoria del Tribunale – an enormous eatery that’s not only big but also one of the best places to eat in town. I don’t realise at the time, but it’s on one of my many lists and a local we chat later in the trip even recommends it.
The service is impeccable, the food is sublime and the prices are surprisingly good. No wonder it’s so popular. By the time we leave, there’s a massive queue waiting for tables.
On our plate here by the way is torta fritti, a kind of fried bread pastry that’s specific to the region. It’s the perfect vehicle for prosciutto di Parma and reggiano parmigiano – both of which are made within a few miles of town.
This morning, we’re up early. One of the main squares of Parma – Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi – is quite and the sun is just touching the top of the elegant Governor’s Palace. Today is essentially Christina’s birthday present, even though it’s still a couple of weeks away.
We’ve booked a day at a reggiano parmigiano parmesan cheese factory and a prosciutto di Parma ham factory with ParmaLook, a local tour company that does small group trips around the area.
We start the day with a drive out to an artisanal cheese factory where they’re just about to pull out the day’s cheese. Cooking and fermenting cows’ milk overnight, the curds and whey have separated, and the cheesemaster on the left is inspecting the results.
This factory makes just five cheeses a day and they only make parmesan. It takes 550 litres of unpasteurised milk to make one wheel of parmesan, and the process is laborious and time-consuming. But my goodness, it’s worth it!
L&R: Christina and Jim admiring the shelves of cheese, M: 50 month aged reggiano parmigiano
This has been Christina’s life-long dream to stand between the towering stacked shelves of a parmesan warehouse and to breathe in the heady aroma. It’s been worth the wait.
We also get to try a few different ages of cheese. The one here has been aged for 50 months and its flavours are so intense. Nutty, sharp, spicy and peppery, it’s a taste that lasts so long on your palate.
There’s a delightful crunch to the cheese. Tiny crystals form in well-made well-aged parmesan, but they’re not salt flakes. They’re naturally occurring proteins from the milk (tyrosine and calcium lactate) that clump together as the cheese gets older.
It’s been so interesting to learn about the process of this highly-skilled industry. Each wheel has been handled so much before it gets to its maturity (we’re still waiting for that, as you can see!).
The different colours of the wheels show that they’ve been ageing for different lengths of time. The darker cheese have been here longer, and there’s no wax or covering on these cheeses. It’s just a natural rind that forms from brining and ageing. And just to confirm, yes, you can eat the rind; it’s great for soups and stews.
We also get to meet the real stars of the show: the special cows that produce all the milk for the cheese. There are 140 cows attached to this factory and they’re milked twice a day.
Only milk from the DOP specified by the government can be used and the cows must be from the area too. More than that, they have to eat only the grass grown within this Denominazione di Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin). They don’t seem to mind.
L-R: Jim enjoying the ageing room at the prosciutto di Parma factory, one of the drying rooms, the many racks of hams ageing gracefully
Next, we’re back in the van heading to what seems to be someone’s house. But through the doors, we discover a full-on prosciutto di Parma factory!
Room after room, we learn about the whole process of producing this most desirable of Italian meats. Our guide explains how the hind legs of a specific breed of pig come here for butchering then there for the first wash, then there for drying, there for salting, back to washing, back for more salting… it’s a bewildering and enchanting method.
Finally, we move into the curing room where slatted windows, which are only open when the winds are blowing off the distant sea, allow the hams to age and develop their signature flavour.
At the end of the tour, we meet Claudio, the owner and – get this – soul worker of this facility. Now in his 80s, Claudio says he’s retired from prosciutto making, but we look around at the number of hams hanging here and we have difficulty agreeing with him.
Claudio then turns on his prosciutto slicer, a machine he inherited from his mother, and shows us just why prosciutto di Parma is the best in the world. Said to be worth over €15,000, the machine can cut slices so thin you can quite literally see through them.
As for the flavour and texture, it’s delicate and sweet with a saltiness than combines with the all-important layer of fat. The minimum depth of fat can be no less that 22mm or the ham will be rejected.
Along with the delicious prosciutto, Claudio gives us a taste of local wine. Normally, Lambrusco – a sparkling red wine from the area – is the call of the day, but Claudio prefers a sparkling dry white wine to go with his ham.
The sharpness and dryness of the wine cuts through the fat of the pork and brings out more of that salty sweetness in the meat. It’s hard to leave this place, but all too soon, we say goodbye to Claudio and his magnificent hams.
Back in Parma, we explore more of the pretty little streets of the town and stop for a drink a couple of places.
Aperitivo – the concept of serving little snacks with drinks, often for free – is a strong and much appreciated tradition in Milan. Parma is much the same, though their snacks really are on another level.
Everything from little pizza slices and mortadella to bowls of nuts and sandwiches adorn tables with our drinks. This golden retriever has his eye on one of everything I think!
Food of Parma – L-R: reggiano parmigiano, torta fritti and culatello tagliolini
With our new-found knowledge of two of Parma’s food crowns, we delve into another excellent dinner. It must be hard to live here and not over-eat.
The third dish here by the way – culatello tagliolini – is a dish from nearby town of Zibello: prosciutto crisped in sage butter and covered in parmesan cheese with thin ribbon pasta. It’s difficult to express just how good this is.
Architecture of Parma – L-R: Cattedrale di Parma, Chiesa Parrocchiale della Santissima Annunziata and inside Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista
Our last night in Parma, we have what we all agree is the best meal of the trip. Even on the flight home, we’re still talking about Trattoria Corrieri. It’s one of those rare places that just oozes atmosphere.
The food is well-made and homely, and though it may not be worthy of any Michelin attention, it’s the feeling you get when you’re in a place that makes a great meal rather than just what’s on your plate.
This is the place to come if… no, when you visit Parma.
Charming, local, friendly and fun, Parma is yet another one of those hidden Italian treasures that wait to be discovered. It’s a dog-friendly town with fascinating bars and eateries, unique foods, and an understanding of that dolce vita Italy is so famous for.
Also, because it’s off the usual tourist trail, it doesn’t feel like Parma’s a town that fully understands international tourism yet. It’s still raw and innocent. So get here sooner rather than later.
From the little country town of Parma, we hit the big smoke. We’re in Milan!
We do what we do best in big cities and walk until we’re hungry. It’s such a great way to find those unusual elements of a town you’re visiting.
Lunch today is at the very peculiar Rivoire Oberdan. The food is fine – delicious actually – but it’s the decor that makes this place so strange.
Eclectic doesn’t really go far enough here. Sistine Chapel style frescos adorn the ceilings and suits of samurai armour stand on the walls. Meanwhile a stuffed ostrich stands guard in the corner and huge chandeliers dangle in kingly opulence above.
Waitstaff are, for whatever reason – perhaps none at all, dressed like ships’ stewards. It’s bonkers. We love it!
We’ve come to the south of the city to its canals. Although Christina and I have been to Milan a couple of times, this is the first time we’ve been to this bit. I think we’ve been missing out.
However, this is once again another reason to travel off-season. I have no doubt the canals in summer would be a nightmare, thronging with masses of tourists.
Dinner at Luca & Andrea Bar by the canals of Milan – L-R: Jim, Christina, Clare and Dave; Cotoletta Milanese; and a drop of vino rosso
The four of us explore the many canal-side restaurants looking for a good place for dinner. We finally settle on Luca & Andrea Bar. It’s quiet when we walk in but by the time my enormous (though sadly a little dry) cotoletta Milanese arrives, the restaurant’s filled up a bit.
It’s hard to know if this place would be part of the tourist trail, but tonight it’s just us and a smattering of locals, which is just the way we like it.
Clare and Dave are missing Ruby and Luna, their fur babies back in England, but the table behind us is happy to lend them one of theirs for a while. I do wonder if this would have happened if we were here in peak season. I have my doubts.
Another day of exploring sees us all the way over at the Castello Sforzesco and its lovely parklands. At its far end is this, the Arco della Pace – ‘Arch of Peace’ – Milan’s triumphal arch.
Probably Milan’s best known landmark is the duomo. This beautiful cathedral is in fact the largest and best examples of Gothic architecture, and is one of the biggest cathedrals in the world too.
We go inside to see the incredible vaulted ceilings, elegant columns and impressive floors, but what we’ve really come here for is the rooftop.
One of the best views in Milan, the rooftop of the duomo is well worth paying the extra for. And what’s even more worth it is paying for the elevator.
Though if you enjoy clambering up millions of tight stone steps with the impending dread of cascading backwards to your death (or forwards when you go back down), please ignore my last recommendation.
The only problem with being on the roof of the duomo is you can’t really see the duomo itself. Plus, there’s no bar.
However, across the road, at the top of the Rinascente department store (level 7) is Il Bar. This open-air rooftop bar has the best views of the city and the duomo in one. Plus there’s even table service!
Today is Clare’s birthday! We’ve hopped on the train from Milan to the shores of Lake Como – you can find out how here.
We were expecting it to be blisteringly cold here with wind from the distant Alps and the lake, but in the sun it’s actually lovely. And even better, there are virtually no other tourists here. We have the passenger ferry to our selves and we enjoy the views of this incredibly stunning lake as if it’s a private cruise.
We stop off at Bellagio for lunch and somehow score the perfect table in one of the few restaurants open at this time of year (one of the hazards of off-season travel) and feast ourselves silly. Just as the sun begins to dip below the mountains, we board our train back to the city.
L-R: Christina and Clare outside the Duomo, Milan; Jim and Dave at the Pirates and Poets bar in Milan
We’ve loved our time in Italy’s winter wonderland, and even more so to be able to do it with such good friends. The bar on the right here, where Dave and I are cheers-ing, is a cracker. PiratiPoeti (Pirates and Poets) is a wonderful local spot in the city’s northeast.
Bury St Edmunds, England UK – TL-BR: the ruins of the original abbey, Christina and a small door, and the outside and inside of England’s smallest pub: the Nutshell
Back in the UK, we’re spending some time with my parents and brother, who has also flown over from Australia to spend some time with the family. My mum and dad live fairly close to the historic town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. It’s the first time Christina and I have been here, so we take the opportunity to have a quick look round.
The Medieval ruins of the old abbey are as fascinating as the current 16th Century cathedral, and further in the town, we discover Britain’s smallest pub, the Nutshell. It’s appreciably strange inside and its locals are even stranger. It’s excellent.
It’s just 4.5m x 2m, has enough space for about eight patrons at a time and has been here since 1873. Plus there’s the corpse of a 400-year-old desiccated cat hanging above the bar; can you spot it?
Because Christina’s heading back to Australia before Christmas, Clare and Dave have decided to throw Christmas dinner early.
Dave is a stupendously good cook and knocks up a full lamb roast with every trimming known to man.
Yes, you are correct. That’s five-hour roast lamb shoulder, roast carrots and potatoes, mashed swede, brussels sprouts, Yorkshire puddings (Dave’s from Yorkshire, so these are the real deal), and a whole cauliflower cheese! What a legend.
Absolute nutters. Love ’em.
The world’s most expensive pie – £45 from the Cock Horse Pub in Lavenham, Suffolk
Christina and I have decided to drive to the little Suffolk town of Lavenham today. It’s a pretty place full of wobbly Tudor houses and is even the site of a Harry Potter movie shoot – Godrick’s Hollow was filmed here.
It also has a brilliant butcher shop and I’ve been waiting to try one of their pies for ages. The one in the photo is not this. Today the butcher’s is closed.
However, the Cock Horse pub down the road is serving lunch and we score a table. We also have to see what a AU$90 pie looks like. As it turns out, it’s bloody brilliant. And $45 per person for Christmas lunch isn’t so bad if you think about it like that.
It wouldn’t be a trip to England – or a stay with Clare and Dave – if we didn’t venture into London at least once.
While we’re mooching around South Kensington, Clare spots this place for lunch: Ceru, turning out an excellent range of pan-southern Med food.
We decide to pop our heads round the door of the Natural History Museum. It’s been years (as in since we were all at primary school) since Clare, Dave and I have been here, and Christina’s never been inside.
We start that slow museum-paced walk through the exhibits and check out a truly brilliant photography exhibit. By the time we exit the museum, we realise we’ve been in there for hours and it’s now dark!
It’s actually pretty good timing though and we enjoy the Christmas lights in all their glory shining out from the beautiful stores along Knightsbridge.
It shows how long Christina and I have been away; we’ve forgotten just how magical London can be at Christmas.
Soon we’re feeling hungry again, so we high tail it to Chinatown. We pick a place at random and find ourselves on the second floor of the Golden Phoenix. This place has been here over 30 years and the kitchen really knows what it’s doing.
The food and service are both outstanding and I even spot a celebrity: the comedian Lee Evans has come in after us and is sitting a couple of tables away from us. I wonder if he’ll recognise me…
With Christina back in Australia, there’s not much left for me to do but hang out with my folks. My dad’s had some health problems recently, but has just had his oncologist give him the all-clear from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, but it’s been a tough year.
It’s lovely to spend so much time with these loonies, and Christmas dinner is just like old times, though it’s salmon en croute rather than turkey and the bubbles are all sans booze, but the people are just the same.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s tasty morsel. The story of my UK trip continues next month, however, when I check out a Cambridge steakhouse and a Suffolk country manor, as well as lots of fun on my return to Sydney.
