Tastes of Amman

Having made incredible friends when working in Egypt, I had been invited to see Roz and K get married in Jordan where they live. Two days after the wedding and it was time to get the last supper before heading back to the UK.

Into Amman, down a couple of alley ways to their favourite spot; a family run cafe in the open air which serves the crispiest, fluffiest falafels I've ever tasted (and, having spent a great deal of time researching falafels in Egypt, Libya, Morocco etc, I feel able to comment!). We sat for nearly two hours combining the hot falafels with the light, almost sweet, breads, and a bowl of smooth tahini which provided the perfect setting for chickpeas and olive oil... not to forget the hot pickle or fava beans.

Life should be forced to slow down sometimes, and this was one of those perfect places to stop still for a while and fill up on great flavours.

Start with a good drink

Kiruna, Sweden (or more recognisibly, Lapland) is home to the Icehotel, an enormous collection of buildings made entirely out of ice. Everything from the beds to stools to glasses is made from the ice each year, though a new hotel is designed before the current one has even melted. The ice is harvested during winter and stored for construction in the October.

Ice glasses are simply the only way to drink straight vodka: clean, crisp and cold. The range of vodkas was wide enough to tickle any taste buds; loganberry, blackcurrant, lemon and lime. The only down side is that they taste enough like cordial to mean you'll happily sample three or four flavours, but not so good that you are drunk enough to knock you out for the horrific night of no sleep on an ice bed!

Sitting with M and A watching them bake scones, nibbling on fresh muffins... smells of home (even though my childhood home was more likely to be bubbling with smells of Greece, India or Malaysia) made me realise, once again, how much food really is the way to the heart. So it felt like time to remember some great meals in great places, very often with great people.