madeira

18th August 2019

Afternoon Tea

I am going to transport you back to Madeira for a short while to talk about the afternoon tea we had at Reid’s Palace Hotel. Coincidentally when researching this post, I discovered that it is afternoon tea week. I often wonder who comes up with these different weeks. The cynic in me thinks that it coincides with a lull in the market, maybe mid-August is quiet for afternoon tea, who knows?

I have to say I am not someone who relishes the prospect of consuming a large amount of cake and sugary things in one sitting. I sort of shudder at the prospect, but when you have a birthday to celebrate, why not make an exception?

There is something very English and genteel about having tea, proper tea from a teapot in bone china cups with a saucer. Not your usual builders tea in a mug. It conjures up images of Victorian ladies sitting in big sprawling manor houses with a poor servant running around pouring tea and serving cucumber sandwiches, while the lady of the house gossips about her neighbours or some local scandal. It is said that it was introduced by the seventh Duchess of Bedford to fill the gap between lunch and dinner, which was generally served around 8pm.

Traditional afternoon tea consists of finger sandwiches, scones served with jam and clotted cream and little cakes with a choice of teas, or if you are celebrating, a glass of champagne. In London all of the main hotels vie for the honour of serving the best afternoon tea, at prices ranging from around £20 to a whopping £70 a head. You can sit in ornate lounges admiring both the decor and the artistry and talent in producing the cakes.
Afternoon tea at Reid’s Palace costs €36 a head with a glass of champagne costing a further €18.50. For that you get the usual fare of finger sandwiches, scones, dainty cakes and a menu of teas. But the best bit is the view over the gardens and, of course, the sea.

The serving staff are very attentive, a little too attentive for my liking, and once you’ve finish your first round you’ll be offered even more sandwiches and scones, and a fresh pot of tea which you will need to cut through the sugar. How many carbs can a person consume at one sitting?

Wall of historical photographs at Reids Palace Hotel

The hotel itself is spectacular. It still retains it’s colonial feel but is immaculate with polished floors and large grand piano sitting majestically in the bar. There is a wall of photographs of the hotel over the years and decorative features like an old phone artistically arranged. Even if you don’t go for afternoon tea it is worth a visit just to admire the foyer area alone.
Wherever you go for afternoon tea it is something really special and a nice thing to do for a celebration which will appeal to all ages and especially if you have a sweet tooth.

Not sponsored and paid for by me. Reid’s Palace Hotel HERE.

14th July 2019

Eating in Madeira

You can enjoy some fabulous food in Madeira. The local produce is amazing. I have already spoken about the bananas which to me are the way bananas should taste, really sweet and slightly waxy in texture. But the locals are not satisfied with just having them as a dessert, they pair them with fish too. The dish that you will see in many restaurants is scabbard fish with bananas (espada com banana), a seemingly odd combination but actually delicious. A deep water fish, the scabbard is long and silver when in the water but as soon as it comes up to the surface it turns black. It has a very subtle taste, so is perfect to be accompanied by stronger flavours.

Most people have tried Madeira cake at some point. The pale yellow one with a darker crust. Simple and delicious. However, a more traditional cake is the honey cake (Bolo de Mel). This is a dark, dense delight that’s very sweet and nutty. My favourite, though, are Pastel de Natas, small custard tarts usually served slightly warm with a coffee. Nothing like the custard tarts you get in England. The pastry is light and flaky and the custard is creamy and sweet. Absolutely delicious. Lucky for me, my local supermarket sells them and although they are not quite as good as the ones in Madeira, they are not a bad substitute.

The market place in Funchal is a great place to visit. Full of beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables, it also has a wide selection of chillies and fresh fish and flowers for sale. Definitely worth a visit just to browse or buy flowers to take home. They will pack them up for you to take on the plane.

Here is a quick roundup of my favourite restaurants in Madeira:

La Vaca Negra
If you like steak, this is the place for you. Every cut of steak you could ask for, beautifully cooked, flavoursome and served simply with a jacket potato or chips, and salad. Go hungry as the portions are large.

Cris’s Place
This is one of three restaurants by the same owner that are situated within a square mile. Cris’s and Cris’s Flambé are the other two. All three have a similar concept whereby there is a set menu at a fixed price, offering three courses plus coffee and wine. The wines are chosen by Cris to complement each course and they are good quality. if you find choosing Portuguese wine a mine field this is a good choice. The service is excellent and it has a very upmarket feel.

Indian Palace
Fancy a curry while on holiday? This one serves up some of the best I have tasted. All your favourites with rices and beautifully fresh, fluffy naans to complement your dish. Great service too.

Frango de Guia
Grilled chicken, rosemary and garlic flavoured chips and a nice fresh salad. If that sounds good this is the place to visit. They do lots of other dishes but every time I visit that is what I order because to me, there is nothing better.

Hole in One pub
I have to give an honourable mention to this pub. It has the best atmosphere and attracts a lot of tourists. There’s live music most evenings and sport on large TV screens will keep you there for several drinks. It also has great range of gins, local beers and wine, plus food.

This is the third part in my Guide to Madeira, for the first two parts scroll down below.

This post is not sponsored. I paid for all meals and excursions.

16th June 2019

Madeira: Levada walks

If you like walking and want to see some spectacular views and nature at its very best, Madeira’s levada walks are for you. These small canals were built in the 16th century to bring down rainwater from the peaks to the parched areas of the island, assisting farmers cultivating land on small strips on the sides of steep hills. The little paths alongside them mean walking in the hills is relatively easy.

The scenery is spectacular with fabulous waterfalls and quite magnificent vegetation growing alongside the canals and pathways. Although it is possible to make your own way along the levadas, I would always recommend going with a guide. We went with Emanuel from Walking with Emanuel in parties of six to eight people. The walks are graded easy to hard and some are in the high peaks, although these they are weather dependent. On both occasions that we booked the Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo walk it was too misty and foggy to be safe, so we were given a substitute walk instead. Summer may be the best time for that one. That said, all of the walks have plenty to offer and my favourite was Rabacal 25 springs – the highlight is the view where 25 springs merge into a large waterfall.

A walk lasting about four hours with return pick up from your hotel will cost in the region of 25 euros. You will need to have walking boots and a waterproof jacket. A guide will help you navigate the sometimes narrow paths and point out key points including the plants which grow to spectacular proportions in the clean pollution free atmosphere.

Our guide took some cheese with him and showed us how to hand feed the birds which was a nice experience. At the end of the walk we piled into the van, weary but elated and were driven back to our hotel in time for a relaxing bath and a pre-dinner drinks.

Tip: Some tourist places seemingly offering cheap rates for walks and jeep safaris are really timeshare agents for hotels and will try to sign you up for a 90-minute talk before you qualify for the cheaper price.

We went with Walking with Emanuel HERE

This post is not sponsored, I paid for all excursions.

8th June 2019

I Love Madeira

There are some holiday destinations where you arrive and instantly feel relaxed and comfortable. For me that is Madeira. It is the place I return to year after year. As soon as I step off the plane everything seems OK and all those day-to-day problems that we all have vanish.

Situated off the west coast of Africa, Madeira is an Island belonging to Portugal. It has a sub-tropical climate which supports an abundant collection of flora and fauna all year around. Fabulous flowers just growing on the road side, gardens with bananas ripening. I urge you to try a banana from Madeira, they taste like bananas should be, slightly waxy in texture, sweet and full of flavour. If you have ever had a pointsetia at Christmas and failed to keep it alive by January you can only look and weep at the huge ones just growing by the side of the road and the palm trees gently swaying in the warm breeze all year around.

I first came here back in the nineties with my then boyfriend (now my husband) and it did have the reputation as an older person’s holiday destination. We did feel like the kids in the hotel that we stayed in, but lately that has changed a lot. It attracts a far more diverse age group for the wide range of sports and leisure activities.

The capital Funchal has an old colonial feel to it due to its prosperity as a place for passing ships to stop and refuel in the 1800s. It is situated just off shipping lanes bound for Africa and the Far East. While here, they would also buy provisions. This led to the popularity the sweet fortified Madeira wine, which kept well in the warm environment of the ships, and it soon became renowned worldwide. There are stories of people like Churchill and Napoleon being given barrels of the wine to give to dignitaries.

John Blandy moved from England to Madeira in the early 1800s due to ill health in order to benefit from the restorative climate. He set up his wine business a few years later. Due to its success and a desire to diversify, he then bought several businesses including the famous Reid’s Hotel. The family no longer own this but it is the number one hotel on the island and you only have to enter the reception to look at and feel the splendour that still exists today. Blandys, still run by the family, is possibly the most well-known of the Madeira wines and operates a very informative tour where you can learn how Madeira is made, about the different grapes and see the private Blandy family collection with wines that date back to 1500.

The centre of Funchal is also home to the most fabulous market building which manages to keep cool even in the searing heat. Scabbard fish, any chilli you could name and the freshest of fruit and vegetables are all on sale alongside an amazing collection of cut flowers.

Madeira is a beautiful place, over the next three blog posts I will be exploring some of my favourite things to do, places to eat and the beautiful flowers.

All trips and items shown were purchased by me.