things we love in antigua
Food and Drink
One of the many things we enjoy about our travels is discovering local foods and drinks. Every island has it's own specialties and I love to experiment with local produce and see what new concoctions I can produce from our galley.
One of my new favourites from the island of Antigua is “chop up.” I first sampled this during breakfast at a local hotel and had to stop myself from becoming obsessed with it. The dish very simply comprises of cooked vegetables “chopped up” and one of the most delicious versions I had was a combination of spinach, okra, pumpkin and aubergine. A very healthy start to the day, if you ignore the pile of yummy fried pumpkin pancakes I had with it !
Whilst we always love to munch our way through the delicious local pineapples, paw paws, bananas, mangos and avocados, the local tomatoes have been a particular delight for me. After sampling so many disappointing varieties in Europe which seem to lack flavour and turn soft far too quickly, I am enjoying the simple pleasure of slicing up a firm, flavoursome tomato for a quick salad or sandwich. Even when they appear quite yellow on the outside, they reveal a glorious rich red centre which adds a beautiful extra colour to our meals.
One of the many things we enjoy about our travels is discovering local foods and drinks. Every island has it's own specialties and I love to experiment with local produce and see what new concoctions I can produce from our galley.
One of my new favourites from the island of Antigua is “chop up.” I first sampled this during breakfast at a local hotel and had to stop myself from becoming obsessed with it. The dish very simply comprises of cooked vegetables “chopped up” and one of the most delicious versions I had was a combination of spinach, okra, pumpkin and aubergine. A very healthy start to the day, if you ignore the pile of yummy fried pumpkin pancakes I had with it !
Whilst we always love to munch our way through the delicious local pineapples, paw paws, bananas, mangos and avocados, the local tomatoes have been a particular delight for me. After sampling so many disappointing varieties in Europe which seem to lack flavour and turn soft far too quickly, I am enjoying the simple pleasure of slicing up a firm, flavoursome tomato for a quick salad or sandwich. Even when they appear quite yellow on the outside, they reveal a glorious rich red centre which adds a beautiful extra colour to our meals.
Buses
We find travelling around Antigua by local bus is a fun way to see different aspects of the island. The buses are very cheap and regular, although occasionally a little bit of a bumpy ride depending on how keen the driver is to get home for lunch, and pass through all areas of the island and it's communities. We think it is also a great way to see some old fashioned politeness and courtesy – people saying “good morning or afternoon” as they get on, passengers holding other passengers luggage or even babies as pockets are searched for bus fare, and even one driver taking to the back streets to drop off an elderly lady and her sack of peanuts right outside her home. We particularly loved this bus which featured a desk telephone !
