Menorca completely took me by surprise when I visited in November 2017. I had last visited some 15 years ago but all gourmet delights, apart from Pomadas (gin and Fanta lemon), had somehow escaped my natural food-hunter instincts. This visit, and with Lorraine Ure as my hostess, I was introduced to an impressive array of delicious delights that I possibly wouldn’t otherwise have found. It has also tapped into an interest in naval history that I didn’t realise I possessed. Tipped to be the originator of Mayonnaise (it’s locally called Mahonnaise) Menorca is long famous for its GIN production, its British naval history and noticeable absence of mass tourism. This chic little island (the same size as the Isle of Wight) is surrounded by turquoise coloured, fish filled seas, glistening sandy beaches, and rocky shores teaming with lobsters and octopus. A flourishing wine industry is cropping up all over the island too. Its colonial style architecture transported me into a land that was familiar (it was Spain after all!) but felt sooo much further away.
