Billy and Ging welcome you to Geel, Belgium
Dream of escaping to the countryside and a simpler home-grown style of life? Test-drive your dream on the Quinn’s smallholding in Geel, where you can learn a skill, meet some animals, and eat locally produced food.
La Buvette – Classy, Cosy and Delicious
The more we’ve experienced artisanal products in Belgium, the more we’ve come to appreciate slow-food. Eating seasonal, local and sustainably raised food is not only good for the planet; it’s good for our taste-buds. If you need further proof that slow food is the best way to eat, you need to dine at La Buvette in Brussels.
The Monte Chiaro shop and wine cellar in Monteriggioni
In which a chance invite in Brussels leads to a wine tasting in a medieval walled village, a guided tour of Siena, and one incredible meal.
Visiting Norcia, ‘Pork Town’ Umbria
Italy is a gastronomic paradise with regions dedicated to wine, cheese, truffles and hundreds of other regional products. But when Andrew learned of a town dedicated to wild boar, there was no stopping him. We were on our way to Norcia, Umbria – better known to us as ‘Pork Town.’
Dinant’s Brasserie Caracole brews artisanal and organic Belgian beer over an open fire, just as they have since the 18th century. You can take a Belgian Brewery tour or enjoy a beer tasting in their charming bar.
For a fun family day trip in Wallonia, Belgium, visit L’Escargotiere de Warnant, a snail farm producing one of the world’s most sustainable foods.
When Andrew and I visit a new Belgian city for a weekend, one of our first missions is to scope out recommended restaurants and make reservations. Over the course of two and a half days, we normally have one exceptional dining experience and one or two good meals. If we’re really lucky, there will be two stand-out meals. Dining in Oostende surpassed our expectations.
EAT! Brussels Restaurant Festival, 2013
There are plenty of food festivals to choose from in Belgium, but it’s safe to say, we have a favourite. At the EAT! Brussels Restaurant festival, held each autumn in Bois de la Cambre, you can sample your way around the Brussels restaurant scene, in one easy location.
Poppies Gin by Rubbens Distillery
Belgium is well known for its jenever production but one distillery has created a traditional gin in honour of the soldiers who died in WWI. Rubbens distillery, in Zele, still produces Poppies Gin, which was “beloved by British soldiers.”