03 Sep 2025
Elena Hogg, founder of local culinary company FOOD by Elena, discovers some taste sensations on her summer hols…
Holidays. Beaches. Sunshine. The smell of sun cream. Relaxation. Food. Fooooood. We were lucky enough to head to Corfu this year and it more than delivered all of the above.
Our hotel was on the beach and so we were spoilt for choice between pool and sea when we needed a cooling dip in the water, which was very often, given it was roasting hot. The weather was in sync with our schedule, clearly, because it wasn’t until the day we were leaving that the clouds gathered, rain threatened and the sea turned choppy.
The choppiness had begun the afternoon before, in fact, which was a bonus according to the children: they got to play in some ‘fun’ waves – jumping over them, diving under them and just slamming themselves right into them. Less of a bonus for us parents, forced to watch nervously as our children played chicken with the sea.
Prior to that, however, the sea had been as calm as a lake and much safer for the children, allowing for stretching out on sun loungers and even some holiday reading, with only cursory glances seaward required.
Embarrassingly indulgent was the QR code on the tables between sun loungers that allowed guests to order drinks from the bar straight to their beach- or pool-side spot. We soon overcame our discomfort and wantonly ordered refreshing iced coffees and even the odd piña colada. If you can’t enjoy a teeth-achingly sugary, unashamedly retro cocktail on holiday, when can you?
When we’d first booked the holiday (through a local independent travel agent called Valerie Avery, recommended to me by my hair dresser and whom I also now highly recommend), we’d opted for half-board instead of all-inclusive. This was mostly for cost-saving, but also because there’s something pleasantly challenging about having to find lunch from somewhere each day. It gives shape to the day and an impetus to leave your sun lounger (dare I even say the confines of the hotel?) in search of lunch.
That said, I’ve found that by filling up adequately (by which I mean stuffing myself silly) at the breakfast buffet, then stealing a hard-boiled egg and some fruit to take away with me, my lunch was largely covered. Well, with the addition of an ice cream from the hotel’s gelateria for afters, of course.
My favourite flavour (and the week’s stay included a trial of all of them), was the tiramisu.
Coffee-soaked sponge had been embedded like a seam of coal in a rock bed, only the rock bed was smooth, custardy ice cream.
One of the hotel’s restaurants was called Meze, the Greek work for ‘sharing’, which conjures up images of happy Greek families delving into a hearty meal and enjoying each other’s company. Our experience deviated slightly from this, fraught as it was with identifying dishes that the children wouldn’t outright object to, dishes that included enough vegetables, enough protein and, perhaps most importantly, whether we had ordered enough crispy squid for everyone to partake meaningfully. We do all love crispy squid.
Once the usual family menu-debates were over and the first plates of food were brought to the table, bliss descended. We started with a trio of antipasti: some olive tapenade which my olive-loving daughter near-demolished, some mackerel tartare as fresh as you can imagine and sharp with lemon, which my son adored, and some tomato salsa made from what must’ve been perfectly ripe tomatoes and drizzled with peppery local olive oil, which my husband and I gobbled up greedily, so everyone had a favourite and harmony prevailed.
Next came ‘Cretan Dakos’, which despite being from a different island, was served everywhere we went on Corfu. It’s a little like a Greek version of crostini: a base of barley rusks softened with tomatoes and then topped with mizithra, a Greek whey cheese that resembles a love-child of feta and ricotta, both in flavour and texture. It’s delicious.
We then gorged ourselves on seafood – the catch of the day was sea bream, which they grilled to crisp and golden perfection. We also had the most tender octopus, a big plate of that fought-over squid and some succulent anchovies marinated in just the right balance of sharp vinegar and heady garlic.
One thing we did all agree on was we were all too full for pudding. Thank you, Corfu.
