Category Archives: friends

finca buenvino

31 Friday May 2019

Posted by in andalucia, food & drink, friends, getaways

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Sam & Jeannie Chesterton

I’ve been virtual friends with Jeannie @jeanniechesterton and Sam @samchesterton on social media for years and have been wanting to visit their Finca Buenvino ever since  I first heard of it. So when Alexis @evoo_workshop said she was heading up there to do an olive oil tasting, and J & S invited me for lunch, I naturally jumped at the chance.

It turned out that the people who were to be Alexis’s olive oil clients were also doing a photo shoot at Finca Buenvino, and the photographer was none other than Tim Clinch @clinchpics, who I had met here in Sevilla a couple of years ago, and who is also a close friend of Jeannie & Sam.

Aside from being the Chesterton’s family home for more than 35 years, Finca Buenvino is also a peaceful mountain retreat, nestled in the hills in Huelva, just a short drive from Sevilla. There are two self-catering cottages on the grounds, as well as six B&B rooms in the main house, with various activities available, including cooking classes run by Jeannie.

While Alexis did her tasting I wandered around the gorgeous sprawling house and grounds, including a trip over to the spectacular salt water infinity pool, followed by the Buenvino dogs, until it was time for lunch. Which was fabulous. Along with the house guests, we were joined by the Chesterton sons, Sam, who shares cooking duties with his mother, and Jago, who works at nearby Cinco Jotas, producer of exquisite Jamón Ibérico de Bellota.

It was a spendid day in the country, and one that I hope I can repeat again soon. Thanks for the wonderful hospitality Los Chestertons, and thanks to Alexis for taking me there and back again. Photos below…

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pritesh & tareena & skye

27 Monday May 2019

Posted by in friends, sevilla

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I first met Pritesh @luvfoodluvdrink and Tareena @TareenaMakeUp back in 2015 when they came to Sevilla. So I was excited when Pritesh got in touch last week to say they would be coming back, this time with their daughter Skye. They were also travelling with Tareena’s sister, her husband and baby daughter, so it was a real family affair.

After setting them up with a few “family friendly” places to eat over the weekend we finally got a chance to meet up for a quick drink during their last lunch in town before catching their flight home. Good times.  🙂

on travelling (and living) with anxiety

23 Thursday May 2019

Posted by in cancer, friends, getaways, health & happiness

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crossing bridges…

As I put together the posts for last week’s London Getaway (done after I got home) I realised I was almost enjoying the visit more in retrospect than when I was actually there. Don’t get me wrong – it was wonderful meeting up with my friends, and going to the Spanish Embassy party was an amazing experience. And Nicola’s apartment was lovely. But when I wasn’t with friends or otherwise occupied I felt quite stressed and anxious most of the time. In fact, this anxiety started about a week before I left, since I am actually terrified of flying. I was lucky that Peter agreed to stay over while I was gone to take care of the cats, as that was one less thing to worry about. But still, I was very nervous about my trip to London, even before I got there.

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roma & john & jane

22 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by in food & drink, friends, tapas, tapas bars

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Roma, John & Jane

So Jane & John were back in town this past week. They’d told me of their plans for a return visit quite awhile ago and I was looking forward to spending time with them, but then the London trip suddenly came up and I ended up being away for most of their visit. But we had a lovely lunch at Vida Loca yesterday, and today met up one more time at La Barra de Inchausti for a last meal together.

With Roma! Who just arrived in Sevilla yesterday. I first met Roma on a tapas tour in 2014 and she has been back to Spain a few times since then. We last saw each other in Córdoba a couple of years ago when Peter & I went to “do feria” with her there. It’s very seldom (if ever?) that my various friends from around the globe end up meeting, so this was fun. Also looking forward to a quick trip to Cádiz with Roma over the weekend.