The Wine & Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal by Charles MetCalfe & Kathryn McWhirter

‘The Wine & Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal’ is a hardback, 446-page book for people who like to eat and drink well, stay in welcoming and interesting places, and explore further than Portugal’s beaches.

More of Portugal is open to visitors than ever before, thanks to new roads that carve right into the country’s granite interior. Discover the delights of the best Portuguese wines, from sandy soils or granite, grown on beaches or up mountains. Find out about the best restaurants and tascas to eat roast suckling pig, fabulously fresh fish and seafood, or the famous doces conventuais, confections of eggs, sugar, almonds and other flavours. Want to visit interesting castles, climb soaring mountains, walk along unspoiled rivers, or wonder at magnificent cathedrals and museums?

It’s all in the book. As are a selection of the most friendly and interesting places to stay, to suit all pockets, with contact details and prices.

Each chapter has a general introduction, introductions to wine and to food, lists of wineries to visit (with tasting notes on recommended wines), selected restaurants and hotels, and things to do and see ‘between meals’.

All with addresses, contact details, prices and opening times, helpful maps and about 1,600 colour photos.

Review’s

Has there ever been a better introduction to the food and wine of a single country?

If there has, it’s not on my shelves. This talented husband-and-wife team has produced a lavish, lovingly researched guide to a country whose wines are criminally under-appreciated in the UK, complete with hotel and restaurant tips.

Put this in your hand luggage next time you fly to Oporto, Lisbon or The Algarve.

Tim Atkin, Observer, 9 December 2007

The best new book is the husband and wife team Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter’s The Wine & Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal. Any armchair traveller snuggling up with a glass of port, a box of Elvas plums and this essential guide to what to eat, drink, buy, see and where to stay in Portugal will have a happy holiday.

Jane MacQuitty The Times, December 9th 2007