26 May 29, 2022The Sunday Times
Travel
The TV chef loves the beauty
of Port Isaac and always brings
home goodies from her travels
MY HOLS
MONICA
GALETTI
I grew up on Upolu, an
island in Samoa, and
it’s paradise. I love my
Samoan culture and I
miss the brilliant sarcasm of the people
who live there. That’s probably one of
the reasons I like being in the UK — you
guys get me.
When I’m in Samoa I usually take trips
to the various beaches, and one of my
relatives always brings a guitar. We’re
up and about until night-time — eating,
drinking and singing — with no worries.
Sometimes we take the ferry to our family
home on Savai’i island, eating panipopo
— Samoan coconut buns — on the way.
When we arrive, there are always
mangoes galore on the side of the
road, costing five cents for ten.
My family and I moved to New
Zealand when I was eight, which
was hard; I didn’t speak English and
found found it difficult to adjust to
the food, as everything was really
sweet. My new clothes were
uncomfortable, too, and there
were so many of them — I had
gone from being barefoot to
wearing gloves, socks, woolly
hats and itchy jumpers.
Aged 18, I took a road trip
to Auckland with a group of
childhood friends to see a Boyz IIMen concert. Someone’s relative was a DJ
who took us to a warehouse party, which
felt very grown-up. The gig was amazing
and I’ll never forget how one of the
singers touched my hand.
Later I spent a few months in Guernsey,
which I’d never heard of until a friend
asked if I wanted to join him there. That
was life in my twenties — I had a backpack
and off I went. And being a chef meant I
could easily get a job.
On days off, I’d jump on a
ferry to St Malo, in Brittany,
and other islands, wandering
off with my camera, getting
lost. One day on Herm, just
off Guernsey, I was taking
photos of a beautiful yacht
at sunset. On seeing my
admiration, its owner invited
me out the following
morning. I was very naive,
but it turned out that he was
a lovely man who had given
up dentistry to sail the
world. It was a gorgeous
summer’s day and he pointed
out puffins and other birds as
we trekked around the island.Monica Galetti and her family are frequent visitors to Port Isaac in Cornwall
The BBC approached me out of the
blue to co-present Amazing Hotels with
Giles Coren. We always work really hard,
and I remember during filming in Madeira
that the British holidaymakers were
surprised to see me in uniform, scrubbing
the swimming pool while they sunbathed.
I always return home with a suitcase
full of ingredients — ras el hanout from
Morocco, lemon salt from Abu Dhabi,
XO sauce from Macau. I spent a few days
with a gardener in St Lucia who gave me
some cocoa pods for my chefs. I could
never fully explain to them what they’re
like, and it was thanks to the gardener’s
gift that they finally got to taste them.
The Royal Mansour Marrakech hotel
in Morocco was extraordinary; it’s uber-
luxe and right in the heart of the city. I
also loved the Brando in French Polynesia
because it reminded me of my heritage.
But when I’m with my family I prefer
smaller boutique hotels and the privacy
they bring. It’s really important there’s a
spa and gym too.
It takes me a while to switch off when
we go on holiday. Normally my husband
will lock my phone in the safe for the first
couple of days because I’m alwayschecking in with my team. He knows that
I have finally managed to relax when I
pick up a book.
We love going to Port Isaac in Cornwall,
where a friend has a nice holiday rental.
It’s really beautiful, and down the hill you
see the boats coming in with their fresh
catches of crabs, lobsters and oysters.
A few years ago I went to Perth, in
Western Australia, for the Margaret River
Gourmet Escape festival, which was
fabulous. The area is glorious and I would
definitely go back there. Japan is next on
my wish list, and there are
so many other places that
I’d like to return to — let’s
hope there’s time.Monica Galetti, 46, is a chef and
television presenter. After working for
Michel Roux Jr at Le Gavroche for 12
years, she opened Mere in London with
her sommelier husband, David, in 2017
(mere-restaurant.com). Her book, At
Home: My Favourite Recipes for Family
& Friends, is out now. The couple live
in London with their daughter, AnaisInterview by Shelley Rubenstein
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weDartmoor National Park, of
which the 275 acres of Bovey
Castle are a part. For details
see boveycastle.com.
The prize includes a
breakfast hamper for two on
each morning and a Lodge
Dining experience (excluding
drinks) on one night. It must
be taken between September
1 and December 1, 2022,
subject to availability and
excluding public holidays,
October half-term and some
other blackout dates.The winner and guest will stay
for two nights in one of the 22
lodges scattered through the
sweeping parkland of Bovey
Castle in Devon. Each offers
accommodation for up to
six adults and two children
in considerable comfort, with
full kitchen facilities, an open-
plan lounge, dining area andviews over the grounds. Once
ensconced, guests can enjoy
total privacy while dipping in
and out of the five-star hotel’s
amenities — whether dining
at one of the two restaurants,
playing a round of golf, fly-
fishing, wandering the deer
park, trying their hand at
archery, gin tasting or
relaxing at the Elan Spa. All
kinds of adventures await inOnly one entry per person,
at thesundaytimes.co.uk/
wherewasi by Wednesday.
Normal Times Newspapers
rules apply. No correspondence
will be entered into.The answers are Oliver
Cromwell and RAF
Burtonwood Heritage
Centre. Mark Higgins of
Essex wins a luxury break in
a family suite at Calcot & Spa.played here too,” says Friend.
Fascinating. But I want to
head somewhere greener
and scout around for a big
house. For more than a
century it has been a centre
for an organisation of which
I was a member in my youth.
“It’s only three miles
northeast of here,” I tell
Friend. But he’s not prepared
to walk. Instead he suggests
catching a train half a mile
southwest of us.
When we arrive I realise
that the station — opened in
2019 — serves a railway line
up the wrong side of the
valley. Friend shrugs. “You’ve
got to ride it like you find it,”
he says with a smirk. “Get
your ticket at the station —
and let’s go somewhere else.”
I’m so cross there’s almost
a scuffle.
Sean NewsomCOMPETITION
WHERE WAS I?
THE QUESTIONS
THE PRIZE
HOW TO ENTER
LAST WEEK’S PRIZE
WIN A BREAK
FOR TWO IN A
LUXURIOUS
LODGE AT
BOVEY CASTLE
IN DEVON
FRANK FISCHBACH/ALAMY; NICKY JOHNSTON/BBC“Cheer up, Old Man,” says my
friend. “You’re looking all pale
and sad.”
“Are you surprised?” I gasp.
“A tour of a dustbin would be
more congenial than this.”
We’re standing by a
roundabout. Overhead,
traffic roars around a semi-
circular road, while on either
side several waterways flow
south-southwest. An
incinerator looms nearby.
Then Friend plays me a
song on his phone. It chugs
away slowly at the start, picks
up speed and finishes with
frenetic, infectious energy.
No wonder it sparked a
makeshift musical movement
nearly 70 years ago.
“What? They made pig iron
here?” I ask. “No,” says Friend,
and tells me a pub once stood
here that became a thriving
musical hub (it later gave its
name to the roundabout) —
it was where a young man
(father, Peter) was inspired to
become an entertainer. That
song made him famous. “He1 What was the entertainer’s
stage name?
2 What is the name of the
roundabout?*