NOTES FROM GREECE

and my summer reading list

As I write this, I’m sitting in the departures lounge of Athens airport, waiting for my delayed (obviously) Ryanair flight back to London, after a week sailing around the Saronic islands, in the Aegean Sea. Up until last week, I’d never been to Greece or aboard a sailing boat. And as someone who burns incredibly easily, and gets travel sick on the back of a London bus, I was somewhat anxious about coping for a week at sea in 40c heat. I was however very excited to eat and explore the culinary landscape of Greece. I was expecting lots of fresh produce, served simply and treated with respect, like all the best Mediterranean food. I wasn’t too interested in trying a Gyros, but more determined to try the traditional boiled greens, Horta, that are impossible to find in the UK, that and some legit stuffed vine leaves were top of my list. Cut to a week later and I can safely say I ate the best tomatoes of my life, more feta than I thought was possible and some life changing walnut stuffed medjool dates. I finally understand the true meaning of the Mediterranean diet. Seasonal, fresh ingredients, treated with care and a lot of olive oil. It’s all I want to eat when the sun is beating down and temperatures are reaching the high 30s. I could live on grilled fish, Greek salad and fava, forever and a day. I’ve truly fallen in love with Greece, the people, the food and the beaches are some of the most beautiful in Europe and I can’t wait to come back and explore more.

My favourite restaurants and beaches are scattered across multiple islands as we sailed to a new spot each day, sometimes anchoring just offshore or staying the night in a marina and exploring the port. Below are some of my highlights, along with the books I read and my thoughts on each.

If you’re considering a holiday in Greece, I couldn’t recommend it enough. If like me, your idea of a good holiday comprises of delicious food, sun and sea, Greece has it all.

Paradise Restaurant - Evaggelistrias Street, Porto Cheli 210 61, Greece

On our first day we took a 3 hour ferry from Athens to Porto Cheli, arriving in the mid afternoon, to baking heat and blazing sunshine. We’d been travelling all day and on very little sleep, so after dropping off our bags on the boat, our captain Gigi took us to this little neighbourhood restaurant where we feasted on classic Greek dishes such as horta (wilted seasonal greens), greek salad, saganaki with fresh lemon juice, bread, olive oil and Kalamata olives. It was the perfect way to refuel before boarding the ship and sailing to the first island. Paradise is a very sweet neighbourhood restaurant, with a shady terrace and fresh quick food streaming out of the kitchen. Highly recommend if you find yourself in Porto Cheli!

Patralis - Spetses

After a few days of sailing we docked in Spetses for the night and ate a delicious meal at Patralis. The restaurant is churning out delicious food by the truck load, with a full indoor dining area and two terraces, they must be easily doing 300 covers a night, with at least two sittings in an evening. We ate more of the same, excellent fresh salads, a brilliantly garlic heavy tzatziki, grilled octopus, feta from the barrel and prawn saganaki - a real highlight for me. Spetses is full of charm, populated by horse drawn carts, stray cats and little fishing boats bobbing in the port.

Manolis - Spetses

The following day we travelled to the other, much quieter, side of the island and docked in a little harbour, to have dinner at Manolis for Virginia’s birthday. The restaurant overlooks the picture perfect beach where you can rent a lounger during the day and enjoy watersports - if that’s your jam. We ate more of the same delights, highlights this time being their Kalamata olives, spicy feta dip and grilled bread. We ate and drank as the sun went down and toasted to Virgi’s 26th year. If you are keen to know more about Spetses, I recommend you check out

Alexandra Dudley

’s brilliant and extensive island guide on her Substack Come For Supper.

Alkyoni - Πέρδικα 180 10, Aegina

For our last night we docked in the Aegina marina where there is a beautiful natural swimming spot, with steps down from the rocks into the crystal clear sea. We had a sundown swim and then went out to dinner at Alkyoni, which was potentially my favourite meal of the week. We had perfectly crisp, roasting hot calamari, fresh from the fryer, grilled squid, fried sardines, perfect stuffed vine leaves with yoghurt, fresh lemon and golden grilled bread. The food is fast, fresh and delicious. There is also a beautiful family run shop next door called Mama’s Shop that sells all sorts of pistachio products, in every conceivable form. I ate one of the best pistachio gelatos of my life, and I’ve done my homework. I recommend popping in to try their selection of pistachio butters alone.

One of the things I was looking forward to the most about this holiday was the amount of unadulterated, uninterrupted, golden reading time I would get. I live my life in a rush to get to bed to maximise the amount of time I can read each night before I go to sleep, but somehow, it’s never enough. We had to pack light for this trip, with hand luggage only and so I had deliberated for a while over the books I would pack. I was lucky to rip through all three and enjoy them all in equal measure, but for different reasons. I started with Edward Chisolm’s ‘A Waiter In Paris’ - I had heard a lot about this book, seen it recommended numerous times and been meaning to pick up a copy for a while. I would honestly read any book that deep dives into the inner workings of the hospitality industry, but there is something particularly alluring about a Paris fine dining institution. Edward writes this narrative non fiction from his personal experience of becoming a waiter in Paris after arriving without a word of French or friend to his name. He shines a light on the untold stories of the back of house staff with respect and great care. It’s a completely fascinating read and feels like the book Anthony Bourdain would have written, had he worked as a waiter in Paris.

Then came Melissa Broder’s ‘Milk Fed’ which really took me by surprise. I was lured in by the LA backdrop, having lived in Los Angeles in early adulthood, I still have a soft spot for the city. It’s a thrilling exploration of eating disorders, Jewish food culture, femininity and familial trauma, all told through a queer lens. I ripped through the book in a day and can’t recommend it more. It has a sort of strange, sometimes trippy quality, coupled with searingly vivid pictures of what it means to live in a woman’s body today.

I ended the trip with Yomi Adegoke’s much celebrated novel, ‘The List’. I have been meaning to read it for a while but wanted to save it for a holiday and this was the perfect moment. The book tackles a near impossible situation, set in the wake of the #metoo movement, amongst London’s media pack, with the feminist protagonist having to face allegations that her soon to be husband is an abuser. The book very cleverly explores all angles and experiences within this all too familiar story. It’s a gripping, twisting story that keeps you on your toes and manages to surprise until the very end.

I’ve returned well rested and very excited to get cracking as the autumn unfolds. I love the back to school feeling that September brings and the fresh wave of produce that the new season provides. So I’ll look forward to sharing my new favourite midweek dinners with you from next week. Until then, take care of yourself, carve out some time to read if you can and let me know if you have any book recommendations of your own, I’m on the hunt for my next read.

Sending love, Rosie x