Food is good , isn’t it? Particularly its taste and/ or flavour. Accompanying each pint on my travels is usually a dish of splendor- I’m not a philistine who orders an “Irish Burger n’ chips” from “Paddy O Hoolahan’s CraicFactor-International” . Remember, tis not soley for the pubs I travel, but also for the gastronomie unique to each region. And if I’m lucky, Taytos!! Here are some things that I ate which were tasty in a arbitrary ranking !

No. 7: SOUP IN BREAD!

Soup-in-bread! Where does the dish begin/ end? Cutting out the middleman of Big Plate by stuffing the soup in a semi-edible receptacle lets you know without doubt you are in Europa now baby! Sounding better in theory than in practice , you can never actually eat the bread bowl – to do so would verge on glutunous insanity – thus , said bread bowl is left untouched and you can only question the original decision to make a bowl out of bread whilst ultimately pining for some normal cermaics. Madness !

No. 6: The Trapizzino!

Narrowly missing out on the top 5 is the Trapizzino from Rome, a Pizza -Pita Hybrid filled with Roman staples like Aubergines or Tripe in a handy portable bread wallet. Italian Street food innovation at it’s finest.

No. 5: FRITES, BELGIUM

Not chips, and definitely don’t call them French Fries, Frites are to Belgium what delicious Guinness’es are to rural Ireland; a source of pride , wonder and excessive calorific intake. Respect to Belgium for their Irish-esque love of potatoes, pints and dividing the country down the middle and doing without a functioning government. Ghent’s frites were something else. Ketchup doesn’t even get a look in. The range of Fritesaus elevates them to fine dining . Just look at them chips there!

No 4. Meat , Bulgaria

Sometimes, when you’ve been in an all night Bulgarian techno club in downtown Sofia , the only thing to cure what ails you is all the meat. I fully recommend Meat from Hadjidraganovs cellar; if it’s meat you’re after, then why not have all of it at once , on a lazy susan?

No. 3: Smokey Bacon Taytos, Rome;

Rome! The bastion of taste is fairly well known for the aul cuisine; but what impressed me most was the fantastic ‘Fiddler’s Elbow’ having authentic, Republican Taytos . And in the most elusive of flavors, the savory sensation of Smokey Bacon. And when I ordered them, the barman said ‘oooooohh, when in Rome!’ Class.

No. 2 ; Zapiekanka

Zapiekanka, how I love you. How to describe Zapiekanka to someone who has not tasted its like? It would be akin to trying to describe the face of God to a greyhound. Impossible. The Zapiekanka is a Polish pizza baguette born of the austerity of Communism topped with a heady blend of mushrooms, cheese, mayo , ketchup and whatever your heart desires. But don’t try to recreate the Zapiekanka at home. You can’t . Or buy the pre-packed one in the Sainsburys Polish section. The only place to get them is the Zapiekanka arena in Krakow’s Kaziemerz. Where they give you a cool bib!

AND IN NO.1 OF THE FINEST FOOD OF 2023 !!!!

It is , the Piadina of Emilia Romagna!!!

It had to be the Italians. Bologna of course is the home of the finest fayre in the world . The piadina is deceptively amazing- just a bit of flat bread with a few ingredients- bit o soft cheese, ham, bit of greens. But the cheese is the best cheese you’ve ever had, the Ham the finest ham, the rocket the most rockety. And the bread is like that magic hobbit bread- super light but super filling . Italians do do it better. (although they got the spaghetti bolognese wrong , serving it without Spaghetti!! Come on guys! Have you learnt nothing from Dolmio!???!? * )

• *this is a joke for comic effect