The European Compass : A Food & Travel Podcast

Season 1 : Eating Europe | Episode 10 | England, Derbyshire What does a plate of bacon, eggs and sausages say about a country? In this episode, recorded after a trip to the Peak District in Derbyshire, I look at the full English breakfast — its disputed origins, its contested ingredients, and why it still defines how the world thinks about British food. I cover the five pillars of the full English...

Most people go to Crete expecting gyros and Greek salad. I did too. What I came home cooking was something quite different. In this episode I share everything we ate during a trip to the southeast corner of Crete, staying near Makrigialos, a quiet bay that feels like Greece in the 1970s. We talk about why the most traditionally Cretan dishes on the menu were the vegetarian ones, the stuffed courge...

Burgundy is famous for its wine. But walking into a restaurant in Beaune and being handed a book-sized wine list would challenge any wine lover. In this episode I visit Burgundy's wine country as an enthusiastic amateur rather than an expert, and come back with a much better understanding of what makes Burgundy wine so particular, and so expensive. We start with a cellar walk at Patriarche et Fils...

Burgundy is one of Europe's most celebrated wine regions, but the food is just as remarkable. I travel to Beaune and returns with a full account of what I ate, including a dish I had never encountered before that turned out to be one of the best things I have ever eaten. The episode covers oeufs en meurette - the classic Burgundian poached egg dish with a history that goes back centuries and now h...

I went to Porto expecting to drink port. I came home with a bottle of pink port, a new appreciation for Vinho Verde, and a firm opinion about a farmer's rosé served from a tap in a 100-year-old tasca. In this episode I cover everything I drank on my recent trip: Vinho Verde at the Mercado do Bolhão paired with sardines, the Alvarinho from the Dão region that I'll be seeking out at home, and Espada...

Porto's food scene is one of Europe's most underrated, and most misunderstood. Ask the internet what to eat in Porto and you will get the same answer every time: the francesinha, a vast meat-filled sandwich drowning in tomato and beer sauce. It has a history worth knowing, but it tells you almost nothing about what Porto actually does best. This episode makes the case that the real food story of P...

I went to Budapest not knowing what to expect from Hungarian food, and came home planning to completely overhaul my pickle shelf. In this episode I share everything I ate during my recent press trip, from a food tour of the Great Market Hall to an unexpected highlight in a food court that turned out to serve the best dish of the whole trip. We cover the Foodapest food tour, Mangalica salami from H...

The English pub is one of themost misunderstood places in European travel. Most visitors walk past. Some walk in and wait forty-five minutes for service that was never coming. A few find their way to the bar and discover one of the best-value meals on thecontinent. In this episode, Julia, an Englishwoman who grew up with Sunday lunches and now misses them from France,takes the listener through eve...

Season 1: Eating Europe Episode 2 This week I'm talking all about crepes and galettes and creperies. What they serve, what to eat, a little bit of history and some travel advice. The European Compass is a podcast for culturally curious travellers who believe food is the best way into a place. New episodes explore food culture across Europe, not just what to eat, but what it means. Don't forget to...

Season 1: Eating Europe In this first Episode of Eating Europe we are talking about Tapas in Madrid. I'll talk about the different tapas I ate there, the tapas tour I went on and give some recommendations as to what to eat. I talk about: Garlic shrimp Some seriously good wine The best Spanish Tortilla in Madrid This is the bar with the best Tortilla tapas: https://www.juanalalocaes.com/ This is th...