Franglais27 Tales

It’s that time of year when the aromas of summer holiday plans are in the air! Whether you might be an advance planner and are just reading blogs for casual preparation or instead, are just at the early planning stages of your holiday research, you can’t beat the excitement of the prospect of getting away from it all and arriving somewhere different with new experiences to discover!

One part of travel preparation that I love to arrange, in advance, is a walking tour to orientate myself with new locations and to receive some recommendations about places to visit for food for those first few nights in a new location. Jet2Holidays had arranged the perfect event for those like me with a foodie walking tour, in Central London, to whet the appetite for holidays in some of the destinations for the new flights that they will be covering out of London Luton airport from 1 April 2025.

It was the first time that I had joined a foodie tour within London, and so that aspect was exciting in itself! This was, therefore, an ideal opportunity to imagine being abroad but sampling some of the local dishes in advance, as research, of course! You can find all of the new destinations available from Luton for Jet2Holidays here, which includes the Mediterranean, Spain, Madeira, Greece and more. The first Jet2 flight from Luton on 1 April 2025 will be touching down in Majorca!

Unfortunately, we were not able to sample foods from all of the destinations, but there were a handful of venues visited, with many surprises, even for me as a born and bred Londoner! Let’s delve into the tour further!

Soho Foodie Tour Introductions

The tour was hosted by the tour company Chubby Fellow, who provide many ready-made tours across London and Edinburgh. You can peruse the Chubby Fellow tours here. My top tip would be not only to arrive on the tour with an empty stomach but also to be energised as our cheerful guide, Tom, delivered the introduction to the tour with gusto! Apparently, the area of Soho, in London, acquired its name from an old hunting cry – which was a fascinating fact to learn – did you know?

Gathered in a corner of London’s theatre land district in Soho near Shaftesbury Avenue, a pick me up was welcomed and an aperitif was therefore on hand being a homemade gin-based cocktail – Gin Basil Smash, or the mocktail version – Apple Sour. I opted for the light Apple Sour to start, but both cocktails are a blend of lemon juice, basil and apple juice or gin for a refreshing start to a morning! I do have a copy of the recipes, if you are keen to sample these cocktails at home, let me know in the comments below.

For me, one of the particularly interesting elements of the tour was discovering some of the hidden passageways through Soho during the foodie tour. If you’re a Londoner, like me, who is always rushing to the next destination then you will always opt for the quickest, direct route and avoid the busier parts of Central London! Ideally, on the tour, there were those options to pause between food stops and look up and admire the unique architecture and vibrancy of the area and its culinary delights! We visited restaurants and cafés according to the new Jet2 travel destinations from London Luton Airport. So, without further ado, let’s travel across London and Europe via this food tour!

Spain

The first stop was to Jamon Jamon, on Caxton Walk, to get into the mood for some Spanish vibes and tapas!

There were the signature padron peppers, which were large but tender. Another dish was a tortilla Espanola, which is always a good option when visiting tapas bars in Spain. The standout dish for me was the Gambas al Ajillo. This scrumptious dish consisted of juicy prawns cooked in garlic and olive oil with a white wine sauce and was very moreish! All of these tapas were paired with a glass of cava sangria. I opted for a glass of cava, as it is an underrated sparkling wine and often forgotten about! But, did you know that cava is made using the same traditional method as Champagne? It’s definitely worthwhile trying a glass of cava instead on your next Spanish holiday!

Greece

We stopped on Bateman Street at a Suvlaki wraps restaurant which was a new location for me! Authentic Athenian wraps were sampled at Suvlaki Soho which appears to be a popular lunchtime spot and has a takeaway window too for those busy periods! The advice would be to arrive early to try these succulent treats! I sampled the chicken wrap which is filling with salad inside and arrives piping hot! Whilst we ate on the seats outside of the restaurant, to make the most of a sunny day, there is also indoor seating within this intimate restaurant.

Italy

Staying with those Mediterranean travel destinations, the next stop on the tour was to an Italian eatery. We paid a visit to the original Lina Stores on Brewer Street, which also has a delicatessen counter inside! Here we sampled Prosciutto de Parma, which I couldn’t have as a non red meat eater, and some drunk cheese! Yes, that’s correct – it’s a cheese that has had its rinds soaked in leftover grape skins following wine making. In this case, the residual taste is similar to prosecco. It is not overpowering and gives the cheese an intriguing tangy flavour and could be one to add to your shopping lists!

Turkey

Venturing over to Turkish food involved a stop by Great Windmill Street within a hidden passageway leading on to a courtyard, which was certainly one of the delights of the tour! Here, began the start of the desserts section of the tour. Unfortunately as the timing of the tour coincided with the early days of Lent, I was unable to partake in trying the sweets such as the cranberry Turkish delight. What was unusual was its pairing with Schlossberger Swiss Cheese! It is a combination that I am certainly curious to try on another occasion! But, the cheese by itself was a strong smelling mature cheese with a nutty flavour, which I thought would be ideal in a fondue!

Scotland

Just around the corner from the passageway, opened up into a charming courtyard, Smith’s Court within Soho. As a Londoner, it was delightful to discover as I had not stumbled upon this location previously. But, it is a place to add to your travels! Especially as the William Curley shop with fine chocolates can be found there! The chocolates within the shop all looked divine and we were able to choose a couture piece that we desired. Uniquely from Scotland, there were flavours such as rose chocolate, salted caramel, pistachio and more!  The aromas from the chocolate are refined but delicious! This will be an ideal location for that Easter treat!

Portugal

Rounding off the tour with a Portuguese twist was a visit to Café de Nata in Old Compton Street. Here, there were fresh Pasteis de Nata available which conjured up memories of me having them at breakfast in Cascais and Lisbon! Again, I will just have to wait until Easter to indulge in those treats! But, if you have not tried one before, a Pastel de Nata is a delicious, small pastry filled with custard and a dusting of cinnamon on top. These are typically consumed at breakfast in Portugal and were a good way to finish the tour!

Soho Foodie Tour Conclusions

Well, I don’t know about you, but the foodie tour has certainly fuelled my wanderlust and will inspire me to begin perusing those new destinations available and start planning my next holiday getaway! Don’t tell everyone, but if you sign up to MyJet2.com here there are various discounts available for your next package holidays, which also include airport transfers!

I can’t wait to hear where you are now inspired to visit and whether any of these new destinations have been added to your future holiday plans!