Famous chef Jimmy Garcia tells us about his favourite holiday destinations.
“My dad is Spanish, so a lot of our childhood holidays were visiting friends and family over there.
The one bit I always remember is the marathon car journey from Wakefield, with me in the back with my two sisters. Being the youngest, they bullied me!
It was Asturias in the north of Spain, right in the middle of nowhere.
We made our own fun. It was great, but one thing gave my sisters nightmares.
My grandmother used to keep rabbits, which my sisters thought were pets but they were actually for the pot.
The day they discovered that, when they saw my gran skinning one, was a real shocker.
When I worked on yachts for a few years in the Mediterranean it was the perfect opportunity to combine work with a bit of holidaying.
I loved Palma in Majorca and the brilliant beaches and nightlife of Ibiza. But also a couple of places that weren’t maybe quite as welcoming.
Corsica was brilliant despite the locals not exactly rolling out the red carpet for tourists.
And you’d go to the market in Montenegro and if they saw you were off a yacht they’d think you were a millionaire. One lady tried to charge me 80p for a single egg!
The chalet company also allows me to combine a bit of holidaying and work.
The five chalets are in Courchevel in the French Alps, which is perfect for me because I love skiing and a bit of aprs ski.
Even the work bit is fun as we have special dining experiences for the guests if they want it.
We’ll literally dig out seating and tables in the deep snow and serve them food by starlight.
I’ve had some great holidays in Ireland and Thailand, too, but a recent one left me with a bit of a sense of sadness was Egypt.
I was there with my girlfriend Naomi and we really loved the place. The sights were as amazing and the people were really friendly.
But because of the troubles they’ve had recently it was pretty empty and the locals were struggling.”
This Morning, ITV, weekdays at 10.30am.
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